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April 4, 2009 2:20 PM PDT

Microsoft's 'Lauren' ad follow-up disses Mac power

by Zoë Slocum
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Lauren, you were good, but Giampaolo may be an even better Los Angeles-area aspiring actor.

The confident-looking, curly-haired star of Microsoft's newest ad, which debuted Saturday, says, "I'm technically savvy. I know what I want."

What he wants in a new laptop is portability, power, and good battery life, he tells the camera. And just as with the earlier ad in this campaign, starring redhead Lauren, Microsoft says that if he finds what he's looking for with a price tag of less than $1,500, it'll fork over the cash for it.

Naturally, Giampaolo--who presumably also responded to Microsoft's Craigslist ad for help with market research--ends up finding the PC that fits Microsoft's bill: a Hewlett-Packard Pavilion HDX, but not before spouting out some clever anti-Apple lines. (And no, it's not that he's "not cool enough" to be a Mac person. Quite the contrary: "I'm a PC because I'm really picky," he says.)

As he checks out a MacBook, Giampaolo, in a drooling tone, says it's "sooo sexy," but "Macs to me are about aesthetics more than they are the computing power. I don't want to pay for the brand; I want to pay for the computer." (At first, I thought he was saying "rent," not "brand," but while that may sound snarkier, it wouldn't exactly have made sense.)

Is this one a winner? Perhaps time will tell.

Zoë Slocum is copy chief of CNET News and manager of the CNET Blog Network. She joined CNET in 2003, after two years at a travel start-up. She started in San Francisco, was based in the Boston bureau for four years, and is now back in the Bay Area. E-mail Zoë.
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by knute6 April 4, 2009 2:48 PM PDT
The reason for my Macintosh loyalty is because of three things. Reliablility, Resale Value and Immunity to viruses and worms. You spend more on repairs for a pc and you basically lose resale value compared to a Mac purchase. I had a 12" aluminum powerbook that I used for 4 years, I sold it for $1,000.00 - that's the incredible resale value that the Mac commands. I have PC friends that have switched to Mac because their tired of having a fist-fight with their computer every day.
Reply to this comment
by toosday April 4, 2009 3:00 PM PDT
I totally agree with you on the resale value. Macs are amazing at keeping their value! I sold my 4-year-old iMac for $600!

But, we part ways on the bugs/worms. Just last year, I (the lowly assistant) spent an entire week cleaning bugs off of every Mac in the office. Granted, there are only about 12, but it proved to me that "immunity" doesn't exist on ANY computer in this day and age.

Reliability: No kidding, right before I read this article, I just got my computer back from the Apple Store. Time Machine killed it for the second time. Of course, I could just have bad luck ;)
by Perry_Clease April 4, 2009 3:07 PM PDT
"I (the lowly assistant) spent an entire week cleaning bugs off of every Mac in the office. Granted, there are only about 12, but it proved to me that "immunity" doesn't exist on ANY computer in this day and age."

Please elaborate on the Mac bugs, be specific
by Flytrap April 4, 2009 3:30 PM PDT
"I (the lowly assistant) spent an entire week cleaning bugs off of every Mac in the office. Granted, there are only about 12, but it proved to me that "immunity" doesn't exist on ANY computer in this day and age."

Maybe that is [you are] the problem. Has it ever crossed your mind that if every Mac you touch, at work and/or at home, has continuous problems, you could be the cause. In my household we have 7 PC's (4 desktops, 2 note books as well an MPC). The kids have enless problems with their computers because My 15 years old son mantains them and is always installing internet crap on them, while the rest are absolutely rock solid because I personally maintain them, even though I am a more prolific internet downloader than my son.
by aquaadverse April 4, 2009 3:35 PM PDT
I'm posting from a PC running Linux.That's 5 years old. 17" screen, SATA HD 2Gig RAM N wireless adapter C2D. Paid $899. Not a second of problem. When you have a single source with slow model refresh high resale is really small choice with limited supply. Now tell us how much the original price plus the replacement cost of the new one minus whatever some fool payed for ancient tech if you want to actually talk about the real cost to be computerized. People don't keep PCs as long because the tech is a commodity and the cost of a new one is low enough that upgrading an older one makes no sense. You might think parking $1,000 in something that depreciates for 4 years is incredible. I'll take the latest tech and a new warranty and use of the cash.

You won't see that kind of resale holding with the switch to Intel. Apple will fall too far behind if OSX and Macs don't take advantage of new processors.

You need some brighter friends. There is no reason for a PC to get infected unless you're unable to set automatic updates and stay away from Warez.
by Mark_Anderson April 4, 2009 4:37 PM PDT
@Flytrap

Or maybe it's the Macs. Who knows?
by Mr. Dee April 4, 2009 4:58 PM PDT
I have a 5 year old Dell Dimension that has gone through Windows XP, Vista and now its on Windows 7 Ultimate BETA just as reliable and fast as if I bought it yesterday. I have never had a problem out of it, no viruses, no crashes and the only upgrades I have ever done are RAM - 512 to 2.6 GBs, and upgraded it from XP to Vista and now its running Windows 7 beta.

I am not denying PC users have had vulnerabilities on their PC. But the fact that Mac Zealots must use that as an excuse everytime shows how lame the platform is simply because they choose the easiest target to justify there reason for "switching". Wasn't it a couple weeks ago someone hacked Safari on the Mac?
by toosday April 4, 2009 6:51 PM PDT
@Flytrap:
Well, considering I had never touched the 12 Macs at work before and they had problems, I wouldn't think it was just a problem with me.

I've used both buggy Macs as well as buggy PCs. On the other hand, I've also used some of both that were also very reliable. I've had good and bad luck with both.
by ckurowic April 4, 2009 6:57 PM PDT
@ Dee: bull$hit dude. I've dealt with hundreds of those Dell Dimensions. Even a 3 year old one is piece of paperweight junk! Dog slow. Go try to fool someone who doesn't work on computers on a regular basis.
by tm_anon April 4, 2009 7:36 PM PDT
@Mr. Dee

How are you using 2.6GB RAM? Unless you found some place that has slightly more than 512MB but not quite 1GB sticks then I'm really skeptical.

By the way, on a 5 year old Dell, there's no way you're running Aero. On the other hand, I'm running a used computer with 1.86GHz P-4 processor and 1GB DDR RAM with Ubuntu 8.10 installed and Compiz Fusion running flawlessly.

The similarities in our comments? Neither makes sense with what the OP said. The differences? Mine actually rings of truth.
by paulimusmaximus April 4, 2009 8:09 PM PDT
You guys that always sing the praises of macs resale value drive me crazy. If you have a $1200 imac that I can sell in 4 years for $600, and I have a pc with better specs that I paid $600 with a monitor for, and can sell in four years for $100, I still win. Who wins? I do. Plus I still have a monitor, and you don't, so my next computer is even cheaper.

Plus, who are the idiots that are paying $600 for a four year old imac. I see 4 year old imacs all the time for between $100-$300 all the time. You could get a better brand new mac mini and a monitor for $600 if you wait for them to go on sale. Here you go, on Pittsburgh craigslist right now:

Apple iMac G4 1.25GHz 17"

* 1.25GHz
* 256MB RAM - Can be upgraded
* 80GB Hard Drive
* 17 inch display
$290

or

17" imac G5 1.6ghz with 512mb ram, 250gb hard drive, $325.
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by Jeremy Chappell April 4, 2009 2:50 PM PDT
Do we actually find out WHY he doesn't want a Mac?! He talks about a lack of power - Macs run with Intel Core2Duo processors - that's not a weak processor. Mac don't have small keyboards (you CAN'T get a Mac like that - if he'd said I wanted a system with a small keyboard (because that wasn't important to him and portability was he'd have been on to something). This ad simply makes no sense.

Again we don't learn ANYTHING about software. I don't get it - Microsoft of all people should be about software, and these ads downplay the importance of software. Is this just seen (by Microsoft) as an argument they can't win? Can it be that Microsoft hate Vista as much as the rest of us?

Actually I rather like Apple's hardware - if Microsoft are on a quest to find Apple's weak point, I think they should stop looking at the hardware (especially if Microsoft are going to remain fixated on HP!)
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by rpeters1983 April 4, 2009 3:18 PM PDT
It's not comparing hardware power, as obviously the macs have equal computing power.

IT'S PRICE (sorry, cant seem to say it loud enough).

For example, an HP X16-1140US at bestbuy.com is currently $1099 and a similar Macbook Pro for $2499. The specs are similar, give or take for each, but that's a $1400 difference! For the price of a similar MBP, you can buy TWO of the HPs plus a cheap netbook! That's the selling point right there.

You pay $1400 more for aesthetics when all is said and done. Yes, they're sexy, but cost is important.

And yes, Macs do have good resale value. I was pleased when I got $800 for my old macbook to get a much cheaper/newer PC laptop.
by rhsc April 4, 2009 3:23 PM PDT
Software (more specifically Operating System) isn't nearly as tangible as hardware, and outside of tech lovers, it's not generally what the average consumer bases their purchase on.

As far as the ads go, it's Microsoft doing their hardware vendors (HP thusfar) a favor. It's much akin to independent car dealers advertising cars, in that they don't make the hardware but when a customer buys it, they benefit directly from the sale.
by aquaadverse April 4, 2009 4:41 PM PDT
I don't know what about $1,500 is so hard to understand. Look at the hardware you can get in a PC versus a Mac at that price.

Microsoft doesn't make computers, which is another concept Mac users seem to have difficulty understanding. If I need a 17" screen with firewire but my CPU and hard drive needs are modest, I'll have to pay for features I don't need.

Why do the iMacs come as all in ones? Because if they didn't it would cut into Mac Pro sales.

The ad doesn't make sense to you because you're conditioned that less expensive= cut corners when most think more expensive for less choice and same performance= foolish.

I can and have run Linux or BSD or even OSX86 10.5 with a vanilla kernel that updated from the Apple site on this Dell laptop.

I'm not saying there is a problem with the quality of Macs overall or anything. The plus of a closed system is stability and support. The minuses are lack of choice. Macs no longer command a huge price premium unless you bring one of the hundreds of combinations that simply don't exist or only come with a model with a bigger price tag. A simple $800 mid-level PC is impossible to match with a Mac model because they don't exist.

That's why in debating if Macs are overpriced you start with a Mac and look for a similar PC and have to put in artificial boundaries in some cases, like it's only fair to compare iMacs with other all-in-ones. Macs lose on available choices, especially at the mid to lower range.

The commercial said if you find a computer, you can run Windows on it.

You had it nailed with capital letters "You CAN'T get a Mac like that".
by anilsudh April 4, 2009 6:06 PM PDT
>>by rpeters1983 April 4, 2009 3:18 PM PDT
>>It's not comparing hardware power, as obviously the macs have equal computing power.

>>IT'S PRICE (sorry, cant seem to say it loud enough).

>>For example, an HP X16-1140US at bestbuy.com is currently $1099 and a similar Macbook Pro for $2499. The >>specs are similar, give or take for each, but that's a $1400 difference! For the price of a similar MBP, you can buy >>TWO of the HPs plus a cheap netbook! That's the selling point right there.

>>You pay $1400 more for aesthetics when all is said and done. Yes, they're sexy, but cost is important.

>>And yes, Macs do have good resale value. I was pleased when I got $800 for my old macbook to get a much >>cheaper/newer PC laptop.

Please stop with your nonsense. Stop comparing 10 year old recycled PC hardware with the MacBook Pro. Have you even seen a MacBook Pro, let alone use it.
by ckurowic April 4, 2009 7:00 PM PDT
@aqua: okay so Macs = less choices, and we are trying to target the average consumer with these commercials supposedly. So, would it not make more sense that the average consumer wouldn't care about getting all these features? Shouldn't they still go for Mac? Hm. And yes a cheaper prices computer DOES cut corners.
by April 6, 2009 7:35 PM PDT
Seems to me that Microsoft cannot hide the fact that Vista was a total disaster. They suddenly feel the urge to say all sorts of things against the overwhelming evidence that every new iteration of their software is worse than the previous one (I am talking also about Office 2007). These geniuses force users to switch to new versions by making them backward incompatible and force manufacturers to make drivers only for Vista and downgrades unavailable (happened to me with my Toshiba). And they cannot come up with their arguments right, for heaven's sake! Yes, of course, the guy chooses that monster for portability, battery life and power. Sure, a 17" notebook is portable, yes sure, this particular model has 2hrs of battery life and, by the way, uses the same Intel processors found in Macs. Funny, to hear M$ advertise hardware when they are a software company...

They simply cannot understand that the reason Apple fans prefer Macs is because everything in them simply works and the user experience in OSX is a continuous joyful reminder that Apple takes great care in the details that make a difference in such a way that M$ guys will never be even close to imitate. Micro$oft is suddenly so worried that Apple has gained market share, not only in notebooks and desktops, but has also done spectacularly well with the iPhone and iPod. If you compare that with Windows Mobile and Zune sales lately, you realize that they are now scared that they have painted themselves into a corner by failing to innovate and have completely lost touch with reality in the "making great products" department.

What else do they have left? Only to open their mouths and let everyone notice the foul stench that comes out of their filthholes. If they put their money where their mouth is, things would be different ... Hmmm, cannot imagine those truckloads of bucks smelling like the sewers that come from Redmond ...
by tm_anon April 4, 2009 2:51 PM PDT
All I heard in the entire ad was "I have a prejudice against Macs" and "I think I already know it all". With Lauren, it was something completely different but still not anything good about Windows. How about we see some advertisements that talk about Windows seeing as that's what they're supposed to be about in the first place.
Reply to this comment
by tm_anon April 4, 2009 2:54 PM PDT
And didn't he mention he wanted portability? The laptop he chose was huge.
by ddhboy April 4, 2009 9:40 PM PDT
Well the dude's apparently a hipster, so yeah, "I think I already know it all" applies well.
by seven7dust April 5, 2009 8:20 AM PDT
lol! he also mentions battery life over and over again
and yet chooses a crappy HP with a lowly 2 hrs of battery life
So lets get this straigt
Portability - not much | battery Life -not much and
Power - not much either if he's running Vista + Anti-virus Software
+ adware cleaner+ all the Crapware Hp ships them with

For a picky guy, Giampaolo basically couldn't have made a worse Decision
Microsoft fails at advertising !
by Seaspray0 April 5, 2009 10:43 AM PDT
Seven7dust, the advertisement fails for me for the same reason the mac/pc ads failed. Mudslinging gets you nowhere in my book. As for his decision, it's not yours to make. What he chose was the worst decision in YOUR life, not his.

The ad I would like to see most is one that shows me what features a computer has and what it can do. I wish the mudslinging would just end.
by flickrz April 4, 2009 2:52 PM PDT
Nice ad. These ads look much more effective.
Reply to this comment
by tm_anon April 4, 2009 3:00 PM PDT
To who? They haven't mentioned software once. Microsoft is a software company.
by rhsc April 4, 2009 3:28 PM PDT
@tm_anon :

Given a choice to advertise software or hardware, it wouldn't make sense for Microsoft to advertise software. The people who buy copies of Windows in the consumer market are either upgrading or reformatting. Neither is a large market compared to the huge market of people who are buying new computers. It's common sense which group they'd advertise to.
by topgunb2 April 4, 2009 3:32 PM PDT
@tm_anon the questions should be against whom, obviously apple!
by tm_anon April 4, 2009 7:49 PM PDT
@rhsc

So the computers that are being bought don't run software? The consumer has nothing preinstalled when they get home?

Especially with more companies bring Linux into the lineup, MS should try focusing on software. When the consumer walks in and sees two computers, both with the same exact specs made by the same company, one with a higher price tag, it's already too late. Not all consumers are going to ask a sales rep and not all are going to bring it back. Actually, the only consumers who will bring that computer back are the consumers who didn't give the OS a chance to begin with.

@topgunb2

Thanks for correcting my grammar. Now, this commercial still makes no sense when it comes to software. Oh, and I meant to, not against. The ads don't make sense against someone, they make sense to someone.

They haven't made any comparisons between the model of laptops that have been purchased vs. the Macbook that wasn't chosen. They haven't made comparisons between the OS that is preinstalled on those laptops vs. OS X. Again, who do these ads make sense to?

Even as propaganda, they don't work.
by rhsc April 4, 2009 8:51 PM PDT
@tm_anon :

Microsoft doesn't have to advertise their software, as most consumer computers come with a Microsoft OS preinstalled
by ppgreat April 4, 2009 2:52 PM PDT
Computing power? Like what?? For what??

The Pavilion isn't a bad machine for the price. Certainly better than a Dell. I like the integrated HDTV tuner especially.

However, it's still a play on the price issue. And I think it misses the point because it assumes value is judged solely by price.

To quote Seth Godin: "Maybe the reason it seems that price is all your customers care about is that you haven't given them anything else to care about."
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by toosday April 4, 2009 2:55 PM PDT
Oh snap! Microsoft is getting catty! :)

On one hand, the guy in the ad's right: I brought my Mac for it's looks. I needed an all-in-one and the iMac (at the time) was the only decent one available. It's a sexy brand! Dell is not. Granted, I've never had a problem with spyware or viruses on Windows, but I'm guessing that's because I've never used PSP file sharing either.

I'm not dissing Windows, though. Heck the one of the biggest things I miss about Windows is the ability to do anything on the operating system. I'm running Windows 7 (which is quite a nice OS) on my Mac right now, but it's certainly easier to just pop open my computer and fire up games than it is to log out and log into a whole other OS as I have to do with Boot Camp.

This is fun. Die-hard Mac-users won't like this, though. In the end, all I can say s that these ads are a lot less snarky than the "I'm a Mac" ads.
Reply to this comment
by MafiaPenguin April 4, 2009 7:41 PM PDT
Where'd you bring it (:
by tm_anon April 4, 2009 7:51 PM PDT
Easy to not be snarky when you're saying nothing about your own brand. Sad that there's still snarkiness at all.

At least the "I'm a Mac" ads said something about Macs.
by Seaspray0 April 5, 2009 11:07 AM PDT
@tm anon. No they didn't. Not one word about features. They didn't even show a physical computer. Yes, it's easy for microsoft to be snarky... apple showed 'em how. Try a neutral perspective for once, you'll be amazed.
by jture April 4, 2009 2:56 PM PDT
These commercials are another reason why the mute button was invented.
Reply to this comment
by topgunb2 April 4, 2009 3:34 PM PDT
Actually apple started it, and because of apple ads the turn the tv off buton was invented, and because of people like you swear words came into existence :)
by MacHeads April 4, 2009 2:57 PM PDT
While i totally understand his choice : I would not plan to use this machine in any environment with security reqs. And really if you want computing power you don't go after a laptop ... you go for a desktop like say ...MacPro. But then again few machines compare to that in terms of sheer computing power. GPU might be the be all end all for gamers but when you want processing power on a desktop still few things compare to a MacPro. And do not forget Mac os X presents a HUGE added value to your computing experience and i am not talking about Ilife apps here but more serious software (Maya anyone ???)
Reply to this comment
by monkeyfun14 April 4, 2009 3:00 PM PDT
I can pull up plenty of machines more powerful and cost less then a Mac Pro
by rpeters1983 April 4, 2009 3:25 PM PDT
Typical idiot fan boy. Maya runs on Mac, PC, and Linux. And I don't recall being able to use any Microsoft IT tools on my ex-mac either. So much for your serious mac software.

Also, yes, there are lots of much cheaper PC's with as much power. Also, one good thing about PCs is, if price really is an issue, you can BUILD ONE for even cheaper with any specs you want.
by topgunb2 April 4, 2009 3:36 PM PDT
@MAcHeads, your id suggests it all, I haven't come across any s/w which runs on mac and doesn't run on windows (except apple's stuff). can you claim you haven't used windows / microsoft product ever, there are millions of users who can say that about apple
by doublewam April 4, 2009 4:43 PM PDT
Compare the stats on this Dell at Micro Center to what a comparably configured MacPro would cost...

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0306616
by SteveW928 April 4, 2009 2:59 PM PDT
LOL.... I think our curly-haired friend has confused weight with computing power. He certainly got a *more* computer... like 10+ pounds more of it. A MacBook has more computing power.
Reply to this comment
by terminalblue April 4, 2009 3:27 PM PDT
no, they do not.
by rhsc April 4, 2009 3:40 PM PDT
even through hp's website, which is no great bargain, you can make a Pavilion HDX 16t laptop far outspec a macbook, depending on what you want.

You can get a dualcore processor at 2.93GHz, or you can get a slightly less powerfull processor and get 8gb of ram and a 1gb nvidia card, all while still costing under $1500.
by baggyguy1218 April 4, 2009 3:51 PM PDT
Its all the same hardware.
by tm_anon April 4, 2009 7:53 PM PDT
And still there's no Windows talked about in the Windows commercials. All we're left to debate is the hardware.
by seven7dust April 5, 2009 8:31 AM PDT
well after he's installed AV software,adware scanners,vista bloat
and add in all those annoying startup crapware programs Hp bundles
and he wont have much power eother

A Macbook can out multi-task this machine easily even with lesser hardware
porbably has something to do with the bloated Operating system
so powerwise you windows users aren't getting much either !
by Mark_Anderson April 5, 2009 10:56 AM PDT
@7dust

Do you actually believe that or are you merely clueless?

Really. I'm interested.
by Xenkylm April 5, 2009 2:16 PM PDT
A MacBook is only more powerful if you think "having less money" is especially empowering.
by SteveW928 April 11, 2009 11:35 AM PDT
Sure, you can buy an HP with higher specs than a Macbook... and you can also buy a Macbook Pro. I was comparing the the one talked about in the ad.... It has a slightly higher CPU speed than the base Macbook of comparable price, but it has a slower FSB.... so overall, I'd guess the performance would be similar, if not the edge going to the Macbook. The HP has more rez for its screen... but of course it is a MUCH larger unit, so it should have a bigger screen. I'd personally rather not lug something that huge.... I can always plug into a LCD at home for more screen space. If I wanted a larger machine, I could get the 17" Macbook Pro... which is still almost 1/3 the weight of the HP (which has even more rez).
by dudemanguysondog April 4, 2009 3:02 PM PDT
I see the mac fans are out early again. I use a pc that is immune to viruses and still moves about as fast as most core 2 duo machines, after about 6 years. Whats my secret? I threw ubuntu on this about 2 years ago, when knowing nothing about computers, I still don't. This isn't brain busting stuff here. Give it a try on your older machine, an squeeze a few more years out of it. What do you have to lose besides 1 cd-r?
Reply to this comment
by tm_anon April 4, 2009 7:56 PM PDT
I got Canonical to send me one of theirs instead. Since they paid the shipping for me, I didn't even have to pay that much, just the cost of electricity and a little bit of bandwidth while the request went through.
by ddanckaert April 4, 2009 3:04 PM PDT
Why is Microsoft not satisfied with its 90% of the market?

I have a Mac Mini in my entertainment center operating as a media library hub (connected by firewire to some LaCie RAID1 drives). I'd never consider a Microsoft-based system because every couple of years Redmond puts a different Media system and eventually fails to support its older licenses. I have movies I've bought and music purchased through Microsoft that I can't play anymore. Their design philosophy is to keep throwing stuff at the wall and see what sticks.

I have a WinXP desktop for my daughter because most of the educational games are for XP. When she gets a little older, I will definitely replace it with a 24" iMac.

I had a WinXP HP DV9000 laptop which I sold (and replaced with a Macboook) because I didn't feel comfortable running on a platform that is so heavily targeted by malware writers. (note, I didn't say that Mac OS Leopard was more secure than Windows 7--to look forward--I'm just pointing out the obvious that Apple's OS is less of an appealing target because it does not have a critical mass of suckers).

And lets face it, the Mac package (design edge, lower probability of security issues, clean and elegant operating system) is a step up from the Microsoft world. If you're someone who appreciates the difference, and can afford it, then buy a Mac. If you don't care, are a Windows gamer, or can't afford it, then buy a PC.

And if you're like me, using both in their proper place, and understand this is not a zero sum marketplace, hopefully you'll turn a deaf ear to this journalistic and marketing stupidity. I'm writing this on a Windows XP Asus netbook listening to Yo-Yo Ma, looking across the room at my TV which is downloading 74 episodes of Scooby Doo from iTunes on my Mac Mini.

Maybe I'll switch over to my Linux-based Tivo HD and watch some TV...

Snore...
Reply to this comment
by rhsc April 4, 2009 3:43 PM PDT
Legally they can't be complacent with their dominance in the Operating System market. Microsoft is a corporation, which is legally bound by its investors to continuously attempt to grow in size and profit
by baggyguy1218 April 4, 2009 3:56 PM PDT
If Mac had 90%market share it would be reversed. oh yeah and...YOU BOUGHT 74 EPISODES OF SCOOBY DOO!!!
by ddanckaert April 4, 2009 4:13 PM PDT
7 year olds really like Scooby Doo. Actually I have 114 episodes altogether.
by professionaladventurer April 4, 2009 4:29 PM PDT
It about tools in the toolbox. I use both as well. When I am robbing banks I use a P90 and FiveseveN since they easily defeat body armor and have a lot of bullets, when I am in the Alaska bush I carry a Ruger 44 mag for an anti-bear pistol, in bush Africa it's my trusty 375 H&H. It's all about tools.
by MichaelJohnNielsen April 4, 2009 3:15 PM PDT
I see the mac fans are ready for blood. GET OVER IT MAC FAN BOYS. So Microsoft is pushing some new ads, whats the big deal. I don't see Microsoft fans chasing you down when apple troughs a new ad out there slamming it's competitors.

Personally I think you mac fans make it a pet hate because you've got nothing better to do seems your OS can only run design basses application with the exception of iWorks which I find a sad attempt to compete with MS Office.
Reply to this comment
by hsalvi April 4, 2009 3:16 PM PDT
I like to work with Windows Better than MAC as a Systems Developer I didn't find anything in MAC which Attracts me. People who talk about MAC is main about its slick and cleaner look.

For the People who claim that MAC is immune to Virus then they are wrong I agree that there are rare viruses for MAC but as viruses are rare protection is also rare and it takes longer time for Antivirus companies to responed to MAC Virus. I agree for Graphic Related work MAC is good Specially Softwares like MAYA but I don't consider Maya as Serious Software. it is cool software and has great ability to render Video.

Now Comming to Vista, Vista is Cool and in my opinion it is one of the best OS I have used from Microsoft. It has several features like UAC (User Access Control ) if configured properly it is really secure Operating System People Disable this Feature and then cry on Security it is like you vote for no Police in City and then if Crime increases you cry that there is no security. Microsoft has given Option to user to decide what level of security you need based on environment you are connected.

I can buy a great powerful PC for the COST of MAC. I am PC and I have atleast 5 times more reasons to buy PC instead of MAC.
Reply to this comment
by topgunb2 April 4, 2009 3:38 PM PDT
The ad echoes exactly what you are saying.

Its interesting when ever there is microsoft enterprise news (like release of new exchange server) , there is not a single fanboy comment, mac boys may hate microsoft, but wouldn't except that they can't live without it (if they are employed at all!)
by Perry_Clease April 4, 2009 3:53 PM PDT
"I like to work with Windows Better than MAC as a Systems Developer I didn't find anything in MAC which Attracts me. People who talk about MAC is main about its slick and cleaner look. "

People who talk about MAC are not talking about Macintosh Computers. Your PCs have a MAC (Media Access Control) , here is how your find it:

1. Select the windows icon to access the search function of the Start menu.

2. Click in the search box and type in Command Prompt. Click the Command Prompt program.

3. After H:\> or C:\ , type getmac and press the Enter key. The command prompt will display the MAC address for each network card within the computer. The 12-digit number labeled Physical Address is the MAC address of your network adapter. The Transport Name is the location of the network adapter device location.

How to find the MAC address on a Mac

1. Under the Apple Logo in the upper left corner choose "About This Mac."

2. Click on the "More Info..." button, scroll down down and click on "Network" and then read the MAC address.
by baggyguy1218 April 4, 2009 3:59 PM PDT
Dude you sound like a MS employee... but I agree with some of what you said. UAC does work.
by mrpiddly12 April 4, 2009 4:33 PM PDT
You lost all credibility forever when you stated: "I don't consider Maya as Serious Software"

Even if you do not like maya, I really hate it actually, anyone should be able to recognize it as a pro level application that is intended for serious use.
by Kev_Orng April 4, 2009 6:48 PM PDT
@mrpiddly, I thought he lost credibility by spelling it MAC like it's an acronym. What exactly does hsalvi think MAC is short for? Media Access Control? Mighty Awesome Computer? Marine Aquarium Council?

I generally find commenters who think Mac is an acronym have insufficient experience with the platform to back up their comments about it.

I wouldn't argue for or against a system if my knowledge was limited. That's why I never argue for or against Linux.

We use both Mac and Windows in my work and in my home, and I'm comfortable with both. When family and friends ask me if they should get a Mac or PC, I tell them they should pick the one that best suits their needs. But I also encourage them to ignore commercials and I help them figure out their actual needs. So I've steered people to a PC who were thinking of getting a Mac, and I've encouraged people to buy a Mac who might have avoided it do to various myths about price and performance. I've encouraged people to investigate Linux, but I've always bowed out of offering a strong opinion due to my limited experience with it.
by BOTNET April 4, 2009 6:56 PM PDT
Perry_Clease, who cares about MAC address? It's not so visible because normal users dont need it, advanced users know how to find it.

btw there are several other mouse-click options under winXP

1. double-click on network icon in systray
2. click DETAILS in TAB support
by ckurowic April 4, 2009 7:05 PM PDT
Mac is not an acronym...good job.
by tm_anon April 4, 2009 8:06 PM PDT
@Kev_Orng

You're exactly the type of person I'd like to see try out my newfound favorite OS. If you have an older computer that you rarely or never use, you should install one of the more widely known distros such as Ubuntu or Fedora on it and give it a test run. I personally use Ubuntu and know it's very friendly to new users.
by Serenduil April 5, 2009 10:01 AM PDT
Don't agree on the Vista UAC part. That thing was soo irritating the first thing I did was find out how to turn the damned thing off. Agree with the great PC specs for the price of a Mac though. And frankly I've used a MacBook, tangled with MAC OSX, and still can't see what people see in it. I found the thing clunky, slow and counterintuitive.

Still I'm planning on moving away from the 4-colour flag and signing up with the Penguins. Vista is really nothing special. 3D desktop effects? Compiz has equally good or better stuff, and had them LONG before M$ did. Heck, even the WINDOWS feature that made M$ popular were in Linux systems first. Totally customisable system versus M$/Apple's locked down environs? I want it my own way all the way thank you. Security? Linux systems FORCE you to use a normal user account, and you only get admin permission through su or SuDo commands at the terminal. You wouldn't need to sign in as root that often. And if not LInux, there's Unix and the BSDs. Lots of easier and nicer things out there than Mac OSX or Vista.
by MacAbUser1962 April 4, 2009 3:18 PM PDT
I don't know a thing about what's under the hood of my Mac. Don't care what processor it uses. Don't care what video card it has. All I care about is that it does the work I need to do, efficiently and without crashing. Which is does flawlessly. And it has been that way since 1986, when I got my first Mac. I've had to use MS PCs over the years, and they are junked-up, slow, and always crashing. Nightmares, every one I have had to use. If you care about productivity and don't want to spend all your time becoming an IT slave to your machine, get a Mac.
Reply to this comment
by topgunb2 April 4, 2009 3:45 PM PDT
why did mac come out with a boot camp, apple itself knows that they cannot live without supporting windows.

go to a rehab to get de-addicted from steve job's marketing drugs!
by tm_anon April 4, 2009 8:11 PM PDT
@topgunb2

Funny thing, I've lived the last 3 months with Ubuntu as my only OS. When MacAbUser1962 goes in for rehab, you really should go with him. I use the OS I like best and will eventually try out other Linux distros and will continue to try out different Windows PCs throughout the years to see if any improvements have been made. I'll also try out every Mac I can find to see what the OS is like.

At the moment, I'm prejudiced for Linux because that's the OS making my life so much easier and I'm prejudiced against Windows because that's the OS that's making my life more difficult (trying to remove malware from my roommates computer). MacAbUser1962 gave his reasons for using Mac. All you've done is attack. Either say something worthwhile or don't comment.
by menehune9 April 4, 2009 3:20 PM PDT
I have both a PC and a Mac. But we are not seeing this from a software perspective. Some has already commented on this, but Microsoft stand more to gain from selling software. In order to do this, they will need to ensure more systems are available to run their software. Yes Apple laptops can run Windows, but Apple's aren't for everybody ( especially in this tough economy). But if Microsoft can make the american people purchase , lets say, 4 PC laptops for every Mac, that is 4 potential candidates for their upcoming OS. For every PC sold, Microsoft's smile becomes all brighter.
Reply to this comment
by mouserider April 4, 2009 9:44 PM PDT
Actually, if like you say, 4 PC laptops are sold for every Mac, it isn't just 4 potential candidates for their upcoming OS, it is 5 potential candidates for their upcoming OS.

Macs can run Windows.

And actually, since the Mac user would most likely buy a retail version of Windows, as it didn't come bundled with the computer at OEM pricing, Microsoft stands to make more money, so shouldn't that bring an EVEN BRIGHTER smile to Microsoft?
by Seaspray0 April 5, 2009 1:42 PM PDT
It seems alot of mac owners are using windows. Perhaps OSX doesn't do everything they need.
by OmegaCerebro April 4, 2009 3:22 PM PDT
It's amazing to me how all you Apple loyalists just raved, and cheered over the "I'm a Mac" ads, but as soon as Microsoft counters you want to gripe and moan. To the person who made the comment about Giampaolo's laptop being so heavy: what are you, an anorexic 12 year old? Just because you're too weak to haul around a regular notebook doesn't mean everyone else is. Everytime I think I can finally lay my hatred of you Apple fanatics aside I'm immediately proven wrong by your pathetic attempts to maintain your charade of superiority.
Reply to this comment
by jkda April 4, 2009 4:28 PM PDT
"To the person who made the comment about Giampaolo's laptop being so heavy"

Who ever made the above mentioned comment was just making an observation. You respond by saying: "what are you, an anorexic 12 year old?" Sounds as though to me it is you who needs to grow up. If your happy with your windows based PC, good for you. There are, however, people who find the performance of Macs & Mac OSX software to be better than that of Windows and Windows based PCs. As some one who has shelled out huge sums of $ to purchase Windows operating systems and other software to protect said operating systems for 20 years before switching to Macs, I agree with them. If that makes me a fanboy of Apple, so be it. I go with what works and works well. Unless you own MS stock or work for MS, quit crying about the purported view of "Apple Fanatics" that Macs are superior.
by mrpiddly12 April 4, 2009 4:44 PM PDT
Im impressed, few people can actually make a computer's heft sound like a feature.
by Seaspray0 April 5, 2009 1:52 PM PDT
jkda. You use what you think is best for you, and that's how it should be. As for being a fanboy... nope. You made that clear with "If your happy with your windows based PC, good for you." The apple fanboy does not understand that concept. We will differ on what each thinks is "superior" (I think windows is superior), but we're individuals and atleast respect each other's choice.
by AletheaR April 4, 2009 3:24 PM PDT
Personally, I like the advertisement with the 4 year-old girl that take a picture of her fish, loads it onto the PC, fixes the picture so it looks better, then emails it to her family. I think that shows better the qualities of a PC - that's it so easy to use a 4 year-old can use it with no problems
Reply to this comment
by professionaladventurer April 4, 2009 4:11 PM PDT
If you pay close attention to the ad you will see that she doesn't even click on the "adjust" button (the cursor is sort of close). You would also note that in the subject field it has the word "Dorothy" capitalized. Cute ad, but total fiction.
by ckurowic April 4, 2009 7:09 PM PDT
Uh Apple was the original company to put a young child up there and show how easy to use the system is. Look it up man, its on YouTube. The videos from the 90's. Again, Microsoft ripping off Apple. Whats new?
by Seaspray0 April 5, 2009 2:03 PM PDT
@ckurowic. Using a child to show how easy something is to use has been around since the dawn of television. Neither apple or microsoft were around at the time. The only thing new is you suggesting apple invented that. Hogwash!
by CDubber April 4, 2009 3:25 PM PDT
Yeah Microsoft, we get it. A Big Mac is better than a burger from Wendy's because it's 1) cheaper, and 2) a hamburger.

Puh-lease.

People are sick of saving money by putting up with Windows crap. Microsoft knows this. And Microsoft is scared. My friends and relatives are starting to buy Macs because I told them I'm not spending my time cleaning spyware off their Windows machines any more. Pay now or pay later. It's a fact of life.

Question: if Windows and these "cheaper" laptops are so great, why are the people in the ads forbidden (by NDA) from commenting on their post-purchase experience? Think about it.
Reply to this comment
by topgunb2 April 4, 2009 3:39 PM PDT
90% of people still uses windows, and this number will grow with win7.
by tm_anon April 4, 2009 8:17 PM PDT
@topgunb2

Of the people I know, less use Windows every time I turn around. I'm using Ubuntu, I have a friend buying a Mac, several friends have had varying problems with system instability or malware, all while running different versions of the Windows OS.

You really want to make the statement that poor reliability and decreased performance over very little time will win over more people?
by Seaspray0 April 5, 2009 2:08 PM PDT
So tm_anon knows atleast two people and bases the worlds marketplace on that. Ohhh, I'm impressed! BTW, I've not had any performance problems on my computer which was loaded 6 years ago and is still running fine.
by GentleNation April 4, 2009 3:26 PM PDT
I'm loving watching the Apple fanboys/girls going crazy over these PC ads. Kind of sad. After all these years of Apple unfairly attacking Vista/PC, Microsoft finally decided to respond and now the Apple fans can't take it.

Look at all the research into who made the commercials, who is acting in them, where were they hired from, etc. Pathetic. Haha you've proven that the ad company hired actors for a commercial! Congratulations you have successfully embarassed Microsoft again. LOL.
Reply to this comment
by socalrpm April 4, 2009 4:06 PM PDT
unfairly?
by professionaladventurer April 4, 2009 4:13 PM PDT
Unfair? The ads were edited on Apple computers.
by tm_anon April 4, 2009 8:22 PM PDT
MS claimed the stars of the commercials were chosen from a Craigslist ad and were just ordinary people out to buy a laptop between $1500 and $2000. Lauren bought a PoS for $700 after barely walking into an Apple store, this guy doesn't even try the Mac before deciding he doesn't want it (just watch the commercial, he won't even touch it).

By the way, I'm not an Apple fanboy, I use Linux. If the ads are about Windows, where's Windows?
by Inconnux April 5, 2009 7:29 PM PDT
lol wheres windows? they don't dare show them side by side. Pure propaganda, much like the apple ads... but atleast the apple ads are funny.
by orthopod21 April 4, 2009 3:28 PM PDT
Here's something to chew on:

1. Had an IBM think pad ....3 months later completely died. Sent back to IBM and sent a new one.
2. Bought an HP Pavilion PC ...4 months and 1 motherboard + hard drive later I literally threw it in the trash.
3. Bought Macbook 2 years ago and it has never (not once) locked up or "spontaneously" shut down. It does everything I ask it to do EVERYTIME.

In my humble opinion Macs offer two things: a very reliable operating system and Apple uses excellent vendors for their hardware. You always get what you pay for at any price. Cost cutting has to affect the hardware and there's no other way around that.
Reply to this comment
by rpeters1983 April 4, 2009 3:36 PM PDT
that's your opinion and you're seemingly bad luck with PC, but the truth is internal hardware is equal among macs and pcs. it's just price.

I've never had a PC desktop or laptop die on me. I even have a compaq laptop from 1996 that runs just fine with all original hardware!

My old macbook developed cracks all over the casing and eventually cracked on the palm rest. I've also exchanged my old macbook several times due to bad screens and noisy fans. I even went through several imacs but the screens on every single one had color variations from left to right (24" gradient issue).

I'm NEVER going back to mac. I was part of the cult for a couple years and realized the machines are NO DIFFERENT than PCs.
by topgunb2 April 4, 2009 3:41 PM PDT
1. you were actually using ibm think pad to do something
2. you were actually using hp pavilion to do something
3. you hardly used macbook and a computer if not turned on will not die.

corporate environment, word, excel etc etc are tons of reason to use windows, mac is like a car which claims to be cool which you can drive on selected roads only
by rapier1 April 4, 2009 5:53 PM PDT
To counter that - the first mac I got was a 12" powerbook. It was subject to random freezes. The whole thing would lock up at seemingly random times for 30 to 45 seconds at a go. It took several trips to the genius bar (after I exhausted what I could do) before they gave up and sent it in. A friend's 12" got hit by the heat issues the early ones had an end up swelling the case. Other people I know got hit by the bad battery issue. Another friend had to send his mac back to get the motherboard replaced 3 times before they gave him a new one (it was probably a bad power supply). All hardware can have problems. Apple is not immune by any stretch of the imagination.
by pithenumber April 4, 2009 6:36 PM PDT
Thinkpads are more reliable than MacBooks
there's a study that proves it, you were just unlucky
by April 4, 2009 10:27 PM PDT
HP's are throw away computers nowadays. HP used to be top rate, but something happened to them. Thinkpads are normally very durable machines.. You probably just had a bad one.

I agree the os is the difference, though I think MS will be forced to improve quality as vista taught them a lesson.

Apple, least in the past, used ASUS as one of their vendors and I would take a ASUS machine over just about any HP/Dell crapola type machine. We have a bunch of ASUS machines over 10 years old and they still work fine though we use them for dedicated tasks running under Linux.
by t8 April 4, 2009 10:31 PM PDT
Hey Microsoft must have a big budget for trolls these days.
by 3rdalbum April 5, 2009 8:18 AM PDT
1. Had an iMac 333MHz. The CD drive never worked very well for reading CD-Rs. It was slow and noisy (the drive, I mean). The computer was non-upgradable and the CPU had to be removed if you wanted to upgrade the RAM to maximum. A couple of crashes would inevitably destroy the filesystem; using a repair utility would only let the filesystem hold up for a few more months.
2. Also had a Quadra 840AV years before. The machine never felt completely stable, unlike the Macs we had before. There were mysterious crashes all the time, usually involving a loud noise coming from the speakers.
3. Bought a VERY cheap Compaq desktop that has been silent and rock-solidly doing its duty day-in and day-out for three and a half years. Unlike the iMac, it's upgradable but it still runs current operating systems without being upgraded.
4. Built a PC 15 months ago; it was good to begin with and is still working brilliantly, but I've done some upgrades as a bit of enhancement. Once again, it works day-in day-out and often gets left on overnight doing some video encoding or whatever.
5. Bought an Acer Aspire One a few months ago and it's also rock-solid.

Sure, I've had some Macs that have been solid performers too, but you really need to keep buying new Macintoshes to avoid compatibility problems. "This generation of iPod requires iTunes 7", "iTunes 7 requires Mac OS 10.6". "Mac OS 10.6 requires a Firewire port". With the exception of the netbook, my new computers can grow with me.
by odubtaig April 5, 2009 10:17 AM PDT
If Microsoft's going to pay topgunb2 anything, it'll be to "go away and stop making us all look like retards!"

Of course, this could be some subtle plot to make other fanboys look more reasonable by comparison. Or maybe Apple's paying him to come here and make all the fanboys look like retards.

That said, all PCs are not equal. Some use cheap components which cause instability. Anyone remember Tiny Computers? You can only repair so many units under warranty before the cost kills you.

Dell, HP, Acer. All cheap beyond measure. I got an Acer a few years back, had to remove and replace the Windows security database before I could install any Windows components, and that was only one of the things they messed up with it. Lasted about a year and a half altogether, the combination of things they'd broken in Windows and hardware faults just did my nut.

I know a guy who went directly against my advice (I explicitly told him to not do this) and ignored the solidly built Toshiba Dual Core Pentium with nVidia graphics in favour of a Compaq where all the money had been spent on the CPU and the motherboard was made of recycled hay or something. He's gone on to prove that you can indeed get a BSOD in Vista and that someone makes touchpads other than Synaptic and that they're cheap. He's also learned that I have less sympathy for computer problems when I warned him they would happen.

This Lenovo has only given me problems when I've been short on hard drive space (the pagefile needs somewhere to expand into) which, with all the stuff I do, is unsurprisingly short and I've had it for a couple of years at least. Of course, with Toshiba now selling £400 laptops and a £260 netbook with a 120GB drive I'd be looking a lot harder at those if I were buying something now.
by J242 April 7, 2009 4:10 PM PDT
In response to "3rdalbum":

"Sure, I've had some Macs that have been solid performers too, but you really need to keep buying new Macintoshes to avoid compatibility problems. "This generation of iPod requires iTunes 7", "iTunes 7 requires Mac OS 10.6". "Mac OS 10.6 requires a Firewire port". With the exception of the netbook, my new computers can grow with me."

You do realize 10.6 isn't out yet right? They are still on 10.5.6 and are expected to demonstrate more of "Snow Leopard" 's features at this summer's Developer Conference and Keynote... I think you were thinking of 10.4 but still, wen speaking against a company's products, it helps to get the facts straight... ;)
Showing 1 of 6 pages (229 Comments)
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