Apple Comments on Microsoft's Laptop Hunter Ads

[nagromme]

I already know this, thanks for posting it for others.

Don't worry, I never meant that post to reflect that.

I know. I'd been thinking of it though because it seemed odd that the BusinessWeek article didn't mention resolution. (It's the kind of "number spec" that people looking to compare Macs and PCs often seize on )

 

[frogger2020]

Wow, I guess Microsoft must have hit a nerve with their new commercials for Apple to come out and comment! Kudos to Microsoft for having an interesting ad campaign.

 

[RonCarr]

Well said Bill. That really is all that needs to be said about the ads in my opinion and obviously Apple's as well.

 

[JayMan8081]

I am surprised that Apple responded to the ads at all, doesn't seem like them at all. As long as Apple is viewed as serious competition for MS they will have ads attacking them. That's the nature of a competitive marketplace.

 

[nagromme]

Umm, no. Steve Jobs started it over two decades ago, before many PC users were even born. In his very first keynote address in 1984 where he introduced the original Macintosh he dissed IBM PCs, and he's been mocking/dissing/ridiculing both PCs and Windows ever since. It's always been a cornerstone in Apple's advertising. "Think Different", "Pentium Toaster", "Switch", "Hi I'm a Mac..."
This type of childish rivalry wasn't even a factor before Jobs came along. Commodore 64 users didn't gang up on Sinclair Spectrum users, Spectrum users didn't taunt Texas Instruments TI/99 users. The Mac community (with Jobs cheerleading in the background) started the whole hatin'-on-another-platform tradition, the Linux community joined in later.

I wish I could agree. I wish I could say I never saw Commodore 64 vs. Apple II platform wars

Nobody "started" this... it's human nature to find sides to take (look at sports, cars, you name it). With computers, at least you're taking sides about something that has an actual huge affect on many aspects of your life

I am surprised that Apple responded to the ads at all, doesn't seem like them at all. As long as Apple is viewed as serious competition for MS they will have ads attacking them. That's the nature of a competitive marketplace.

It wasn't an "Apple response" per se... not something that they spent time/money/PR on... it's just a comment in an interview.

 

[applecultvictim]

This type of childish rivalry wasn't even a factor before Jobs came along. Commodore 64 users didn't gang up on Sinclair Spectrum users, Spectrum users didn't taunt Texas Instruments TI/99 users. The Mac community (with Jobs cheerleading in the background) started the whole hatin'-on-another-platform tradition, the Linux community joined in later.

Steve jobs didn't invent rivalry between opossing brands/teams/countries/states/peoples...as long as people choose something to differentiate themselves they split into camps with rivalry. It just wasn't as pronounced at the beginning because not enought people used computers. Steve didn't invent it, he just banked on it.

 

[Digital Skunk]

Agreed. For all the many advantages of OS X, sheer variety of hardware is where Windows comes out way ahead.

Now, a wide selection of Windows hardware that won't meet my needs is not good enough for me--I'd rather have limited selection of machines that DO meet my needs. (And the masses--who don't frequent forums--who just walk into a store to look at 5 laptops don't really care about all that variety either.)

But if my needs were a high-performance gaming tower with some (non-gaming) specs being low-end to keep the price cheap... or a slow, disposable (but ultra-tiny and very cool!) netbook... or a home-made system from raw parts... then I'd be in a bind! Which compromise would I have to pick? I couldn't have it all.

Awesomely true. And that's where the compromises have to be made.

I am in the same boat, where the software keeps me coming back. The service is pretty cool too as well. I am fine with the MBP and Mac Pro, the wife can be served by the Macbook and iMac (which I may bash now and then but do love).

But I know a guy how is an extreme wilderness nut who loves Macs, and he dreams of the day OSX will run on a toughbook or Apple makes one.

I myself dream of those 11.1" Sony's. They start at $2100 but that size is immaculate. Or that HP Firebird gaming rig. Not that I can't have them, just that I don't want to deal with paying that much for Windows running machines. When I have the time, I will give Ubuntu a real look.

The hardware we Mac users do pass up saddens me at times. But yes, I am reminded of the sacrifice every time I go from Aperture to iWeb to Mobile Me.

I know. I'd been thinking of it though because it seemed odd that the BusinessWeek article didn't mention resolution. (It's the kind of "number spec" that people looking to compare Macs and PCs often seize on )

Right. Detailed specs are often lost in the sauce with poor comparisons. With the abundance of Dell vs ACD threads members still don't understand the difference between TN, IPS, PVA panels.

 

[Darth.Titan]

What kills me about these ads is the fact that Microsoft is a software company. Their product is an operating system. Why are they taking credit for the price and quality of other companies' hardware?

If an alternative OS showed up and bypassed Windows in popularity and marketshare, does Microsoft think that any of these computer manufacturers would show them any loyalty at all? These are not "Windows PCs" after all. These are "PCs that have Windows installed". In fact most (if not all) of these companies do offer alternative OS options other than Windows.

I understand that when someone chooses a computer other than a Mac they are 99% sure to be buying Windows with it, but it just kind of irks me a bit when these commercials seem to be Microsoft taking credit for hardware that they have nothing to do with, save mere compatibility.

 

[DougB541]

Some people like PC's
Some people like Mac's
Even fewer people like Linux


World keeps on spinning. The only thing in his statement that is "eh?" is the PC doesn't' do what you want.

The vast majority of consumers just listen to music, surf the internet and maybe use Office.


I think a PC can handle that just fine.

 

[DougB541]

What kills me about these ads is the fact that Microsoft is a software company. Their product is an operating system. Why are they taking credit for the price and quality of other companies' hardware?

If an alternative OS showed up and bypassed Windows in popularity and marketshare, does Microsoft think that any of these computer manufacturers would show them any loyalty at all? These are not "Windows PCs" after all. These are "PCs that have Windows installed". In fact most (if not all) of these companies do offer alternative OS options other than Windows.

I understand that when someone chooses a computer other than a Mac they are 99% sure to be buying Windows with it, but it just kind of irks me a bit when these commercials seem to be Microsoft taking credit for hardware that they have nothing to do with, save mere compatibility.

Microsoft works very closely with their partners. These are HP ads as much as they are Microsoft ads.

 

[ziggyonice]

What kills me about these ads is the fact that Microsoft is a software company. Their product is an operating system. Why are they taking credit for the price and quality of other companies' hardware?

Because the companies who sell those computers aren't doing a good enough job convincing people to buy their machines, which run Windows, which in turn, affects Microsoft's bottom line.

 

[DougB541]

Because the companies who sell those computers aren't doing a good enough job convincing people to buy their machines, which run Windows, which in turn, affects Microsoft's bottom line.

Better way of putting it than my post.

I did think HP's "hands" commercials were great but I cant' recall what theirs or Dell's ads are currently.

 

[kingtj]

What's the big deal? I'll bite ....

Yes, ultimately you're correct. Computers are just tools, and people should buy and use whatever works best for them.

But the "big deal" here is really the same old "fight" we've seen since the beginning of the personal computer. If you choose a specific platform/OS, you're at an advantage if you can get as many OTHER people as possible to use the same one. Then you have contacts who can help you troubleshoot issues, swap software or even peripherals with, and that much larger of a user-base that motivates people to develop for YOUR system instead of another one.

I can remember the days (1980's) when some people chose a Tandy/Radio-Shack branded machine, some chose a Commodore, and others went with an Atari, or maybe a Texas Instruments, or ?? ALL of them constantly harassed the others with a "my computer is better than yours" argument!

When there are choices, people enjoy feeling like they chose the "best" option, and conversely, feel threatened when another party makes good enough arguments AGAINST their choice that they start questioning it.

I personally don't see what the big deal is....

Computers are used as tools, It is the user/buyer's choice in which tool works best for he/she.

I like Macintosh, but I have nothing "against" PC's.. I just find Macintosh to be easier to use.

 

[nagromme]

...

I myself dream of those 11.1" Sony's. They start at $2100 but that size is immaculate. Or that HP Firebird gaming rig. Not that I can't have them, just that I don't want to deal with paying that much for Windows running machines. When I have the time, I will give Ubuntu a real look.

...

11"... 10"... maybe smaller? I would LOVE a tiny Mac OS netbook. I can't say I need one (my Air is ultraportable, and has a screen big enough for production work). But I WANT one

I don't NEED any Macs that don't exist, but I do WANT more variety than Apple has. The light at the end of the tunnel: the more Mac sales climb, the more it makes sense to offer a wider variety of models. (Which we have seen happening: the Mini, the Air and the Xserve being examples. Segments Apple did not always address... and now they do. Minitowers? Netbooks? Low-end systems with swappable GPUs? In time, you never know.)

Some people like PC's
Some people like Mac's
Even fewer people like Linux


World keeps on spinning. The only thing in his statement that is "eh?" is the PC doesn't' do what you want.

The vast majority of consumers just listen to music, surf the internet and maybe use Office.


I think a PC can handle that just fine.

And yet I have very tech-savvy friends who do only those things... and are constantly fending off driver conflicts, mystery crashes, malware--who knows what--with Windows. A couple of them switched to Mac a year ago and haven't had any such problems any more. (Macs aren't problem-free, but they have FEWER problems, and easier to diagnose. That trend is real.)

 

[Digital Skunk]

.....

Also because the OS is nothing without the computer.

MS couldn't just say some guy went out and needed a new OS to put on their "NAMELESS MACHINE"

Then compared Windows and OSX alone.

Plus, one major benefit for PC makers is the lack of R&D on the OS. They don't have to spend any cash on developing an OS, and save money on producing the machines.

 

[polaris20]

Keywords: "illegal" and "torrent". The average computer user (Mac or PC) knows neither -- ask a 20 year old college girl what a torrent is, and she'll say, "Sorry, I'm not going into physics." They don't have a clue.

You don't think a college student knows what a torrent is? Really? Have you not read the news lately?

I hope you're not comparing a few isolated incidents targeting OSX to the over 1 million pieces of malware in existence for PC.

Because that would be pretty silly.

Did you read what I quoted? I said "can" and "has" happened. Did I say it's on the same level of magnitude? No.

Of course it's not, because the market share is massively different, and therefore OS X isn't targeted anywhere near as much. It doesn't mean it's not possible.

 

[JoeDRC]

I find mac users more cringe worthy to be honest, well the ones that think they know about computers

 

[Darth.Titan]

Microsoft works very closely with their partners. These are HP ads as much as they are Microsoft ads.

I think it's more like Microsoft throwing them a bone after screwing their "partners" on Windows licenses for all these years. Jeez I can't even get a Windows machine with a real OS restore disc these days...

 

[DMann]

I think it's more like Microsoft throwing them a bone after screwing their "partners" on Windows licenses for all these years. Jeez I can't even get a Windows machine with a real OS restore disc these days...

Exactly. Screwing is a mild way of putting it, however.

 

[Winni]

A PC is no bargain when it doesn't do what you want .... The one thing that both Apple and Microsoft can agree on is that everyone thinks the Mac is cool. With its great designs and advanced software, nothing matches it at any price.

Aha. Yep. Sure. Great designs and advanced software. Ahem. I had to buy Aperture to get something that's actually useful and not a toy like iPhoto. And that pretty much ends the entire iLife discussion for me -- on my Macs, iLife is about as useful for me as all that demo-ware that comes on an average grocery store PC.

Most of that "advanced" software this guy is talking about is actually a waste of space on the hard disk.

Putting a full version of iWork on a new Mac would be more useful for many people - especially for those who use their computer for boring stuff like real work. And even better than iWork would be a fully working version of Microsoft Office - after all, that is the de facto standard.

Or is he talking about OS X? You know, the consumer OS that falls short in almost every regard when you want to deploy it in an enterprise environment.

Or is he talking about Apple NOT providing on-site warranty like the rest of the big PC companies?

No. He's just getting paid to tell the fans the same old catchphrases again so that they keep donating their money to the Holy Church of Apple for the next "amazing, awesome, patented product that will totally change the way of how you think of whatever". And at the end of the day, it's just another buggy mp3 player, a cell phone that lacks basic features (copy & paste, anyone?) or another computer that still needs an additional Windows license for most customers to become useful - or compatible.

Sorry, folks, but I've been in the industry way too long (since the early 1980s) and I'm sick of tired of all that "Hooray!" crap, no matter from which "fraction" it comes. Apple is nice for the home office, but they completely suck in a business environment. Apple also sucks for gamers and for a lot of other typical consumer things as well (digital video-recording, for example). On the other hand, there are very good reasons why Dell, HP and IBM "own" the corporate hardware market and why Microsoft is and will remain the #1 provider of software platforms - for both the enterprise AND consumers. Those guys sell excellent SERVICE and VERSATILE solutions at extremely competitive prices. No, they don't sell designs. And they don't sell dreams, either. That's the business Apple is in.

 

[miggitymac]

Apple should be careful here....they're in danger of losing a portion of their target market...because the minute old people start saying something is "cool", it immediately becomes "so not cool" to young people...

 

[EagerDragon]

You get more flies with honey than with vinegar.

Don't Much cared for flies, but I get your point, LOL

 

[ProstheticHead]

Same thing for Mac users who are suckers for paying $1300 for a laptop just to put MS Office and Firefox on it to surf the web.

Of the ones that buy laptop parts with underpowered GFX cards for gaming.

Let's not even start talking about those that have to fork out $1999 for a laptop with a 15" screen.

Sounds like somebody can't afford an MBP.

 

[Anuba]

Steve didn't invent it

No, but he was one of the few to stoop to this level when communicating with the public (through ads, interviews, keynote addresses etc). 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. It's an expression of envy and insecurity, which is uninversally perceived as pathetic, and the last thing you want is for your business to look pathetic. I can see why he was once ousted from his own company because he was too erratic and temperamental. Brilliant, sure, but immature and unprofessional (at least back then... everyone grows up eventually).

 

[Eidorian]

My computers regardless of their operating system or manufacturer still continue to work.