At least Microsoft's ads show more 'truth' than Apple's. They didn't have to do this but they did...unlike Apple's ads that make PCs look like they are crashing or getting a virus/spyware from left, right, centre, above and below every minute of the day...
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Microsoft Alters "Laptop Hunters" Ads in Wake of Apple Price Cuts
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Not that the ads were doing much. 91% in the premium category, (which is all of their laptops) is pretty darn good.
I think this statistic just proves MS's point, Macs are too expensive.
Or, Apple commercials that show the speed at which you can open up the internet and change between apps at lightning-fast transitions, or that the iPhone offers the "complete internet experience," both of which are definite stretches of the iPhone's true capability.
This reminds me of the direct TV ads that the board members are in a meeting and an executive says, "Direct TV doesn't broadcast in a Million P" then another executive says "well neither do we". And he retorts "Gues who just leveled the playing field."
And the scene for the laptop hunter ads is where? Oh, but if we can throw out 91%, we can throw those ads out, I mean WHO buys their computers from stores anyway? Oh, thats right, a LOT of people. Quit being so naive as to think that online sales are a vast majority of computer sales. Mom's and dads getting laptops for graduation gifts usually go into stores so they can chat with the Best Buy fools about which computer to get.
Selling a large number of items at a certain price does not prove that something is TOO expensive. It proves that they are priced at a point where a large number of people will buy them.
''Paying a lot for the brand''
Is there seriously anyone out there who buys a Mac for the brand?? Surely we pay more for the OS and reliable hardware?*
*reliability as per iSlave's experience of Macs, this experience may not reflect the experiences of all macrumors forum members nor is it meant to imply as such.
Is there seriously anyone out there who buys a Mac for the brand?? Surely we pay more for the OS and reliable hardware?*
*reliability as per iSlave's experience of Macs, this experience may not reflect the experiences of all macrumors forum members nor is it meant to imply as such.
Oh, Apple's ads are definitely more cleverly designed from a legal point of view, they make sure stay out of trouble... but none the less all their anti-PC marketing is based on lies, myths and wild exaggerations. My point was that MS always let them continue spewing their BS undisturbed up until about a year ago, and when Apple got a taste of their own medicine they immediately jumped on MS like scientologists jumped on South Park.
As someone who works doing system maintenance and repair I can say the PC ads were quite accurate. Viruses, crashes, etc. Its all very prevalent with PC's.
Yeah but it has too small of a screen!!!
They'd rather have a 15 inch screen that probably has the same resolution as the macbook 13 inch screen. Most consumers don't know about resolution, just screen size.Which is, in my opinion, a separate issue. Macs are PCs. Just better looking and with a different OS. People buys PCs and put Linux or *BSD on them. So I fail to see how the value and choice of the PC has anything to do with Windows. In fact, it scores the point of me not wanting to put Windows on it.
Let me see...
- Apple = Record sales and profits, exceeding the most optimistic predictions.
- Microsoft = First ever annual loss, missing the most pessimistic predictions.
- 50% of Mac sales going to first-time Mac buyers while Microsoft blames the downturn in PC sales.
- Microsoft, a software company, is running ads for hardware they don't even make.
Have I missed anything?
- Apple = Record sales and profits, exceeding the most optimistic predictions.
- Microsoft = First ever annual loss, missing the most pessimistic predictions.
- 50% of Mac sales going to first-time Mac buyers while Microsoft blames the downturn in PC sales.
- Microsoft, a software company, is running ads for hardware they don't even make.
Have I missed anything?
I like seeing Microsoft edit this ad in response to price changes made and pointed out by Apple. I agree that most people aren't too heavily influenced by the Laptop Hunter ads.
I didn't say to throw out 91%. I asked to put it into the correct context.
The vast majority of computer sales are not from B&M stores despite the mom and dad graduation gift segment.
Only 19% of Apple's Mac sales were from their retail stores. I'm sure a smaller percentage from other places such as Best Buy.
Yeah but it has too small of a screen!!!
Who cares about screen size - are you purchasing a NOTEBOOK or a DESKTOP?
MacBook Pro are the professional line, MacBook is the consumer line - lauren was eying up a professional laptop when what she required was a consumer one.
Secondly, what is it with people who have this fixation on big screens - its a friggin laptop whose primary purpose is portability first and foremost. The people I talk to don't care too much about screen size when it comes to laptop because the purpose of the laptop is portability - if they want a bigger screen it is because they'll be wanting a desktop.
Again, my argument still stands; I might as well say that Sun Microsystems workstations suck because they have no consumer level desktop computer with Windows preloaded onto it (Windows is certified but not preloaded).
Lauren and Microsoft deliberately chose specifications that are so far outside what the bulk of customers want it is almost pathetic even viewing the ad to begin with.
No, it's not. I've worked with PCs for 18 years and Macs for about 12, and while viruses and crashes were quite prevalent in PCs some ten years ago, it has little to do with a modern PC experience.
I'm typing this in IE8 on a MacBook Pro, since out of the two systems I have on this machine, Win7 is the more stable one where I don't have to look at perpetually spinning beachballs and send error reports to Apple where I usually end with asking if this system is called Leopard 98 or Leopard ME.
I care, which is why I bought an MBP 17". I would've preferred the 15" for portability reasons, but I refuse to work on a screen with jumbo pixels for blind people. 1440x900 on a 15" and they call it "Pro"? Good lord.
I'm pretty sure most people care about the size of the screen. That's why there's three choices for the MBP (13", 15", 17")
Can you please cite your source for these statistics, especially the statistics that state a vast majority of all PC sales are done online. I am curious.
Err... do you seriously consider this a victory for Apple?
It makes them look like total losers, because it proves that the call from Apple Legal actually did happen. Apple have been making ludicrously inaccurate claims about Windows and PCs in their ads for ages, and when Microsoft finally fights back, Apple stoops to behaving like a bunch of crybabies with no skin, like some litigous religious cult.
This is really nonsense. So here is my interpretation what happened: Apple saw the Microsoft advertisements, and noticed that they were factually incorrect. They asked Microsoft to not show advertisements that are factually incorrect (same thing has happened in the UK several times to Apple). Microsoft changed the wording: A Macintosh costing $1700 clearly doesn't cost twice as much as a PC costing $1000, so they now say "it costs a lot more".
Everything completely on board. Do you suggest that Apple should suffer quietly because some idiot at Microsoft doesn't manage to get their adverts right? In your opinion Apple "looks like total losers" because they ask Microsoft to get things right? Like "some litigous [sic] religious cult" ?
Not that the ads were doing much. 91% in the premium category, (which is all of their laptops) is pretty darn good.
91% in the premium category is kinda a ridiculous number. Because the majority of computers are cheaper than $1,000, making that market MUCH more lucrative. Also, How many Windows PCs are even above $1,000? That's like saying Bently has a 91% share in the category of $200,000+ cars.
There are huge benefits in the "extra" you pay for a Mac, and its not really extra because the $1000 Dell in the ad doesnt have anti virus which will set you back $100 and most people will also buy MS Office which is around $100-250 i think vs iWork which is $41 when you buy a Mac. So it ends up being just as expensive. So why not go for the amazing quality and craftsmanship of a mac vs a plastic, crappy dell running vista