Comments on: Microsoft ad's 'average consumer' is an actress

Ad star Lauren isn't told, when she applies for the gig on Craigslist, that she might be shooting a Microsoft ad. What a break for her acting career.

[calel2000]

I'm sorry but I fail to see how this changes the fact that PC are more inexpensive. And for an average person who buys a new notebook every few years, these savings could add up. Even if she is an actress / paid by Microsoft, it doesn't change the fact that you can almost buy 2-3 PC notebook for the price of one mac notebook. Why else do most large companies buy their MANY employees PC's? The average person does not been the $2000 dollar mac book pro (or whatever) to type up a paper / give a presentation.

[trewbux]

"for an average person who buys a new notebook every few years, these savings could add up"

I think you hit the nail on the head right there! Buy a new PC every few years, or invest in a Mac that will cost more upfront but give you more years of problem-free computing. Just ask my 6-year-old powerbook G4 that I'm typing this on...

[CTO_Dude]

@trewbux

Well I've got PC's that are going on 5 years running Windows 7 (gracefully) as well so this isnt just a Mac thing.

[seven7dust]

well thats the point not everyone can afford a Mac especially a Macbook pro but stop bashing them based on Price !
cause apparently they r selling fine just like last quarter etc.
during which Apple's sales were up during a global meltdown !
you buy yr cheap Pcs and replace them every year
but we'll buy are Macs and replace them every 4 yrs
and save time and money doing it !

[rahady]

The idea of Microsoft ads is finding the perfect laptop for an average user on a "tight" budget. I see that's true if she thinks she's just not cool enough to be a Mac person (with 1 grand to spend and she can keep the change).

All she can think is "she wants to be a Mac person". She doesn't want to be a Vaio P or maybe Dell Adamo person. Why?

And yes, you (or she) don't need $2000 (dollar) macbook pro whatever to type a paper or do presentations. Why would anybody wants macbook for typing a paper or do presentations?

Asus Eee PC (with Linux) very capable of doing that, and it's very effective for browsing the net on the go.

[Mark_Anderson]

Come on, they should use real people. Like that nice Mr Mac and Mr PC from Apple's ads.

[Maccess]

Apple's products in the 17" laptop category are high-end specialized notebooks that have no low end equivalent.

The HP 17" is a bottom of the barrel "value special." HPs high-end 17" laptops cost the same as Apple's.

For a better comparison, it should be centered around the 13" range.

[virnovus]

Who in Los Angeles anymore isn't an actor or an aspiring one? Presumably, they taped a whole bunch of people and picked out the best ones. It seems natural they'd choose someone who was able to look good on camera.

And this is coming from a guy who switched to Ubuntu Linux rather than deal with Vista.

[tgrreco]

"Who in Los Angeles anymore isn't an actor or an aspiring one?"

That is very true, but ask yourself this: why did Microsoft pick Los Angeles to do this "marketing research?" Obviously it knew the high ratio of actors in the area and that it would be able to cherry pick respondents to make its point. And as for her "I'm not cool enough" line: we all need to be skeptical about her coming up with it.

That line is the heart of the campaign, and it is unlikely it just came to her. Without that line, we have yet another PCs are cheaper than Macs advertisement, but with it there is traction. Coming on the heels of Balmer's rant, the rhetorical moves of Microsoft are quite clear in this case. The only thing new here is Microsoft got clever with an advertisement. It is a very good advertisement, IMO, but will it make a huge difference? Who cares, but don't act like it is anything more than a carefully scripted commercial. What will be interesting will be Apple's response, if any.

[virnovus]

Microsoft most likely had a production company make the commercial rather than make it themselves, since Microsoft isn't in the business of video production. And of course, all the best video production companies are based in southern California, and they probably didn't want to go through the hassle of relocating. Lauren isn't the only one trying to save money.

If you like Macs, go right ahead and buy one. Personally, I still can't get over the one-button mouse.

[solitare_pax]

You can get two-button mice which work nicely with the Mac these days - I use one.

Of course, if our actress had wanted to, she should have opted for a laptop loaded with Ubuntu and saved even more money.

I can't help but notice that she is driving a convertible VW Beetle in the ad - now that is a rather pricey (Starts at $25,000+ new) - and cool - ride for someone claiming to be on a budget.

I imagine our next shopper will be driving a Ferrari and claiming poverty.

[AppleRules]

One button mouse. I presume you refer to the MIghty Mouse? They are actually three button mice (left, right, bottom) without the line you are attached to, as well as a squeeze button on the bottom, the scroll button which can be pushed, and horizontal as well as vertical scrolling, all in a nice clean package. Mot everybody's cup of tea, but it works fine for me.

[ReasonableGuy]

If you don't like the Mac, don't buy it.
It's like comparing a Luxury car to a Chevy.
Sure the HP is cheaper. (HP Pavilion dv7t series)
It is also heavier.
And has a slower Ethernet Port.
And a 1600 by 900 pixel display (vs. 1920 by 1200 for the MacBook Pro 17").
And I'm sure there are other differences.

Do Macs cost more? Sometimes. But not as much if you try to make an even-up comparison.

[jinx101a]

I'm sorry, but the Mac isn't even a luxery model. The design maybe "clean" but it's also irritating a lot of times. I've lost count how many times I've clicked on something and I have no clue whether it's working or doing anything... apparantly part of clean UI design is not putting appropriate labels and feedback on forms (e.g. iTunes). There's nothing you can do on a Mac that can't be done on Windows or Linux and to be honest, the smug mentality of the community makes it even more aggrivating.

[catch23]

The car analogies have to go. Apple uses the very same parts as everyone else.
Intel to the plastic keys, they all come from the same manufacturers.

Apple just charge Luxury prices for a Chevy. That is all.

[rnaoncfixd]

@jinx101a
I have no idea what computer you've been using, but I've been using Macs for years and have never come across any of those UI problems.
I can actually use Final Cut Studio and Aperture at a much cheaper rate than Avid and various Adobe Products and still come out with as good quality and detail.

@catch23
It's not just hardware, it's software and how it works. Vistas is a bloated mess that urgently needs at least around 3 gb of ram. I've seen OS X run pretty well at 1 gb of ram. The software integration within Apple is excellent and streamlined. Garageband works great for people who want to record music, iMovie is a good introduction to video editing, and iCal as odd as it sounds is something that a lot of my co-workers wish was built into the system instead of having to use some not as great 3rd party software.
Also, since the "actress" and average person go to a store like Best Buy to buy their computer, there's most likely bloatware and things that can really bog down the system installed on it. Apple holds a tight leash on their stuff so nothing like that even gets through to any of their computers.

Apple is like Lexus, not in the sense of hardware, but in the sense that it will give you a great experience.

[SlimGem]

Sorry guys, but Macs ARE a luxury model due to the operating system and included software. It even knows how to spell aggravating. But then again, who needs a spell checker for a simple word like "aggrivating". Oops!

[FuturamaFan]

@catch23 Actually how many PC laptops have you bought that are made from aluminum. Solid aluminum milled in a CNC machine? None? How many came with a glass display? None? LED back lighting? A few? A few that you payed a premium for? Also if you really want to dig and call the companies for cut sheets on their parts, you'll find the Macbooks do have better quality electronics. Are all of them? No, but many of the part are.

So yes I would say a resounding yes to the fact that Mac's are luxury and compare quite well against the car analogy. After all is a BMW fuel pump really made from the same materials as a Honda pump? Yes, you say?! Oh no...I'll inform all my BMW driving friends! Surely they'll see reason and give up their precious cars!

[gggg sssss]

@ SlimGem even an illiterate Mac user should know that :

" Macs ARE a luxury model "

is bad grammar. Or maybe Macs don't come with grammar checkers. Or, you have proven again the cluelessness of a Mac user And you want to call out other people's spelling? ROTFLMAO

[blinkdt]

" Vistas is a bloated mess that urgently needs at least around 3 gb of ram. I've seen OS X run pretty well at 1 gb of ram"

Startling. Amazing. Astounding. OSX on a mere gig. Guess what? I just loaded Vista on a 1GB1.6GHz Core2Duo and "it runs pretty well" too. Now let's both run off to newegg and get busy upgrading. C'mon, you Mactoids, you know you wanna!

Me and my Studio 17? When I bought it less than a year ago it simply trounced the MacBook Pro spec-for-spec. My hardware platform blew your hardware platform away, hands down . . . not debateable. And I added an Intel Turbo flash module and 2nd hard drive, STILL keeping the total price under $1,000. It doth rock, diggin' Vista and looking forward to 7, thang yu vury much.

I don't buy $4,000 laptops anymore. And all the tired, rehashed dribble I'm reading hear . . . out-of-touch Mactoids, I smashes 'em when I sees 'em.

[chaboud]

@futuramafan
This luxury no-luxury thing is a bad running joke. As a former Powerbook G4 owner and current Macbook Pro 15" owner, I can say without hesitation that a milled-from-aluminum notebook is a horrifically bad idea. It cooks your lap, dings far more easily than composite/plastic notebooks, and is harder to safely carry when you're in a grab-and-go mood.

When I want something that works as an actual laptop (for instance, in bed, where I am now), I grab something else, either my trusty old Thinkpad T42 or this Vaio Z. Plastic on the bottom, better keyboards, and a better screen (on the Z, as the T42 is nearly dead).

Glass screens are for people who hate ambient light.

On top of that, premium OS? Hardly. When netflix and youtube choke if I switch away from Safari on OS X on dual-core machines (processors *not* pegged), there's something wrong with the thread scheduler. Smacked in a few minutes in Pwn2Own two years in a row? Security needs some work. I use OS X as my primary OS, but let's get real for a few minutes here. Apple charges an unreasonably high amount for its systems because they can get away with it. They can get away with it because of glitz, glamor, and herd mentality. Actress or not, it seems like she made a sensible choice.

[brandie346]

An actress? Is in a COMMERCIAL? NO WAY???

I've never heard of such a thing!

[kcotham]

The point is, don't try to pass them off as the guy on the street. Or in this case, the girl on the street.

[rnaoncfixd]

If you're trying to be facetious, the point was, was that this was supposed to be based on a real person's buying habits. Credibility goes out the window (pardon the pun) when it's revealed that she's an actress spouting scripted lines instead of speaking her mind.

[gggg sssss]

@rnaoncfixd an actress is as much a real computer consumer as a plumber. Neiher are likely to be geeks or rocket surgeons. So explain your point again?

[rapier1]

She may be an actress but there was no script. She was a consumer who happened to be an actress rather than an actress who was playing at being a consumer.

[philip-oreilly]

Apple Insider have a great video showing that she never even enters the Apple Store. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cc5PBzb1dJc

[sodablue]

The real question was. Is she wrong? Can you buy a 17" notebook from Apple for under $1,000?

[jwarwick_dotmac]

But could also be "Can you buy a laptop for under $1000 that doesn't have a crappy, low resolution screen, two year old technology and that isn't made of molded plastic.

[jwarwick_dotmac]

Or that has has more than 2 hour battery life or that weighs less than 7 pounds ...

[tm_anon]

Can you buy a 17" PC notebook from anyone with the same specs, including quality of parts and quality of included software, for under $1,000?

Don't forget, if the manufacturor of the same PC had included Linux, the Windows tax wouldn't be there and the same exact system, capable of doing the same exact tasks, would cost at least a hundred dollars less.

[blinkdt]

"Can you buy a 17" PC notebook from anyone with the same specs, including quality of parts and quality of included software, for under $1,000?"

"But could also be "Can you buy a laptop for under $1000 that doesn't have a crappy, low resolution screen, two year old technology and that isn't made of molded plastic."

The answer to that question, my uneducated friends, is yes. How about BETTER specs for under $1,000? Yeah, really. I love that I have two hard drives in my Dell Studio 1735 spinnin' at 7200 RPM (250GB as primary, 320GB as secondary, both Seagate Momentus). You don't . . . and you never will. Sure, I disabled hibernate on the advice of a Tom's Hardware column, but other than that I haven't even bothered to tweak Vista as it runs silky smooth on my rig. On those rare occassions when I actually do meet someone who owns a Mac, they sometimes like to compare. They're pretty much stunned every time. I like watching their chests fall when they see 64-bit Photoshop open on my gorgeous WXGA+ screen before I can count three-mississippi. Then, too, few if any of them know of Master Collection CS4 or Office 2007 Enterprise . . . they spent all their money on their overpriced hardware! Hey, have fun with that Garageband thing.

What you dill-weeds don't understand is the "value" in my purchase. I didn't "settle," I focused on "value." I'm smart. Next question.

[jinx101a]

The next thing you're going to tell me is that Mr. Clean doesn't really exist.

[biffhenerson]

It is interesting that you choose to examine the details of this advertisement. My guess is that ALL television commercials contain "actors". Don't be foolish. Just because it appears to be a stranger being interviewed on the street doesn?t mean that it is. Just because the lady on the screen is wearing a white lab coat doesn?t make her a medical expert. This is not news. It?s just another attempt to bash Microsoft. Who, for some reason, you wish to hold to some dynamic and thus unachievable standard. Oh, and the lowest cost choice is to not own one at all.

[tm_anon]

So MS ads shouldn't be held to any kind of standards. That means no more using the Mojave experiments as proof that people like Vista then. Works for me.

[biffhenerson]

What do you hear when I write? "MS ads shouldn't be held to any kind of standards." Where did you read that? Advertisements are... well... advertisements. They are all aimed to influence the audience. Some are funny. Some are illegal. Some feature products that, if you act now, they will double your order at no extra charge! What are these standards you write about? Can I get a copy?

[ChrisMatyszczyk]

@biffhenerson,

I'm not interested in bashing Microsoft. It's a company that has achieved huge things. But I do wish the company had pursued the Bill and Jerry ads because they were truly breakthrough. And Bill Gates' performance was an eye-opener.

By the way, I look at the details of ads because, well, I've spent much of my career creating them.

Have a good weekend.

Chris

[AppleRules]

Another attempt to bash Microsoft?? They're the ones who made the commercial!, pretending to interview the average man on the street. What if they had given her $2000 to spend? I don't think she'd have settles for the HP. Would you? The Mapple commercials don't pretend to be spontaneous interviews with the man on the street. They get to the point rather quickly about the advantages of the Mac OS versus Windows, particularly Windows Vista, or they show how Macs are greener (a dubious claim), or how you can do things with the App store on your iPhone that are miles ahead of the BlackBerry and other smartphone pack. They may be smarmy, but they are effective.

Case in point: when MS decided to launch the whole Bill & Jerry show ads, which they later abandoned rather unceremoniously, the wanted to put a personal face on the PC (which MicroSoft does not manufacture, incidentally). The ads failed, and not just because Bill is one of the richest men on the planet, a fair way from the average man on the street. The ads failed because they didn't get to the point quickly enough, or maybe there just wasn't a point. More people associate with PC's with John Hodgkins now than Bill Gates anyway, largely due to Apple's campaign. This is pretty funny, since John Hodgkins works for Apple and ultimately endorses Apple products by appearing in Apple ads. Apple has both bases covered. Cha-ching.

At the same time, Apple knows when to back off in its advertising. The latest ads do not have Hodgkins and Justin Long in them, but rather emphasize the "green" factor or tout the cool factor of the iPhone (and iPod Touch). MicroSoft has no idea how to keep up with these developments and once again finds itself trying to compete using strategies from five or ten years ago. Jerry Seinfeld? Sure, I like him, but his popularity peaked over ten years ago. Kind of like Windows 95.

[ubnyan]

I guess the message was "regular consumer" first choice is an Apple. Lauren drives her Volkswagen to the Apple store first because she loves Apple products, but ops, it is way over her budget... (not cool enough to be a Mac was in the script) ... so, no big deal, since she is getting paid for the commercial (good acting btw) she then runs to Best Buy... Gosh, so many cheaper laptops here... and takes an HP. Behind the scenes she returns her HP and with the ad money now she runs back to Apple and gets herself a MacBook... true story.

[bcas400e]

ubnyan,

How do you know it's true? I am not trying to bash you. I have an iMac and I disagree with these ads. MS is going for the 'average' consumer that doesn't realize or care they will have to replace that PC in about 3 years to run the latest stuff. Nor do they think about the cost and system overhead of anti-virus,malware, etc. software.

it would be funny if it were true, that she returned it and spent the money elsewhere!

[CTO_Dude]

@ubnyan

This is complete BS and needs to be called out. Unless you are dating this person, you have no clue what you're talking about.

[xggrand]

I have been using the same PowerBook G4 (which I bought, used), for the past 4 years. It does not have the latest whiz-bang whooziwhachitz as the latest Gen. MacBook Pros, but it still does EVERYTHING I need it to do - music and video editing, it even does email!!! What am I missing? A few CPU cycles? Why would anyone need to upgrade their computer ever few years. Except for the latest-greatest wow factor...

I have never had to spend anything on maintenance on this machine - that INCLUDES anti-virus SW. And before you get on that "complacent arrogance" rant, I don't steal software and music/videos via P2P/warez sources and I don't frequent porn sites. I pay for everything I have. I do deploy freeware AV software - I mean, just because that knuckle-headed script-kiddie in the Ukraine hasn't downloaded and modified some crap SW for the Mac yet, doesn't mean it can never happen.

And for the sake of disclosure - I have been a professional actor in the past, but Apple (nor any of its agencies) does not pay me for endorsements.

btw - the YouTube video has been pulled.

[ballssalty]

Everything I need to do I can do on my $350 netbook. What's your point? I think it's great you don't need anything more than a G4 Powerbook. But that is you. I have a two year old Asus laptop that still works great for me as well. It probably will work great for me for another year or two before technology advances and I "want" more power. I'll never "need" more power, need never comes into it.

But you get far more bang for your buck buying a PC with equivalent specs than buying a MacBook. It's just a fact.

[gggg sssss]

bluetooth? disk encryption? low energy consumption? USB 2.0? eSata?

[jeolmeun]

Her hair is red and skin like yellow. All four colors.

[ballssalty]

I still don't get why people think this is a bad commercial. This is probably one of the best Microsoft commercials I've seen.

It is accomplishing two goals. One letting people know in a recession when money is tight, it makes more sense to buy a PC where you will get more bang for the buck, than a Mac.

The other goal is taking a swipe at Apple which I think they did a good job of. There is this elitist attitude about people who own iPods/iPhones.

[jwarwick_dotmac]

It's not a great commercial for Microsoft - if price and 17 Inch screen are the only parameters you use to buy a laptop, you'd be better off to ditch Windows as it costs more than Linux.

Microsoft sells operating systems; by pitching to the cheap as possible crowd they both invite and avoid any discussion of operating systems or even hardware quality.

In the tired "car analogy", it's like the criteria for selecting a car is "$5000.00 and four wheels". No surprise when the actor leaves the new car showroom and picks out a used Cavalier.

[qnet]

There's nothing wrong with elitism -- believing that something is better is just fine when it is by your standards. In terms of what counts to me -- mechanical design, styling, quality, user experience -- iPods and iPhones do better than anything held up against them, and in the things (wack-job audio and video formats, for instance) that others excel, they just don't matter to me at all.

And I reject the idea that I'm getting more bang for a buck -- unless you assume that my time is not worth anything, or that the cost of replacing or repairing things isn't part of "bang for the buck."

[ballssalty]

@jwarwick_dotmac
It is a fantastic commercial for Microsoft. First off, for Microsoft they don't need to discuss their OS vs. Linux or even OS X. They avoid it by focusing in on price during a recession. Unfortunately in the US price always wins. Consumers here are fixated by price for the most part and especially in a recession.

The other point is she wanted a 17" screen and had a budget. Fictional or not Apple did not have something that met her criteria. What they are saying is you have more choice when looking at a PC. They showed her talking about a laptop that had 4GB of ram, big hard drive. Then they showed her holding up a Netbook.

So lower price and more choice. This resonates with people.

@qnet

There is something wrong with elitism when people are tired of hearing from people how elite they think their iPod or iPhone is. Personally the iPod is a complete piece of crap in my opinion. The iPhone seems pretty good although I have yet to really try it out. But I've had several MP3 players that are A) Better constructed B) Better features C) Sounds much better than an iPod. Difference is I don't act like my MP3 player is the only one out there. I recognize that there are other brands and types. Different strokes for different folks. It's the elitism of Apple fanboys that turn people off to Apple products. Looks like Microsoft is trying to play that angle in their ads and I think it will work.

[baconstang]

Obviously people need to be reminded how to save money in tight times, considering Apple keeps posting record sales each quarter.

[edcase512]

Go here . Read in full, in full remember. Then realise the futility of all this.

http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=macs_cant

[dadsgravy]

Cheaper is always better. And so are the people who believe that.

[nreddyk]

whats the point of this article? Try to post non-story story and create fake controversy?

[kcotham]

They did Apple's job for them. They basically stated, the Macintosh is what you really want. But here, go to Best Buy and buy this second-rate HP if you can't fork out the initial expense. Then, they totally ignored the ancillary costs of owning a Windows equipped, non-Apple computer. They always ignore the total cost of ownership. They simply can't win that way. So what does Microsoft do, they engage in FUD. They learned from the best, IBM. If you can't win on merit, win by spreading fear, uncertainty, and doubt.

[1363nd0f1337]

What additional costs? I run 2 Windows machines, 1 a self-built desktop and the other a Dell Latitude laptop and I have had no secondary costs that were *necessary*. I use AVG Free and SpyBot, so I don't have any AV subscriptions, I haven't needed any hardware replaced outside of warranty, does not apply to desktop, though all of the hardware on that worked out of the box, and I've had no software issues. I *chose* to buy more RAM for my desktop and laptop, now at 4GB and 3GB respectively, an external USB HDD to store stuff for school on, a second video card, a second HDD for my desktop to store games on and a TV tuner card for my desktop so I could watch TV and record TV on that at school. So, pretty much, I haven't had any *necessary* purchases required to get and keep my 2 Windows machines running. And Apple pretty much did the same thing with the Get a Mac ads, they spread half-truths and rumors about Vista. I know many people at my school who have had Vista running stable and problem free for them since before SP1.

[ktswami]

Oops, looks like the $700 17" HP notebook with 250G drive and 4G RAM in the ad is...mythical.
http://tinyurl.com/msadlauren

[viper396]

Pointing to a site that conveniently has a more expensive price only proves how pathetically lame and desperate you must be to try to dispute the commercial. The computer in the ad was purchased at Best Buy which in fact does sell for $699.

[rnaoncfixd]

"I guess I'm not cool enough to be a Mac person."

What's with the Windows campaigns trying to personify yourself through computers? The Apple campaign was doing the opposite: personifying computers as two actors.

[LuvThatCO2]

I guess actresses cant buy laptops? Are you going to tell us the mac/pc guys arent actors next?

I dont pretend to know whether or not the commercial is authentic. Did the ad agency just pick out an attractive woman for the ad out of the people who contacted them? Or is it all staged? I dont know, you dont know.

I do know though, that our local best buy carries both macs and windows desktops and laptops. And the prices shown in the commercial are correct. The 13inch mac is $999. I saw it yesterday. And there are many, many Windows laptops there with similar specs for much lower prices.

So the commercial is not, as you claim, 'implying' that Macs are more expensive... they are stating a fact.

[YankeePoodle]

Another FUD from a "Anti-MSFT" bots. Yeah, she is an actress but is not paid for the commerical for her acting. Microsoft did buy non-actors PCs too. So, there is nothing objectionable about the thing.

why did Microsoft choose LA? Hello, ad agencies are mostly based out of LA or NY, and they tend to work on their turf. I would love MSFT would do that in Houston, but who the hell am I to tell where they are going to do their "experiment".

Take a deep breathe relax and go to finance.yahoo.com, if there is nothing to complain about we have the economy just for that.

[Gennx30]

actually ditz, ad agencies are located all over the nation- NY being a prime one

[viper396]

@Gennx30. the "ditz" did in fact mention NY and she is correct in that a majority of ad agencies responsible for the commercials we all see on TV are based out of LA or NY. That's a reason why LA and NY are prime destinations for actors. Maybe you should actually check your facts and read the details before going around trying to anonymously insult and correct people.

[The_happy_switcher]

I'll bet if she shaked her money maker at Sunset and Vine she could raise the extra $$ for the Mac.

[baconstang]

She just needs to wait on more tables.....