Microsoft to Respond to Apple's 'Get a Mac' Ads

[kornyboy]

Wirelessly posted (iPhone: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU like Mac OS X; en) AppleWebKit/420.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.0 Mobile/4A102 Safari/419.3)

Man it took them long enough. How long has Apple been running these adds and Microsoft is just now getting around to this?

 

[csimmons]

Well, if it's anything like their last huge marketing campaign, all I can say is:

"Welcome to the social."

 

[ZiggyPastorius]

Well, just by the way I read your post, it seemed to start out somewhat defending MS, and by the end totally bashing them. (Which is what this entire post has become)

If that wasn't your intention, my apologies to you Mr. Ziggy

You did a bit. My post was to say that while as an end-user, I hate Windows, Microsoft does some great things, and despite what some of the fanboys may believe, has done some great things for the computer industry. It was also an address that Apple is not the God of everything and that while OS X is far superior in my opinion, it is not perfect, and Vista is not nearly as bad as people believe.

 

[macfan881]

Don't get to excited Mac fans. Microsoft could be very effective.

The Get a Mac ads are pointed toward Windows users with misconceptions about Macs. Examples: "They don't work with PCs" or "They are only good for people making movies and doing graphic design", etc.

Will Microsoft target Mac users? No way.

Microsoft's strategy should target the same audience (Windows users considering a switch) and cast doubt back on Macs. They could emphasize losing compatibility and thousands of Windows-only programs. The average user wouldn't realize those incompatible programs are usually terrible and irrelevant or that their are like-apps for the Mac.

All it takes is a little misinformation and Apple could feel a sting.

yes but the thing you gotta Realize is that Vista Has been a epic Failure to prove my point even Intel yes intel will Skip upgrading to vista that to me says something when you get so many bad critics and people skiping to upgrade i dont see how you can promote this with out being laughed at.

 

[billystlyes]

I'd be careful for what you wish for guys. Microsoft is a sleeping giant. I can think of a few topics that Apple wouldn't want out there. Plus, Microsoft has more money than god. I'm just saying...

 

[sterlingindigo]

Reminiscent of the infamous "have you driven a Ford lately?" advertising campaign. "Yeah, so we screwed up in the past, but have you driven one lately?"

 

[Eidorian]

Key features to be promoted include upgraded security and compatibility with both applications and devices​

Isn't that false advertising?

I only had to install two drivers. Windows Media Center works for a ridiculous amount of hardware.

Apple please, make something to compete with Windows Media Center. Please!

 

[cwc123188]

Microsoft to Respond to Apple's 'Get a Mac' Ads

How

 

[Shot22]

I definitely don't think this can be a "good thing" for Apple, as many of you are saying. It is an multi-million dollar advertising campaign against Apple, after all....

 

[chameleon81]

iWay or the highway. That's creative.

Can't wait to see these ads. Will they bash OS X? For its stability and security?

why not? Os X is always the first one who is getting hacked on the hacking contests.

 

[iPhelim]

I'm sure this has already been said but....

"finally stable and ready" (after about 5 years of development)

If i was Apple I'd be using that tagline from Microsoft in an advert!

I really don't get what that MS guy means....

 

[Doubletough]

...

"Too bad you can't usually choose what you get at the office. I already bring my own mouse and keyboard so I don't get angry at the low cost stuff at the office.

If I could, I'd use an iMac with a decent mouse and VMware fusion to keep compatibility with the rest of the office.

Every job I've had I've brought in my own Mac and never had a problem. I never asked for approval and as long as I was not a burden on IT it has never been an issue.

 

[Mitch1984]

I'm a Mac

and I'm a PC, I run all the latest viruses.

Cue: Windows winos saying how the Mac is no more secure than the PC and how they hate us because we are smug etc and how they play more games etc.
Disclaimer, I know that Mac's would be equally as vulnerable if hackers bothered to code a virus or two, so don't bother trying to prove me wrong.

 

[t0mat0]

I'd be careful for what you wish for guys. Microsoft is a sleeping giant. I can think of a few topics that Apple wouldn't want out there. Plus, Microsoft has more money than god. I'm just saying...

Stop teasing us - this thread is open to seeing what Microsoft can sling at Apple fairly, and what Apple has in return...

 

[iPhelim]

Well, if it's anything like their last huge marketing campaign, all I can say is:

"Welcome to the social."

Hahaha, yes. I bet they spent millions of dollars on that too!

 

[iPhelim]

I'm a Mac

and I'm a PC, I run all the latest viruses.

...and some of the legacy ones too.

 

[danuff]

Mac vs. Windows

What Microsoft needs to do is, admit that Windows Vista sucks, get rid of DOS that runs Windows, admit Linux won, go to Linux, build Windows 7 on Linux from the ground up, and give away there developer's tools.

OH, and fire Steve Billmer too.

Dan

 

[chameleon81]

I support Microsoft on this situation. If Microsoft had been doing what Apple did in its advertisements everyone would accuse Microsoft for being bully , devil etc.

There should be another way to promote your product without insulting the other company and its users.

 

[Breegy]

AAPL. You do have a good point, but they aren't dead yet, and not by a long way.

Microsoft?

Microsoft will never die, but that's not a bad thing. They provide competition. I have no problem with Microsoft doing their thing, because generally, they usually just try to catch up or get the edge up on Apple. Apple just has to sell superior products, and I'll always be happy.

Microsoft allows computers to be sold cheaply. PCs which run XP and Vista can sell decent cheap units to schools and businesses. Let them go. Its easier for public schools and small end businesses who need to get work done on the computer but don't make enough income to afford a 1000-dollar machine for every employee. If I can go home and enjoy a Mac on my own time, I'm just fine.

The glowing Apple logo on our products is really just a luxury. All MacIntosh's are luxuries that we don't need. But we all want them, we all dont' want the hassle of having as many problems, and we all want the OS. That's fine, too. But PCs allow lower classes to have computers in their home. Microsoft will always make money on lower-end computers who run their OSs from schools and businesses, and for those who want to pay, higher-end systems, which is a good number of people too (probably only because they've never expierienced Macs or are Microsoft Fanboys). We've had the Gateway at our house for about 8 years and its still running decently (we do have a lot of problems with it, I won't deny). But you can bet that when my parents are looking for a new computer, I'm going to suggest an iMac. And hell, they probably will buy one; they spent $5000 on a television (Bravia, ftw.)

It's pretty dumb to hate Microsoft altogether. I dislike them. I make fun of them, but I still go to work everyday and use a PC.

 

[Eraserhead]

yes but the thing you gotta Realize is that Vista Has been a epic Failure to prove my point even Intel yes intel will Skip upgrading to vista that to me says something when you get so many bad critics and people skiping to upgrade i dont see how you can promote this with out being laughed at.

They also took a while to move from Windows 2000 to XP but admittedly there wasn't much difference there either .

Now Vista probably has got a worse reputation than XP did, but enterprise isn't the best place to look for this.

Microsoft?

Yes

 

[Kinsella217]

Interesting tactic...

In days gone by and as a 23 year veteran Macintosh owner, I might take a more juvenile stance of imperial superiority over MS Windows. However, in light of the fact that I have spent the last three months fighting bugs and dealing with very un-Mac-like workarounds with Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, MS has an opening.

Vista is genuinely a poor operating system that has made many in my organization very, very angry. But Leopard, even after 9 months, has had a number of issues that have made me very, very angry.

I hope that Snow Leopard returns Apple to the level of excellence that I am used to and frankly expect. I love my iPhone and I'm astonished at all the work that's gone into it... but not at the expense of my computer's reliability and stability... that helps me earn my paycheck by day and keeps me entertained by night.

 

[Eidorian]

Microsoft?

Microsoft will never die, but that's not a bad thing. They provide competition. I have no problem with Microsoft doing their thing, because generally, they usually just try to catch up or get the edge up on Apple. Apple just has to sell superior products, and I'll always be happy.

Microsoft allows computers to be sold cheaply. PCs which run XP and Vista can sell decent cheap units to schools and businesses. Let them go. Its easier for public schools and small end businesses who need to get work done on the computer but don't make enough income to afford a 1000-dollar machine for every employee. If I can go home and enjoy a Mac on my own time, I'm just fine.

The glowing Apple logo on our products is really just a luxury. All MacIntosh's are luxuries that we don't need. But we all want them, we all dont' want the hassle of having as many problems, and we all want the OS. That's fine, too. But PCs allow lower classes to have computers in their home. Microsoft will always make money on lower-end computers who run their OSs from schools and businesses, and for those who want to pay, higher-end systems, which is a good number of people too, probably only because they've never expierienced Macs or are Microsoft Fanboys. We've had the Gateway at our house for about 8 years and its still running decently. But you can bet that when my parents are looking for a new computer, I'm going to suggest an iMac. And hell, they probably will buy one; they spent $5000 on a television (Bravia, ftw.)

It's pretty dumb to hate Microsoft altogether. I dislike them. I make fun of them, but I still go to work everyday and use a PC.

Careful your down to earth, moderate thinking might make some heads explode.

 

[dernhelm]

You misunderstand what the battle is. It's not getting people to buy pc's instead of macs, it's getting XP users to upgrade to Vista. And that battle has been lost, big time. For the most part, people only end up with Vista when they buy a new machine, and many of those people STILL get XP installed.

Not anymore. Microsoft no longer sells OEM licenses of Windows XP. It's VISTA or Linux on anything new.

That's why this ad campaign is so important for them. If people stop buying Windows based PCs now, it'll be because they can't install XP on it without purchasing it separately.

In a very real way this is make or break for Vista. They see Vista has been a fiasco, and they need to turn it around and start seeing Vista sales take off or risk seeing Apple at above 12% market share within a year. That would be a nightmare for Microsoft, putting them below 90% for the first time in forever. That's a big deal - psychologically.

They're doing all the can to spur sales (stop selling OEM XP, $100M ad campaign, etc.), but they're also hedging their bets a little by pulling one of their favorite ploys - promising a new version where "You won't want to be left behind...".

This may all seem silly to us, but to Microsoft this is dead serious business, and they will do what they can to turn things around for their OS division which has taken a publicity battering lately.

 

[Zadillo]

Couldn't agree more, LillieDesigns. Microsoft's ad campaign, if it proves to be successful, will get Apple to make Snow Leopard that much better - even if it doesn't include (many) new features, it'll have to be that much more polished to continue to attract new users.

That said, what'll Microsoft do should their ad campaign fail? If I was Microsoft, and I saw that a massive ad campaign I launched was not getting the expected results, I'd give up on it and focus my efforts on Windows 7 - if I can make it shine, maybe I'll convince some of those stubborn folks still on Windows 98 to upgrade

I think that is one of the most unfortunate things about Microsoft's long dominance, that it has established this idea that a company only tries to make better products when they face competition.

I will certainly grant this is the philosophy of some companies, and Microsoft has been one of the greatest examples of it; they let MS-DOS stagnate until DR-DOS started becoming a serious threat; they let IE stagnate until Firefox started becoming a serious threat to them, etc.

I really don't believe this is what drives all companies though. Generally speaking, I don't think Apple has shown a tendency to just sit around letting products stagnate and then wait til people catch up to them to make some half-hearted improvements.

The iPod is probably a good example of this; certainly other competitors finally did start catching up in some areas to the iPod....... but Apple I think ultimately sees its competition as itself, which led to the iPhone and iPod Touch.

Not saying that competition isn't good, but I'd argue that Apple will keep trying to make better products anyway, regardless of the competition.

-Zadillo

 

[thevil]

There was a long article in FastCompany about Alex Bogusky and the MSFT account some time ago.

Hang on.