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But, but, but . . . I still want my Yugo! It's just as good as a Mercedes and costs 1/10th the price!

(And most of the time it gets me pretty close to where I want to go!)

Jul 24, 09 - 10:42 am Comment from: Deus Ex Technica

I wonder what "Cartwheel Boy" has to say now...

Jul 24, 09 - 10:45 am Comment from: Connor MacBook

If only Lauren knew she didn't need to "add anything". Unfortunately this is part of the PC user's mindset, along with specs and price being all-important.

pfffffff....

Jul 24, 09 - 10:51 am Comment from: Babakool

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbJSuduTrPs

Jul 24, 09 - 10:55 am Comment from: Ferf Muckmeyer

In a previous posting on another thread, I mentioned about a friend who needs a laptop for college. They are hurting for money just like many of us, so even after my whole shpiel on Macs they could not get over the fact that all they could afford was $500, so they had decided to buy a Dell (yecchh!)

I am happy to report that yesterday I was told by them that they had changed their minds and decided to buy the lowest end 13" MBP (unibody). Their decision was based on my comments that "you don't want to be buying her a new laptop every year" and "compare OS X and Vista and you'll see why MS is failing"

It is clear that no matter what Cartwheel Boy or Monkey Boy says, MS is declining and Apple is thriving. And MS NEVER knew how to market sh*t to the public. So much for these "ads".

Jul 24, 09 - 10:56 am Comment from: Davewrite

The (PC) Press made fun of Apple when Kevin Turner did his 'greatest phone call in his life thing' but I guess the Big Stick Works.

Apple's Legal Attack Dogs seem pretty formidable when they set their mind to it. They don't get fed until they win?

or maybe Apple just showed them some previews of Mac Vs PC ads they are thinking of running if Msft did NOT change their ads! Apple had 'Elimination' maybe they were going to run "The Fib".

Jul 24, 09 - 10:59 am Comment from: HMCIV

'It seems like [with Apples] you're paying a lot for the brand.'

As opposed to Dell where just paying a lot for the "bargain".

Jul 24, 09 - 11:07 am Comment from: Grigori

What sort of serious legal department "makes a call" to offer a C & D? None that I know of, and certainly not Apple's.

The whole "greatest call" thing stinks to high heaven.

Why don't they promote their own computers,oh wait they don't make any

On one ad, the shopper actually says something like "Macs are more about aesthetics, and not about computing power."

Sorry if that quote isn't exact, but I actually laughed out loud when I heard that. What a complete load. How can they get away with that? And this coming from a company that makes SOFTWARE!

These kind of outright lies make me crazy.

Regardless of Turner's posturing, once Apple notified MS that content in their ad was factually wrong, MS had no choice but to pull the ad or edit it. They chose to edit it. I saw it last night.

Jul 24, 09 - 11:23 am Comment from: TowerTone

When they were editing the commercial, I wonder if they were using the new Final Cut or the old version....?

Jul 24, 09 - 11:43 am Comment from: Jubei

Wows MS really knows how to look stupid very well.

When Lauren becomes an attorney she will have an office at the local strip mall. She won't want to pay for an address.

It's funny how these commercials completely leave out a Mac's greatest advantage: the software....and to think, the ads are coming from a software company....

Jul 24, 09 - 12:29 pm Comment from: twilightmoon

@TT

lol

Jul 24, 09 - 12:34 pm Comment from: alansky

Microsoft's "laptop hunters" ad campaign is designed by idiots for idiots. The "shoppers" in these ads look positively retarded. Way to go, Microsoft!

I have noticed re-edits of all Microsoft ads in network TV for some time now. In fact, re-editing commercial is fairly common, from what I see. At the beginning of campaigns, ads run the full 60s or 90s runtime. A few weeks or months later, the get cut down, to be used in cheaper 45s or 30s slots. I doubt this has anything to do with real prices or legal threats, just business as usual in the ad industry.

I also noticed a fairly aggressive placing of the ads in Apple sponsored programs (such as "House" or "Lie to Me", where Apple products are prominently displayed).

Lastly, the Laptop Hunter ads have a huge disadvantage: They name prices. Which will be outdated quickly. They're already outdated now, and next year they're completely unusable. Try that with Apple's Mac Vs. PC ads.

Jul 24, 09 - 01:19 pm Comment from: Ferf Muckmeyer

@alansky,

Very true, but unfortunately a large portion of the buying public, when it comes to computers, just isn't educated enough to look beyond price. They buy cheap, but when they bring the thing home and use it, they realize then what a POS they bought. And a year later when the motherboard needs to be replaced, they are forced to buy a new one.

Many of these buyers are idiots - lemmings being told that Apple is still a "niche" computer or MS has the lion's share of the market (true now, but it's eroding). But many ARE just uneducated. Somehow there needs to be an additional layer of marketing and selling on the part of Apple to get the message through. The current Apple ads are classic, but something needs to be done to hammer it home to the rest of the lemmings.

The key is the Apple store. Even better would be if everyone working in computer retail gave a fair presentation of Macs to people, but Apple has no control over that. Personally, I work at a computer retail store which does a lot of Mac sales, and selling most people on the 13" MacBook Pro- not necessarily selling it to them, but at least selling them ON it (as in, they want it) is ridiculously easy. The multi-touch trackpad doing exposé and navigating back/forward in browser history alone usually does it, never mind the screen, strength of the case (let them feel it), the battery, etc.

That's without even getting into the benefits of OS X, the included software, and so on. Macs sell themselves. All that needs to be said really is "Yes, they do start at a higher price, but it's not just added expense with nothing in return... as you can see, they add a lot of value for that extra cost." It can also be worth explaining that they tend to last longer and be worth a lot more in terms of reselling them used.

The biggest problem is that people see Apple's ads on TV, maybe hear some good things, and go into Best Buy (etc.) to ask about them... at which point the salesperson repeats a few canards about Macs and sells them a PC, because their margins on Macs are so miniscule and they are on commission; they probably make more selling a $600 PC than a $1200 mac.

This is what Apple store's are designed to remedy. All Apple needs to do is keep building the Apple store brand, expanding to more and more places, especially in countries other than the US where Apple store presence is very thin, yet there is a lot of potential to pick up sales.

"I have noticed re-edits of all Microsoft ads in network TV for some time now. In fact, re-editing commercial is fairly common, from what I see. At the beginning of campaigns, ads run the full 60s or 90s runtime. A few weeks or months later, the get cut down, to be used in cheaper 45s or 30s slots. I doubt this has anything to do with real prices or legal threats, just business as usual in the ad industry." -elgarak

I think everything you said is accurate but I think you are wrong in your conclusion. The spots are still the same length as before and the only thing deleted was a specific reference to price. And price is what these ads are all about.

I think the changes were very directly related to the change in Apple's mac prices.

Jul 24, 09 - 03:45 pm Comment from: Ferf Muckmeyer

@@Ferf

Best Buy sales reps are not commissioned. My kid works there (doesn't sell computers though). But agreed - it is obvious that the push has always been about PCs there, because most of their salespeople are just idiots.

BTW, I don't know about anyone else on this thread, but considering that every one of those MS ads are filmed in a Best Buy, I have to wonder why Apple would continue to partner with a retailer that would allow MS to feature them so prominantley in their ad campaigns. It's like two marketing campaigns (MS and Best Buy) for the price of one - you'd have to be clueless to think these weren't filmed in Best Buy. I'd really like to know how much traction the Mac-BB partnership really has - Apple should pull it altogether just for the reasons I stated above. But that's my opinion. Anyone else????

Jul 24, 09 - 04:50 pm Comment from: ken1w

Those ads are telling typical Windows users to at least consider a Mac the next time you are looking for new PC. That can only help Apple, because if they really do walk into an Apple Store, a good percentage of those long-time Windows users will GET A MAC. "Consideration" is all Apple needs to get that second 10% is in market share.

I for one do not want everybody to own a Mac. I like feeling superior, at least in one aspect of my life.

If everyone drove a Lexus there would be nothing special about a Lexus.

Jul 24, 09 - 11:43 pm Comment from: derekcurrie

Mi¢ro$oft: Liars via mythology FUD:

Lauren v2 sez: "It seems like you're paying a lot for the brand."

And yet there is no basis in fact in this statement, and this is published, verified knowledge that anyone who cares can look up on the Internet for themselves. And Mi¢ro$oft isn't capable of editing out wrong information stated by their ad talent? Of course they are. But the misinformation is in their favor, so keep it. LIARS.

Giampaulo sez: "But Macs to me are about the aesthetics than they are the computing power."

And again there is no basis in fact in this statement. Anyone can discover for themselves on the Internet that Macs run Vista faster than similarly powered IBM derived PCs. So much for Giampaulo's earlier statement that "I'm technically savvy'. No he is not. But Mi¢cro$oft are technically savvy and know perfectly well that by allowing this misinformation to remain in their ad they are LIARS.

Lisa, of Lisa and Jackson, sez: "Woa! These are way more money dude!" According to what evaluation basis? Exactly what machines are being compared? Mi¢ro$oft know perfectly well that shelf price does not equal ACTUAL price. They've had this fact thrown in their face consistently for over a decade. Macs are consistently LOWER than comparable IBM derived PCs in ACTUAL price where Cost of Ownership and Return on Investment are intelligently considered. So what these two people are actually doing is shopping ONLY shelf price. So say it Mi¢ro$oft! But that would be inconvenient. Allow the misinformation to remain in the ad since it is in their favor, making them LIARS.

Sheila approves of the MacBook Pro 15" she finds, but ludicrously sez: "It only has 2 GB of RAM." Say what? MacBook Pros ship with 4 GB of RAM.

Even if Sheila's ad is referring to the previous generation MacBook Pro with 2 GB of RAM, she can upgrade it to 4 GB of RAM for only $68, then subtract the money she'd receive back for trading in the previous RAM chips. And guess what: Her MacBook Pro would actually USE all 4 GB of RAM. Most IBM derived PC laptops can't do that. They can only address 3.5 GB.

If RAM is a high priority for Sheila, she can upgrade her MacBook Pro to 6 GB of RAM for $385, then subtract the money for trading in her previous chips. And surprise, her MacBook Pro will address ALL 6 GB of RAM.

And of course Mi¢ro$oft know all this, because they have brains in their heads and access to chip shops on the Internet. But they left Sheila's misinformation in the video because it was convenient for them, which makes Mi¢ro$oft again:

*L I A R S*

Conclusion: Due to lies of factual omission, all these ads are fraud. How sad that Microsoft are so desperate to make money that they have to stoop to deliberate and repeated dishonesty to sell their operating system.

Jul 24, 09 - 11:59 pm Comment from: derekcurrie

Schmluss sez: "When Lauren becomes an attorney she will have an office at the local strip mall. She won't want to pay for an address."

Even sooner, when Lauren goes to law school she'll find that Mac laptops are the STANDARD for the legal profession. She's likely to be that lone student sitting in class with a PC laptop. If her PC laptop was a great machine with a great OS I'd be championing her. But it's not.

Good luck with the legal software Lauren. I don't think law schools are going to regressively migrate back to Windows. So sorry.

2000 dollars isnt true anymore, but i must say that i looked into pcs after i bought my macbook pro and realized how much money i wasted

I find it funny that Microsoft is presenting arguments that people should buy the cheap stuff. I doubt Microsoft is giving the PC manufacturers additional breaks as it pushes the cheapest. Until the most recent quarters, when the netbooks started to take a big bite out of the PC market place, Microsoft's sales were solid. Now that they are having to discount Windows XP on the netbooks, it looks like their revenues are beginning to sag. It appears that these ads are doing more to sabotage the PC market place.

I would have thought that Microsoft would be touting the advantages of Windows and let the PC manufacturers tout the advantages of paying less. But then again, maybe the manufacturers would rather be pushing the prices back up to the point where they were making a reasonable return on their products. Clearly Microsoft does not feel that it is losing by suggesting that consumers by cheap, which suggests that the dollars the consumer saves are not coming out of Microsoft's pocket.

Jul 25, 09 - 03:22 pm Comment from: derekcurrie

Anonymous 'Jim' sez: "2000 dollars isnt true anymore, but i must say that i looked into pcs after i bought my macbook pro and realized how much money i wasted"

Please, PLEASE 'Jim'. Sell me your MacBook Pro and go back to a Windows PC laptop. Then we won't have to read your ignorant troll comments, and everyone will be happy, especially me with the MacBook Pro you don't want.