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Microsoft Alters "Laptop Hunters" Ads in Wake of Apple Price Cuts

Sehnsucht said:
The bickering in this thread reminds me of something that happened a couple days ago that made me chuckle.

So I did the whole Boot Camp thing and installed Windows 7 RC back on my MBP. Then, about twice a day, Windows started FREEZING and becoming completely unresponsive. I'd have to power off or sometimes even pop out the battery and restart. So, I sought help from others.

The Apple fanboys said, "ZOMG LOL CAN'T BELIEVE YOU GOT WINDOWS LIKE DUH IT CRASHED CAUSE IT SUCKS LIKE OMG AND IT'S MADE BY MIKKKRO$OFT LOL!!!!"

The PC fanboys said, "ZOMG LOL WTF DUDE IT FROZE CAUSE YOU'RE RUNNING IT ON A MAC DUDE THOSE ARE LIKE FOR N00BZ AND LIKE MAC IS LIKE DESIGNED FOR RETARDS WITH NO 1337 H4X0R SKILLZ LOL!!!!!"

:D Actually, it turned out to be my fault. Silly old me left my ExpressCard memory card reader in the slot after using it under OS X and forgot to install the Windows drivers for it. I did, and now everything works fine, no crashes.

:cool:
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Windows 7 RC works? It isn't even released and it already works via Bootcamp, eh?

I'm impressed. Apple's done quite well with their support of Windows on MBPs.
 
Mac or PC?

As a long time PC user with a very dated machine. I have finally admitted it is time to buy a new machine. I have been using MS since I Worked with MS DOS on a IBM 286 (Please hold the OMG you're OLD! comments to a dull roar, I know I am old.) I Have been Doing a LOT of research and have made a choice. My next machine well be a MAC, IMAC in fact. (now I sound like DR Suess!) I agree Macs are more expensive, but not by much. and when you factor in the stress level of dealing with crashes, viruses, and general mayhem of MS. they look a better value all the time. Plus let's face it, Macs just look good. Oh and before any diehard PC fans start the blasting. This is being done through Safari on my PC. I downloaded it and gave it a try. in less than 2 mins I knew IE was not going to be used anymore. All I can say is, If OSX runs like Safari, DEAL ME IN!!! Please forgive any typos, improper spellings, or bad grammer. buti have been working for 9 hours today and been awake for 18, needless to say I am wiped.
 
*LTD* said:
Windows 7 RC works? It isn't even released and it already works via Bootcamp, eh?

I'm impressed. Apple's done quite well with their support of Windows on MBPs.
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And Microsoft's done a very good job of making Windows 7 compatible with Vista drivers.

On the other hand, nobody in the Windows world would be surprised that Windows installed and ran on an Intel PC. That's expected. We'd never say "Good job, HP. Windows 7 installed on your computer.".
 
stainlessliquid said:
Dont people have anything better to do than blow something so minuscule out of proportion like this? Its really pathetic.
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Obviously not. :rolleyes: I agree, it's really pathetic.

Damn people, BOTH Apple and Microsoft plus the PC has their pros and cons. So buy whatever computer that you like and be happy about it. It's really this simple.
 
*LTD* said:
Windows 7 RC works? It isn't even released and it already works via Bootcamp, eh?

I'm impressed. Apple's done quite well with their support of Windows on MBPs.
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Wellll, let's see. If I do recall, the only thing that didn't work until *after* I installed the Boot Camp drivers was audio I/O. Everything else, like the WiFi card, Bluetooth, etc. was recognized right away after installation.

The Windows Experience Index gives my MBP a rating of 5.3. (I've heard that if you score too low, it recommends that you get a Mac, but in my case that would be moot as I obviously already have one.) :D
 
read me

Anuba said:
Err... do you seriously consider this a victory for Apple? :rolleyes:

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.
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---
hmm sounds like PC folks should not bother reading macrumors.com since it makes them less than pleased.
Why don't you stick to CNET or some other less-biased sites since we on macrumors.com simply know that windows suck and probably always will.
;-)
 
afmn1431 said:
---
hmm sounds like PC folks should not bother reading macrumors.com since it makes them less than pleased.
Why don't you stick to CNET or some other less-biased sites since we on macrumors.com simply know that windows suck and probably always will.
;-)
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Did you happen to notice Anuba's sig? There's an awful lot of Apple products listed there, worth some credit I think...;)
 
Sehnsucht said:
Did you happen to notice Anuba's sig? There's an awful lot of Apple products listed there, worth some credit I think...;)
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Owning Apple products doesn't necessary make you less wrong or less out of touch with reality.

There are plenty of people out there who buy a Mac in order to run Windows on it. Go figure.

Apple can make all the claims about Windows that it likes . . . short of quoting prices inaccurately. You can claim Windows is virus-ridden, clunky, a PITA to use, etc. That's all subjective and isn't even libellous. And quite frankly, Apple's claims mirror a good portion of the average WIndows sufferer's experience. Plenty of leeway allowed there.

But MS was in a situation where they were misrepresenting an actual price. They weren't at first, but the price changed and they were then in the wrong. It's just that simple. That can open up MS to FTC issues. Apple legal was simply holding MS accountable to what it could under the law. They aren't "crybabies" or whatever other juvenile term people throw around. MS crossed the line and they were snapped back. Simple as that.
 
*LTD* said:
But MS was in a situation where they were misrepresenting an actual price. They weren't at first, but the price changed and they were then in the wrong. It's just that simple. That can open up MS to FTC issues. Apple legal was simply holding MS accountable to what it could under the law. They aren't "crybabies" or whatever other juvenile term people throw around. MS crossed the line and they were snapped back. Simple as that.
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Well said, LTD. Exactly right. This actually happens a fair amount where ads do direct comparisons against their competitors; there was a court case that set precedent. Its not a big deal, and when the Microsoft exec said he was doing cartwheels or whatever it made me wonder how long he'd been in advertising.

Tippy6903 said:
My next machine well be a MAC, IMAC in fact.
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Now we just have to get you to type Mac or iMac, instead of using ALL CAPS, and you'll be all set. ;) (MAC with all caps refers to either an Ethernet term or a cosmetics company). :)

I can really recommend Switching to the Mac: The Missing Manual or Mac OS X Leopard: The Missing Manual for the transition (get one or the other, you won't need both). If these seem like they get a little bogged down in Finder at some points, its because there are important features and differences from what you might be used to on Windows. Worth your while, IMO.
 
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As a windows user, sometimes I feel left out whenever I hear people say that PCs are riddled with errors being as that I've never had any that weren't my fault (who would've thought overclocking needed higher south bridge voltages too?).

I have osx86 installed on my new lenovo laptop as well as vista, and I've gotta say os x boots up a good 10 seconds faster in the least. Haven't messed with windows 7 on my laptop yet.

Still no errors though.
 
*LTD* said:
Owning Apple products doesn't necessary make you less wrong or less out of touch with reality.

There are plenty of people out there who buy a Mac in order to run Windows on it. Go figure.
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I wouldn't go as far as to say plenty. It's very rare to only run Windows on a Mac.
 
kdarling said:
You're joking, right? Every ad has mistakes and half-truths in it. Apple is no better at it, and often worse.

Shall we start with that bogus ad about the pilot getting a takeoff slot because he used his iPhone to tell ATC what to do?

How about that "Fine Print" anti-PC ad (how come Apple can't do pro-Mac ads? too boring?) where the fine print could be applied to Macs as well.

Or if the topic is having to change ads, look at the UK ads that had to be pulled or modified because Apple made EDGE look too fast.

The main thing here is, the Microsoft ads worked... but in a way that was perhaps unexpected: Apple lowered their prices to keep from looking so bad.
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Again. When has been forced to change an ad because of a lie?
 
*LTD* said:
They just want the hardware. It's been said that Macs often run Windows better than their generic PC counterparts. Perhaps there are other reasons as well.
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On a laptop, there is that annoying shortage of buttons, and wonky trackpad behaviour to deal with.

I'd believe that a MacBook Pro would give a better experience than a $500 cheap Wintel laptop. I'm much less likely to believe that the MBP is better than a Latitude or Thinkpad.


thecartoonguy said:
Again. When has been forced to change an ad because of a lie?
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Forced to adapt because of changed circumstances. The ad was truthful for many months, and only needed be be adjusted when Apple changed prices.

Calling it a "lie" is unfair, and implies active deceit. The ad was once true, was not completely true for a short time, and is now true again.
 
AidenShaw said:
Calling it a "lie" is unfair, and implies active deceit. The ad was once true, was not completely true for a short time, and is now true again.
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Do you believe that Microsoft was not aware that Apple's prices had changed? Or do you think they didn't know the contents of their own ads?

Likely, they knew the prices were wrong and figured that they would keep running them until Apple complained. That is active deceit.
 
Anuba said:
It makes them look like total losers, because it proves that the call from Apple Legal actually did happen.
Click to expand...

yes, the change in the ads could be taken as evidence that a call from Apple to Microsoft occurred. but it is not evidence of the caliber of the call. Kevin would have you believe that Apple was whining about Microsoft not playing nice blah blah. when in fact the call could have been more a gentleman's call to let Microsoft know that their ad agency had not pulled what was now a false claim regarding Apple's prices and it should be dealt with or further action would be taken (ie a lawsuit). such calls do in fact take place, despite some folks trying to claim otherwise.

as for the 'ludicrously inaccurate claims'. if in fact Apple was making statements of 'fact' that were false, Microsoft would have sued them before the ad was finished airing. the reason they never did is because they know that the statements made, while perhaps exaggerated, were often true.
 
Tippy6903 said:
As a long time PC user with a very dated machine. I have finally admitted it is time to buy a new machine. I have been using MS since I Worked with MS DOS on a IBM 286 (Please hold the OMG you're OLD! comments to a dull roar, I know I am old.) I Have been Doing a LOT of research and have made a choice. My next machine well be a MAC, IMAC in fact. (now I sound like DR Suess!) I agree Macs are more expensive, but not by much. and when you factor in the stress level of dealing with crashes, viruses, and general mayhem of MS. they look a better value all the time. Plus let's face it, Macs just look good. Oh and before any diehard PC fans start the blasting. This is being done through Safari on my PC. I downloaded it and gave it a try. in less than 2 mins I knew IE was not going to be used anymore. All I can say is, If OSX runs like Safari, DEAL ME IN!!! Please forgive any typos, improper spellings, or bad grammer. buti have been working for 9 hours today and been awake for 18, needless to say I am wiped.
Click to expand...

No, MacOSX works MUCH BETTER than Safari, 'cause the problem is some web pages not very well developed are not made to suit all the web browsers, and of course, they almost never think of Safari to check if everything works fine on it, even so, Safari, as a browser and for it's tools and capacities is very good... but the OSX itself, and it's integration with it's own apps is EXCELLENT, you'll see!
 
AidenShaw said:
On a laptop, there is that annoying shortage of buttons, and wonky trackpad behaviour to deal with.
Click to expand...

Yeah, because doing thumb gymnastics with the 4 buttons on my HP laptop (not to mention the scroll strip on the right side of the tiny trackpad and the pointer nub in the middle of the keyboard that keeps losing its rubber cap while I'm typing) is such a joy. :rolleyes:

Some people find comfort in labeled button for everything. (My mom, for example.)

Many of us don't. Thankfully we have an option.

I'll take the MacBook trackpad over any trackpad on any laptop on the market. Any day.
 
charlituna said:
yes, the change in the ads could be taken as evidence that a call from Apple to Microsoft occurred. but it is not evidence of the caliber of the call. Kevin would have you believe that Apple was whining about Microsoft not playing nice blah blah. when in fact the call could have been more a gentleman's call to let Microsoft know that their ad agency had not pulled what was now a false claim regarding Apple's prices and it should be dealt with or further action would be taken (ie a lawsuit). such calls do in fact take place, despite some folks trying to claim otherwise.

as for the 'ludicrously inaccurate claims'. if in fact Apple was making statements of 'fact' that were false, Microsoft would have sued them before the ad was finished airing. the reason they never did is because they know that the statements made, while perhaps exaggerated, were often true.
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It's not if it's true or not, is that it's unacurate, with bad info, 'cause the ad talks about an expensive Mac, and she even says it doesn't comes with everything she needs... BUT she doesn't says what is that... and on the other hand, the lap she bought doesn't have anything extra than the MBP, so there is the bad info! Yes, it's more expensive, but not because of the brand, at least not JUST for that, but for the extra specifications, like a bigger screen, bigger processor bigger dedicated graphics card, and that if it's the smallest MBP on that range of price, because if she was talking about the other model... well, it's got a bigger hard drive, twice dedicated graphics speed and an even bigger processor! So, with that especifications... OBVIOUSLY it has to be more expensive, no matter what brand the computer is.
 
Tippy6903 said:
Oh and before any diehard PC fans start the blasting.
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And they will (even in these Mac forums, go figure). It drives them crazy when someone escapes Fortress Microsoft. Like someone jealously watching someone scramble over the Berlin Wall from East to West, they just can't resist firing a few shots.

Tippy6903 said:
If OSX runs like Safari, DEAL ME IN!!!
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OS X runs far dreamier than Safari for Windows. ;)

Congratulations on your upcoming new adventure. My guess is you'll never look back.
 
As a PC user I don't approve of attacking anyone. I'd rather a company advertise the merits of using its products rather than why you shouldn't even consider the competition. Mudslinging is so old fashioned.
 
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