New Microsoft Ad Campaign Targets Mac Prices

[fewture]

Why are you wasting your time?

Its true. I shouldn't bother. But some mac users can be so irrational. Macs are a great product, but a more critical analysis looks at the positive and negatives. Mac users tend to go all defensive and write off all the negatives as irrelevant or completely unimportant.

Its like PC users who hate macs, and find it hard to admit their good points. Its irrational.

I think the simpsons episode captures some truth

 

[Daphtdazz]

What I think is particularly funny...

... is that this just looks like a huge kick in the b***s for all of Microsoft's "partners", as basically what Microsoft is saying is:

"Look, you can buy a really really cheap PC! Go on! It's excellent value! All these makers are clamoring for your business!"

So all the punters go off and buy really really cheap PCs, probably on discounts, which are close to if not actually loss leaders for the hardware companies. However, MS still gets its full fee for providing the operating system, whilst HP Dell etc, already being wrung by the Global Economic Situation get a groin full of boot.

Nice one, MS, stick to your guns and make everyone hurt as much as you can. It's like throttling the horse you're riding.

But, credit to the ad agency, it's a damn risky thing implying in a commercial that you wouldn't be buying the product if you were a bit more cool. Sure, it was ironic, but all the same...

 

[ansirone]

congrats on her new ****** computer!

 

[Goona]

I would happily bet that if you were to grab ten random people and asked them which one is overpriced, most - if not all - would say the mac. You only need to look @ the threads about the recent mac releases to see this.

Who gives a f**k about the whiners who complain everytime Apple does updates.

 

[slackpacker]

Hey it was Lamborghini. BMW is a 70k car where Lamborghini is a 200k ++

So to the meat of this Microsoft has finally gotten of their butts and done something. Its the truth.... there are $699 PC's out there... yes they really are not in the same class as a Mac but ... NEITHER is BMW when compared to a Lamborghini. True is she bought a PC that works for $699

And I own all mac... Mac Pro , Macbook Pro late 2008.

 

[Cravendale]

Im clearly cool enough to own a Mac...

 

[LanPhantom]

No such HP Model - How does that work.

First, has anyone tried to find this Laptop on HP's website? I tried and can't find it. Second, the 17" Pavilion is 799.00 in it's base config however "recommended" config is 1000.00+.

Oh Stop me, I'm out the blocks....

Second, no ones seems to be addressing the fact people are really HAPPY with their PC's. They get them because they are cheap. I tried last year to get one of my family members to buy Macbooks for his daughters when they started collage. He got TWO Dell laptops for the price of ONE Macbook. I can't beat that, however I just knew something wasn't right. Within 3 months, they were both jacked up and almost unusable, needing restore. Now I will admit that you can do the same things to a MAC and jack them up, but it's much harder and WAY easier to restore if needed.

Almost done.....


When the girl in the ad starts off she says "First I'm going to try the 'MAC store'"...... It's NOT The MAC Store, it's the Apple Store. There is a completely different company called The MAC Store (no affiliated with Apple).

Mark my words, if M$ doesn't hit a home-run with Windows 7, it may by their last attempt. Peoples frustration levels are rising and if they keep mis-stepping, they may just misstep their way to a 30% market share - which is what should happen. 30% for Apple, 30% for Windows and 30% for Linux flavors..... We'll all be happy.

 

[stevearm]

Great ad.

Great that Microsoft have started dishing it out now.

For those whining about the finer details... it's as technically accurate as most Apple ads are anyway. Ie. not very.

 

[digiguy23]

Macs run Windows too and Microsoft doesn't make PC's, so how does this ad makes sense? Yeah Yeah Yeah, not everyone buys Windows for the Mac.

On the other hand, this ad could bring Mac prices down.

 

[brownbird]

1) AS usual, the Microsoft marketing team missed the boat.

2) PC's are ugly.

3) AND, I would love to see the follow-up documentary about the computer crashing, where she eventually buys a mac and is in the hole $1700+.

 

[tedhogan]

The commercials are brilliant and they certainly strike a nerve.

I've been upgrading my 17" Macbook Pro every 1 - 2 years. I'm slowing down due to the expense. I've upgraded my G5 to a Mac Pro as well. So, I have two huge expenses that I'm starting to question. (keeping both, not giving up my Mac.. just maybe one)

I love the Mac and push it every chance I get. I am also in a position to heavily influence computer acquisitions for a public high school. I had to let go of pushing Macs when we could get a cart of 30 netbooks for $300 a piece while Apple's bottom line price was full educational price ($1000 + Apple Care). We ordered 4 carts of NETBOOKS. Apple was pathetic, they wouldn't budge on price. Screw them. If they would have discounted some I may have been able to get those Macbooks instead of the damn netbooks.

I know they are not equivalent, but that's not the point. The point is that this is reality like it or not and reality is not always fair.

The prices are too damn high. If I have the money, I'll purchase a Mac. I'll actually save up for a Mac because I think it's worth it. That being said, most people won't and this inflexibility on price structure is hurting them. At least knock the price down a little or something. Apple is not Gucci, Apple has substance. It's not something most people buy because of a name, they buy it because it works better, looks better, and "feels" better.

I may buy Macs, but this commercial is going to really hurt Apple with the mainstream. Just watch. It's very, very good and has a valid point.

 

[Goona]

The commercials are brilliant and they certainly strike a nerve.

I've been upgrading my 17" Macbook Pro every 1 - 2 years. I'm slowing down due to the expense. I've upgraded my G5 to a Mac Pro as well. So, I have two huge expenses that I'm starting to question. (keeping both, not giving up my Mac.. just maybe one)

I love the Mac and push it every chance I get. I am also in a position to heavily influence computer acquisitions for a public high school. I had to let go of pushing Macs when we could get a cart of 30 netbooks for $300 a piece while Apple's bottom line price was full educational price ($1000 + Apple Care). We ordered 4 carts of NETBOOKS. Apple was pathetic, they wouldn't budge on price. Screw them. If they would have discounted some I may have been able to get those Macbooks instead of the damn netbooks.

I know they are not equivalent, but that's not the point. The point is that this is reality like it or not and reality is not always fair.

The prices are too damn high. If I have the money, I'll purchase a Mac. I'll actually save up for a Mac because I think it's worth it. That being said, most people won't and this inflexibility on price structure is hurting them. At least knock the price down a little or something. Apple is not Gucci, Apple has substance. It's not something most people buy because of a name, they buy it because it works better, looks better, and "feels" better.

I may buy Macs, but this commercial is going to really hurt Apple with the mainstream. Just watch. It's very, very good and has a valid point.

Yeah the mainstream didn't know Macs were expensive.

 

[MTShipp]

Look at all the bloatware you get with a PC too. The installed apps with a Mac are worth it.

 

[Goona]

Oh please, don't talk like Apple always offer the most superior hardware in their machines. Most PC laptops, if you spent around $1500 would match or beat the hardware Mac's offer you. But these things get changed because of the form factor.

Honestly - if OS X ran on any machine, how many of us would still buy Apple machines?

Don't get me wrong, the design is world beating all around - but we know we know we can get way better hardware for less.

Not the 2000 dollar Dell I bought that ended up dying in a year.

 

[Balin64]

I was also a photographer and did all my work in the PC. Windows XP/Windows vista has never given me a problem. The only problem I've had were not related to the software itself but to a set of faulty ram.

My friend owned a new 2005 BMW 330 or something like that. One day while ordering food through McDonald's drive through the transmission gave out. Took it to the dealer and had it fixed. Turned around and sold his car and got a Lexus. Just because it's considered luxury doesn't mean it's good quality. Maybe his car was just a dud. I also found that his car was somewhat small. It felt like I was inside a Honda Civic only at twice or three times the price. It was a nice car but too expensive for my taste. These days I drive an Odyssey which fits my need for transporting the family around. It's no BMW X5 but it fits my need and my budget.

I am very glad to hear you can run XP for your photography: I have actually seen more pros switch to PC so they can invest more on photo gear.

For me, it's part of my workflow: I started using Photoshop in College on a Mac, at the same time I started my theater career with lighting software that only ran on Macs... Now, I design theater productions using a program called QLab, which will never be available for Windows. It also has to do with software licensing: VectorWorks is a cornerstone of my work, as much as the Adobe CS 3 Premium package.

It all comes down to familiarity, and quality for me. Yes, I have had hardware issues with my Macs over the years, but compared to the headaches I have seen my friends go through, it is minimal.

Now, about the BMW... wow. Okay, I do not want to offend any 3-Series owners, but a 3-series is basically the iBook of BMW's: it is NOT their best product just like the iBook was not Apple's best product. I would never buy one. For me, the 5 series has always been the quintessential BMW: the 7 series are for old farts, the roadsters are for old dudes who lust after younger women, and the X5 is for people who really should have bought an American SUV or a Honda.

I own an e39 540i/6 M-Sport. Jet Black. BMW's best car was really the 1997-2003 5 series. After 2003, the design went horribly wrong. Some lesser-educated BMW owners feel that because they own an expensive car, they can drive it without maintenance: big mistake: if you properly maintain a BMW it will run for many years without costly repairs...

Kind of like my Macs over the years: if you see your Mac as a finely-crafted machine (like a BMW) which needs upkeep, you will be rewarded with a positive experience.

The point is to take care of your investments: I have seen friends hose their Macs through negligence: physical and software-wise... and have fixed some of them. I have also had a girlfriend kill one of my BMW's by putting diesel in it. Everything is relative.

Okay, this is long-winded. I guess I'm a Mac and BMW e39 snob that takes care of his stuff.

The Microsoft ad is irrelevant to me. People who buy PC's will continue to do so. I will continue to buy Apple computers and one the right opportunity arises I will pick up a 2003 M5. Done.

 

[VoR]

Everyone knows PC's are cheaper than Macs. What they don't mention is that they are also cheaper in quality, durability and style. But everyone here should admit that if you were given an option to buy a laptop with those specs and style and quality but was made by Apple, they would give it a chance. And it would prove to be a much better computer than the one running windows. Apples problem is that it mostly competes with itself on hardware. It can't cannibalize its own machines and therefore can't offer a computer that has real bang for the buck, even if it doesn't have the latest gizmos and specs. Heck, if they sold a Macbook pro from 2 or 3 years ago for $700 as a new model, people would still get one and be happy. Its the $1000 entry point for Macs with the same processor speeds as cheaper windows pc's that always makes Apple out of reach for the average consumer. The consumer knows two things, processor speed and price, until Apple is on par with both with the rest of the industry it will only be the computer for the rest of us who can afford a $1,000 laptop. I love Apple, but they need some real competition and I think the netbooks are forcing their hand to do something finally thank goodness.

I think most consumers know only 'one thing', and it's not processor speed, it's their budget. I think of it pretty simply and that people are either IT fans/geeks/professionals/etc who can judge for themselves (rightly or wrongly) the differences between hardware and software offerings, or they're just someone that's after a machine for home/work. If you go into any shop selling machines, which I assume is what people that aren't taking advice off savvy friends do, the sales staff are trained to sell a machine to your budget (and then attempt to add an extended warranty). If you're using a machine to send emails or to render 3d, it's still pretty hard to justify differences in most of a shop's lineup on a given day.

ps. In response to your first point, I think the exact opposite - I've been using thinkpads for many years now. My experience has shown (even after the takeover) that they're better built, use better components and look urrr, better - shame they're not always as cheap as apples offerings. I find their keyboards and trackpoint are hard to give up after using one too, and they're pretty important features.
I'd give anything a chance at a certain budget of course, but I'll take the best product
If anyone wants to give apple a helping hand in improving their business from a (educated) customers pov, try osx86.

 

[RHDJapan]

Osx

I want to walk in to a computer shop like her and play with all the options and finally decide on what laptop i want to buy and install OS X on! I also want just what I need, not what apple thinks I need and demands I pay for.

 

[xbjllb]

Can't wait for the one where the buyer goes in to buy one that plays Blu-ray discs

That will sell a ton of PC's.

Under the heading of "You snooze, you lose."

 

[Daphtdazz]

Call me shallow

But in one of the Times supplements last week there was a picture of Penelope Cruz and a Macbook, and there is no other laptop you could have put next to her that would not have jarred. That photographer knew exactly what he was doing. What a picture that was.

When I walk into my room and look at my desk, I want to feel happy, not nauseous. Fortunately, I can. But my overdraft doesn't thank me, especially when deep down inside I know I have the knowledge to maintain a PC and sufficiently mod it to make it reasonably enjoyable to use.

 

[Goona]

it's what the economy needs


..and Microsoft

Yeah why don't we all start shopping at wal-mart and eating at mcdonalds, when I spend my hard earned money I want the best and not just the cheapest.

The HP battery life is 10 minutes? that's news to me.

It surely ain't 8 hours.

 

[4mat]

Wirelessly posted (SAMSUNG-SGH-A821/1.0 SHP/VPP/R5 NetFront/3.4 SMM-MMS/1.2.0 profile/MIDP-2.0 configuration/CLDC-1.1)

Isn't it pointless comparing apple, who make their own hardware and software, to microsoft who just make the software and licence it off to 3rd party manufacrures? That's more than just apples vs oganges.

 

[billmister]

And... she gets home and runs into incompatible cd rom drive and searches for drivers... As she installs the Os crashes... As she reboots she gets promted to restart in safe mode.

After hours on tech support with someone she doesn't understand she gets it back and running. And searching her email get a virus. Now she has to buy antivirus software, by the time she gets home the virus erased her Hard drive. As she formats and installs vista it crashes 3 times.

Then she gets it installed. Now installs a printer... Get the manual, drivers, software.... Crashes... In the end she's fed up and throws it out the window...

Goes to an apple store and buy a macbook 1299 with applecare. Gets home and starts it up.

Ahhhhhh leopard. Running Smoothly. I should of gotten a mac from the get go.

 

[Goona]

Apple does not cater to every possible buyer. Never have, never will. No, you can't get a dirt-cheap 17" laptop, or a super-high-end 12" laptop. You can't get an upgradable mid-range tower. You can't get a netbook.

Have you ever tried to go to Dell's website, or HP's? I did this with my grandmother, who wanted a new laptop. She passed on apple because she didn't want to pay apple's prices, but if I hadn't been there she would have had no idea what to order. The possibilities were seemingly endless. 3 or 4 model lines, dozens of options per model, and total confusion.

Maybe there's a happy medium. Maybe apple should offer more options and dell should offer fewer. But you know what? Apple is making money, a LOT of money, with their "limited selection" and "high prices." People like simplicity, and apple gives them that in a lot of ways that other companies don't.

So no, apple will never offer as many options as there are with Windows. (In part that's because "windows" encompasses Dell, HP, Sony, Toshiba, and so many more that "apple against windows" is really "apple against about 10 other companies.") Maybe that means there isn't the perfect apple computer for your needs. That's Ok - buy the PC and be happy. Apple knows its market and will be just fine without you.

Apple keeps making while the likes of Dell here who are offering all these supposed great choices for consumers keep losing money and laying off workers, even Microsoft just laid off 5000 people.

 

[cmfilms]

Where'd she go first?!?

Also, she'll drop another five hundred on programs, repairs and hairplugs to replace the ones she's pulled out and the computer will be useless in two years.

Lastly, if Microsoft is running ads like this they're nervous and know something. Apple is simply a better product.

 

[Goona]

I think I'll opt for a Flyer Wagon - it's even WAY less than a Kia...

OK, economics are real - but she'll be replacing this crap box in 2 years then. Or paying 250.00 for an operating system (that will STILL suck). Or it's going to crash constantly and she'll loose those valuable modeling contracts she had on her hard drive (I like how someone pointed out she's an actress not a nobody buying a laptop).

My partner had an emachine... and he was "satisfied" if had a crappy onboard video chip, and that it had no ethernet, and it had only one PCI expansion slot, and that it's BIOS and chipsset was one of the worst P.O.S-es I'd ever had to try to start and restart. Or that it was virtually impossible to get it to do basic things (print something, network something, put in a better video card, you name it). He said why do you spend so much on Macs... Because, EIGHT YEARS later I'm STILL running the Quicksilver I bought. Hell I even have a Blue & White G3 I can use as a webserver. Macs are often hamstrung in their own way but they have a PROVEN track record of stability, usability and longterm upgradability (albeit with some tweaks some times) FAR more than PCs.

I'd rather pay the money once thank-you, be able to buy OSes for a hundred bucks that improve in leaps and bounds every 2-3 years and have my peripherals actually WORK when I plug them in. Then again, some people want plain Jane, Lada's, not Ferraris... I send my yawns to them. Yes, she's not cool enough. And guess what: We are. And not only cool we're in it for the long term - not to throw it away, replace it and so on. Good design has shelf life - and it's not simply cache.... or "cool" - it's damn good design. Period. And I'll save then, and pay for "better", any day, over "crap", that will cost me more in the future

E-machines, another terrible PC maker.