MacNN is reporting that a reader received an email from Microsoft soliciting individuals who recently registered a Microsoft product. Microsoft is planning to launch a new Switcher marketing campaign geared toward Apple users, according to the email :
‘The marketing campaign called ‘Sensible Solutions’ kicks off in April and runs through the summer of 2003. Sensible Solutions will highlight computer professionals that have recently converted from Apple Computer products to Microsoft based systems. To be considered for inclusion in the Sensible Solutions marketing program, you must be a US resident with a minimum of 3 years experience as a computer professional. You must have used an Apple Computer product and a Microsoft based system as part of your work…. This correspondence is the result of information provided by the following companies or organizations: Microsoft, Apple, Adobe.'” Full story here.
MacDailyNews take: One, where are they going to find a former Mac user who’s happy about using Windows (gamers, sweaty wads of M$ cash?) and, two, can’t Microsloth ever think of ANYTHING original? Oh yeah, they did once: MS Bob!
If anybody has received this Microsoft email, please forward it to MDN Webmaster, thanks.
Oh, God! Microsoft is pure dung.
lol, well said
Another mind fart from M$. ” Oh thank you mr. Bill.” said the leming as it ran down the road to become grist for the mill.
Wow, I have a ton of thoughts all racing through my brain simultaneously…
Apple has about 5% (or less) of the market share, why should Microsoft worry? They may see Apple as more like a cancer; one that they believe is incurable because it cannot be fought off using conventional methods… a better product.
I think Keynote and Safari finally woke up the restlessly sleeping giant. Someone CAN make better and less expensive software. For a long time, MS dismissed Apple’s better OS/GUI, real plug-and-play, implementation of advanced technologies, and incredible security (99.99% virus-free), and ignored Apple and their “niche market”. But now MS sees Apple encroaching upon MS’s territory with BETTER applications. They also know that AppleWorks is very old, and that is unusual for Apple to let software go for so long. I think they fear (and they should) that AppleOffice (iOffice?) is on the horizon. What if Apple made a suite of office software that had the power and ease of use that is typical for Apple, yet completely compatible with MS Office? There would be very little reason for someone to stay with MS. What makes it worse, there is no way for MS to easily catch up. They would have to develop an OS/GUI on par with Apple’s OS 10.2 AND make it as virus-proof AND make their software just as simple to use. In short, if Apple makes a kick-a*s office program, the floodgates might open.
Imagine a race between two runners. It doesn’t make any difference if the faster runner has a thousand people supporting him if he is lost and needs the slower runner to show him the way. The faster runner will never be able to win as long as he follows. All he can hope for is that his supporters never realize who is really in front.
MS sees their own future, and it ain’t pretty.
Have we already forgotten the web-based campaign MS fabricated a few months ago? They wound up with egg on their face as the subject of the Mac-Win switch turned out to be a total shill, an employee of the MS-sponsored PR agency. These guys never learn. One thing you can count on with MS is that they don’t give up.
Whatever… I guess they gotta do something in the face of all this criticism – most of it coming from non-Apple sources actually. They’re probably just hedging against a potential exodus to Mac out of sheer disgust.
Even a 1% defection would be a pretty disastrous thing for Redmond. Probably would be better if they could fight this by not treating their customers worse than the local cable company…
Let’s see… assuming anyone using OS X won’t ever switch, that might leave about 20 million Mac users who would consider it. If they managed to turn 5% of us with their advertising, that would leave a million Mac users making a PC their next purchase.
I remember reading that MS spent a billion on the advertising of XP. If they throw that kind of cash at their MS switch campaign, that’s $1000 per potential switcher. I have an idea: how about they skip the middlemen and just send each of us Mac users $1000 to switch, or better yet, $500 just to think about it! I promise, I will think about it real hard!
What do you say, Bill?
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” />
How swinish of them, to have to advertise against a company which so many are fond of pointing out holds only 2% of the sales of computers in the world in this past year, namely Apple.
I reckon there will be folks who will try out wind monopolos. Of course there are folks who will see that they have more games, or an abundance of software, if they are drawn in by the empire’s monopoly.
Macs are what I use, and I do like to try out such things as the BeOS, or BSD, or linux. Too bad there is not a currently viable Amiga. One still meets part of the Amiga faithful, who are at least as passionate about their chosen platform as Mac owners are, if not more.
For me, I enjoy using Apple computers.
May God hold them accountable for trying to get their hands on about everything.
Doesn’t make sense for a company with over 95% market share to spend advertising dollars to sway a small number of users. Maybe it is an indication that Microsoft perceives a weakening of its omni-potentency. I wonder what indicators they are using to determine this.
The Communist did the samething for years and now all that’s left of them is Noth Korea, Cuba, and the political arm of China. So be it.
A sample ad:
“I used to use Macintosh computers running Mac OS X. Everything was so white and clean looking. I tried to find programs with three rows of tabbed panels but frankly there just weren’t any. Every program had the same shortcuts – even the text editors, and I felt unchallenged. It was a… bummer.
“Then one day a friend of mine showed me Windows XP and I was blown away. Every window had its own menus and they were all radically different. He showed me how when a hotmail message arrives a friendly bubble appears. It seemed like every program he ran had an exciting new offer for him. With the Mac I always felt so lonely and on my own, but Windows is just so helpful!
“I traded in my Mac for a peecee and bought three whole sides of beef with the money I saved! Now I run Windows XP all the time and I couldn’t be happier. It’s always something new and exciting. Whether I’m applying a security patch to stop the worms or exploring innovative dialogs and fascinating new interface concepts there’s never a dull moment. I didn’t know it but the Mac was making me too complacent. I’ll never go back.
“So um, my name is Jack Torrance and I’m a family counselor.”