New Microsoft Ad Campaign Targets Mac Prices

[Homerpalooza]

Life is too short for crappy computers. It's like buying a $200 bed or pre-made glasses for your eyes at Walmart. Seems like a good idea for the budget, but you end up crippled and pissed off.

If she wants to buy a $699 PC, then go for it, but I tell ya, it's like buying the cheapest pergo you can for your house. You make that mistake once.

I do have a 17" MBP. I realized, I'm rich bitch, and life is too short to be pissed at my computer 3 weeks after I purchase it.

Admittedly The MBP needs a bigger hard drive though, and this one is a pain in the butt to replace. Waiting for the Seagate 7200 RPM 500 GB.

 

[Bubba Satori]

Congratulations Lauren, you just bought a blue screen.

Unlike the wanky gradients, crazy lines, sparkly screens and time bomb video cards of Macbooks. Stop it, your irony fu is killing us.

 

[neiltc13]

I liked it how with vista they disable the task manager with the alt-ctrl-del and instead bring up another screen from where you can choose task manager. Seeing as one most of the time has to use the task manager to end processes that are not responding, they should have put it right on the start icon..

Likewise, Apple should include a detailed set of instructions for users to find out how to "Force Quit" an application. They're going to need it.

 

[NT1440]

I liked it how with vista they disable the task manager with the alt-ctrl-del and instead bring up another screen from where you can choose task manager. Seeing as one most of the time has to use the task manager to end processes that are not responding, they should have put it right on the start icon..

Yea that overlay annoys the crap out of me. It reminds me of older versions of Windows, which really isnt a good thing.

 

[Consultant]

Exactly, as per usual great post consultant. This was originally what drew me to apple silence for my environment at home and not some monster fan trying to cool a cpu while sounding like a helicopter.

Thanks!

Same for me here. I am much more efficient working on a quiet computer. =)

The irony of this is Microsoft is attacking Apple for the price of its computers. Microsoft doesn't make computers. I can see Apple retaliating with commercials that point out how the cheapest Vista version is the same price as the only version of Leopard. iWork is cheaper than any single Office application. iLife is FREE on every Mac and blows the water out of the crappy knockoffs that Microsoft put in Vista.

Plus, that HP computer probably didn't come with any security software. Those bundles run you about $60-100 for virus and spyware protection, not to mention $20 or so a year.

Customer service surveys almost always have Apple at the top. The extra money put into R&D is apparently worth it. If you want a bag of hurt HP for less money, go ahead and do it.

Exactly.

Actually, the full MSRP of MS Vista Premium is $400.
While refurb Mac Mini with OSX and 1 year of warranty has MSRP of $420.

Which is the better deal?
(No, OEM windows doesn't count, as you don't have support.)

In all these cases, they are not even comparing the product with their full Vista Premium installed.

Those PCs all have the mid range crippled vista, usually home edition,
not the full uncrippled (but still poorly made) Vista Premium
(which most businesses and users avoid or pay to "upgrade" to xp).

 

[Xibalba]

I cannot wait for Windows 7 to come out because then this argument will die off for good. Microsoft will have a solid OS which even at this early pre-release stage is getting glowing reviews.

"die off for good" with windows 7 huh? XP got the same reviews that windows 7 is now receiving and we all know how that story ends. vista however has always had poor reviews, but i enjoyed that os nevertheless. snow leopard will be released this year so the mac OS keeps getting better and better.

i will agree that for experienced computer users, either OS (mac & pc) should have similar reliability, but for the masses, windows is dangerous...

 

[Vazzyb]

http://www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_os.asp


70% of the world's computer using population can't be wrong.


Macs are glorified Fisher-Price activity centres for adults; computers for scaredy cats too nervous to learn how proper computers work; computers for people who earnestly believe in feng shui.

iPhones are brilliant, on the other hand.

 

[apull]

Here's the laptop she got for $700
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...+17+inch+laptop&type=product&id=1218041148373
It may be 17", but it's got poor resolution for the screen size, slower ram, questonable CPU, rubbish battery, 100Mb (not gigabit) ethernet, G wireless, shared graphics memory. Comes with Vista, the list goes on.

There's a reason it's cheap...

Gee, I don't think that's going to run Word for typing her papers, and IE for checking her Yahoo mail. Oh, wait!? She's not going to try and run Crysis, and she doesn't pirate movies and programs from bittorrent?

Looks like she just saved over $1000 and lost no practical value.

Gigabit ethernet? Pointless for 99% of people.
Two graphics cards? Pointless for 99% of people.
Core 2 Whatever? Pointless for 99% of people.
Wireless N? Pointless for 99% of people.
1920x1080 resolution? Pointless for 99% of people.

This ad makes a LOT of sense.

 

[shinchan72]

"It's not 2004, people don't need virus protection on Windows any more."


I assure you , you are clueless if you think that.

 

[asphyxiafeeling]

Yes

FINALLY

microsoft grew some balls.

i hope this gets a TON of feedback

maybe apple will come up with a good response.

+ + + + + + !!!

 

[riesvantwisk]

Apple can come back with an ad where they get that same exact laptop from best buy, get it's vista experience rating number, then install vista on a macbook pro 17" and get it's Vista experience rating..

Appel would never do an advertisement like that... Apple makes advertisements that are original, this one was far from original

Ries

 

[beg_ne]

So many people here are simply dismissing Windows and claiming that their Mac solved all of their problems.

Windows has improved massively since about 2007, which just happens to be the time which many of the users here have as their join or "switch" date. If you try a Windows machine now you'll note that it is extremely difficult to get a virus. It is extremely difficult to make a program crash and it is virtually impossible to ever see the "BSOD" which you all think is so funny.

It probably is harder to get a virus now, but there are still 10+ million people who have conflicker.c on their computer that will cause havok in a few days.

Also it pretty much is impossible to get a BSOD now...because MS turns it off by default. Instead the PC just restarts.


Just because you have anecdotal evidence that Macs have problems and PC's don't have as much doesn't make it true.

No one in my family have any problems. I don't think my mom, dad or sister have every gotten a KP. And I rarely get one and am on my 3 year old MB 12+ hours a day.

Also everyone I've got to switch to a Mac really loves it and thinks its much better than any version of windows they have used.


And sorry, but for me personally no matter how much lipstick Microsoft puts on Windows 7, or performance they add they will never get me back. Because at heart its still windows and has all the quirks, bad UI/UX design and horrible "feel" of windows. None of my family or friends will go back either, because they like OS X so much.

 

[marco114]

If these $700 17" Laptops are so great, then why does Dell sell $2500 17" Laptops? Oh yeah, because they are better, duh.

MS just found Apple's weak spot is all. They don't make clunky junk that people don't want. They only make computers people want.

Apple knows you'll be unhappy with your 2 hours of battery (if you are lucky) and that crappy graphics, slow networking, low-end processor, no camera, etc etc.

Oh by the way, my Mac came with almost everything I needed out of the box. And, I didn't have to spend 6 hours disinfecting it of bloat ware.

Don't forget that spyware AND anti-virus at $80 a year for the next 3 years. And you'll probably have to reinstall your OS every 6 months and she'll have to pay that geek to come over and do it, or sleep with him.

 

[blastair]

hmmmm

isn't it funny that windows is paying to advertise for dell and hp? i mean i guess it's all connected, but it's just kind of ironic that they are spending their own money for a computer made not by them. sure, it runs Windows, but does anyone see my point?

 

[Scooterman1]

These Ads are Fact, not Fiction

They sure hit the Bullseye with these Ads.
If Apple would only fight back with a PC version of Snow Leopard.

 

[Vazzyb]

does mac even have flash?

 

[asphyxiafeeling]

"It's not 2004, people don't need virus protection on Windows any more."


I assure you , you are clueless if you think that.

you need virus protection, but with some decent paid software, i have NEVER run into any malware problems on windows. if anybody does, they're either messing with things they shouldn't (downloads) or just stupid IMHO.

 

[applecultvictim]

Except the 17 inch screen which she wanted.

she wanted it because she didn't know any better, she should have gotten a mini and a screen and saved the rest to get a dirt cheap netbook.

Or gone for a whitebook and an external screen.

All of these options far better than owning a monster with integrated graphics that's not even portable.

Tell me, if she is a designer and really wants to use large screens and pro apps how is she going to do so with the integrated graphics? She wont.\

Both the mini and the whitebook HAVE GOT DISCREET graphics....

She was actually ripped off....

 

[shinchan72]

http://www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_os.asp


70% of the world's computer using population can't be wrong.


Macs are glorified Fisher-Price activity centres for adults; computers for scaredy cats too nervous to learn how proper computers work; computers for people who earnestly believe in feng shui.

iPhones are brilliant, on the other hand.

Lots of idiots listen to pop music also , according to you , this makes todays **** music "good" because it's "popular".

I'm fairly confident 70% of the world are morons , more like 90% most likely. Most people are stupid.

 

[Eidorian]

http://www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_os.asp


70% of the world's computer using population can't be wrong.


Macs are glorified Fisher-Price activity centres for adults; computers for scaredy cats too nervous to learn how proper computers work; computers for people who earnestly believe in feng shui.

Oh I remember the days when we called XP's Luna Theme Fisher Price. How the times have changed.

she wanted it because she didn't know any better, she should have gotten a mini and a screen and saved the rest to get a dirt cheap netbook.

Or gone for a whitebook and an external screen.

All of these options far better than owning a monster with integrated graphics that's not even portable.

Tell me, if she is a designer and really wants to use large screens and pro apps how is she going to do so with the integrated graphics? She wont.\

Both the mini and the whitebook HAVE GOT DISCREET graphics....

She was actually ripped off....

Windows/PC users don't know any better? As much as you want the 9400M G is an integrated GPU that "steals" system RAM for itself.

 

[CuriousMacster]

From my personal experience PC's have only lasted me about 2, maybe 3 years at best. My Mac has lasted almost 6 now with only the free updates. So for me the high prices are worth it in the long run.

 

[mattlong1978]

I understand the point they are trying to make but I fail to see why they have to...absolutely pointless advert come on Microsoft does it really have to become such a bitching contest?

 

[NT1440]

isn't it funny that windows is paying to advertise for dell and hp? i mean i guess it's all connected, but it's just kind of ironic that they are spending their own money for a computer made not by them. sure, it runs Windows, but does anyone see my point?

Actually i noticed how she emphasized some of the brand names, which leads me to beleive they chipped in to paying for the ads....

 

[applecultvictim]

isn't it funny that windows is paying to advertise for dell and hp? i mean i guess it's all connected, but it's just kind of ironic that they are spending their own money for a computer made not by them. sure, it runs Windows, but does anyone see my point?

yeah sure, good point, it's been mentioned that they put out an ad for hardware they don't even make....hahah...

that's what happens when you can't come out and say as they would have wanted "we have a better os" cause you are going to be a laughing stock.

 

[godrifle]

Give me...

...$1000 to put towards a system and I'd gladly pitch in the balance...


... and get a mac.