Apple Comments on Microsoft's Laptop Hunter Ads

[HLdan]

There's not much monetary incentive for malware writers for a market share that's less than 10%. If you can write malware for something that will have a 90% marketshare audience (conficker) or a sub-10% marketshare, which would you spend the time writing?

People certainly go out of their way to dismiss the fact that Mac OS X is a UNIX based system which is top in security in itself and Windows doesn't offer this. Although it's nonsense what you are saying, let just say it's true. What would be the incentive for me to buy a Windows PC? You make it sound like it's a good thing that Windows gets targeted more due to a larger market share. I could care less if I can get a Windows PC with okay specs for cheap, if my security is in jeopardy or if I have to fight tooth and nail to keep my system from getting spyware that will allow someone to steal my passwords and break into my online bank and wipe me dry then I'll pass and spend a little more money on a Mac.

 

[Goona]

Having been an Apple fan for going on a couple decades I've noticed a pattern in the old PC vs. Mac price war. The arguments aren't new, and the Apple camp has suffered as the Mac has become more and more a glorified PC (this was my biggest concern about the switch to Intel). However, even in the pre-Intel days the trend was usually Apple release something really cool and cutting edge on a machine that when compared to an identically spec'ed PC is either the same price or better. The problem is then Apple sticks to its price while the PC manufacturer's lower their price (usually as the new thing become established and cheaper to manufacture). We are seeing Apple at the end of Intel product cycle of the Penyrn (remember they only use two lines of the Intel procs--the mobile and the Xeon) so there is now a sizable gap in price per spec between Apple and the generic PC. It would pain me to buy an Apple right now--although yes, I would still do it if I were in the market.

As others have pointed out, combine this slump with Windows 7 (haven't used it but I hear good things . . . really good things) and Apple could take a hit this year if they don't either adjust their pricing (never happen) Win7 hits before they get the next sizable tech boost from Intel (Nvidia?).

That said, never underestimate the ability of modern MS to screw up.

Yeah we also heard good things about Vista which is why Microsoft will still be offering XP when Windows 7 is released.

 

[Stately]

It's the same thing as us car owners talk about which brands are better. You can get that BMW, Mercedes or Audi if you like but the Hyundai does much the same for less. To each their own I say.

Hyundaaaiii . . . BMW . . . I'm going with the BMW.

 

[tubbymac]

I'm sure that the CEO of Audi badmouths BMW products in private, but to get up on a soapbox and do the same thing is unthinkable because it's unbecoming, unprofessional and immature.

You sure about that? I submit as evidence exhibit A

 

[Drag'nGT]

Apple should just let "The Bean Counter" and "The V Word" run on the TV for a little while longer. It seems to fit the current set up.

 

[Nitro1]

In a response to the guy who went crazy for a while. DUDE Dell, HP and IBM really. all of those company's have terrible customer service in comparison to the Apple service. I can call and get my question or issue fixed or answered within 10 minutes. I have had many computers before my mac and i am going to say for the record that the customer service for all of them sucked. I have had to deal with HP many times and i used to own a Voodoo computer and the only reason the service was decent was because they are Canadian and not at the time related to HP. Now the computers they build and the customer service is terrible.

Let's all face it. There is nothing better than a Mac and that is why you pay more. For the service and the quality.

And when it comes to gaming yes the mac does not have as many games as a PC but the games they do have are better and no issues. And if you really want to game you can put window's on a Mac ( i know i know blasphemy) but it is possible.

All in all the mac is better.............................

Period...

NO VIRUSES. THAT IS ALL I AM GOING TO SAY ABOUT THAT.

 

[polaris20]

People certainly go out of their way to dismiss the fact that Mac OS X is a UNIX based system which is top in security in itself and Windows doesn't offer this. Although it's nonsense what you are saying, let just say it's true. What would be the incentive for me to buy a Windows PC? You make it sound like it's a good thing that Windows gets targeted more due to a larger market share. I could care less if I can get a Windows PC with okay specs for cheap, if my security is in jeopardy or if I have to fight tooth and nail to keep my system from getting spyware that will allow someone to steal my passwords and break into my online bank and wipe me dry then I'll pass and spend a little more money on a Mac.

And people certainly go out of their way to live in denial about OS X security because it's "based on Unix". So go ahead, turn that firewall off, it's not like anyone can hack OS X. Oh wait, it's been done.

You really don't understand the intent behind malware these days, do you? It's not done for fun or glory anymore, it's done for profit. Infected pc's getting turned into botnets sell to the highest bidder. Keyloggers getting credit card information, social security numbers etc.

Most if not all malware in the wild is written for Windows because it's simply the largest market share.

If you honestly think you'd be safer than Windows if the market share were 50/50, you're sadly misinformed.

Don't get me wrong, I love OS X. But I don't have fantasies of an unbreakable, invincible OS either.

Apple needs to get serious about security with Snow Leopard, otherwise there will be problems if their market share increases.

 

[Sehnsucht]

What? Macs cool? No way, PCs are way cooler. Do all sorts of popups and fancy prompts appear when your Mac boots? No, Why, because you're too busy trying to do work or make stuff pretty to HAVE FUN. Why, I love it every time Clippy comes to my aid in my windozing and tells me crap I don't care about, awesome! And virus scans... best 20 minutes of my life. Forget about features like Expose and Grab, give me the unreliable opening double click over these any day. Is my application opening? I don't know, that's part of the fun! If our computers worked the way they were supposed to all the time, wouldn't we get bored? All I have to say is the Dell craptop I saw the other day had like 100 buttons, How many buttons does your Mac have? Oh, that's right: less buttons = less fun. "I may be poor, but I ain't retarded".

Plus what are the specs of these "Bargain" craptops? Yeah it has 4GB of RAM but what about processor speed, wireless, Bluetooth, and a multi-touch trackpad? Can you really get a better package for less money in the Windows world?

Why is Boot Camp so crappy? No tap/click? WTF. And why does my damn graphics card still buzz whenever I have the screen brightness on lower than the maximum setting? Jeez, I feel like I have one of those craptops when I am Bootcamping. Windows made my Mac less cool :

Fixed that for you.

 

[Anuba]

Another reason why they cost less than comparable Macs but many people don't factor this when making all those comparisons.

Well... can you blame'em? Why would they make excuses on behalf of (or accept excuses from) the manufacturer? If Apple has some inherent inefficencies in their business model (such as having to develop an OS), that's their problem.

If you have two hot dog vendors and one wants $2 for a hot dog and the other one wants $3 because he has to walk way over there to get the ketchup and then way over to the other side to get the mustard, and he feels that this extra work is worth an extra $1, then most people are gonna go with the $2 hot dog from the guy who was smart enough to put the condiments at arm's length, naturally.

 

[Sehnsucht]

That is f*cking hilarious!

 

[drummingcraig]

I just wish Apple would make stuff with card slots and Blu-ray So long as they add them to the lineup then I'm happy

Is there a different kind of card slot you're referring to besides the ones that grace the side of my 2003 Powerbook and my 2009 MBP?

As for Blu-Ray...I can't imagine the difference being fully realized on a 15" screen when comparing movies. Perhaps I'm wrong, but I'd never see it and/or care.

The storage factor would be nice, but honestly its not gonna save me carrying at least one external FW drive. Most of the stuff I need to transfer either is small enough to fit on a regular DVD or a thumb drive, or is so large that it ain't gonna fit on a blu-ray disc anyway.

 

[Anuba]

You sure about that? I submit as evidence exhibit A

Ha! Well well. This begs the question... is this some American tradition? Never seen anything like those ads over here, not in my part of Europe anyway. In Sweden it even used to be illegal to use the competition as a punching bag in advertising. It's not anymore, but still, no one goes there. On the rare occasion they might hint at the competition in a wink-wink-cough-ahem sort of way, but that's as far as they take it.

 

[tubbymac]

Ha! Well well. This begs the question... is this some American tradition? Never seen anything like those ads over here, not in my part of Europe anyway.

Well Audi and BMW have had a few pokes at each other before. Here's a bit of their back and forth from another ad campaign. It starts with BMW getting in the first jab,

Which is countered with this funny retort from Audi:

 

[Digital Skunk]

And while Adobe Photoshop for Mac isn't yet 64 bit, I'm currently able to open up 200 megapixel (MP) image files in the 32bit versions, as this takes only 2GB of RAM.

Considering that state-of-the-shelf 'Pro' level dSLR's are still at around 21MP, the number of Pros doing multi-layer HDR panoramic stitches is pretty small...the generic hobbiest can very easily afford to wait until 2010...which also means that the Mac version should probably be already Snow Leopard optimized, too.


-hh

The great part about Adobe, is that they know how to program. The production suite isn't 32bit either, but what they did was program the app as a bunch of 32 bit executables each taking up to 2GBs of RAM and spreading themselves across multiple cores.

When I read that, it solidified my belief that it's always going to be about the software 80% of the time.

Don't take that as me saying the hardware isn't important, but it's about that combo "1" "2" Punch of hard and software that makes the computing experience. The PC makers have half of it... Apple has the other half with a well designed hardware lineup.

 

[dwd3885]

How long would I need to keep an SD card connected, 30secs? Blu-ray movies have already been ripped and transferred over. The wireless mouse doesn't take up a usb port, which leaves plenty for charging/updating the iPhone, when necessary. Nah.... only my HP laptop truly sucked, and not in a small way.

I love how mac fanboys always try to talk themselves into why Apple gives them less ports, etc. Like, wait, I don't really need that. lol. It's kinda funny actually

 

[Digital Skunk]

I love how mac fanboys always try to talk themselves into why Apple gives them less ports, etc. Like, wait, I don't really need that. lol. It's kinda funny actually

Like the Onion says, "I never knew how much I hated the keyboard until Apple took it away."

It is a very Apple/Apple Fanboy/girl thing to do.

 

[Goona]

You sure about that? I submit as evidence exhibit A

Is this ad for real, lol.

 

[omahajim]

removed

 

[DMann]

I love how mac fanboys always try to talk themselves into why Apple gives them less ports, etc. Like, wait, I don't really need that. lol. It's kinda funny actually

Funny, why? Do I really want to carry around six corded peripherals with me where ever I go? It's much funnier imagining that scenario. Come to think of it, I curse Apple for dropping the floppy drive - I have a s**tload of floppy discs from 20 years ago which I'd like to be able to load from time to time. Wireless keyboard, mouse - what need for extra USB ports?

 

[MacFly123]

Great article ad quotes from the Apple guy!

Here is my very truthful mockup of the world of computers!

Macs RULE!!!

P.S. That whole thing between Audio and BMW is pretty funny I think! haha.

 

[Eidorian]

Like the Onion says, "I never knew how much I hated the keyboard until Apple took it away."

It is a very Apple/Apple Fanboy/girl thing to do.

I remember those days living in denial.

I'll stick with being a moderate.

 

[NT1440]

I love how mac fanboys always try to talk themselves into why Apple gives them less ports, etc. Like, wait, I don't really need that. lol. It's kinda funny actually

What about those of us who don't actually need a 6 in 1 card reader?

 

[pr5owner]

Hyundaaaiii . . . BMW . . . I'm going with the BMW.

i would rather go with a hyndai Genesis coupe 3.6L 300+ HP for the price of a low end 328 with no options.

but you have every right to hide behind a brand name.

 

[Eidorian]

What about those of us who don't actually need a 6 in 1 card reader?

Uncheck that option from your hardware configuration.

 

[pr5owner]

What about those of us who don't actually need a 6 in 1 card reader?

dont need a card reader, i would assume you dont need your USB ports, firewire, eSATA, HDMI, hell just have NO PORTS on your laptop. no body needs them, you dont need a screen either, you can just imagine your desktop and imagine yourself doing some work.