Avicdar said:
For Apple to effectively market this machine, they simply need to do what they do best. Market the SOLUTIONS, not the speed.
Show what this machine can do. iPhoto, iTunes, iMovie, Word Pro, surfing, email, etc.
Whenever I see a commercial for Dell on TV selling something at a 'special' price, they just hammer out the specs. They don't tell you what you can do with the machine. I've never asked him, but I am sure that when my dad sees a commercial like this, it goes right over his head. How many times have YOU been asked by a friend to help you spec a machine "I see this one in the paper, is it good?" Apple needs to change this mindset.
Show what it can do. Show people how easy it is. Show the integration of the apps. Offer a 14 day money back guarantee. Bundle in some free instruction to get going for newbies. Include a nice DVD showing people how to use the machine and get the most from it. THIS is the kind of thing Apple does really well.
By the way, speaking of PC commercials on TV, you see the ones lately of the guy who is in bed, and he keeps calling Dell support, checking that someone will be there? He goes through all the holidays and non holidays, and the guy at Dell says someone will always be there.
I have always thought that commerical was a double edged sword. Sure, its good to know support is always available, but....
Apple could run this very same ad with one minor change at the end. A simple tag line that says "Dell support, always there for you 24/7. Because you're going to NEED them. Count on it."
As a PC user, I would love to see this happen. For those with
some memory, Amiga systems were unbelievable good. Instant
boot, nice graphics interface, efficient hd use, etcetcetc.
this machine did not have top notch hardware but were able
to do the job.
I am about to get over and give the Ibook G4 1.25Ghz a shot.
Unfortunately, everytime I go to an Apple Store I feel
that the system is not that "responsiveness" (it did not mean
that it is slow, please note). The OS may be multitask but
it looks that it is not using the dedicated video card as a pc user expects.
That's what is holding me...
I set an example for the responsiveness :
I have an old HP omnibook 6000 (pentium III, 600MHz, 8Mb ati video card).
Just as an example, if I access something like
http://www.miniclip.com and play "Nordic Chill", it is quite playable.
When I went to the Apple Store, I tried to see how amazing
the G4 1.25Ghz would be and....it was very, very slow.
Is this normal ? I am not up to answer that. Maybe it was
the settings from that ibook.
Well, let's see what Steve will offer to the rest of us.
Have you actually used a recent Mac? I use a Vaio Z1 for work (1.5 Ghz Centrino) and have a 12" AlBook (1 Ghz G4) for home use. The Powerbook (aside from being amazingly user friendly) seems to be about twice as fast (compressing CDs for iTunes, running Citrix remote desktop client, webbrowser - Safari vs Opera, etc.). Of course that is just a very subjective feel. Yes, Win XP pro is alright, and yes: There is decent freeware out there to take care of virii, worms, spyware, _but_: The amount of time I spend on system maintenance (defrag, disk cleanup ...), ouch. System Maintenance for the Powerbook: Backup once a week. If there was not a little CAD Software problem our office would be Powermacs/Books, hands down. I am glad you are happy with your Dell. I think you would be happier with a Mac. I also believe that whoever spent upwards of 250 USD for an iPod will not hesitate one moment to shell out 50 extra Dollars for a Mac Computer vs. a Dell. Don't forget the Cool factor 
