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New Microsoft Ad Campaign Targets Mac Prices

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I love Macs. But...

The hardware is overpriced, especially considering the Intel commonality. The price differential is increasing because the rest of the PC world decreases while Macs initial PP stays the same or increases.

Yes, OS X is superior to Vista, but I can tell from personal experience that Win 7 is closing the gap. It's actually fun to use. The real difference is with bundled apps such as iMovie.
And I realize Snow could leave everybody in the dust a short time from now.

As for reliability, Macs fail sometimes. If you're hooked up with Apple Care you're alright. Just last night a prominent member of our local user Mac group mentioned that he did get a new iMac sent to him after he documented the failures of the new one he had purchased. Oh, and 4 phone calls later they finally believed him.

Apple, like Porshe, doesn't make the equivalent of a family sedan. Unfortunately they have made the equivalent of a 924, pretty, underpowered, and over priced.

I currently don't own a Windows laptop, but may consider it in the near future as a strictly utilitarian device. Besides bugs don't scare me.

'I'm not cool enough for Apple' was funny, although the phrase could be one of contempt with the right inflection, as it is already sarcastic.
 
enkadrummer88 said:
How is it that it's 2009 and people still don't realize that when it comes to computers, you pay for quality!!

Did anyone else catch the brand of computer she bought? HP. Hewlett Packard makes excellent digital desktop printers. IMO, they should stick to that. My family has had 2 HPs in the past and both of them ended up costing more in the long run for REPAIRS ALONE than the actual value of the computer.

And another thing, she's definitely not cool enough to be a mac person. ;)
Click to expand...

In addition to my previous statement, I personally would much rather have a computer whose software and hardware are made by ONE company.
 
enkadrummer88 said:
How is it that it's 2009 and people still don't realize that when it comes to computers, you pay for quality!!

Did anyone else catch the brand of computer she bought? HP. Hewlett Packard makes excellent digital desktop printers. IMO, they should stick to that. My family has had 2 HPs in the past and both of them ended up costing more in the long run for REPAIRS ALONE than the actual value of the computer.

And another thing, she's definitely not cool enough to be a mac person. ;)
Click to expand...

Well I know people who've had to repair their Macs and it cost a lot too.
 
dwd3885 said:
really? Apple doesn't bash Microsoft hard? The entire last 3 years of the I'm a Mac, I'm a PC ad campaign for Apple has been bashing Microsoft.

It's insane that people think you don't have to buy a Mac that often. Of course, people say this because they spend $2700 on a machine, so of course they will want to keep it longer! But when you only spend $700 on a computer, then you can afford to buy another one two years down the road, while those with Macs gloat about keeping their two year old hardware.
Click to expand...

So let me guess, now buying new cheap computers every year is a good thing. :rolleyes:
 
For those of you that are now inadvertantly comparing the $2,800 17" Mac Pro to the $700 17" Dell and saying that's it's better quality, then yeah, I'll have to agree with you there. :)

Tony
 
apple prices

NT1440 said:
This is what i dont get, people use optional devices to state macs are overpriced. Cant you just stick to the actual computer? (yes he had the mini, but then stated what he thinks it should be priced at)

Overpriced is 100% an opinion.
Click to expand...

I would of done that if I had anything to compare it to. The only possible comparison I can make is the Psystar computers. Compare Psystar's $600 base unit to a $600 iMac Mini. You get something like 10 times the computer for the same price.
 
I can see Apples next ads responding to this by showing the better value you get with a mac and OSX.

  • Improved usability and productivity (at work i use xp and it certainly slows me down, things that are simple on my mac are a chore on the pc!
  • Cost of security (anti-virus, spyware etc)
  • Resale value (I sold my old G4 iMac with busted logic board and no HDD for £100 only 6 months ago!
  • Build quality - Macs tend to last much better than the cheaper (or even similar priced) alternatives.
  • Excellent software in the box (iLife 09 - that'll cost you £100+ for Windows)
  • An OS that is actually functional (Vista - need I say more?)!
  • Hardware that is perfectly in sync with the software i.e driver issues.
 
I have a serious question(s) for some of you..

In your experience have you really needed to spend hundreds of dollars on tech support for PCs?

I had a HP laptop that I bought for $1,100 about 3 or 4 years ago. It worked great for 3+ years and I never spent a dime on it.

Subscriptions for anti-spyware programs?

There are plenty of free alternatives that do a great job.

As previously stated, I love my Macbook. More so than I did that HP, but some of this talk is gibberish.

HP laptop $600
Tech Support $500

...No, it really isn't.
 
nizy said:
I can see Apples next ads responding to this by showing the better value you get with a mac and OSX.

  • Improved usability and productivity (at work i use xp and it certainly slows me down, things that are simple on my mac are a chore on the pc!
  • Cost of security (anti-virus, spyware etc)
  • Resale value (I sold my old G4 iMac with busted logic board and no HDD for £100 only 6 months ago!
  • Build quality - Macs tend to last much better than the cheaper (or even similar priced) alternatives.
  • Excellent software in the box (iLife 09 - that'll cost you £100+ for Windows)
  • An OS that is actually functional (Vista - need I say more?)!
  • Hardware that is perfectly in sync with the software i.e driver issues.
Click to expand...

I hope so! lol I love competetion!
 
neiltc13 said:
In what way? Apart from price, the machines are pretty similar.

Both have dual core processors, both have 4GB RAM, both have a 17" screen, both have a 320GB hard drive, both have a DVD-RW drive, both have built in webcams, both have a one year warranty.

The only area where the MacBook Pro will likely outperform the HP is in battery life, but then, I don't want to be one to fall for Apple's marketing garbage on that. I'm promised 5 hours on my MacBook, I get closer to 2 and a half.
Click to expand...

No, it's not "comparable" at all.

I recently built an AMD X2 desktop machine. It's a 3.0Ghz Dual-Core chip, 4GB RAM, and an ATI 4850. For all intents and purposes, its a BEAST.

But you know what? It's slower then my 15" MacBook Pro that runs a 2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, with 4GB of RAM as well.

You are thinking comparing numbers is all you need to do, like 3.0Ghz vs 2.53Ghz, but that fact is that just is not realistic!

My MBP also consumes a fraction of the power, and runs silent. It also has a built-in LED display.

The truth is, the machine that girl got in the ad is not comparable AT ALL, and even the 13" MacBook she turned town is MUCH BETTER then what she ended up with.
 
cjm3113 said:
In your experience have you really needed to spend hundreds of dollars on tech support for PCs?
Click to expand...
I'm the one charging other people to support their computers and accessories. :D

Yes, even their Macs. I have a RAM installation in the Mac Pro lined up soon!
 
Mac4Brains said:
I would of done that if I had anything to compare it to. The only possible comparison I can make is the Psystar computers. Compare Psystar's $600 base unit to a $600 iMac Mini. You get something like 10 times the computer for the same price.
Click to expand...

Yet you refuse to factor in OSX, yes to some people its not worth it, but hell ill pay just to get away from windows.

Good luck with your computers that are just specs and no OS, because without factoring them in, thats all your comparing, a useless box to a useless box.
 
cjm3113 said:
I have a serious question(s) for some of you..

In your experience have you really needed to spend hundreds of dollars on tech support for PCs?

I had a HP laptop that I bought for $1,100 about 3 or 4 years ago. It worked great for 3+ years and I never spent a dime on it.

Subscriptions for anti-spyware programs?

There are plenty of free alternatives that do a great job.

As previously stated, I love my Macbook. More so than I did that HP, but some of this talk is gibberish.

HP laptop $600
Tech Support $500

...No, it really isn't.
Click to expand...

I agree with you man. I think a lot of mac users like to think that's the case to make them feel better about their purchase. But it's not the case at all.
 
she should have brought the 13" macbook, and a 19"monitor. She won't be able to use that HP laptop as an actual laptop for more than 10 minutes without a power supply, at least with a macbook she would get an actual laptop.. and like most people i know with a macbook, she will just get used to the smaller screen and actually appreciate it.

at least Microsoft recognize they aren't 'cool', or in this case rich people = cool people.

and why does a company like Microsoft take so long to produce a semi-decent ad? They have considerably more money and resources than Apple, yet Apple's ads are iconic and extremely well made. But i guess not even the best marketing team can sell you the Microsoft dream... because windows sucks lol.
 
software

The Mac comes with iLife so she could have started on a project right away. Does the computer she bought come with Office? That would be another $149 for the student version if not.
Mac wins again. (I think.):)
 
Trishul said:
she should have brought the 13" macbook, and a 19"monitor. She won't be able to use that HP laptop as an actual laptop for more than 10 minutes without a power supply, at least with a macbook she would get an actual laptop.. and like most people i know with a macbook, she will just get used to the smaller screen and actually appreciate it.

at least Microsoft recognize they aren't 'cool', or in this case rich people = cool people.

and why does a company like Microsoft take so long to produce a semi-decent ad? They have considerably more money and resources than Apple, yet Apple's ads are iconic and extremely well made. But i guess not even the best marketing team can sell you the Microsoft dream... because windows sucks lol.
Click to expand...

The HP battery life is 10 minutes? that's news to me.
 
If Microsft needs an ad campaign focused on price differences between Mac and PC, that's a good thing for Apple. That just means that the Mac is stronger then ever and that MS consider Mac as a threat.
 
kcroy said:
The Mac comes with iLife so she could have started on a project right away. Does the computer she bought come with Office? That would be another $149 for the student version if not.
Mac wins again. (I think.):)
Click to expand...

does the Mac come with Office or iWork? It comes with text edit.

At least windows comes with notepad, wordpad and Microsoft Works.
 
To be honest, I don't know what we're discussing. We're all Mac users here, which is great because we know that we're using a better OS and better built hardware.

Why are we arguing about this? MS can't make hardware, so this commercial holds no water, plus the specs are not even close in quality between the HP and a MBP
 
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