Microsoft Releases Second 'Laptop Hunters' Commercial

[MH01]

Macs and PCs are both computers, such as it happens with BMW and Ford that are both cars. However, it's the philosophy behind each company that makes a difference to the end user. And I explain myself:

Ford Focus ST (greek price) with 225 hp: 27000 Euros
BMW 320 (greek Price) with 170 hp: 40000 Euros

Wow! 13000 euros price difference! And you get less horsepower! Why would you choose the BMW then? Because the BMW can take turns better, it has the horsepower on the back wheels, and it has a great behaviour on the road. BUT it still has less horsepower!

Ummm Get the Ford Focus RS.

It will corner better then the 320, kill it in a straight line, and put a huge smile on your face. Or you can go the badge and think your driving in class. My mum drives a BMW 320, I own a classic shape Subaru STI 2 Door.... I prefer to have fun on the roads, the 320 is more comfortable and also way more boring to drive. Though as I have said it.... drop the comparison between cars and laptops. THe Insides are the same (Intel)!!!!!!

 

[dmhuff]

aesthetics

The guy in the commercial says that Macs are more about aesthetics. Just because something looks nice ... does that automatically mean it doesn't work well? Would he like it better if Apple purposely made their products ugly? It seems as though the myth that a Mac can't do serious work is still prevalent.

 

[MH01]

The guy in the commercial says that Macs are more about aesthetics. Just because something looks nice ... does that automatically mean it doesn't work well? Would he like it better if Apple purposely made their products ugly? It seems as though the myth that a Mac can't do serious work is still prevalent.

I am certain that if apple products were not so darn sexy, there would be a lot less switchers. These individuals can be found in starbucks.... As posted earlier, I lurk in Airport lounges....

 

[Anuba]

The guy in the commercial says that Macs are more about aesthetics. Just because something looks nice ... does that automatically mean it doesn't work well?

No, it means he will be paying extra for asthetics and he would rather spend the money on something else.

Aesthetics in themselves don't hamper performance, if you can make a powerful computer that also looks great it's a win-win situation. But with Apple, it's been a lot of win-lose, form-over-function stuff. The fanless Cube -- great, too bad it cracked from its own heat. The MBA -- yay, crippled CPU, no Ethernet, no Firewire, no optical drive, a single USB port, an iPod hard drive. Just remove the screen too, and it's even thinner! They'll do anything to make a product as thin as possible... like removing the battery door on the iPhone. How functional is that? They make this phone that's jam packed with gaming capabilities, browser, mail, camera, iPod functionality, video playback... but if you actually use it for all these things, you're not really "mobile" because you have to sit tethered to a wall outlet, when what you really needed was a sixpack of batteries that you can swap on the fly. The iMac -- a glorified laptop with specs that any dedicated desktop machine can run circles around. The MacBook Pro -- a super thin aluminium slab with so little thermal headroom (and room in general) that you can't make a quad CPU version, you're limited to 8 GB of RAM, and there are way more powerful mobile GPU:s out there but they would probably melt the poor thing.

So... aesthetics -- good. Form over function -- bad.

 

[Rob0711]

@ anuba

the way you flame about the hardware makes me wonder why you bought an imac in the first place.

 

[usclaneyj]

"they just don't work for me" ....... can that be used in the same sentence as an apple product..... you better put on your flame proof gear..... Fanboy elite reponce unit deployed in 3.....2.....1....

They will hear no argument from me. I <3 Apple. There is an old saying though: "There is no accounting for taste". Giampaolo prefers windows. That's his choice. There is no accounting for taste.

If you put yourself in the shoes of the people that are getting used in these commercials, it's really a no-brainer. They aren't looking at the difference in cost between an apple laptop and a windows laptop from the standpoint of "Should I spend $999 for a crappy windows box or $1500 for a macbook?". It's more like "Should I let these people buy me a free laptop just for being in their commercial or should I spend $1500 on a macbook?"

That's a way different question for a broke 20-something in a down economy. haha

 

[rtheb]

They will hear no argument from me. I <3 Apple. There is an old saying though: "There is no accounting for taste". Giampaolo prefers windows. That's his choice. There is no accounting for taste.

If you put yourself in the shoes of the people that are getting used in these commercials, it's really a no-brainer. They aren't looking at the difference in cost between an apple laptop and a windows laptop from the standpoint of "Should I spend $999 for a crappy windows box or $1500 for a macbook?". It's more like "Should I let these people buy me a free laptop just for being in their commercial or should I spend $1500 on a macbook?"

That's a way different question for a broke 20-something in a down economy. haha

You do realize these "people" are SAG actors who will be collecting residuals for a "National Commercial" as long as they keep airing them.

They read the script and act accordingly!

 

[Anuba]

@ anuba

the way you flame about the hardware makes me wonder why you bought an imac in the first place.

Well, a client insisted that I work on a Mac (a graphics job, not heavy-duty video stuff or anything just some application bitmap graphics and a Flash trailer for a product) so I figured hmm... a Mac Pro would be way over the top both in terms of power and price... and I don't need another laptop... so I thought hey, how about an iMac. When I bring it home it will look better in the living room than the antiquated PC laptop I had there. And when I say antiquated I mean this abomination from 2002:

I still don't think the iMac fills the "consumer desktop" void given its relative weakness, and I doubt I would buy one if it hadn't been for this project, but I got it for the residual value after having been used by none other than myself, so all in all it was worth what I paid. The iMac 24" with Adobe CS3 Web Premium and 4 GB RAM was something like $3500, I got it for $2000 (rough estimates given that SEK doesn't translate very well to USD due to different sales tax etc). My case scenario isn't exactly "normal", though.

You do realize these "people" are SAG actors who will be collecting residuals for a "National Commercial" as long as they keep airing them.

Do your research, buddy. The guy wasn't an actor at all, the chick was an actress (just like anybody who washes dishes in LA is an "actress") but she had zero clue there was an acting job involved until the ad agency revealed their true identity. They could still be reading pre-written lines for all we know, but forget the "they went out and hired actors to play real people" thing.

 

[AidenShaw]

That's a way different question for a broke 20-something in a down economy. haha

But, and this is the whole point of these ads, there are a lot of "broke" 20-30-40-50-somethings right now who will need to spend their own money on a computer.

 

[pohl]

Though as I have said it.... drop the comparison between cars and laptops. THe Insides are the same (Intel)!!!!!!

I thought we established that the machine Gianpaolo chose had radically different internals: the bandwidth of the memory system, the pixel density of the display...and I believe that a quality automobile is more than merely the engine. The way the body panels fit together is also something worth paying for...and the build quality of a laptop is too: the lack of jagged corners, bumps, edges...the feel of the screen hinge and latch... I think the analogy is good enough to make the intended point.

 

[usclaneyj]

You do realize these "people" are SAG actors who will be collecting residuals for a "National Commercial" as long as they keep airing them.

They read the script and act accordingly!

If you had bothered to read my previous post just slightly farther up the page, you'd see that in fact, they *aren't* SAG actors. I personally know Giampaolo. He is good friends with a girl I dated for several years, and he's a super nice, down-to-earth person.

But, and this is the whole point of these ads, there are a lot of "broke" 20-30-40-50-somethings right now whole need to spend their own money on a computer.

You guys are willfully ignoring the fact that I agree with you, simply so you can continue to complain about something. So silly! I also assume you mean "who will" instead of "whole", as "whole" doesn't make much sense. Either way, if I were Giampaolo, I would've bought the pc too. And then sold it on eBay, used the $1000 I was saving for a computer in the first place, added the $800 from the pc I just sold, and bought a mac! hah

 

[DMann]

I thought we established that the machine Gianpaolo chose had radically different internals: the bandwidth of the memory system, the pixel density of the display...and I believe that a quality automobile is more than merely the engine. The way the body panels fit together is also something worth paying for...and the build quality of a laptop is too: the lack of jagged corners, bumps, edges...the feel of the screen hinge and latch... I think the analogy is good enough to make the intended point.

Not to mention the grade of the plastics, metals, and components used, as well as the overall weight of the unit. Also, if something does happen to go awry, one needs only to contact one company, instead of being referred back and forth between HP, and MS, back to HP, back to MS...

 

[KnightWRX]

Do your research, buddy. The guy wasn't an actor at all, the chick was an actress (just like anybody who washes dishes in LA is an "actress") but she had zero clue there was an acting job involved until the ad agency revealed their true identity. They could still be reading pre-written lines for all we know, but forget the "they went out and hired actors to play real people" thing.

And you know this because... ?

For all we know, no one has traced the guy back to an acting guild. Doesn't mean he's not an actor. And the only confirmation we had that Lauren wasn't a paid actress on contract is from the ad agency themselves, not exactly a neutral source...

 

[DMann]

And you know this because... ?

For all we know, no one has traced the guy back to an acting guild. Doesn't mean he's not an actor. And the only confirmation we had that Lauren wasn't a paid actress on contract is from the ad agency themselves, not exactly a neutral source...

Didn't you know? All reality shows are spontaneous and unscripted as well.

 

[AidenShaw]

You guys are willfully ignoring the fact that I agree with you, simply so you can continue to complain about something.

I meant to augment your statement, not refute it.

There are lots of people, not just the photogenic 20-somethings in Microsoft's ads, who are much more careful about saving money.

I also assume you mean "who will" instead of "whole", as "whole" doesn't make much sense.

Yes - stupid typo. I need a browser with the grammar checking of Word, not just spell checking !

 

[rtheb]

If you had bothered to read my previous post just slightly farther up the page, you'd see that in fact, they *aren't* SAG actors. I personally know Giampaolo. He is good friends with a girl I dated for several years, and he's a super nice, down-to-earth person.

Giampaolo may not be a SAG actor however Lauren is an actress and if she is indeed a member of SAG she has to be paid the prevailing rates.

Gizmodo calls her a "an LA-based, SAG-eligible actress."

A "National" is a windfall for struggling actors.

I'm Lauren, I'm A PC and I'm A Paid Actress!

BTW why don't you ask Giampaolo if he had to follow a script.

I'm sure a lot of us would like to know!

 

[uaecasher]

let him be happy with his HP, this what will happen to it soon:

i bought this computer about 6 months ago and this what happens to it not forgetting blue and black screens of death, and on my other HP (same model)
it's CDROM stopped working after 4 months and i took it two time for repair

 

[NoSmokingBandit]

let him be happy with his HP, this what will happen to it soon:

i bought this computer about 6 months ago and this what happens to it not forgetting blue and black screens of death, and on my other HP (same model)
it's CDROM stopped working after 4 months and i took it two time for repair

Judging from those pics it looks like you havent taken very good care of it.

 

[NT1440]

Judging from those pics it looks like you havent taken very good care of it.

I see no physical damage, what do you see?

 

[Anuba]

And you know this because... ?

Sigh. Many other people have seen the ad on Craigslist and responded to it. The ad agency did pose as a market research firm and said nothing about any acting job until they had picked out ten people and revealed that they were actually shooting a commercial. You think it's unlikely to stumble upon actors in that area?
I'm from a small town of 30,000 people in Sweden. I once went to London for a weekend, walked into a pub, sat down. On the chair next to me was my classmate from elementary school. Out of some 60 million people in the UK, I sit down next to the same guy who sat next to me in school. Now that's coincidence. Now, let's say you put out an ad in LA. A few hundred people respond. You pick out ten who you think would look good in a commercial. What's the likelihood of at least one of them already being an actor? Oh, I'd say it's about a billion times more likely than what happened to me in London.

Anyway, it's a damn commercial. I fully expect a commercial to contain exactly no amount of reality whatsoever. If there's even so much as a grain of reality in these commercials, it's more than I expected. The fact that you're somehow shocked over the possibility that the commercials might be staged to any degree between 1% and 100%, tells me that TV might be bad for you.

For all we know, no one has traced the guy back to an acting guild. Doesn't mean he's not an actor. And the only confirmation we had that Lauren wasn't a paid actress on contract is from the ad agency themselves, not exactly a neutral source...

Right, and LBJ shot JFK, Rumsfeld staged 9/11, and you might wanna look under your bed to see if there are any monsters conspiring to bite off your legs.

 

[uaecasher]

Judging from those pics it looks like you havent taken very good care of it.

lol what you see that shows i was careless to it, maybe my bro because it's his laptop not mine i wouldn't take my level down to HP I'm MAC user. Anyways what happen he was playing World of Goo (so do i on my MBP unibody) and it suddenly crashed and give him VGA error and restarted and now windows is not booting and he lost his data.

and ya what about the other laptop it's for my mom and she rarely to never use it.

 

[drake]

How do I get in on this deal??

 

[tubbymac]

That may very well be the most fugly laptop I've ever seen. It's like Microsoft Bob made love with a Speak n' Spell and that was the result.

 

[Anuba]

lol what you see that shows i was careless to it, maybe my bro because it's his laptop not mine i wouldn't take my level down to HP I'm MAC user. Anyways what happen he was playing World of Goo (so do i on my MBP unibody) and it suddenly crashed and give him VGA error and restarted and now windows is not booting and he lost his data.

and ya what about the other laptop it's for my mom and she rarely to never use it.

The bottom two pictures look very similar to what happened with my iMac once when I brought it out of sleep mode. It was a green and magenta Matrix-style pattern of garbage and if I moved the mouse to a certain place I could see about 200 garbled mouse pointers at once. Held the power button for 10 seconds and forced a reboot. So what - it's hi-tech, sh*t happens and it's a wonder it works most of the time. If your argument against PCs is one video driver crash, you should probably read up on the fifty-twelve people who have reported weird video artifacts and spontaneous shutdowns on MBPs.

That may very well be the most fugly laptop I've ever seen. It's like Microsoft Bob made love with a Speak n' Spell and that was the result.

In 2000 when that thing came out (at the time, PowerBooks were black, plastic and had a 4:3 screen too), it was actually one of the better looking laptops out there. In 2002, however, it wasn't so hot. One week after I bought mine, it was replaced with a widescreen model called 8600. Bastards.

The first laptop I ever used was this one, a 1992 PowerBook 160:

We had it in the store I worked in at the time. One day some guy stole it, the store manager ran after him and came back 3 minutes later with the laptop in one hand and a torn-off jacket sleeve in the other. He had caught the guy and gotten the PowerBook back, but when the guy try to run away the manager threw the laptop in a pile of snow, started running after him and tore his jacket sleeve off. Then he stopped and thought ummm... maybe I should get my priorities straight and save the actual laptop. He handed it over to me and said "I bet it's broken, but who knows... see if it works". I flipped the lid open, started it up, it booted and seemed fine. Amazing! Phew. So I closed the lid, picked it up... and dropped it on the floor. Cracked the screen in two and killed the hard drive. D'oh!

 

[MH01]

I thought we established that the machine Gianpaolo chose had radically different internals: the bandwidth of the memory system, the pixel density of the display...and I believe that a quality automobile is more than merely the engine. The way the body panels fit together is also something worth paying for...and the build quality of a laptop is too: the lack of jagged corners, bumps, edges...the feel of the screen hinge and latch... I think the analogy is good enough to make the intended point.

The analogy does not work cause a Ford focus does not share the same underlying components as a BMW 320.

If you want and equivalent motoring equivalent try this.

Second Generation Impreza WRX and the Saab 9-2X. The Saab 9-2X is an impreza with with a modified body, suspension, and interior and higher $$$$ for people who do not want to be seen in a cheap Japanese model. They much prefer European styling and classy interior and are willing to pay more for that. While the guts are the same. You also much better customer service etc etc etc. Though people who know cars, know they can save heaps and just get themselves and impreza. You average car buyer would have no idea that Saab is infact an impreza.

There is nothing in common between a BMW 320 and a Focus ST. That is why I am saying stick to Computers in these discussions casuse people are way way off with the cars they are quoting. Nothing has been even close.

So lets stick to computers guys...