Microsoft Releases Second 'Laptop Hunters' Commercial

[Anuba]

BTW where did you get that 3.36%? Net Applications shows 9.77 for market share online worldwide....

Net Applications is not a measure of hardware sales.
The 3.36% figure (estimated 7.49% in the US) is based on actual unit sales:

"Apple has announced its earnings for the first calendar quarter of 2009, and while no company is likely recession proof, Apple is certainly recession-resilient. The company posted revenue of $8.16 billion and a net quarterly profit of $1.21 billion, which is huge. Mac sales were a much better than expected 2.22 million units, and though that's down a pretty meaningless 3 percent, year over year, it's enough for 3.36 percent worldwide market share. (In the year ago quarter, the Mac accounted for just 3.26 of all PC sales worldwide.)

US market share, of course, is harder to gauge since Apple doesn't break out US numbers explicitly. Looking at IDC (1130 units) and Gartner's (1135) estimated sales figures for the US, Apple's Mac has about 7.49 percent market share in the US. That's a bit more vague of an estimate, of course, but it seems reasonable.

Either way, the Mac's in great shape, despite the economy."

Erm excuse me? I thought Microsoft Office gets a reiteration every 4 years... (Office 03, 07 and Office:mac 04, 08)

Office 2010 is the next version of Office for Windows. I'll excuse you, though. . Office 2010 is the official name, 14 is the version number (they skipped 13 due to superstition). It will be released Q1 2010 so they can't well call it "2011". They use the same nomenclature as the car industry does... a car made before July 2010 is the 2010 model, a car made in August-September 2010 is the 2011 model.

Regardless I still vastly prefer Office:mac 08 over Office 07 due to the fact that it added ribbons on top instead of completely replacing the user interface paradigm.

Well, no doubt some people hate the ribbons but the response has been overwhelmingly positive. I just tried out Office 2008 for the first time (I've been using iWork 08 on Mac), and it's one of the worst MS product I've ever tried. After what seemed like five thousand steps to even get the trial version installed, I was finally able to load up some of my Word and Excel documents, and... the 2007>2008 compatibility is crap, it didn't even get the cell colors right. Neither Office 2008 nor iWork 08 (or 09 for that matter) can handle Excel embedded in Word documents. In Office 2003/2007 you can drag part of an Excel document into a Word document and edit the Excel part inline. I use it all the time. iWork can't handle this at all, all I get is what looks like a fixed bitmap rendering of the embedded Excel cells. Office 2008 at least understands what's going on, but it wants to open a separate Excel session for the embedded stuff, which is useless. So it looks like the only way for me to work with Office docs on a Mac is Parallels + Office 2007.

 

[Wikinerd]

Well, no doubt some people hate the ribbons but the response has been overwhelmingly positive. I just tried out Office 2008 for the first time (I've been using iWork 08 on Mac), and it's one of the worst MS product I've ever tried. After what seemed like five thousand steps to even get the trial version installed, I was finally able to load up some of my Word and Excel documents, and... the 2007>2008 compatibility is crap, it didn't even get the cell colors right. Neither Office 2008 nor iWork 08 (or 09 for that matter) can handle Excel embedded in Word documents. In Office 2003/2007 you can drag part of an Excel document into a Word document and edit the Excel part inline. I use it all the time. iWork can't handle this at all, all I get is what looks like a fixed bitmap rendering of the embedded Excel cells. Office 2008 at least understands what's going on, but it wants to open a separate Excel session for the embedded stuff, which is useless. So it looks like the only way for me to work with Office docs on a Mac is Parallels + Office 2007.

Overwhelmingly positive...??? All my friends, family, my family's friends agree on going back to 2003... sorry i just have trouble comprehending the "overwhelmingly positive" "fact"

... and intra-company incompatibility... that's a first!


PS. no need for parallels. Go for codeweaver's solution... (darwine)

 

[LagunaSol]

Overwhelmingly positive...??? All my friends, family, my family's friends agree on going back to 2003... sorry i just have trouble comprehending the "overwhelmingly positive" "fact"

Forgive Anuba. He reads a lot of Microsoft MVP newsletters and tends to get caught up in the hype.

The best most people have to say about the ribbon is "it's OK once you get used to it." Which I suppose in the Microsoft world of crap software, that's "overwhelmingly positive."

The worst they have to say, well, it's not fit for print.

Time for me to get back to PowerPoint 2007. Now WTF is the Find/Replace option again???

 

[BongoBanger]

The best most people have to say about the ribbon is "it's OK once you get used to it." Which I suppose in the Microsoft world of crap software, that's "overwhelmingly positive."

Actually I like it. Sure, it's confusing at first but then so is switching to OS X from Windows and in the end it's generally worth it.

 

[Anuba]

Forgive Anuba. He reads a lot of Microsoft MVP newsletters and tends to get caught up in the hype.

The best most people have to say about the ribbon is "it's OK once you get used to it." Which I suppose in the Microsoft world of crap software, that's "overwhelmingly positive."

There will always be a vocal minority of luddites who bawl their little eyes out when their pwecious wittle world is shattered by evolution. These are the same people who took cyanide when Adobe introduced Tabs in CS4, or sniffled like little girls when OS X was in development and Apple hinted that maybe it was time to get rid of the anachronistic menu bar at the top of the screen. And I vividly remember the OS X / Aqua haters who swore they would cling to OS9 forever until it was pryed from their dead hands... If these people had their say, we'd still be on Mac System 1.0.

And what the hell is a "MVP newsletter"?

 

[DMann]

Which makes Apple's inclusion of Exchange support in SL quite ironic...

If the inclusion of Exchange offers a comfort level to businesses considering a move to OS X, then the potential of yet another 'halo effect' would be realized.

 

[Goona]

Apple just laid off 1600 retail employees. No corporation is immune to the economy right now.

Of cours no corporation is immune to the economy but that link was overblown as usual, these days with the internet, anybodywith a blog post is now a reporter:


http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/200...retail-workers-nope/?reflink=ATD_yahoo_ticker

 

[LagunaSol]

There will always be a vocal minority of luddites who bawl their little eyes out when their pwecious wittle world is shattered by evolution.

I think you're confusing bad design with fear of the unknown...

Blame the user. It's the Microsoft Way.

 

[LagunaSol]

And I vividly remember the OS X / Aqua haters who swore they would cling to OS9 forever until it was pryed from their dead hands... If these people had their say, we'd still be on Mac System 1.0.

BTW, there are some things about OS X that suck compared to the old OS 9 UI. But the pros of OS X far outweigh the cons.

Progress does not always follow a persistently upward path...

 

[brop52]

Of cours no corporation is immune to the economy but that link was overblown as usual, these days with the internet, anybodywith a blog post is now a reporter:


http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/200...retail-workers-nope/?reflink=ATD_yahoo_ticker

Yeah I saw that. It's hours being cut and not employees.

 

[Anuba]

I think you're confusing bad design with fear of the unknown...

Bad design is subjective. Microsoft has created a lot of worthless crap over the years, but the ribbon concept rocks. Text menus are a relic of a distant past and even if I hadn't liked the ribbon concept, I would still commend them for at least trying to come up with a more modern, visual alternative. What's the problem with it anyway? Have something against a vertical strip with icons that takes up some screen space? If so, you must really hate the iWork toolbar.

The first time I saw the Office 2007 interface I said "wow, is this a Microsoft product? That's a pretty bold move for a notoriously conservative company. I wish the Office team had been in charge of Vista." And sure enough, the Office team received accolades while the Vista team's work was being universally panned. And now the head of the Office team is in charge of the Windows UI.

 

[soldierblue]

I like how someone said earlier that these ads show how poor PC users are. Because everyone is willing to pay for form over function. Because everyone cares about the industrial design aspect of computing.

Let's look at it from pure economics, from the viewpoint of people who aren't floating in cash right now, a Mac is a very difficult thing to justify right now. Especially when you consider the price disparity. Price v. performance ratio people. What am I getting for my $1000?

These people are normal. These are the people that need a laptop but don't have $1,300 to blow on a decent MacBook. Why should they buy from a company that doesn't cater to, and clearly has no desire to cater to, the sub-$900 market?

 

[tubbymac]

Well although I see the point of the MS ads they've not really had the intended affect on me given that I just bought a new unibody Macbook at lunchtime.

Basically it cvmes down to what you want - I have a Quad Core Vista x64 box for heavy lifting, now I have a sleek, stable and user friendly laptop for general use.

You can't beat the best of both worlds.

My condolences I was in that same situation when the unibody models were first released. I should have gone for an Air or a Pro from the start instead of going with the consumer grade garbage. The difference in screen quality between a MB and an Air/Pro is astounding. No more low end junk for me, whether it has an Apple logo or a PC logo on it. If you can, consider returning that Macbook and getting an Air or Pro instead. But yeah, it's great to have both worlds at your disposal. You can run everything at full native speed.

As for the Microsoft Ribbon, a lot of people I knew hated it at first. It was too radical a change for them going from Office 2003 to 2007. But now everybody I know loves it. That was one thing I really admired the Office team for doing - shoving change down people's throats whether they thought they wanted it or not. It was a necessary evolution and made using some of the more complicated features of Office easier for relatively beginner Office users like myself.

It's all these legacy users in both OSX and Windows that are dragging the rest of us down. If it weren't for all the technological Luddites as Anuba calls them, I wouldn't have to still cope with this irritating OSX Menu at the top of my screen on a multi-monitor setup. Try dragging your mouse across a few large monitors (like 30 inch displays) just to get to a menu that's stuck on a different monitor from the application and tell me that's a smart idea.

If you're complaining about Ribbons, you should be FUMING about the placement of the OSX menu.

 

[-hh]

Bad design is subjective...

Some aspects of it are, sure. However, some can also be measured, and measured in a quantitative objective fashion, which means that they're no longer merely subjective opinions of better/worse, but verifiable facts.

An example of the latter would be the quantitative change in productivity (output) as the result of a change to a User Interface (UI). This UI change can be anything from the design of a coal shovel to a computer menu: the objective measure is the productivity accomplished with equal/less effort?

I like how someone said earlier that these ads show how poor PC users are. Because everyone is willing to pay for form over function.

Except that what is often overlooked is where aspects of function and form are interrelated, and it is assumed that there are zero differences in areas where there actually are.

The same thing happens at some point in any analogy that we choose to pick: when one takes automobiles and assume that they're merely different products that merely convey individual transportation, than anything with 4 door and 4 wheels gets lumped into one category, with zero differentiation considerations.



Let's look at it from pure economics, from the viewpoint of people who aren't floating in cash right now, a Mac is a very difficult thing to justify right now. Especially when you consider the price disparity. Price v. performance ratio people. What am I getting for my $1000?[/quote]

When you only consider Price and Performance, it means that you're ignoring life cycle costs, product maintainability, system reliability, product lifespan, and many other "value" metrics.

These people are normal.

If by that you mean that they're often incredibly shortsighted, I'd unfortunately have to agree.


-hh

 

[Benguitar]

I am unimpressed at Microsoft's immature and petty commercials.

 

[Macmini1234]

I want mircosoft to suffer but not go under ...without them apple would not have a reason to keep updating and releasing ...mircosofts stock is like 20 and apples is 120 but that doesnt mean apple is doing better...ballmer gates and other MS douches have their millions in many stocks to avoid huge losses ...
I have a mac i own a apple tv i use a ipod touch i hate mircosoft but i dont want them to die ...

 

[Macmini1234]

HMM last time I checked apple makes cases for to enclose 3rd party vendors hardware.

Do apple make their video cards,processors,motherboards,memory,hard drive etc?

Neither company make hardware they both depend on other vendors so whats your point?

i MEAN IF YOU CONSIDER APPLE MAKING THEIR CASES THE WHOLE ASPECT OF RUNNING A COMPUTER THEN BY ALL MEANS BELIEVE WHAT MAKES YOU SLEEP AT NIGHT.

But the apple never falls far from the tree.

Um apple designs there computers ...does MS have their own computer they designed ...NO...take mac mini for example its HD is a pioneer 120gb HDD
big deal...lets see a emachine has a seagate 160 gb HD...40 gbs...what about apples solid state drive does ur "pc" with a flame face plate have that?

 

[CedarPoint182]

I've started seeing these Microsoft ads more and more, and I have to say, I think they are pretty good. Now before I go any further, let me say that I am a very happy Mac owner. I bought my MBP about three years ago and remain thrilled with it to this day. But, I do think that I payed quite a bit for the privilege.

Everyone seems to be criticizing the ads in that all they really say are "Macs are too expensive" and "People only buy them because they look cool" and "PCs will get what you need done." Well when I think back to when I bought my Mac here's what I can remember:

1. Money really wasn't an issue
2. I wanted to get in on the Apple brandname
3. I liked the way the shiny alluminum casing on the Macs looked
4. Macs seemed to have cooler features within the operating system and some better programs than Microsoft

Now after having my Mac for a few years, I can say that overall it is much more enjoyable to use than a PC, and I would gladly buy another one. But realistically, I still spend 90% of my time on the computer either A.) Going on the internet, or B.) Using Microsoft Office, which obviously almost any Microsoft computer could do with flying colors. So when I watch the Microsoft ads I think they succeed in making me realize a PC can do what I want. Now all the Mac extras like the more sophisticated operating system, iLife, and the really sexy looking computers are nice, but frankly I'd classify all that as luxuries. Now for me, those luxuries are important and I'm willing to pay for them. But I'm guessing that isn't true for everyone.

Overall I think Microsoft succeeds in reminding people that although their machines may not be as aesthetically appealing or "cool" as Macs, they can still get everything you need done and often times provide more performance for a lot less money, which I think is a valid point.

 

[AidenShaw]

Microsoft is worth $186B, Apple is $110B

mircosofts stock is like 20 and apples is 120 but that doesnt mean apple is doing better...

That's right - Microsoft is worth a lot more than Apple.

 

[DMann]

That's right - Microsoft is worth a lot more than Apple.

Apple stock +1384% during past five years

Microsoft -2.45% during past five years

Which of the two would have been a more lucrative investment? Seems pretty obvious.

 

[BongoBanger]

My condolences I was in that same situation when the unibody models were first released. I should have gone for an Air or a Pro from the start instead of going with the consumer grade garbage. The difference in screen quality between a MB and an Air/Pro is astounding. No more low end junk for me, whether it has an Apple logo or a PC logo on it. If you can, consider returning that Macbook and getting an Air or Pro instead. But yeah, it's great to have both worlds at your disposal. You can run everything at full native speed.

Heh. Nah, the Air wasn't what I was looking for and a Pro would have been overkill - like I said, the Quad Core does the heavy lifting very well so there was no need. The Macbook fits the bill for what I want it to do and fits it extremely well.

As for the Microsoft Ribbon, a lot of people I knew hated it at first. It was too radical a change for them going from Office 2003 to 2007. But now everybody I know loves it. That was one thing I really admired the Office team for doing - shoving change down people's throats whether they thought they wanted it or not. It was a necessary evolution and made using some of the more complicated features of Office easier for relatively beginner Office users like myself.

That's my experience too. When you first use it you think "what the hell were they thinking?" then after a while you think "why didn't they do this years ago?".

 

[iMpathetic]

I am unimpressed at Microsoft's immature and petty commercials.

Those meanies!



The Get a Mac ads are far, far worse IMO. Microsoft has been b*tch-slaped by Apple again and again and is now subtly doing something about it.

 

[stiligFox]

Next commercial

They underestimate the power of macs. He didn't even try it lol.

Maybe next time the actor will actually try a Mac on screen, get stuck to it, and say, to heck with pc... And then a voice over will say - "this is not a normal customer"

 

[AidenShaw]

Or...

Maybe next time the actor will actually try a Mac on screen, get stuck to it, and say, to heck with pc... And then a voice over will say - "this is not a normal customer"

Or, perhaps the customer will mention the need to run Windows as well - so along with the shiny silver Apple he buys a retail copy of Vista Ultimate x64.

Microsoft makes a lot more money on the retail sale than on the OEM sale.

And Microsoft reinforces the point the Windows is a requirement for productivity....



Right, it won't happen. But interesting....

 

[Anuba]

Microsoft makes a lot more money on the retail sale than on the OEM sale.

On a per-copy basis, yes. But OEM sales make up over 80% of Microsoft's revenue from Windows.