Microsoft asks consumers to "do the math" before buying a Mac

Looking at numbers alone, you will be paying more for an apple laptop then a dell, hp, asus etc. Its called the apple tax


Its funny how all the macs are turned off and all the windows PCs are one

maflynn said:

Its funny how all the macs are turned off and all the windows PCs are one

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I think it's to hide how good OS X is.

To be honest, this is a smart move from Microsoft. If there is one thing I cannot stand about Apple, it is the silly prices they charge. The Apple Tax is stupid.

The microsoft usability tax costs even more, in wasted time and low productivity.

roadbloc said:

I think it's to hide how good OS X is.

To be honest, this is a smart move from Microsoft. If there is one thing I cannot stand about Apple, it is the silly prices they charge. The Apple Tax is stupid.

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Apple definitely has the coolness going and the "halo" affect from its iPhone and iPads but in this tough economic time. Its hard to 30% and more for a Mac and you're not getting any much different in terms of hardware (other then a glowing apple logo)

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MS just doesn't get it. No OS X, no sale. Whenever MS tries anti-Apple marketing, they lose. They're completely out of touch, deer in the headlights style, in this new market situation. It's now becoming comical.

They tried this garbage with their Laptop Hunters campaign a couple of years ago, where they showcased some yokels walking into a big box store and passing over Macs due to price.

Apple went on to sell more Macs than ever before.

Desperation breeds a lot of baloney. The PC and netbook market are contracting at an alarming rate, thanks to the effects of the post-PC era, where MS barely has any presence.

Keep milking that Windows licensing cash cow, MS. Google and Apple have you right where they want you.

May Steve Ballmer continue to drive MS into the ground. It's fun to watch.

Aww the Mini, Pro, and i7 27" aren't on there.

I like how they compare the 11" MacBook Air to a variety of Atom netbooks.

Consultant said:

The microsoft usability tax costs even more, in wasted time and low productivity.

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While that may be true for you, it's not true for many others. Windows is not complicated no matter how much you want it to be.

Devil's Advocate:

I bought a Netbook Holiday Special ($199 normally $399 with ATI chip and graphics and Win 7 Home Premium) from the MS Store last Dec.

MS took off the manufacturer's build (with tons of bloat-ware) and put their own on. It included a lot MS of extras (photo, video editing, music editor - sounding familiar?) and their premium Anti-Virus with lifetime subscription.

When it booted, it only asked for my username and the type of network to connect to (again - familiar? LOL)

I haven't had any problems with it whatsoever...

Just food for thought...

Oh and it falsely compares the fast MacBook Air to snail netbooks.

maflynn said:

Apple definitely has the coolness going and the "halo" affect from its iPhone and iPads but in this tough economic time. Its hard to 30% and more for a Mac and you're not getting any much different in terms of hardware (other then a glowing apple logo)

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WRONG. OS X is worth its value.

Good luck getting magsafe and other Apple exclusive features on a PC.

Move along citizens, nothing new to see here...

*LTD* said:

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MS just doesn't get it. No OS X, no sale. Whenever MS tries anti-Apple marketing, they lose. They're completely out of touch, deer in the headlights style, in this new market situation. It's now becoming comical.

They tried this garbage with their Laptop Hunters campaign a couple of years ago, where they showcased some yokels walking into a big box store and passing over Macs due to price.

Apple went on to sell more Macs than ever before.

Desperation breeds a lot of baloney. The PC and netbook market are contracting at an alarming rate, thanks to the effects of the post-PC era, where MS barely has any presence.

Keep milking that Windows licensing cash cow, MS. Google and Apple have you right where they want you.

May Steve Ballmer continue to drive MS into the ground. It's fun to watch.

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Ahh, another pro apple, anti ms post from LTD lol

No they get it perfectly well. They know Apple has a premium charge compared to other manufacturers so why not try and exploit it

Consultant said:

The microsoft usability tax costs even more, in wasted time and low productivity.

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I think it really depends on what your needs are. You have been around here long enough to realize that...

Or perhaps you would be willing to show how I can be more productive on my mac when it comes to using industry standard CAD software like ProE? or Solidworks?
Pretty please?? lol

If a cheaper laptop PC fits someone's needs then why should they spend extra on a Mac laptop PC that does the same thing?

If you need / prefer OSX then your obviously going to buy a Mac. But, why spend extra money when you don't really have to?

Sure OSX is very nice, but isn't for everyone.. just like windows. Neither is a one fit build.

*LTD* said:

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MS just doesn't get it. No OS X, no sale......etc....

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That's in your opinion. None of which applies to the majority of people in the real world.

I'm seeing my friends head off to uni. And in this current economic climate they are looking for a cheap but durable laptop to do their work on. Windows 7 is the best OS offering from Microsoft yet.

No obligation to spend extra for a Mac, nor is there any desire to join you in your post-PC era and attempt to type many lines of coursework on a Tablet that needs a computer to run anyway.

Macs sales are growing at the same pace as the industry. This industry that is apparently post-PC. Basically, Microsoft are not loosing sleep over Mac sales. Microsoft are not going anywhere.

I was kind of hoping they'd actually compare with Windows PCs that were, you know, comparable.

Like HP Envy against the MBP, or Sony VIAO Z or Samsung Series 9 against the MBA.

I guess they realized that if they actually do a fair comparison, you won't have enough money left over to go to Hawaii. You might even spend a bit more on the PC.

So instead they compare the MBA against Atom netbooks. "Look, 1.6 is more than 1.4, therefore the Atom chip is better than the Core 2 Duo!"

Consultant said:

The microsoft usability tax costs even more, in wasted time and low productivity.

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Patently false. windows 7 is as stable as OSX is and Microsoft Office is the standard for the office suite. Enterprises don't select office and windows because its so unstable, but the opposite.

Consultant said:

Oh and it falsely compares the fast MacBook Air to snail netbooks.

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Not all that was being shown was netbooks.

WRONG. OS X is worth its value.

Good luck getting magsafe and other Apple exclusive features on a PC.

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worth is subjective. Why would I want an apple feature on a PC I'm not searching for apple features on PCs because I'm looking for a PC not a mac

*LTD* said:

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2 like Mac OS X; en) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8C134 Safari/6533.18.5)

MS just doesn't get it. No OS X, no sale. Whenever MS tries anti-Apple marketing, they lose. They're completely out of touch, deer in the headlights style, in this new market situation. It's now becoming comical.

They tried this garbage with their Laptop Hunters campaign a couple of years ago, where they showcased some yokels walking into a big box store and passing over Macs due to price.

Apple went on to sell more Macs than ever before.

Desperation breeds a lot of baloney. The PC and netbook market are contracting at an alarming rate, thanks to the effects of the post-PC era, where MS barely has any presence.

Keep milking that Windows licensing cash cow, MS. Google and Apple have you right where they want you.

May Steve Ballmer continue to drive MS into the ground. It's fun to watch.

Click to expand...

No OSX, no sale? That is an idiotic statement. Tell that to 90% of the computer market. Tell me more about the post pc era.

miles01110 said:

While that may be true for you, it's not true for many others. Windows is not complicated no matter how much you want it to be.

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It may be complicated for those who have trouble with Playskool products.

Consultant said:

Oh and it falsely compares the fast MacBook Air to snail netbooks.


WRONG. OS X is worth its value.

Good luck getting magsafe and other Apple exclusive features on a PC.

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It really isn't fair to compare the MBA to a netbook as all they have in common is size. And Widnows is worth its value to over a billion users too.

AppleScruff1 said:

It really isn't fair to compare the MBA to a netbook as all they have in common is size. And Widnows is worth its value to over a billion users too.

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The other thing to consider is usage. Many people who use a small laptop like the MBA or those listed are not looking for a powerhouse of a computer. Just a tool to surf, do some email or document creation. In that case a netbook is perfectly suited. Beside why spend > 1,000 when you can spend 300 that provides that level of functionality.

I want to point out that I prefer OSX, and buy Macs (and have built a hackintosh). I'm not some anti-apple troll or anyhting.

I base my purchase decisions on what fits my needs the best. There's a number of blind fanboy posts that knock anything thats non apple.

Other computer makers produce good products and windows itself is a good OS. Just because it doesn't have that apple logo means its crap

AppleScruff1 said:

No OSX, no sale? That is an idiotic statement. Tell that to 90% of the computer market. Tell me more about the post pc era.

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Well, the point stands that some people are simply not open to the "other side" so these comparisons don't really matter to them.

If you insist on OS X then you're buying a Mac. You don't care about the "value" comparison because you have no choice but to buy a Mac. End of story.
If you insist on Windows then you're buying a PC. End of story.

(OK, not really -- it's possible to Hackintosh and install Windows on a Mac, but that's a very small minority of people.)

So these value comparisons are only useful to the subset of people saying "Well, I want a Mac... but I suppose a PC would do, too." Or vice versa. Arguably that's probably "many people" and possibly even "most people".

I've owned a Mac since 2003. Love them. Now I want something small and light. I am eyeing the 13" MacBook Air, and I want to take a serious look at the competition (e.g. Samsung Series 9). I've already owned, and sold, an Asus netbook. It had its uses, but in the end it didn't cut it.

thats pathetic putting a mba 11" on the same level as a HP mini.

Consultant said:

The microsoft usability tax costs even more, in wasted time and low productivity.

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I agree! I didn't read the whole thread, but in response to the "Apple tax":
What about the Windows "antivirus tax" or the Windows "Registry tax" or any number of other Windows "productivity and performance taxes"?

GGJstudios said:

I agree! I didn't read the whole thread, but in response to the "Apple tax":
What about the Windows "antivirus tax" or the Windows "Registry tax" or any number of other Windows "productivity and performance taxes"?

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Major virus/malware problems, the registry and the gradual Windows slow down are all problems from the past. In Windows 7, all that is needed is a good free Antivirus (like MSE) and the same common sense needed not to catch malware in OS X.

People who argue about Windows viruses, slowdown and registry sound just as silly as them who still claim Macs only have one mouse button in my opinion. Both are things from the past.

roadbloc said:

In Windows 7, all that is needed is a good free Antivirus ...

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Hence, the "antivirus tax".

GGJstudios said:

Hence, the "antivirus tax".

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I fail to see how a free antivirus is a tax.