Comments on: In new Microsoft ad, it takes a long time to buy a PC

The latest "laptop hunters" ad keeps hammering Apple on every conceivable aspect. But why does it seem to take 11-year-old Jackson and his mom, Lisa, a long time to buy their PC?

[3rdalbum]

Mac fanboys must be running scared from these ads, which is not what I'd expect. How else would you explain the vitriol and the ridiculous outbursts (like "Even Mac's running in Windows emulation run mode run better and faster than Windows on a Win'tell platform!")?

[EricJM001]

Oh please, you know nothing about the Mac experience. Do you really think that the millions of Mac users over the last 25 years is just some kind of fluke? This is what scares the average PC fanboy the most. That he is spending all his hard earned cash to pump up his ego, and ends up with a computer that is junk when compared to quality and innovation found in the MacBook. Have fun with your Plastic Computer and crappy Vista OS.

[Art Dir]

Sure, people who own macs are scared by these commercials.

They chose a different OS than most of the world and in many cases pay a bit of a premium to do so. Now that they see MS commercials showing people buying windows machines (what a surprising, shocking blow to the senses that is) they will suddenly wish they'd bought a dell (I hate this cliché but it fits here)-NOT!

[ralphmcmac]

No dude, I'm killing myself laughing and you'll see why.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIS6G...eature=channel

What a joke! Running scared. More like MS is hence the Ad! KH! Think before you type!

[SteveW928]

@ 3rdalbum - While the grammar of that statement was a bit off (if that is what you are poking fun of..) what was said is actually quite accurate. Mac hardware runs Windows really well... no install issues, no problems... it just works (which anyone who has built a PC knows is not usually the case). Also, since it is virtualized (esp. if you use Parallels or VMware Fusion), you can quickly make multiple installs, copies of installs, installs with various configurations, etc... and if one works better, or another breaks, no big deal. For people working in IT, or web development, or software development, etc... it is a incredibly useful. If I have to run Windows, I'd MUCH rather run it on a Mac.

[nreddyk]

come up with some real stories Chris.

[4dthinker]

It's not unusual to go into an electronics store during daylight and come out after dark. There is more to see in there than PCs. ;)

[baylors]

Windows - Life without walls.... wouldn't a life without walls be a life without windows?

[coolkev99]

Uh.. who cares? I mean really.. this get you all worked up?

[joshsc]

Bunch of Apple crybabies. Pathetic Apple crybabies. You can dish it out but you can't take it.

[Art Dir]

To me, your own post sounded a lot like, "wah, wah, wah (tears) wah, wha, wha, (breathless sob) wah, wah, wah (more tears), wah, wah, wah (mommy help) wah, wah, wah.

[ralphmcmac]

Oh here we go! How old are you! Seriously how old. If you are unable to add something constructive then my be silence will pay dividends instead your response is synonymous of the mean spirited Windows platform advocates who frequent these forums!

[ubnyan]

Jackson says... I am a PC and I am 11, Mom says.... "I am not"... obviously she is not 11... but did she mean to say she is a MAC? Also, they get the money in daylight, their final statement comes at night... something is not right with this... Again, free Best Buy, Sony, Apple advertisement... Was Microsoft or Windows even mentioned?

[sting7k]

The last time I bought a new PC it took me over a week to decide after scouring the web for reviews and checking out what models were on the shelves at Best Buy, etc. I think a day is pretty good, and realistic. Spending that kind of money isn't something you do on a whim.

Is this Microsoft hate week here on cnet?, come on with all these MS hate stories.

[clumpkin]

I am waiting for the I am a PC......and I run Linux (or Ubuntu, Debian, FreeDOS, NetBSD, etc.)

[monkeyfun14]

I am waiting for a average user who even wants to run those in the first place.

[MaggieRed]

Well Melinda is probably staying in the relationship for the kids and the money, certainly not for love. But that is the case with most domestic violence situations, and forbidding your spouse from buying something is pretty high up on the list of Bill demanding obedience over his wife and child.

I say, you go buy all those PC Windows based products. But remember to buy the Geek squad contracts too, and all the malware/adware/spybot/etc. products you'll need to purchase as well. And be sure to not let it psychologically affect your decision making in the future of your life by asking yourself over and over if you are sure you want to do something.

Besides most of those companies are not doing so well, especially Microsoft with its stock in the toilet. They need help badly, so we need to ensure that your children and those young adults are properly indoctrinated.

At least Apple hasn't stooped so low as to use four year olds to sell their products for them.

[monkeyfun14]

Making a AD line just to spread FUD is better though?

[bbp55]

The thing that most of you Mac defenders are losing sight of is the target audience for this ad. It's not aimed at people who read Cnet or are tech savvy in any way, shape, or form. It's targeted at the casual user looking to buy a laptop. This user is falling prey to the brilliant marketing of Apple to make people think they are a "premium" brand. These people have no idea what OSX is, they don't know what the heck PowerPC architecture or Intel architecture means, and they don't know anything about internet security. They want a computer that runs the games, that can connect to the internet by just plugging in a cable and clicking something on the screen, they want a lot of storage (probably so the kid can download music and movies), AND THEY WANT TO PAY THE LEAST AMOUNT OF MONEY POSSIBLE.

A friend of mine bought her 7 year old a mini laptop for his birthday. She wanted to expose him to something other than MS, and the only option in her price range was a Linux machine. And she spent two weeks trying to figure out how to install a free downloaded game onto the machine. The kid lost all interest and is frustrated with it, and basically ignores the thing. He plays his XBOX 360 still. Maybe they'll get it working the way they want soon, but she can't get it connected to the internet via their home wi-fi. She wishes now she had purchased the Windows version. And anything comparable in the Mac world was $700 more.

These are the people that make Wal-Mart the largest retailer in America, the ones who all signed up for AOL to get onto the internet, and they are the ones who buy an iPod because of the name without comparing it to other .mp3 players that do what they want it to do and cost less.

They will never buy a Mac laptop until a new Mac and a new PC laptop are virtually the same price. And that is the bottom line. And when they have problems, tech support for PC is MUCH easier to find for the average person than Mac support.

So live and die by your Mac. Make your arguments. And get used to the fact that Mac will NEVER overtake PC until they choose to expand their customer base by making their products more friendly to the average consumer's pocketbook and software and support for Macs more available to customers outside of a Mac store.

[wratbatblue]

+1!!! Nothing to add except one real-world case I observed the other day...one of my users asked me what I thought of Macs, since she and her husband (maybe not typical luddite users, but not exactly shining with technological brilliance) had decided to buy one...because they were tired of dealing with viruses, and had heard that Macs are inherently more secure. I won't go into the advice I ended up giving her, but I did wonder how many other people out there, who aren't wealthy but do have and are willing to spend the extra bucks, are thinking this way.

[ralphmcmac]

Your comment of the kid and the Linux machine is indicative of the Windows user experience which is so bad that people actually think that it is acceptable.

On a Windows machine you will fork out around that much if not more over a period of time. Have you forgotten the Vista debacle. Oh you thought that was a bad dream did you a bit like Pam Ewings death in Dallas. Talk about head in the sand!

[monkeyfun14]

What vista debacle?

The OS worked idc what people till you otherwise it worked like crap for the people who expected it to run well on a
x300 chipset a P4 and 512mb of DDR. But would Leopard really run better? Hell no.

And I remember a whole bunch of leopard issues as well.

"Your comment of the kid and the Linux machine is indicative of the Windows user experience which is so bad that people actually think that it is acceptable."

And stop making comments like these they make you look stupid.

[SteveW928]

@bbp55 -
" ... they are the ones who buy an iPod because of the name ..." / "They will never buy a Mac laptop until a new Mac and a new PC laptop are virtually the same price."

Can you make these two sentences both fit into your argument? So, they buy they most expensive MP3 player because of name... but won't buy a more expensive computer?

I think the reason Mac users are upset about the M$ commercials, is the false-advertising aspect of them. We're hoping people aren't tricked in to saving $100 to pay far greater costs later on. We're just concerned for all the poor people M$ is trying to trick with the ads.... and playing off their hardships to do so.

Also, I don't really care if the Mac overtakes the PC or whatever. As long as it has enough market share to keep developers making the best software for it, that is enough. However, I don't want to see more of my friends and relatives tricked... and I'd rather spend my time at their houses visiting, rather than fixing their PC.

[pcmacd]

As Ronald Reagan once said, "Well... there you go again!"
This time Microsoft seems to be saying a Sony computer is better than a Mac.
In their latest 'Apple tax' advertisement, they were able to 'prove' that a Dell and an HP are better (or was it cheaper?) than comparable Mac computers (or were they comparable? Who knows.)
I thought Microsoft made the operating system for PCs. Shouldn't they be promoting that instead?
If Sony, Dell and HP are so darned good, I'm sure they can promote their own products.
As well, if Windows is so great (and apparently is in way more computers than the Mac OS) why does Microsoft have to engage in these ads at all??

[monkeyfun14]

Windows promotes the PC market as a whole because the more the OEM's sell the more MS makes how hard is this for Mac fanboys to understand.

And isn't interesting? 90% of the world is pc users 90% of the fanboys are Mac users?

[jypeterson]

What Microsoft is continuing to do is give Apple a higher pedestal to stand on. The more they focus on branding, the more desirable a Mac becomes. Consumers are not stupid here, and they will see the difference in person when they compare a Mac to another manufacturer. All of the Macbooks (with the exception of the low end $999 MacBook) are engineered to the n-th degree. Single blocks of machined aluminum for the casing instead of a chassis -- brilliant! It offers strengh, more internal space, and sturdiness.

What are all of the other laptops made out of? PLASTIC. You just cannot compare anything to the Mac Laptop when they are so different in every way.

Another thing that Microsoft is not focusing on the commonality between Apple and Microsoft -- software. I don't blame them for not even trying, but it will get more difficult for them to convince consumers to look at Windoews 7 when Snow Leopard is right there, side by side. Then what, Microsoft? Are you going to focus on economics when people are looking for something with more status and they have the credit to spend it on?

Good luck with that one, Microsoft. Your marketing strategy is too short sighted, and it will end up hanging your products and partners on the line.

[monkeyfun14]

The average consumer doesn't give a damn..

The average consumer if you start talking to them about processors they are going to give you a blank look.

They don't care how the thing is manufactured... They want to take it home and turn it on surf the web.

[SteveW928]

I agree with monkeyfun14... the average user doesn't know much and is quite influenced either way. That is why ads like this are dangerous. It might convince some that M$ actually cares about them. And, from experience, anyone who has tried the support of M$ and Apple, this simply is not the case. While Apple isn't always able to make every single person happy, they seem to really try to correct hardware issues, and fix problems with their software. M$ just wants to sell the box.

[eBob1]

At the end, Jackson says, "I'm a PC and I'm 11" then Lisa says, "I'm not." Does she mean that she's not 11 or not a PC or both? It's obvious that she's not 11, so is she a Mac?

[zcline]

This is a lame article. If I spend $1,500 I'm not just going to walk in and out of anywhere. A computer is not something you spontaneously buy, like a pack of chewing gum while waiting in the check out isle. How is the Bill and Jerry ad more honest than people walking into Best Buy and trying to figure out what they want? Get a clue.

[monkeyfun14]

Do you think they are going to shoot a 5 hour long commercial?

[shane--2008]

For those too terminally stupid and short sighted to think (many of these posts coming as they do from the united states of amnesia) if you recall the first ad, the redhead never entered the Apple store. If you watch closely the same people are at the outside of the store in both scenes. She walks up to the door, then turns around and leaves as they cut to a second camera.

By contrast, this mom and child pairing enters as it is light and leaves in the dark. Literally and figuratively. It isn't so much that it matters how long it takes them to shop as it is simply that the ad agency, much like MS, is apparently a collection of incompetent twits that produce crap.

[monkeyfun14]

You really think a Apple store is going to let them shoot a pc add within their store?

[SteveW928]

@shane--2008 - "... the ad agency, much like MS, is apparently a collection of incompetent twits that produce crap."

That has always kind of baffled me actually. Even with stuff like GUI or Powerpoint templates... the M$ always sucks. I always wonder... with that much $, can't they hire a decent graphic artist or ad firm? It has always been somewhat unbelievable to me. The only thing I can figure is that the execs have so little taste, they don't know what good is... and won't let anyone under them convince them differently.

As for these commercials... I have to at least give the ad firm credit for being somewhat clever. They are probably the best response I've seen in M$ commercials to date. Misleading, but clever.

[CDubber]

Microsoft: "We'll PAY YOU to buy a Windows laptop!"

How's that for brand confidence?

[eltoro2827]

Did you take any writing classes in school? This is the lamest article.

[thelemurking]

Heaven forbid you actually take TIME to shop for a computer. With a Mac you have extremely limited choices, especially if you have a set budget. With a PC, the choices are nearly endless. What did you expect them to do, walk in, blindly pick one and walk out 3 minutes later?

[SteveW928]

The point is, with a Mac you COULD buy your computer in 3 minutes, and not get burned. You'll get a machine which is well built, with nearly the tops in performance, with great software.

[Heebee Jeebies]

Why? Because they actually have choices. Unlike Apple where you take what they have and either like it or buying and suffer just for that Apple logo that is why. When you have three dozen different computers to choose from different brands, features and capabilities so that you can indeed find one that will do what you need it takes time to pick. With Apple you have three or four and that's it. PC's will always rule. Apple is a status symbol and nothing more. It is like owning a sports car. It is nice to look out, but on the road in today's traffic with today's poorly maintained roads its not better than the Yugo next to it or the Pinto behind it. They are do that same 25 MPH on the freeway.

Robert

[EricJM001]

A status symbol that isn't made of plastic. Comes with great applications not crap-ware. Comes with free in store technical support. Has innovative features like a magnetic power cord, slot-loading DVD drives, 1 inch thin and 4.5 pounds light, green manufacturing, and has a longer battery life.

I hate to say it, but this status symbol has a lot more to offer that the average retail Windows laptop. Apple doesn't offer less choice, it offers more choices, and the choices are great.

[monkeyfun14]

@Eric

Does the average consumer really care if its plastic or aluminum?

Going to use half the applications it comes with?

Going to care if its slot load or tray?

Going to care how its manufactured?

[SteveW928]

@ Heebee Jeebies -

Go with the car analogy... good. It is more like a BMW that costs only like 10% more money. You'll be safer, should anything happen on those congested freeways.... you'll enjoy your ride, even at 25 much more... and on the weekends, you'll take your car out to local SCCA events or to a road course, and really see what it can do.

Good analogy... that why I bought a Mac... and it has been well worth the extra money I spent on it.... even if some PC user can pull off doing the same things I do with it from time to time.