AppleInsider › Forums › General › General Discussion › Microsoft to attack Mac pricing in new series of TV ads
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Microsoft to attack Mac pricing in new series of TV ads - Page 2

post #41 of 331
3/26/09 at 5:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by nagromme View Post

Apparently the woman isn't EVEN a real shopper, but actually an actress.

http://daringfireball.net/linked/200...-microsoft-ads

(Not that actresses can't shop, but...)

That's MS SOP. It seems like every time they run a campaign involving "real people" or "real stories" they prove to be fiction.
They spoke of the sayings and doings of their commander, the grand duke, and told stories of his kindness and irascibility.
Reply
They spoke of the sayings and doings of their commander, the grand duke, and told stories of his kindness and irascibility.
Reply
post #42 of 331
3/26/09 at 5:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by addabox View Post

True enough, but I'm kind of amazed that MS actually thinks they need to attack Apple directly, from any angle. It's as much as saying "Apple worries us, we think they're our main competitor, so we're going to go after them." For a company with the overwhelming market-share lead that MS enjoys, this strikes me as an expression of weakness, petty, a ringing endorsement of Apple's prospects, or all three.

Sure, Apple has been running its "Mac vs. PC" ads forever, but, one, Apple is the underdog and can get away with taking pot shots at the incumbent, two, Apple never mentions MS by name, contenting themselves with tweaking the whole idea of the PC, and three, they do it humorously.

Isn't there some kind of rule in advertising that you never mention your competitor by name, because it makes you look harsh and gives your competitor free publicity?

We've been hearing from people that Apple is irrelevant to Microsoft and Microsoft has 95% of the market, guess they must be feeling heat from Apple.
Reply
Reply
post #43 of 331
3/26/09 at 5:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Adjei View Post

We've been hearing from people that Apple is irrelevant to Microsoft and Microsoft has 95% of the market, guess they must be feeling heat from Apple.

Yeah, that would actually be the smart move: "Apple has them a nice little boutique business over there and we wish them all the best. Now here's what we're doing with all our money and market share."

Instead, we get the strangely bitter line about not being cool enough to be a Mac person. Could monkey boy be taking it personally?
They spoke of the sayings and doings of their commander, the grand duke, and told stories of his kindness and irascibility.
Reply
They spoke of the sayings and doings of their commander, the grand duke, and told stories of his kindness and irascibility.
Reply
post #44 of 331
3/26/09 at 5:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by yvo84 View Post

LOL, i just watched the ad.

It actually makes people want to buy a Mac lol.

"I guess i'm not cool enough to be a Mac person" .. oh dear

Yeah, lets advertise being cheap! Sure the economy is not doing so well, but given Apple's sales results, people still want good, reliable computers nonetheless.

I agree, it shows that she really wants a mac but since she can't afford one, she has to settle for something cheaper. I guess that's what Microsoft wants to associate themselves with, cheap. This may actually help Apple, if people want the real thing you you go with Macs, if you want fakes, you go with PC's.
Reply
Reply
post #45 of 331
3/26/09 at 5:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by teckstud View Post

Apple will drop their price$ - YAY!!!!!!!

I agree! Apple may respond by offering more for their price. Hopefully this time without all the glitches with the displays and/or video chips.

Ron Paul

Reply

Ron Paul

Reply
post #46 of 331
3/26/09 at 6:00pm
Firstly, I am neither a Mac nor a PC guy... I use computers to get my job done. At the moment I use a Mac with Leopard plus WinXP in Parallels. Perhaps in 5 years it will be a Windows only box or an operating system that doesn't even exist yet. Who knows.

Therefore I think when a company starts to compete only on price they already admitted defeat.

I really feel sorry for all those poor people going out spending their hard earned cash on a $699 laptop they selected because of price, only to find out not long after that it a) might not do what they need it to do and b) they need to spend more money to get all the right software.

The number of people I know that haven fallen in this trap already is mind boggling and it breaks my heart every time.
Reply
Reply
post #47 of 331
3/26/09 at 6:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by bloggerblog View Post

I agree! Apple may respond by offering more for their price. Hopefully this time without all the glitches with the displays and/or video chips.

Not very likely. Apple positioned themselves very differently in the market. Their value proposition is completely different. Quite frankly I don't think they are even interested in the "$699 laptop customer" featured in the ad.
Reply
Reply
post #48 of 331
3/26/09 at 6:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by anantksundaram View Post

More free advertising for Apple! Thanks, PC!

Same goes for Apple ads!

Remember Microsoft has over 89% of the market. Windows 7 will bring them back over 90%.
I am switching back to Windows when Windows 7 comes out.

I have had my fair share of Mac issues!

iMac 20" 2.66 2008/9 model
Nano 3rd/4th gen
iPhone 2G/3G
Reply
iMac 20" 2.66 2008/9 model
Nano 3rd/4th gen
iPhone 2G/3G
Reply
post #49 of 331
3/26/09 at 6:08pm
Funny thing about this ad is, I don't think MOST people that buy a Mac are price sensitive. They are going to pay what it is.. If they wanted a POS cheap computer they would just buy a Windows based one.
Reply
Reply
post #50 of 331
3/26/09 at 6:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by steviet02 View Post

It's not that they are just now more expensive, it's that the speed/ram/hd is not spec'd like other laptops. And for the price they are charging they should be.

The days of selling computers on speed/ram/hard drive are over. Heck even the Mac Mini is good for most people. For example I recently took my mom to the Apple store and the first question they asked us wasn't how much ram, hard drive, or processor we need but what ow were we looking to do with the computer, what software we need, this is how computers are being sold and not specs. When you go to the Apple store, they put more emphasis on software instead of specs. The days of buying on specs is coming to an end. Most computers available are fast enough for the majority of people.
Reply
Reply
post #51 of 331
3/26/09 at 6:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by italiankid View Post

Same goes for Apple ads!

Remember Microsoft has over 89% of the market. Windows 7 will bring them back over 90%.
I am switching back to Windows when Windows 7 comes out.

I have had my fair share of Mac issues!


Microsoft should be ashamed of themselves for putting out that disaster Vista, did you see the satisfaction rates posted for Vista, what a disgrace.
Reply
Reply
post #52 of 331
3/26/09 at 6:19pm
Kia is announcing a campaign attacking the prices of BMW...
Reply
Reply
post #53 of 331
3/26/09 at 6:24pm
Im watching the sweet 16 and they just showed this.
Reply
Reply
post #54 of 331
3/26/09 at 6:25pm
Great marketing idea. I am now awaiting the marketing pros at Hyundai, Kia etc. to start taking the same approach and convince the on-the-fence BMW and Mercedes buyers to purchase their cheaper alternatives. After all, they will also get you from point A to point B.

Price is important, but not the only issue for the discriminating buyer.
Reply
Reply
post #55 of 331
3/26/09 at 6:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Adjei View Post

The days of selling computers on speed/ram/hard drive are over. Heck even the Mac Mini is good for most people. For example I recently took my mom to the Apple store and the first question they asked us wasn't how much ram, hard drive, or processor we need but what ow were we looking to do with the computer, what software we need, this is how computers are being sold and not specs. When you go to the Apple store, they put more emphasis on software instead of specs. The days of buying on specs is coming to an end. Most computers available are fast enough for the majority of people.

Exactly. People are starting to have their whole life in their computers. Family pictures, movies, music, financial data.. etc. Personally, I wouldn't trust a $600 computer with my files. I already lost enough data from my older Windows PCs due to HDD failures caused by Windows hibernation and other cheap HW issues. At least with Mac and TC I don't have to worry about backup anymore.
Reply
Reply
post #56 of 331
3/26/09 at 6:30pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by nagromme View Post

Apparently the woman isn't EVEN a real shopper necessarily but actually an actress.

http://daringfireball.net/linked/200...-microsoft-ads

(Not that actresses can't shop, but...)

No way! MS uses actors instead of real people in their ads! Shame on them. They should do like Apple does and use people they find on the street!
Reply
Reply
post #57 of 331
3/26/09 at 6:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Adjei View Post

Microsoft should be ashamed of themselves for putting out that disaster Vista, did you see the satisfaction rates posted for Vista, what a disgrace.

I used Vista for over 1.5 yrs. Had little problems.

I have been using Mac OS 10.5.x since August have had my fair share of issues.

They both need to be improved!
iMac 20" 2.66 2008/9 model
Nano 3rd/4th gen
iPhone 2G/3G
Reply
iMac 20" 2.66 2008/9 model
Nano 3rd/4th gen
iPhone 2G/3G
Reply
post #58 of 331
3/26/09 at 6:36pm
I don't think the new MS add is very good but its *a whole lot better* than this one.
Reply
Reply
post #59 of 331
3/26/09 at 6:48pm
I've seen that $699 HP she went with.

The plastics feel like they are straight from Fisher Price and those geniuses over at HP made the keyboard almost impossible to read. Light gray lettering on slightly darker "Bronze" keys. And don't get me started of the number of problems those HPs having with the hinges failing, the plastic separates at the hinge. (NOT covered by the warranty BTW) The Service shop I work at sends at least 4 of these a week for service on failed Wireless cards too.
Reply
Reply
post #60 of 331
3/26/09 at 6:52pm
Remember people, Apple notebook sales are dropping while Windows notebook sales are increasing.
http://www.microsoft-watch.com/conte...soft_oems.html

Microsoft is in fact kicking Apple while they are down.

When is this depression set to end again - 5 years time?

Maybe now is the wrong time to be a premium brand.
Reply
Reply
post #61 of 331
3/26/09 at 6:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by italiankid View Post

I used Vista for over 1.5 yrs. Had little problems.

I have been using Mac OS 10.5.x since August have had my fair share of issues.

They both need to be improved!

Looking at those satisfaction rates for Vista, I would say you are in the minority for Vista users.
Reply
Reply
post #62 of 331
3/26/09 at 6:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by addabox View Post

True enough, but I'm kind of amazed that MS actually thinks they need to attack Apple directly, from any angle. It's as much as saying "Apple worries us, we think they're our main competitor, so we're going to go after them." For a company with the overwhelming market-share lead that MS enjoys, this strikes me as an expression of weakness, petty, a ringing endorsement of Apple's prospects, or all three.

Sure, Apple has been running its "Mac vs. PC" ads forever, but, one, Apple is the underdog and can get away with taking pot shots at the incumbent, two, Apple never mentions MS by name, contenting themselves with tweaking the whole idea of the PC, and three, they do it humorously.

Isn't there some kind of rule in advertising that you never mention your competitor by name, because it makes you look harsh and gives your competitor free publicity?

Excellent observations. Spot on.
Reply
Reply
post #63 of 331
3/26/09 at 6:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by surur View Post

Remember people, Apple notebook sales are dropping while Windows notebook sales are increasing.
http://www.microsoft-watch.com/conte...soft_oems.html

Microsoft is in fact kicking Apple while they are down.

When is this depression set to end again - 5 years time?

Maybe now is the wrong time to be a premium brand.

I don't trust any of them, I want to see Apple's data before saying anything, the same people have been saying Mac sales have been falling for well over year but Apple keeps announcing record profits and sales.

If Microsoft is selling so many notebooks, why did they just lay of 5000 people, I guess they are also being affected by this so called depressions. Seems they aren't kicking Apple while they are down. What about Microsoft OEM's like Dell and HP who are seeing their profits drop, I thought they were all doing fine.
Reply
Reply
post #64 of 331
3/26/09 at 7:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by cameronj View Post

No way! MS uses actors instead of real people in their ads! Shame on them. They should do like Apple does and use people they find on the street!

Well, when Apple presents people in ads as "real people" (as in the case of Ellen "beep beep beep" Feiss and that early series of iPhone ads featuring people explaining how they use their iPhone to do stuff) they actually are, you know, real people. To be sure, Apple screen tests a lot of real people to get the ones they use, but that's very different from Microsoft's tendency to build ad campaigns around some sort of bogus grass roots, just average joes kickin' it MS's awesome products vibe while all the while using actors, stock photos and paid shills.

I mean, they really seem to go out of their way to try and manufacturer the kind of fake cred that makes them seem all the more woefully out of touch.
They spoke of the sayings and doings of their commander, the grand duke, and told stories of his kindness and irascibility.
Reply
They spoke of the sayings and doings of their commander, the grand duke, and told stories of his kindness and irascibility.
Reply
post #65 of 331
3/26/09 at 7:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by italiankid View Post

I used Vista for over 1.5 yrs. Had little problems.

I have been using Mac OS 10.5.x since August have had my fair share of issues.

They both need to be improved!

Thats' the second time you've posted about 'issues' with OSX.

What issues? Care to be a bit more specific?
Reply
Reply
post #66 of 331
3/26/09 at 7:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by surur View Post

Remember people, Apple notebook sales are dropping while Windows notebook sales are increasing.
http://www.microsoft-watch.com/conte...soft_oems.html

Microsoft is in fact kicking Apple while they are down.

When is this depression set to end again - 5 years time?

Maybe now is the wrong time to be a premium brand.

Whew, thanks for the heads-up. I did not realize we were in a depression!

I'll sell all my AAPL tomorrow. And, buy and hold MSFT for 5 years, riding out the recessi..... er..... depression.
Reply
Reply
post #67 of 331
3/26/09 at 7:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by anantksundaram View Post

Whew, thanks for the heads-up. I did not realize we were in a depression!

I'll sell all my AAPL tomorrow. And, buy and hold MSFT for 5 years, riding out the recessi..... er..... depression.

Reply
Reply
post #68 of 331
3/26/09 at 7:17pm
There are few areas that Apple should address price-wise that are ridiculous regardless of what Microsoft does. Microsoft is doing nothing more than just shining a light at this.

Would it really kill Apple to have a tower available at less than $2500? Do we really believe they couldn't get by with a $1500 dollar tower which would still allow plenty of margin for keeping the Mac a quality product. The Apple pro line used to start at this price and now is clearly far above this amount. Sure they have filled part of that gap with the iMac but the issue is that it would not kill Apple to put one of their existing products out at this point and keep people on the platform or gain a sale versus losing or defering it.

Apple used to have the base iMac start at $999. Again in these times it would not hurt them at all to offer a 17 inch iMac with the same specs as the 20 inch for $999.

No race to the bottom, no substandard solutions and it isn't asking them to do something different from what they have historically done. It needs to be done to make sure Mac sales only slow versus cratering.

"During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." -George Orwell

Reply

"During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." -George Orwell

Reply
post #69 of 331
3/26/09 at 7:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by anantksundaram View Post

Whew, thanks for the heads-up. I did not realize we were in a depression!

I'll sell all my AAPL tomorrow. And, buy and hold MSFT for 5 years, riding out the recessi..... er..... depression.


Why be depressed when you own a Mac?

Value is more important and more visible in a depression then price. People are more conscious to save for value, then splurge for crap.

BTW- I thought the add was HILARIOUS!

She's a Mac lover, and she proved that many people are visiting Mac stores first. She's probably already taken the HP back to Best Buy and exchanged it for the MBP 17".
Reply
Reply
post #70 of 331
3/26/09 at 7:22pm
Wonder if they factored in antivirus software costs/subscriptions in the purchase price of the PC? Or perhaps the fact that the next Windoze OS will cost something like 2-3x the cost of Snow Leopard?

Software/OS manufacturer running ads about other hardware - not sure if that works.
Reply
Reply
post #71 of 331
3/26/09 at 7:25pm
What does $699 buy you in a 17-inch PC notebook?

http://9to5mac.com/hp-microsoft-ad-broken-down
Reply
Reply
post #72 of 331
3/26/09 at 7:33pm
Honetsly apple is lucky that they didnt use an asus eee pc with windows xp on it.

Maybe i shouldnt have expected decent non fanboy comments on an apple board. My gf just went with a $200 asus eee pc over an apple because why get an apple laptop for $999 when you can get a pc for $200 . Keep in mind its for internet, music, and some small text editing.

An ipod touch is not the same.

also jplevine, avast and other virus scanners are free so is openoffice and other programs.
Reply
Reply
post #73 of 331
3/26/09 at 7:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by vinney57 View Post

I do have to agree though that for the first time is several years the Mac line up is looking seriously overpriced. There are lots of perfectly sound arguments for premium pricing in a recession but my loyalty is being a little tested. Getting a PC would be unthinkable, but delaying purchases isn't.

Apple foresaw exactly this kind of behavior, and they are fine with it. If you listen to the earnings call with Jobs and Cook a few months back, you'll hear that they expected their users not to bail, but to delay.

Me, I think machines are cheap these days. All machines. I think people have lost perspective, probably thanks to so much cheap junk from China.

I remember paying $10,000 for an early Compaq 386 running at the then blazing speed of 20Mhz, with a then huge 2MB of RAM, and a then gargantuan 40MB hard disk, as well as a 19" color CRT and a graphics card that could output 1024 x 768 with 16 colors.

The thing came with DOS and absolutely no applications. It had no networking capability of any kind, no CD player or recorder, no sound, actually, unless you count beeps.

Those are 1988 dollars we are talking about, by the way. The machine was built in the USA though, and back then it felt like the coolest thing...

So when I look at something like a MacBook Pro with Leopard and iLife, I have a really hard time seeing it as expensive. Yeah, it costs more than a PC laptop would, but spread over the life of the machine the difference is like $2 per day at most. If that's the OS/X and Johnny Ives tax, I'll pay it gladly.
Reply
Reply
post #74 of 331
3/26/09 at 7:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by majortom1981 View Post

Honetsly apple is lucky that they didnt use an asus eee pc with windows xp on it.

Maybe i shouldnt have expected decent non fanboy comments on an apple board. My gf just went with a $200 asus eee pc over an apple because why get an apple laptop for $999 when you can get a pc for $200 . Keep in mind its for internet, music, and some small text editing.

An ipod touch is not the same.

also jplevine, avast and other virus scanners are free so is openoffice and other programs.

So a 200 dollar netbook is equivalent to a Macbook?
Reply
Reply
post #75 of 331
3/26/09 at 7:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Adjei View Post

We've been hearing from people that Apple is irrelevant to Microsoft and Microsoft has 95% of the market, guess they must be feeling heat from Apple.

That's exactly the part i don't understand: on one hand ballmer is dismissive of apple and on the other hand advertising of this kind makes it sound like he perceives apple as a threat. it just doesn't make any sense to be spending money on this kind of advertising to bolster the brand. it just makes it look like microsoft has some issues with image envy.
Tofino
Reply
Tofino
Reply
post #76 of 331
3/26/09 at 7:45pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by majortom1981 View Post

Honetsly apple is lucky that they didnt use an asus eee pc with windows xp on it.

Maybe i shouldnt have expected decent non fanboy comments on an apple board. My gf just went with a $200 asus eee pc over an apple because why get an apple laptop for $999 when you can get a pc for $200 . Keep in mind its for internet, music, and some small text editing.

An ipod touch is not the same.

also jplevine, avast and other virus scanners are free so is openoffice and other programs.

From what I read, Avast if free for 1 year - doesn't say what happens after that. If you need something other than home version, then there is a cost.

I'm pretty sure the next version of Windoze will not be free and as I speculated, 2-3x Snow Leopard. And don't say you can get Ubuntu as a free alternative because I doubt that is what Microsoft had in mind when creating this ad.
Reply
Reply
post #77 of 331
3/26/09 at 7:47pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by trumptman View Post

No race to the bottom, no substandard solutions and it isn't asking them to do something different from what they have historically done. It needs to be done to make sure Mac sales only slow versus cratering.

I can definitely see the case for having a 17" iMac available to everybody (not just education). I can also see the case for a lower spec machine with the Mac Pro enclosure. Not at $1500 but maybe $1999. Either that or a new model above the mini. A "Mac Maxi", or a "Mac mini double", the size of two minis.

What I find irritating are people asking for a crappy Apple netbook. I mean, if Apple ever does that, within a few years their R&D as we know it will be gone, and things will go downhill from there.

But you are right that in these times some of the older price points could be revived, I think without a creating problems for Apple's overall strategy.
Reply
Reply
post #78 of 331
3/26/09 at 7:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by italiankid View Post

Same goes for Apple ads!

Remember Microsoft has over 89% of the market. Windows 7 will bring them back over 90%.
I am switching back to Windows when Windows 7 comes out.

I have had my fair share of Mac issues!


Then do it already. Go buy your $699 laptop, download the beta version of Windows 7 and leave. Why do you keep coming back to these forums if you are so unhappy?
Reply
Reply
post #79 of 331
3/26/09 at 7:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tofino View Post

That's exactly the part i don't understand: on one hand ballmer is dismissive of apple and on the other hand advertising of this kind makes it sound like he perceives apple as a threat. it just doesn't make any sense to be spending money on this kind of advertising to bolster the brand. it just makes it look like microsoft has some issues with image envy.

Apple is growing share and especially growing revenue share, because of the high-end pricing strategy.

Still, here is the irony: Apple is taking sales to people willing to spend money on computers, so it's taking share from the high end of the market.

This advertising strategy will work... for people who wouldn't buy a Mac anyway.
Reply
Reply
post #80 of 331
3/26/09 at 8:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Adjei View Post

The days of selling computers on speed/ram/hard drive are over. Heck even the Mac Mini is good for most people. For example I recently took my mom to the Apple store and the first question they asked us wasn't how much ram, hard drive, or processor we need but what ow were we looking to do with the computer, what software we need, this is how computers are being sold and not specs. When you go to the Apple store, they put more emphasis on software instead of specs. The days of buying on specs is coming to an end. Most computers available are fast enough for the majority of people.

While I do think that people should buy computers, based on need, Apple really can't compete on specs/price, unless you only want look at AIO vs desktops, but neither side overlaps in those well.

When my mom needed a new computer (last November), to process her pics from her new Nikon D60, I wanted something that could last her for years, and for the price ($600), it wasn't the pidly Mac Mini with a gig of RAM, an 80 GB HD, etc, but the Dell with 4 GB of RAM and a 640 GB HD, GMA x3100 graphics....

I can do the photo editing on my $600 Mini, but it's a bit slow, and the 80 GB HD is a serious drawback, and iPhoto simply sucks.
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: General Discussion
AppleInsider › Forums › General › General Discussion › Microsoft to attack Mac pricing in new series of TV ads