Microsoft Remains on Offensive with 'Apple Tax' Report and Latest Laptop Ad

[WeegieMac]

I notice that my point about every laptop manufacturer having a logo on the system lid has not been replied to yet. And why? Because there's nothing the guy can say in reply, because regardless of brand when you open the lid to use the laptop, your manufacturer logo or system range logo is on display, be it Apple, Vaio, Dell, HP, etc.

I find it hilarious when people say Apple users sit in Starbucks and show off ... by doing what, opening the lid to .... God forbid ... use their portable computer?

 

[suMMx]

so they're saying apple notebooks are more expensive than pcs? NO WAI! who cares, they're still some of the best notebooks you can buy and for many people it's worth the price. Anyone that was considering buying a mac is fully aware of the price and is willing to forget that and buy one based on the quality of the product and operating system.

 

[DMann]

You know, the most successful ad campaigns aren't the ones that have funny characters, the ones that are the most cutesy, or even ones that tell the truth. The most successful ad campaigns are the ones that get people buzzing about them.

Same could be said of the Ford Edsel - It was heavily advertised, avidly talked about, buzzed about for decades - and successful only at that.

 

[jgbhardy]

Apple tax

The Apple tax thing is ridiculous with the things it lists, yet you think of all the rubbish that is pre installed on a PC that are just trials!!! Microsoft office student edition $140, are you kidding me and the professional edition is $425?

 

[DMann]

Best part: "BLUE RAYYYYY!!!!!!!"

Go Sony! Anything to draw attention away from the fact that we have nothing to sell here, directly.

The Apple tax thing is ridiculous with the things it lists, yet you think of all the rubbish that is pre installed on a PC that are just trials!!! Microsoft office student edition $140, are you kidding me and the professional edition is $425?

Apple Tax vs. MS Extortion

 

[MH01]

Well, Audi's use a lot of same components as VW, Skoda and Seat does.... Just because the components are more or less the same, does not mean that the end-result is identical. A computer is more than the sum of it's parts, just like cars are.

It's stupid in the extreme to think that "PC-laptops and Macs use Intel-procesors and similar hard-drives, therefore they are identical".....



It's interesting, really. Comparing (for example) VW and Toyota, I can see that the two have more or less similar specs, but the VW costs a bit more. So I should get a Toyota, right? But when I go and test them both, I immediately find out that the interior of the Toyota feels cheap and plastique, I can't get a decent driving-position (the center-console keeps rubbing against my leg, making longer drives absolute pain), and drive feels flimsy whereas the VW has none of those issues. If we listened to those "Macs are overpriced!"-people, I should get the Toyota, since the "specs" are more or less similar, but the Toyota costs less....

Really, and what is a Macbook without OS X??? A macbook is effectively a PC that runs OS X, if it was not for OS X alot of us here would not pay the apple tax for the Macbooks

If your pretentious get the VW, if you follow common sense, the toyota is way more reliable then the VW. That should sum it up.

 

[BlizzardBomb]

Anyone noticed how sony's laptop part of the site is using the same scroll bar thing as apple has for the mac section?

I think it's because Sony use the same development tools as Apple (maybe they work on Macs which would be very ironic). The best proof of this is when they had that mysterious Apple logo on the PS3 page.

 

[Journojulz]

Apple tax?

Yeah - and so?

Its worth it for 3 words "attention to detail"

That obsession to making things easy to use lead to:

* Better OS
* Solid hardware design
* Better quality apps like garageband and iweb

Mac users know quality is worth paying for.
Personally I enjoy the little extras.

What's next - Huyundai running ads about "Jaguar tax"?

Oh hang on - that would make sense, comparing like with like.
Unlike a software manufacturer taking potshots about hardware.

This is more like Pepsi paying to complain about the prices at pizza express

Mind you, can you blme them?
'Vista vs Tiger' wouldn't be microsoft's wisest battle.

As one british comedian blogged - "forget the ads - use the money to fix vista!"

 

[OllyW]

Say what? 3% are you nuts? Apple has never been below 5 and currently they are at something like 9.7%.

Apple's world market share is around 3%. It has only recently got back to that figure after dropping to under 2% at the end of the nineties.



Apple's market share in the USA is a lot higher, though not quite up to 10%



http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2009/02/mac-market-share.ars

Just remember kiddies, America is not the world

 

[daneoni]

Cool ad

 

[MarkMS]

The Apple tax thing is ridiculous with the things it lists, yet you think of all the rubbish that is pre installed on a PC that are just trials!!!

And to think that PC manufacturers have the audacity to actually charge you to remove the trial applications. Some remove the trial applications for free, but they make you upgrade to Vista Business. Either way, you're paying extra for something that should be free.

 

[Matek]

I don't find these commercials to be anything special, but I think they're quite similar to Apple's Mac vs. PC commercials - aimed at the most visible flaws of their competitor. In MS's case, it's Vista problems, in Apple's it's the lack of choice and higher prices.

I think both of these are pretty obvious facts and it seems unfair to me that many people here are saying Microsoft is pathetic for manipulating the facts and practically lying to the customers, but at the same time these people laugh at the Mac vs. PC ads.

Face it - both have some truth behind them and both do some marketing tricks/manipulation.

 

[politickle]

Cool ad

What did you like about it?

 

[sjo]

the ms ads may be crappy but the reaction they cause in apple fans is hilarious. apple has been doing ms-bashing ads for years, if not couple of decades. during the latest jobs era apple ad content has been "hey, im pc, fat and stupid! hey, im mac, thin and kind of cute" and other childish crap.

everyone else than apple fans have just looked them like

not ms airs ads that actually made a valid point and apple fans are outraged. how funny is that?

c'mon guys, computers are tools! not a religion

 

[crossifixio]

Yea, they really missed the mark with this one. Gaming is real weakness on a Mac, yet they don't really bring down the Mac for that reason. The kid simply says "EHHHHHH IT'S KINDAAA SMALLLL." Also, in my opinion, laptops aren't meant for gaming, period. Light gaming, maybe, but most can't handle the new stuff coming out, and if they can, you can count on abysmal battery life, temperatures similar to that of the Sun, and something as heavy as a brick.

Funny and true in many ways but I have to say I do use my PS3 for serious gaming however my new mbp can still hand it share of top games on the move!

 

[byke]

I wonder how much "MS" tax could be claimed on defective design?
Jerry Seinfeldt = 350 million US?

Either way its not my beef, I just wanted to give the sales assistant on
the movie a good "best buy'in"

 

[rish]

Blu- Ray A Selling Point

I'm sure people are saying that about Apple's commercials of late.

I thought this commerial was good. Apple doesn't offer a system with a Bluray player. That is a sure selling point for many people.

Apple has been silent in responding to these commercials. Wonder what they have up their sleeves.

I'm certain Bluray would not be a make or break these days as much as it would have been when DVD was launched. I think with downloading near to HD is satisfactory. The inconvenience is also measurable incomparison to downloads!

 

[ibook4113]

The Apple tax thing is ridiculous with the things it lists, yet you think of all the rubbish that is pre installed on a PC that are just trials!!! Microsoft office student edition $140, are you kidding me and the professional edition is $425?

Yep I agree too.

To an extent i understood XP Home and Pro, but Vista has 7 verisons, 7!!! and Office has two.

That is Taxing, why should i pay money for a product, and then be told, "Oh by the way, you only get half of what the other one does". That is wrong!

Mac: Leopard (one version), iLife (1 version), iWork (1 Version). And I know the pro applications come in pairs from Mac, But! The Equivalents don't exist to compare, Office wouldn 't be considered a 'Pro' set of Applications.

OS MS have 7 and Mac 1
Office MS have 2 and Mac 1

 

[inkswamp]

I still don't get the strategy here. Microsoft wants us to see people who clearly don't know what they're shopping for beyond the price and features level (with absolutely no concern about deeper issues like quality or software) decide to a buy a PC. And as if to emphasize it, they show these people actively rejecting the Macs. It just strikes me as a weird move, like Microsoft is trying to pull off a clever back-handed insult but keep whacking themselves in the face on accident.

And you know, I'd like to know what version of Vista is on these "bargain" PCs these people are walking about the door with. Are they factoring in the not-inexpensive upgrade to a version that's actually useful?

 

[ibosie]

And the awfully scripted line of "Maybe we'd rather buy PC" that the little boy mumbled out should have been re-shot to make him look less disappointed.

So true, his mum seems more excited at the prospect of spending less money, naturally!

As for Blu-Ray, I don't want nor need it in my Mac when I have a dedicated player hooked up to my HD projector. That's just me though.

Snap. I don't want laptops getting heavier; actually just remove the disc thing altogether. I'm more than happy with my HD projector set up, it also takes up far less space than a TV yet the screen is much larger!

 

[Journojulz]

I think it's because Sony use the same development tools as Apple (maybe they work on Macs which would be very ironic).

When Apple bought a Cray to help them simulate a new desktop - they told them that was funny - they were using an apple to simulate the Cray 3!

 

[wesrk]

I have a question that a couple of my friends raised. Does Microsoft pay royalties to Apple, Sony, HP, and all the other brands featured in these ads? I have no idea how it works, so that's why I'm asking.

 

[crossifixio]

Win through your Actions, Never through Argument!

It is much more powerful to get others to agree with you through your actions, without saying a word. Demonstrate, do not explicate.

Love the laws of power ^^

Why is Microsoft trying so hard to knock Apple down and at the same time saying that they are not worried about Apple

 

[jgbhardy]

Cool ad

No this is a cool ad; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gE857DJWX2w&feature=related

 

[insular]

"that's too expensive"

what's wrong, didn't soccer mommy land a rich enough husband? these ads are stupid