Comments on: In new TV hard sell, Microsoft strikes at Apple's art

The latest Laptop Hunter TV spot from Microsoft sees the company addressing the very core of Apple's being--artists.

[googookachoo]

MAC's are much more stable. You can save a lot on anti-virus. They last longer. Everything works straight out of the box. One time I had a software problem with my MBP so I took it to the Genius Bar and they fixed it for free, no questions asked even after my warrantee had expired. Try doing that with Microsoft crap!

[bob1xxxx]

BS there great free anti virus and security programs for pc that work just fine. Ive never used apple because there such a bad deal and not very flex able , forget any serious gaming, most financial software, photo editing, etc.... Yes there are a few niche areas were Apple rules (ie hollywood) but that not because Apples are faster or can do the JOB BETTER AND CHEAPER because there is this hollyweird political correct / use apple or your not hip and trendy enough peer pressure on Hollywood types. Any real world industry (ie not hollywierd) ran by adults uses pc's (amd or intel based) either running Windows xp or Linux derivative, because there cheaper and more flexible than Apple locked down hardware . Sorry Apple Nazis that's the real facts.

[scweezil]

@bob1xxxx
"BS there great free anti virus and security programs for pc that work just fine. Ive never used apple because there such a bad deal and not very flex able , forget any serious gaming, most financial software, photo editing, etc...."

http://rixstep.com/1/1/20090510,00.shtml

[ewelch]

The video and film world have voted. Macs are the only real option. Their main competition used to be the 800 pound gorilla, but they are in disarray. They are losing users left and right, and they still can't bring themselves to give up their business model with robs video editors of vast sums of money for clearly inferior software. If you went to NAB you would see the carnage.

FinalCut Pro rules video editing. And some half-baked film maker who doesn't know you can max our the RAM on a MacBook Pro for less than $200 really doesn't know what she's talking about. It's not the extra two gigs of RAM, or the $100 she saves on her laptop, it's OS X and FinalCut Pro that she's ignoring.

The author of this article seemed to be leading up to something, but the story peters out about three quarters of the way through, to end with a non-point.

[cidman2001]

I used to sell cars. I've figured out that the Mac people are the same people who insist on overpaying for a depreciating asset as if it is somehow more "valuable" in the long run because they overpaid. As if Macs are somehow impervious to Moore's Law because they were made by Apple.....boneheads.

[jnork]

"I used to sell cars."

I used to sell hobby and consumer electronics.

Why is this relevant?

"I've figured out that the Mac people are the same people who insist on overpaying for a depreciating asset as if it is somehow more "valuable" in the long run because they overpaid."

I've figured out that PC people are the same people who spend $2 on a shirt that starts to fall apart after one wash and think they've gotten a deal. Because they didn't pay $25 for a shirt... that lasts 5 years and gets tossed when the owner grows out of it.

"As if Macs are somehow impervious to Moore's Law because they were made by Apple.....boneheads."

Um, no, this isn't about Moore's law. This is about quality. Funny how a guy who sells cars doesn't understand that some things cost more because better quality has been built in.

Oh, it's not always like that. Sometimes the quality is only perceived, sometimes it's somebody with more money than brains. And honestly I don't really think that about PC owners, I was just trying to make a point. (It would be silly of me to think that, considering how many PCs I own and have owned.)

I think that blanket statements like this are just showing prejudice.

My wife bought me this because it was the best value for the money she could find. And that was just going by the specs and the retail cost.

So call me a bonehead if that makes you feel better. I'm always swayed by name-calling, it really makes your argument unassailable.

[The_happy_switcher]

Congratulations Sheila, it's a boat anchor with an inferior OS and hardware.

[El_Gringo_Guapo]

LOL @ boatanchor.

[whatawasteoftime]

I wonder what brand of computers these ads were created on? And what software?

[eadeguzman]

I wonder what real-life film editors would think of this blog.

I think that even though you would spend a lot of time working on a piece day and night for a few days non-stop... it's not inconceivable that you could still take a shower and find a nice pair of pants and shirt before going to the mall, or Frys, or Best Buy. Yes, some movie-editors might be dressed as you have described, but I wouldn't say that to be typical... and not every day.

I guess if the Ad doesn't say "I'm a film editor", then you would need all those props so that the audience can figure-out what's Shiela's profession is... maybe you'd need more props like having to be accompanied by somebody who's carrying a huge movie-camera, carrying a movie-editing equipment, etc...

Would that be more believable to you? That maybe more theatrical, but not very realistic for a candid "street" setting/theme.

[scooterde]

meh, these ads merely say that both PCs and Macs have similar capabilities, but 'PCs are cheaper'. Competing on price is not a long-term strategy.

This particular ad is a fail, since no serious video editor would simply check hardware capabilities, but should instead be asking about the video editing tools (likely, a larger cost than the hardware) and the interface with her video camera / source material, etc. All we know is (a) this 'film maker' is an amateur and (b) her opinion can be bought for $2000.

I had to laugh at the question: 'is this graphics card going to be powerful?'. Answer: 'hmm'.
A lame question and an unclear answer, typical of PC salesmen. I get the impression that she is being duped by the computer salesman and that Microsoft thinks that we, the viewers, can be equally duped.

Disclaimer: I use PCs.

[canberra_photographer]

Haha, keep it up Microsoft. While Apple pushes it's products as premium and therefore commands a higher price and bigger profit on each unit, you keep pushing Microsoft as cheap and cheerful, therefore pushing prices and margin down.

[johnisfun]

Wish the author would just write his story instead of trying to be funny, it's hard to work out the substance of what he's trying to convey. I think he's saying that some lady bought a PC, but I may need to read it for a 3rd time to be sure....

[t8]

Here is the thing. Apple thought IBM was the enemy and it turned out to be Microsoft.
Now Microsoft thinks Apple is the enemy and vice versa and most people play into this.
But the real threat to both these guys is Google.

Google rules the Web, has released a free OS for Phones and Nettops which combined will probably access the Net more than PCs and MACs combined.

Google also has around 95% of the mobile search market and now they are providing office productivity in the Cloud and they have just got started.

Sorry but Windows verses MAC may still be relevant, but it is really yesterdays battle and it is winding down.

The real battle is the Web versus all OS's because the Web is te richest and best platform out there and it will be the only platform that matters. The OS that will win the Web is the one that opens the Web up. That is what Android is all about. Both Windows and MACs are islands.

So for me it is about the Web, and what device I choose to access the Web through. Sometimes it is a PC, a phone, Nettop, or whatever. And guess what? I don't really care what the OS is, as long as the browser is good (not IE please) and I don't want fonts that suck.

I am not representative of everyone, but I am representative of many who are really just interested in the Internet and don't giving a crap about Paintbrush, Calculator, and Wordpad.

I think Google is the only one who gets it and while PC/Windows slug it out with MACs, Google is quietly taking more territory.

[AmmoMonkey]

I am a PC owner, but c'mon this advert is stupid. If I were looking for a lappy to edit video it would have to be the MacBook.
"It's only got 2gb ram" well duhhh, OSX makes good use of that 2Gig. Instead she bough a hideous Vista laptop. If you're looking for speed, low resource requirements and graphics capability you do not buy a Vista laptop!!

LMAO this advert is so unbelievable. I know MS are trying to shift more machines but come on, this smacks of desperation.

[Open Outlet]

I don't think going trying to woo the artist community is the way to go. I am a teacher (a pc) and my wife if a graphic designer ( a mac). To each their own. She wouldn't dream of using a pc for her work and I need the network compatibility for my job. I do think that the RAM argument is stupid. I have 4 gigs of ram in my pc and it runs FAR slower than my wife's 4 gigs in her Macbook. I suspect that I would need to double my RAM to actually do any substantial video editing on my PC.

[AppleSuxLeo]

MSFT hit the nail on the head with those ads. Blu-Ray/gaming/better specs...and hundreds of dollars back ! When "7" hits , PC`s will pull even further ahead.

[googookachoo]

Go ahead, buy a PC cheaper now. But like the old transmission commercial...you can pay me now, or pay me a whole lot later!!
Your PC will crash and burn. While my MAC just keeps going and going!

[WheresMyLisa]

If I could own a Lexus, a Honda, a Kia or a Tata , I'd pick the Tata if I only needed it to drive it a block to and from work.

[pithenumber]

If I had to pay for the car, I'd go with Tata

I don't really have an axe to grind in this issue. I have used both systems to good effect although, frankly, I prefer the PC. I just want to say that I hate both sets of commercials!

[Maccess]

Most serious video editors would have multiple machines running on Mac OS X, Windows, and for some really capable house, Linux. Brute force encoding would be done on PCs, running either Windows or Linux, and 3-d rendering would be done on Linux boxes either directly or via a Mac or Windows client. The Macs would be used mainly for on-hands editing and creative work.

So its not as if it's an either or choice. If you had three cars, would you get three IDENTICAL cars? or wouldn't you get a small runabout for groceries, a mid size car for going to work, and an SUV for longer trips?

and not giving a RAM already shows that she's not in tune with her industry's demands. In most creative shops, most machines are maxxed out in the RAM department. Why not? RAM is cheap.

[WheresMyLisa]

Actually, why wouldn't any same person do her homework before spending 2 grand on ANYTHING? Oh no, I'd rather go into a store empty-headed and listen to the nice salesman.

[Seaspray0]

All I hear from the ******** is, "you can't get a good computer unless you spend alot of money." What a crock! You have no concept of value.

[El_Gringo_Guapo]

Ha! Just like BMW/Mercedes owners have no concept of value either...

Macs are, by far, a lot more value-conscience than Windows PCs. They do not come with any trial or crapware....all software is pre-installed, full versions of iLife (iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, etc.)

Hardware-wise, I suggest you look at what is "under the hood", spec-by-spec before you make a statement like that.
http://technologizer.com/2008/08/14/are-macs-more-expensive-lets-do-the-math-once-and-for-all/

Plus, the Macbook Pro was rated the fastest Vista notebook by PCWorld Magazine....I guess there's no value there either.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/136649-3/in_pictures_the_most_notable_notebooks_of_2007.html

After all, the most zealous of Mac owners are often Windows ex-patriots and refugees.

[Kwasiowusu]

:"Macs are, by far, a lot more value-conscience than Windows PCs"

Only in Apple zombieland!
In the real world, PC's offer infinitely better value than Macs Tthat is why consumers worldwide have voted overwhelmingly for Windows PC's by giving Windows PC's an overwhelming 90%, with only a tiny 2.9% market share for theApple Mac.

[Gromit801]

Value: The ability to run Mac OSX, Windows, Linux, and Unix natively. And being able to use any software for any of those OS'.

Could it beeeee.............. Macintosh!

[cmacdonald1]

I guess I don't 'get' what Microsoft is trying to prove. Why are they promoting HP? Why are they advertising for Dell? What next? Sony? I mean, these are all solid computer manufacturing companies. If they want to mount advertising campaigns attacking the Mac, let them! It seems that what Microsoft is really trying to say is "We can always find a cheaper computer than a Mac, and it somehow runs with Windows!"

[El_Gringo_Guapo]

Vista is such a bloated warthog of an OS that it surprises me that so many are arguing in favor of it.

Lest we forget.....it's a "work in progress"
http://www.microsoft-watch.com/content/vista/ballmers_bold_vista_admission.html

I don't know about you, but I'd hate to be a beta tester for my own computer.

Enjoy.