Microsoft Posts 'PC vs. Mac' Section to Windows 7 Website

[Luis Ortega]

It's kind of funny they even bothered. Microsoft should just admit defeat and keep stomping what little competition they have in the enterprise market, which is where they make all their money in the first place.

What a delusional comment, given the overwhelming dominance of Windows in the world.
Apple has become a gadget vendor and its computers are behind the curve technologically and overpriced.
As long as they stay that way, the pc world has nothing to fear from apple.

 

[hackum]

I can't believe the used such a creepy stock photo + Arial for this. I mean, when will they learn?

 

[iEdd]

overpriced.

Seriously? Other than the Macbook Air and perhaps the Mac Mini, all Macs are pretty damn good value for money.

In fact, I haven't seen a windows-based laptop for $1500AU with a multitouch trackpad, FireWire 800, magnetic power adaptor and backlit keyboard that's housed in a rigid aluminium enclosure.

The amount of finish you get on a Mac these days for not too much more than a PC is incredible. I still remember when the 17" Powerbook was $7000.

 

[PlipPlop]

I used to be a Mac user for about 14 years (before they were cool), I have now switched to mostly using Windows as my main computer. I now just build my own computer every year or so. I play a lot of games so I always get the latest gfx cards which apple dont offer. I was also a bit disappoint with how the build quality of Apple products has gone so low. My newtons and 68k performa still work but my friends iphones, ipods and mac books were breaking all over the place. We still have an imac in my house but I dont use it much. I do think Windows 7 is much quicker than OS X and a lot easier to use now. I have never had a virus on my pc because I dont do silly things with my computer. I remember on Mac OS 7 getting a virus and using Virex to remove it

 

[MH01]

Windows is dying, but it will take inertia many years before most people notice. The office cube will be the last to give up Windows, but that day will come too many years from now except for a few backwards operations that will never change.

This comment will get objected to. I don't care. I'm talking about the long view, and I look ahead. Wait and see.

What to be replaced by OS X??? Which gets less and less attention each passing year and Apple moves further away from Computers to portable media devices??? Sorry, but the direction Apple has been going, I would be surprised if in years to come there will be an OS X, I suspect they iSO taking over... Microsoft if very safe in the Entreprise Space.

 

[needfx]

The point is that if you don't run an antivirus on your Windows you're doomed to get into trouble; most likely big trouble.

unless your pc is not hooked up to the net, and use it solely to work.
pretty much what I do.

manual updates, no antivirus or firewalls draining any resources few as they may be,

 

[mabaker]

I wonder how many people who supported Apple's death grip video will also support this? I mean they're both sites full of filthy lies but fans will be fans.

Apple’s death grip campaign was 100% true and I can confirm it myself, especially living in a poor reception are. I have two of the presented handsets and both of them lose signal when held like that.

As for MS - their arguments are bogus and laughable. They truly think they will convince 10% of the users to switch to Windows and have their computer gradually slow down to a halt over time!?

I don’t think so.

 

[needfx]

I can't believe the used such a creepy stock photo + Arial for this. I mean, when will they learn?

indeed creepy photo...

a turndown surely

 

[iMouse]

Macs don't work as well at work or at school.
If most of the computers in your office or school run Windows you may find it harder to get things done with a Mac.

Um...I work in an educational institution that is about 75% Windows and over 60% of our IT staff are on Macs.

For Microsoft to state that Macs don't work well at work or at school is being short-sighted and arrogant.

 

[617arg]

Sharing documents and spreadsheets.


If you use Apple's productivity suite, sharing files with PC users can be tricky. Your documents might not look right and your spreadsheets might not calculate correctly

--> lol, M$ quoting your document might not look right or the spreadsheets might not calculate correctly.... that's funny

That's actually quite right and one of the main reasons (if not THE main reason) Microsoft remains dominant. For business users, the ability to share documents is critical. Using Numbers or Pages just won't cut it when there are tens of thousands of dollars riding on your report/analysis/calculations/etc.......

Macs work great for families and some small businesses, but when it comes down to it the majority of businesses run Windows because they have to in order to productively compete.

 

[needfx]

That's actually quite right and one of the main reasons (if not THE main reason) Microsoft remains dominant. For business users, the ability to share documents is critical. Using Numbers or Pages just won't cut it when there are tens of thousands of dollars riding on your report/analysis/calculations/etc.......

Macs work great for families and some small businesses, but when it comes down to it the majority of businesses run Windows because they have to in order to productively compete.

what about office:mac? doesn't this solve the problem?

I am cooperating with an advertising/communication strategy company, and they use just macs in all departments, though with mac office for word/excel & keynote for presentations. pages/numbers are not used. relevant adobe suite is existant on all systems of course.

there are workarounds in my opinion, you just need a savy IT to manage it

 

[AidenShaw]

1. How does one make a copy / image of what is on the screen?

The PrintScreen (PrtScn) button copies the screen image to the clipboard. (Alt+PrtScn) copies the image of the currently selected window to the clipboard.

Choose where to paste the image (an email, for example) and paste. To save it as a JPEG, open your favorite imaging app and paste, then save. PAINT is always there for a quick save.

2. Is it possible to make a pdf file of a document such as of a banking site?

Not out-of-the-box, but many applications (such as Office) provide Save-to-PDF options. The free PDFill gives both a writer and a PDF editor. Of course, there's Acrobat for serious PDF work.

3. Are files and folders dragged and dropped to move / copy them to another location?

Yes. Ctr+drag (drag, then hold control down when releasing) always copies. Shift+drag always moves. Drag will move within a filesystem, copy between filesystems.

 

[supmango]

The point is that Macs are not immune to viruses. As more users begin to use the Macintosh operating systems I can guarantee you that viruses for this operating system will become more prevalent.

People have been saying this for YEARS. When exactly do you think this will happen oh mighty prophet??

 

[tatonka]

That's actually quite right and one of the main reasons (if not THE main reason) Microsoft remains dominant. For business users, the ability to share documents is critical. Using Numbers or Pages just won't cut it when there are tens of thousands of dollars riding on your report/analysis/calculations/etc.......

Macs work great for families and some small businesses, but when it comes down to it the majority of businesses run Windows because they have to in order to productively compete.

I think the main reason that Windows is do dominant is because they actually care about businesses. They have well known release cycles that they announce long time in advance, the release fewer new OS's and support them longer. They have fantastic tools to manage large networks of Windows PC's.
Apple in its past has not cared about businesses very much .. which is why they are quite prominent in Universities or at home, but rarely to be seen in professional environments, except maybe the creative branch.

That said .. this new MS campain is stupid. I never liked the get a mac ads and neither do I like this one. Show me why your product is great and not why it is less bad than a competitors.

T.

 

[hismikeness]

I was in an AT&T store this past weekend ordering my very first iPhone (getting the 32gb 4 and I can't wait. Should be here later this week).

Anyway, across the room, they had a couple of netbooks with, I assume, an AT&T wireless card for portable internet and such. Underneath there was a sticker for Windows 7. I've heard a lot of good things about 7, at least in comparison to that abortion called Vista, so I thought I'd go risk the salesman getting all up in my grill about the card trying to sell me and check it out.

I opened the laptop lid and what did I find: The blue screen of death! No joke.

So I checked the other one. The second one had 7 up and going with a display video plaing in the background. I brushed the trackpad to stop the video and the screen moved to the W7 desktop. I clicked on the logo that is the new Start menu, and what did I get in return: Another blue screen of death.

I just started laughing in the store and went back to the counter waiting for my wife to be done with the inept checker.

0 for 2.

 

[nathanw]

This ad makes some good points and some that are way wrong.
Some of the reasoning is very, very thin though. Like the mouse working differently? I don't know about you but I use a logitech mouse on my MBP and it's nothing different... And no memory card slots on macs? My MBP has one... Oh and there's a reason that some controls are different on a mac: it is so much eaiser. I got my MBP after using a PC all my life and it has been a great experience. Everything runs so much smoother, it hardly ever locks up, and with the audio editing I do it handles it with ease. Call me a fanboy, but the reliability and ease of my MBP outweigh my need for bluray on a 15" screen...
But as dumb as this microsoft ad campaign is, I think Apple's is ever more absurd. The whole "magical" thing? As least MS tries to use facts unlike Apple claiming that the iPad was the by-product of one of Steve Job's magical spells.

 

[carmenodie]

This is such a non issue for MS because they have licensed their OS off to just about every OEM on the planet. In effect, this has created a glut of pc from North America to Australia. The pc is a cheap a**, fully super saturated commodity.
MS should just shut up and enjoy all that royalty money.

 

[supmango]

I was in an AT&T store this past weekend ordering my very first iPhone (getting the 32gb 4 and I can't wait. Should be here later this week).

Anyway, across the room, they had a couple of netbooks with, I assume, an AT&T wireless card for portable internet and such. Underneath there was a sticker for Windows 7. I've heard a lot of good things about 7, at least in comparison to that abortion called Vista, so I thought I'd go risk the salesman getting all up in my grill about the card trying to sell me and check it out.

I opened the laptop lid and what did I find: The blue screen of death! No joke.

So I checked the other one. The second one had 7 up and going with a display video plaing in the background. I brushed the trackpad to stop the video and the screen moved to the W7 desktop. I clicked on the logo that is the new Start menu, and what did I get in return: Another blue screen of death.

I just started laughing in the store and went back to the counter waiting for my wife to be done with the inept checker.

0 for 2.

That's pretty close to my experience with 7. The one PC I still support has this on it, and it is really just a high gloss version of Vista. Even the die hard PC lovers quit using it because they can't get anything to print from it, no matter how many times I update/reinstall the drivers. Right now it is collecting dust in the corner. It will stay around until the one holdout software company releases a Mac compatible version of the software. Looks like less than a year as they have announced it is under development.

 

[617arg]

what about office:mac? doesn't this solve the problem?

I am cooperating with an advertising/communication strategy company, and they use just macs in all departments, though with mac office for word/excel & keynote for presentations. pages/numbers are not used. relevant adobe suite is existant on all systems of course.

there are workarounds in my opinion, you just need a savy IT to manage it

Office for Mac comes close but still not 100% compatible. Step away from Microsoft software and the gap begins to get wider. Most CAD work is done using Autodesk or Dassault software. Structural engineering software is non-existent on the Mac platform. Try finding software to run a CNC machine or laser cutter on the Mac.....

As others have said - there are pros and cons to each operating system. It largely depends on the field you are in for which system works best.

 

[TheAshMan]

I agree with most of this, but

Microsoft, for all their faults is working very hard on Windows.... Windows 8. If windows Mobile 7 is any indicator, I predict a slick and sexy new UI to go with the stability and flexibility Windows 7 already has.

What's Apple doing on the OSX platform?
Why not even a mention of OSX at WWDC?
Why all this hate from Steve Jobs for computers or as he calls them, "Trucks"?
Why did apple get rid of their 'Get a mac' campaign and replace it with...NOTHING?
Surely not everyone at Apple is working on the ipad and iphone?

You're way ahead for now Apple... but I wouldn't rest on your laurels.

I would not say Apple is way ahead. The Microsoft site gives an honest appraisal of the question they put forth and points out some important points, blu-ray, FREE online services that integrate well, etc. I love Macs, but to be honest there is a better case to be made for a Windows machine. In my mind, Windows beats Mac in these specific areas:

• Better application functionality with jump lists, snap windows
• Better dual monitor functionality
• Better and easier navigation of the file system
• FULL SCREEN web browser which lets you better absorb your content
• Menu bar not tied to the top of one monitor screen.
• Blu-Ray so you don't have to buy/rent two types of media
• Free online services
• More online storage, 25 GB, which is free

Leopard had some great innovations, especially QuickLook in the Finder and OS X has a few other things that I like better than Windows, but it seems like innovation has suffered on the Mac front since then. Snow Leopard refined things under the hood and was necessary, but from a user perspective, I can't tell any performance difference that matters over Leopard.

 

[needfx]

Office for Mac comes close but still not 100% compatible. Step away from Microsoft software and the gap begins to get wider. Most CAD work is done using Autodesk or Dassault software. Structural engineering software is non-existent on the Mac platform. Try finding software to run a CNC machine or laser cutter on the Mac.....

As others have said - there are pros and cons to each operating system. It largely depends on the field you are in for which system works best.

agreed, though one step further, I stand corrected

 

[Chupa Chupa]

This is such a non issue for MS because they have licensed their OS off to just about every OEM on the planet. In effect, this has created a glut of pc from North America to Australia. The pc is a cheap a**, fully super saturated commodity.
MS should just shut up and enjoy all that royalty money.

Ah, but that is exactly where the threat to M$ lies. With the college demo market share swiftly rising, it poses a future threat to M$'s biz sales b/c the future biz users are getting comfortable w/ Macs and Apple products. The now staid biz world where PCs rule is under siege.

We already see it w/ iPhones now being officially accepted in place of BBs at Fortune 500 and 100 companies. M$ sees this and knows Win could be next. I'm not talking about a huge turnover, but even a loss of 15% would be a big revenue hit for M$. It needs to keep students on the PC Plantation.

 

[macintoshtoffy]

People have been saying this for YEARS. When exactly do you think this will happen oh mighty prophet??

In fairness though the PC world hasn't had a virus in years - most of the stuff these days is malware, spyware, phishing, scareware and other issues unrelated to the traditional virus that existed years ago.

 

[Yiako]

I was a PC user from 1988 to 1996, when I switched to Mac. Last year I had to buy a new computer after my eMac died, so I bought an Acer mini tower for 399 euros. After three months of use, I was able to sell it for 299 and I bought a Mini for 499.

Never, never again. They can spend millions in advertising, they can try to sell me a computer with the same specs that a mac for half the price.
Never.
I've learned the lesson.

 

[Danindub]

Windows on a Mac

It's interesting that MS is focusing on convincing people not to get Mac, rather than actually getting Windows.

Would it be better to do opposite - shop people why is it better to install full-time Windows on a Mac, rather than using Mac OS? Improve support, provide out-of-the box drivers (come on MS, you know and are working with all manufacturers of the bits and pieces inside a Mac!). MS could change Apple victory, into their own...

I couldn't help but wonder - is that because they know, once someone goes Mac (OS), will never go back?