Kay's report is the biggest pile of steaming crap I have ever seen! Better research has come out of a dog's ass. It's Microsoft sponsored so it's clearly just BS.
His figures for the 'Apple tax' are complete nonsense. Where are the thousands of $ a PC user has to spend on anti virus software, tech support, basic software like Preview and iMovie along with their time which the computer will waste when it breaks, crashes and needs reinstalling?
Also the microsoft windowsteamblog site it so badly made it won't let Macs using firefox 3 or Safari post comments - no doubt this is deliberate as it would expose the lies.
I feel like throwing my Xbox 360 at Steve Ballmer's head!
Perhaps you should stop calling others 'idiots' and such, and look in the mirror.
If you think an average person doesn't understand - heck, my ten year-old can - that 'life without walls' refers to life without boundaries, that is plain silly. People are pointing out the irony, indeed, the stupidity (in a punning way) of a product called 'Windows' talking about having no walls...... it is actually quite funny when you think about it.
This whole campaign is based on the premise that the recession will last a long time. When things start to turn the premise becomes weaker.
It has all the finesse and logic of Wal-mart taking on, say, Nordstrom. It may work temporarily, in a recessionary environment, but it also fixes in people's mind the notion that they see themselves as second-class. Quite apart from that, they are muddying their own product identity, which is primarily about software, not the boxes in which that primary product resides.
Actually, Walmart does take on premium stores all the time. Perhaps not as direct but they do claim in a variety of adverts that you can have the fashions, electronics, food etc... at a cheaper price at Walmart. Maybe even different brand clothes, but argueing that they have just as much style as higher priced alternatives.
As for calling people idiotic... I guess calling Microsoft idiotic for making a good point that they do have less restrictions than competitors is okay. I guess you could try to argue that Apple isn't restrictive but I strongly disagree and would love for them to loosen up. And if the person did understand the point of the adverts then he was just being idiotic and making fun of a company rather than argueing real points.
And the only other person I did call an idiot has proven quite enough that he really didn't do his research on Sony Vaio pricing. He suggested I was an idiot for suggesting that Sony Vaios were cheaper and that I had not done my research and should walk into a Sony Style store. The fact as I'm currently looking to a buy a new laptop and though I'm leaning towards a Aluminum Macbook so that I can utilize both OS X and Windows, the FW did peak my interest for its low price with the inclusion of Blu-ray so I had been quite active on SonyStyle.com earlier this week.
Perhaps I shouldn't call people idiots, I usualy don't. But I will say these two individuals were quite idiotic concerning their stances and thoughts put on these forums. I will say again the first one slipped easily into the reply since he/she had called Microsoft idiotic. Instead of making a real point, they just called Microsoft an idiot for purposely construeing a slogan to achieve their wish of calling Microsoft an idiot which actually had no reference to the new advert in discussion.
There is an Apple tax? Christ, thought I only had to worry about the IRS....
Actually some Apple "business decisions" I don't like at all (mini-DP or mini-anything when regular would fit just as well).
Report is fluff, disclaimer at the bottom says so - and it already left out the rest of computing (broadband, peripherals, etc - that are likely to be upgraded or serviced, new software, etc.)
That said tho, I'd like to see a more accurate comparison not made on a price basis, but some sort of side by side enthusiasts (that know their systems and software) made as equal as possible, right down to adding the questionable AV to the Mac as a background process - then give them a complex series of tasks (again using cross platform) - keep it within reason price wise, an accurate budget for everything would be around $5k (peripherals too).
Then go back and let each side use the same hardware systems in the configs and with the software they see fit to get the same task done - keeping all other things equal. (and off the shelf)
Finally, a $5k budget (pc) vs a $5k budget (mac) for any config to get the same tasks done. (would be nice to include Linux in there in a task-competitive enviro somehow)
By the way, is the sales rep chasing folks into a parking lot with a wad of cash a west coast thing? They don't do that in the midwest...
Really... all you could do is find 3 computers out of all those models you think are more expensive? Thats it...
Well... the Z series (as I mentioned before). Is 1600x900 pixels at 13.1 in screen. Apple doesn't offer those extra pixels on a 13" notebook do they? In addition it also comes standard with Mobile Broadband... something Apple also doesn't offer on any computer.
The TT Series... is 11 in. Apple does not compete against that computer.
About the LV series desktop, I will say those are expensive. They are truely the only computing product that Sony sells that does appear to be more expensive then Apple. I will note comparibly they really are about the same price and same cpu speed. The high end on both sides are around 3.0ghz with 1TB hard drive. However the Sony does come with a TV Tuner and Blu-ray and both really are marketed as an All in one that you hang on the wall as possibly a TV replacement. As such they are different the other All in ones in the fact it doesn't really have a chin and is thinner then the iMac.
For the majority of Sony Vaio purchases, it will be cheaper than Apple or you are getting features that Apple does not offer such as 11" or a 1600x900 13" display.
So your assertion that Sony Vaio is more expensive and that the FW in this advert was a 'one off' is completely false.
You are so clueless it ain't even funny, I said the Sony Vaios have around the same price as Macs and in some cases even more, show me where Sony offers a 600 dollar desktop like Apple does. You want to cherry pick a few models to show that the Vaios are some cheap computers, don't make me laugh.
anybody stupid enough to buy windows deserve what they get. the money they save can be used to pay the trailer park rent.
Ya thats why ATMs at banks use Windows. Thats why Nuclear Plants use Windows.
This also reminds me of the iPod Virus issue and some aqaintance telling me that those Windows users deserved viruses. Its like Bill Gates raped you as a child. You know what... HE IS GONNA COME AGAIN TONIGHT!!!
This is why Steve Jobs has said he doesn't like Apple fanbois and why sometimes I feel like I wanto sell ever Apple thing I own..
You are so clueless it ain't even funny, I said the Sony Vaios have around the same price as Macs and in some cases even more, show me where Sony offers a 600 dollar desktop like Apple does. You want to cherry pick a few models to show that the Vaios are some cheap computers, don't make me laugh.
MOST Sony Vaios are cheaper not "around the same price". I gave you a list and most were in the $800 to $1600 range. Apple notebooks start at $999 and go to $2800. How is that "around the same price". Did you take maths at school?
Sony Vaio doesn't offer headless desktops any longer. So they wouldn't be competing against the Apple Mac Mini.
Why is MS spending all this money comparing hardware? Shouldn't they compare Vista/Windows 7 with OSX? They don't make computers. Apple makes both. Is HP, Dell, Asus, Lenovo, et al helping fund these ads? I'd like to see the OS comparison, including price and the ease of buying and using and features of one OS vs another that has 7 iterations. Maybe only 6 if you eliminate pure business and focus on pure home users. That would compare MS to Apple. Not these ads. Why isn't HP et al running their own ads? What's the cost of MS's OS vs. Apple's OS? What's the cost of OS upgrades?
As an earlier post said, it you want to go hardware and home built, why exclude Linux. Damn OS is free!! Why do the buyers in the ad's always seem to pick HP? Isn't Dell pissed, or Asus, Lenovo etc?
Microsoft is advertising a hardware price comparison, because they want people to believe
that is the only thing that needs to be compared. They want to program consumers to
assume that there is no real difference between operating systems. If someone believes
that, they are more likely to buy an inexpensively priced computer, where Microsoft is
the dominant player. Comparing software would not have nearly the likelihood of success
MOST Sony Vaios are cheaper not "around the same price". I gave you a list and most were in the $800 to $1600 range. Apple notebooks start at $999 and go to $2800. How is that "around the same price". Did you take maths at school?
Sony Vaio doesn't offer headless desktops any longer. So they wouldn't be competing against the Apple Mac Mini.
Did you take math in schools, you dunce. If they start at 800, they surely don't end at 1600 seeing as how you can buy some models for close to 3000 dollars. Last time I checked the mini is a mac and I'm comparing the price of all mac models to Vaio models, and not cherrypicked models like you do. Are you that daft. Damn.
It's as if everything and everyone associated with Microsoft has a pathological tendency towards mediocrity - it simply cannot be helped. And good old Steve Ballmer serves as the pinnacle of it all.
Is there such thing as the pinnacle of mediocrity? (dissonant juxtaposition=brain cramp)
Can it be said that Ballmer excels at being mediocre?
I think this would actually have the opposite affect. The upside of Apple allowing their OS on any machine, would certainly be to allow people to buy very inexpensive hardware, and enjoy Mac OS X.
However, the downsides are huge. Number one is the philosophy that Macs work so well because the hardware and software were designed from day one to all work together. Going through the normal R&D process and thorough testing, Apple decides on specific hardware component combinations to avoid problems. Certain issues inevitably arise during R&D and testing, and then they make changes. Apple wouldn't be able to control this part of the process for other companies' hardware, and the exeprience would suffer for OS X users. If packard bell or Acer or Dell can slap OS X on any of their crappy laptops or desktops, suddenly you start seeing major driver incompatibility issues, cheap components used that don't work properly, and a major "bag of hurt" all the way around. That would ba a nightmare for Apple customer satisfaction, and for Apple Tech Support, not to mention their overall image a future success.
If Apple keeps it all in house, designing it all to work well together, they can control to a large degree how their products are perceived, and how successful they are, and their users win in this situation. That is one of the reasons I use Macs. I don't need Apple to lure a huge army of PC converts to justify my purchase.
Excellent point.. the average user will most likely have a better overall experience with Apple for that reason alone.
Free antivirus doesn't work as well as paid antivirus, the same way a free healthcare clinic isn't as thorough as a real hospital. If you have a real problem, you're going to need the hospital anyways. It's just plain idiotic to run Windows without antivirus, unless you're completely disconnected from any networks and have no optical/magnetic media. No, Macs don't just "get" viruses and trojans. In order to successfully infect a Mac the same way that Windows machines are constantly infected, it would take real concrete social engineering and/or physical access to the machine. I've used Macs for years now, still no malware. Keep talking. Reality speaks for itself.
That really depends... as far as preventing Antivirus? Free Antivirus works just as well.. it's the bloatware package with paid Antivirus that makes it 'so great'
I never run Antivirus with Windows... It's not a requirement unless you are really careless.
There is an even bigger story here than how Microsoft has resorted to lame tactics...
...that they are even using tactics at all.
Apple has come a long way in the short six or seven years since I switched. Microsoft has shifted from ignoring Apple to competing with her. That is the real news here. We have only come to see Microsoft actually investing money to market their products against the Mac within the last twelve months or so (definitely gives credibility to Apple as a rising competitor).
First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win.
-- Mahatma Gandhi
Arguably Apple has already won. They have significant share in the premium market which is what they really want. Not OS dominance.
There is an Apple tax? Christ, thought I only had to worry about the IRS....
Actually some Apple "business decisions" I don't like at all (mini-DP or mini-anything when regular would fit just as well).
Report is fluff, disclaimer at the bottom says so - and it already left out the rest of computing (broadband, peripherals, etc - that are likely to be upgraded or serviced, new software, etc.)
That said tho, I'd like to see a more accurate comparison not made on a price basis, but some sort of side by side enthusiasts (that know their systems and software) made as equal as possible, right down to adding the questionable AV to the Mac as a background process - then give them a complex series of tasks (again using cross platform) - keep it within reason price wise, an accurate budget for everything would be around $5k (peripherals too).
Then go back and let each side use the same hardware systems in the configs and with the software they see fit to get the same task done - keeping all other things equal. (and off the shelf)
Finally, a $5k budget (pc) vs a $5k budget (mac) for any config to get the same tasks done. (would be nice to include Linux in there in a task-competitive enviro somehow)
By the way, is the sales rep chasing folks into a parking lot with a wad of cash a west coast thing? They don't do that in the midwest...
5K budget? You have just helped Microsoft out...congrats.
Alienate a majority of the market with your ad and you won't be winning over many consumers.
Since I'm fed up with reading all the MS bashing (not that I actually LIKE their OS, but am forced to use it at work) and even more so the elitist attitudes of saying that certain people shouldn't use Apple products due to stereotypical reasons, I offer up a third alternative.
I would LOVE to see a Linux ad. People are fed up with Windows and Microsoft's way of programing bloat and business. Others are fed up with the prices of Apple products and Apple's iron fist of control. Bring on the free alternatives.
Haha! Awesome! All the "Linux" guy needs is a fold up bike and dorky helmet and a metro pass saying that he like bikes and busses since they are more "open" than manufactured cars. Actually, I think that analogy works well...
Then again, I'm that guy on the bus with the bike and the little netbook running linux.
I]Sorry, most Mac users could care less about Crysis. Some of us have outgrown them.[/I]
Don't tell Apple iPhone users that! The all time top 20 paid apps and the all time top 20 free apps, 40 all time top apps in all are categorized "Games"!
Maybe Apple should consider an economical gaming Mac computer based on the "iPhone technology" since their are fewer software games being written for OS X? I guess, I dunno.
But wait, but wait, OS X runs windows people can buy "games" and run them on windows. Sure, but I thought we were talking about the Mac experience. Mac needs OS X to run Windows in order to play the games that Mac users can care less about and yet buy an Apple product namely the iPhone that makes a ton of apps in broad categories like business, utility, games, etc. and the Apple iPhone games app take 20 of the 40 slots in Top Apps downloaded?!
Games may not be as "dirty" a word for Apple Macs as one might think, but I feel a flaming coming on... : (
Playing simple games on an iPhone is far different from gaming on a PC or Mac.
The main selling point for Macs has never, ever been gaming. We don't buy them for gaming. So what's left? An amazing, integrated user experience on OS X. THAT is what we care about. There are far cheaper options when it comes to a gaming rig.
Mac users (or prospective users) who clamour for games and complain endlessly about hardware that is otherwise unnecessary in the OS X ecosystem just so they can have their games are barking up the wrong tree.
MOST Sony Vaios are cheaper not "around the same price". I gave you a list and most were in the $800 to $1600 range. Apple notebooks start at $999 and go to $2800. How is that "around the same price". Did you take maths at school?
Sony Vaio doesn't offer headless desktops any longer. So they wouldn't be competing against the Apple Mac Mini.
How hard is it to look under desktops on Sony Style? Home Theater PC:
$1,699 for a 2.1Ghz C2D, 4GB RAM, 500GB HDD, 8400M GT GPU, Dual-TV tuners, and Blu-Ray.
For that kind of money I can get a Mini, aTV, PS3, and Rock Band 2.
The C2D AIOs are about the same price as the iMacs at the lower end:
20" Sony JS = $1,099-$1,299
20" Apple iMac = $1,199
The C2D AIO are higher at the top end but have Blu-Ray.
24" Sony LV = $1,600-$2,549
24" Apple iMac = $1,799-$2,199
Hard to argue that Sony is any cheaper than Apple. Most are around the same price when you compare the same segments to each other. You can't directly compare the 13" MacBook against the 13" Z because they occupy different segments in the two lineups. The Z is much higher end. Just like you can't compare the CS against the MBP. They do have different model philosophies but equivalent machines are about the same price in both lineups.
So even for notebooks they tend toward the same pricing once you sort out the differences. Sony has Blu-Ray and Apple has OSX as their selling points. Thus far, it has worked out better for Apple than Sony.
Comments
His figures for the 'Apple tax' are complete nonsense. Where are the thousands of $ a PC user has to spend on anti virus software, tech support, basic software like Preview and iMovie along with their time which the computer will waste when it breaks, crashes and needs reinstalling?
Also the microsoft windowsteamblog site it so badly made it won't let Macs using firefox 3 or Safari post comments - no doubt this is deliberate as it would expose the lies.
I feel like throwing my Xbox 360 at Steve Ballmer's head!
Perhaps you should stop calling others 'idiots' and such, and look in the mirror.
If you think an average person doesn't understand - heck, my ten year-old can - that 'life without walls' refers to life without boundaries, that is plain silly. People are pointing out the irony, indeed, the stupidity (in a punning way) of a product called 'Windows' talking about having no walls...... it is actually quite funny when you think about it.
This whole campaign is based on the premise that the recession will last a long time. When things start to turn the premise becomes weaker.
It has all the finesse and logic of Wal-mart taking on, say, Nordstrom. It may work temporarily, in a recessionary environment, but it also fixes in people's mind the notion that they see themselves as second-class. Quite apart from that, they are muddying their own product identity, which is primarily about software, not the boxes in which that primary product resides.
Actually, Walmart does take on premium stores all the time. Perhaps not as direct but they do claim in a variety of adverts that you can have the fashions, electronics, food etc... at a cheaper price at Walmart. Maybe even different brand clothes, but argueing that they have just as much style as higher priced alternatives.
As for calling people idiotic... I guess calling Microsoft idiotic for making a good point that they do have less restrictions than competitors is okay. I guess you could try to argue that Apple isn't restrictive but I strongly disagree and would love for them to loosen up. And if the person did understand the point of the adverts then he was just being idiotic and making fun of a company rather than argueing real points.
And the only other person I did call an idiot has proven quite enough that he really didn't do his research on Sony Vaio pricing. He suggested I was an idiot for suggesting that Sony Vaios were cheaper and that I had not done my research and should walk into a Sony Style store. The fact as I'm currently looking to a buy a new laptop and though I'm leaning towards a Aluminum Macbook so that I can utilize both OS X and Windows, the FW did peak my interest for its low price with the inclusion of Blu-ray so I had been quite active on SonyStyle.com earlier this week.
Perhaps I shouldn't call people idiots, I usualy don't. But I will say these two individuals were quite idiotic concerning their stances and thoughts put on these forums. I will say again the first one slipped easily into the reply since he/she had called Microsoft idiotic. Instead of making a real point, they just called Microsoft an idiot for purposely construeing a slogan to achieve their wish of calling Microsoft an idiot which actually had no reference to the new advert in discussion.
The 3rd "comparison" drove me crazy!
they've listed the update of iLife or other software for MAC
but forget to list out the upgrades for WINDOWS and OFFICE!!!
To be fair, they did not list any OS X upgrades either.
However, for the PC they did not even include Office (or any upgrades for it either).
And the ATI Radeon HD4870 is somehow $90 more expensive for the Mac???
Actually some Apple "business decisions" I don't like at all (mini-DP or mini-anything when regular would fit just as well).
Report is fluff, disclaimer at the bottom says so - and it already left out the rest of computing (broadband, peripherals, etc - that are likely to be upgraded or serviced, new software, etc.)
That said tho, I'd like to see a more accurate comparison not made on a price basis, but some sort of side by side enthusiasts (that know their systems and software) made as equal as possible, right down to adding the questionable AV to the Mac as a background process - then give them a complex series of tasks (again using cross platform) - keep it within reason price wise, an accurate budget for everything would be around $5k (peripherals too).
Then go back and let each side use the same hardware systems in the configs and with the software they see fit to get the same task done - keeping all other things equal. (and off the shelf)
Finally, a $5k budget (pc) vs a $5k budget (mac) for any config to get the same tasks done. (would be nice to include Linux in there in a task-competitive enviro somehow)
By the way, is the sales rep chasing folks into a parking lot with a wad of cash a west coast thing? They don't do that in the midwest...
Really... all you could do is find 3 computers out of all those models you think are more expensive? Thats it...
Well... the Z series (as I mentioned before). Is 1600x900 pixels at 13.1 in screen. Apple doesn't offer those extra pixels on a 13" notebook do they? In addition it also comes standard with Mobile Broadband... something Apple also doesn't offer on any computer.
The TT Series... is 11 in. Apple does not compete against that computer.
About the LV series desktop, I will say those are expensive. They are truely the only computing product that Sony sells that does appear to be more expensive then Apple. I will note comparibly they really are about the same price and same cpu speed. The high end on both sides are around 3.0ghz with 1TB hard drive. However the Sony does come with a TV Tuner and Blu-ray and both really are marketed as an All in one that you hang on the wall as possibly a TV replacement. As such they are different the other All in ones in the fact it doesn't really have a chin and is thinner then the iMac.
For the majority of Sony Vaio purchases, it will be cheaper than Apple or you are getting features that Apple does not offer such as 11" or a 1600x900 13" display.
So your assertion that Sony Vaio is more expensive and that the FW in this advert was a 'one off' is completely false.
You are so clueless it ain't even funny, I said the Sony Vaios have around the same price as Macs and in some cases even more, show me where Sony offers a 600 dollar desktop like Apple does. You want to cherry pick a few models to show that the Vaios are some cheap computers, don't make me laugh.
anybody stupid enough to buy windows deserve what they get. the money they save can be used to pay the trailer park rent.
Ya thats why ATMs at banks use Windows. Thats why Nuclear Plants use Windows.
This also reminds me of the iPod Virus issue and some aqaintance telling me that those Windows users deserved viruses. Its like Bill Gates raped you as a child. You know what... HE IS GONNA COME AGAIN TONIGHT!!!
This is why Steve Jobs has said he doesn't like Apple fanbois and why sometimes I feel like I wanto sell ever Apple thing I own..
You are so clueless it ain't even funny, I said the Sony Vaios have around the same price as Macs and in some cases even more, show me where Sony offers a 600 dollar desktop like Apple does. You want to cherry pick a few models to show that the Vaios are some cheap computers, don't make me laugh.
MOST Sony Vaios are cheaper not "around the same price". I gave you a list and most were in the $800 to $1600 range. Apple notebooks start at $999 and go to $2800. How is that "around the same price". Did you take maths at school?
Sony Vaio doesn't offer headless desktops any longer. So they wouldn't be competing against the Apple Mac Mini.
Why is MS spending all this money comparing hardware? Shouldn't they compare Vista/Windows 7 with OSX? They don't make computers. Apple makes both. Is HP, Dell, Asus, Lenovo, et al helping fund these ads? I'd like to see the OS comparison, including price and the ease of buying and using and features of one OS vs another that has 7 iterations. Maybe only 6 if you eliminate pure business and focus on pure home users. That would compare MS to Apple. Not these ads. Why isn't HP et al running their own ads? What's the cost of MS's OS vs. Apple's OS? What's the cost of OS upgrades?
As an earlier post said, it you want to go hardware and home built, why exclude Linux. Damn OS is free!! Why do the buyers in the ad's always seem to pick HP? Isn't Dell pissed, or Asus, Lenovo etc?
Microsoft is advertising a hardware price comparison, because they want people to believe
that is the only thing that needs to be compared. They want to program consumers to
assume that there is no real difference between operating systems. If someone believes
that, they are more likely to buy an inexpensively priced computer, where Microsoft is
the dominant player. Comparing software would not have nearly the likelihood of success
for Microsoft, in my opinion.
MOST Sony Vaios are cheaper not "around the same price". I gave you a list and most were in the $800 to $1600 range. Apple notebooks start at $999 and go to $2800. How is that "around the same price". Did you take maths at school?
Sony Vaio doesn't offer headless desktops any longer. So they wouldn't be competing against the Apple Mac Mini.
Did you take math in schools, you dunce. If they start at 800, they surely don't end at 1600 seeing as how you can buy some models for close to 3000 dollars. Last time I checked the mini is a mac and I'm comparing the price of all mac models to Vaio models, and not cherrypicked models like you do. Are you that daft. Damn.
It's as if everything and everyone associated with Microsoft has a pathological tendency towards mediocrity - it simply cannot be helped. And good old Steve Ballmer serves as the pinnacle of it all.
Is there such thing as the pinnacle of mediocrity? (dissonant juxtaposition=brain cramp)
Can it be said that Ballmer excels at being mediocre?
I think this would actually have the opposite affect. The upside of Apple allowing their OS on any machine, would certainly be to allow people to buy very inexpensive hardware, and enjoy Mac OS X.
However, the downsides are huge. Number one is the philosophy that Macs work so well because the hardware and software were designed from day one to all work together. Going through the normal R&D process and thorough testing, Apple decides on specific hardware component combinations to avoid problems. Certain issues inevitably arise during R&D and testing, and then they make changes. Apple wouldn't be able to control this part of the process for other companies' hardware, and the exeprience would suffer for OS X users. If packard bell or Acer or Dell can slap OS X on any of their crappy laptops or desktops, suddenly you start seeing major driver incompatibility issues, cheap components used that don't work properly, and a major "bag of hurt" all the way around. That would ba a nightmare for Apple customer satisfaction, and for Apple Tech Support, not to mention their overall image a future success.
If Apple keeps it all in house, designing it all to work well together, they can control to a large degree how their products are perceived, and how successful they are, and their users win in this situation. That is one of the reasons I use Macs. I don't need Apple to lure a huge army of PC converts to justify my purchase.
Excellent point.. the average user will most likely have a better overall experience with Apple for that reason alone.
Free antivirus doesn't work as well as paid antivirus, the same way a free healthcare clinic isn't as thorough as a real hospital. If you have a real problem, you're going to need the hospital anyways. It's just plain idiotic to run Windows without antivirus, unless you're completely disconnected from any networks and have no optical/magnetic media. No, Macs don't just "get" viruses and trojans. In order to successfully infect a Mac the same way that Windows machines are constantly infected, it would take real concrete social engineering and/or physical access to the machine. I've used Macs for years now, still no malware. Keep talking. Reality speaks for itself.
That really depends... as far as preventing Antivirus? Free Antivirus works just as well.. it's the bloatware package with paid Antivirus that makes it 'so great'
I never run Antivirus with Windows... It's not a requirement unless you are really careless.
There is an even bigger story here than how Microsoft has resorted to lame tactics... Apple has come a long way in the short six or seven years since I switched. Microsoft has shifted from ignoring Apple to competing with her. That is the real news here. We have only come to see Microsoft actually investing money to market their products against the Mac within the last twelve months or so (definitely gives credibility to Apple as a rising competitor).
First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win.
-- Mahatma Gandhi
Arguably Apple has already won. They have significant share in the premium market which is what they really want. Not OS dominance.
There is an Apple tax? Christ, thought I only had to worry about the IRS....
Actually some Apple "business decisions" I don't like at all (mini-DP or mini-anything when regular would fit just as well).
Report is fluff, disclaimer at the bottom says so - and it already left out the rest of computing (broadband, peripherals, etc - that are likely to be upgraded or serviced, new software, etc.)
That said tho, I'd like to see a more accurate comparison not made on a price basis, but some sort of side by side enthusiasts (that know their systems and software) made as equal as possible, right down to adding the questionable AV to the Mac as a background process - then give them a complex series of tasks (again using cross platform) - keep it within reason price wise, an accurate budget for everything would be around $5k (peripherals too).
Then go back and let each side use the same hardware systems in the configs and with the software they see fit to get the same task done - keeping all other things equal. (and off the shelf)
Finally, a $5k budget (pc) vs a $5k budget (mac) for any config to get the same tasks done. (would be nice to include Linux in there in a task-competitive enviro somehow)
By the way, is the sales rep chasing folks into a parking lot with a wad of cash a west coast thing? They don't do that in the midwest...
5K budget? You have just helped Microsoft out...congrats.
Alienate a majority of the market with your ad and you won't be winning over many consumers.
Since I'm fed up with reading all the MS bashing (not that I actually LIKE their OS, but am forced to use it at work) and even more so the elitist attitudes of saying that certain people shouldn't use Apple products due to stereotypical reasons, I offer up a third alternative.
I would LOVE to see a Linux ad. People are fed up with Windows and Microsoft's way of programing bloat and business. Others are fed up with the prices of Apple products and Apple's iron fist of control. Bring on the free alternatives.
Here you go:
http://tv.truenuff.com/mac/services.php
Linux makes a cameo:
http://tv.truenuff.com/mac/upgrading.php
Here you go:
http://tv.truenuff.com/mac/services.php
Linux makes a cameo:
http://tv.truenuff.com/mac/upgrading.php
Haha! Awesome! All the "Linux" guy needs is a fold up bike and dorky helmet and a metro pass saying that he like bikes and busses since they are more "open" than manufactured cars. Actually, I think that analogy works well...
Then again, I'm that guy on the bus with the bike and the little netbook running linux.
Its a boring day right now, that was fun.
I]Sorry, most Mac users could care less about Crysis. Some of us have outgrown them.[/I]
Don't tell Apple iPhone users that! The all time top 20 paid apps and the all time top 20 free apps, 40 all time top apps in all are categorized "Games"!
Maybe Apple should consider an economical gaming Mac computer based on the "iPhone technology"
But wait, but wait, OS X runs windows people can buy "games" and run them on windows. Sure, but I thought we were talking about the Mac experience. Mac needs OS X to run Windows in order to play the games that Mac users can care less about and yet buy an Apple product namely the iPhone that makes a ton of apps in broad categories like business, utility, games, etc. and the Apple iPhone games app take 20 of the 40 slots in Top Apps downloaded?!
Games may not be as "dirty" a word for Apple Macs as one might think, but I feel a flaming coming on... : (
Playing simple games on an iPhone is far different from gaming on a PC or Mac.
The main selling point for Macs has never, ever been gaming. We don't buy them for gaming. So what's left? An amazing, integrated user experience on OS X. THAT is what we care about. There are far cheaper options when it comes to a gaming rig.
Mac users (or prospective users) who clamour for games and complain endlessly about hardware that is otherwise unnecessary in the OS X ecosystem just so they can have their games are barking up the wrong tree.
MOST Sony Vaios are cheaper not "around the same price". I gave you a list and most were in the $800 to $1600 range. Apple notebooks start at $999 and go to $2800. How is that "around the same price". Did you take maths at school?
Sony Vaio doesn't offer headless desktops any longer. So they wouldn't be competing against the Apple Mac Mini.
How hard is it to look under desktops on Sony Style? Home Theater PC:
$1,699 for a 2.1Ghz C2D, 4GB RAM, 500GB HDD, 8400M GT GPU, Dual-TV tuners, and Blu-Ray.
http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/...tegoryId=30348
For that kind of money I can get a Mini, aTV, PS3, and Rock Band 2.
The C2D AIOs are about the same price as the iMacs at the lower end:
20" Sony JS = $1,099-$1,299
20" Apple iMac = $1,199
The C2D AIO are higher at the top end but have Blu-Ray.
24" Sony LV = $1,600-$2,549
24" Apple iMac = $1,799-$2,199
Hard to argue that Sony is any cheaper than Apple. Most are around the same price when you compare the same segments to each other. You can't directly compare the 13" MacBook against the 13" Z because they occupy different segments in the two lineups. The Z is much higher end. Just like you can't compare the CS against the MBP. They do have different model philosophies but equivalent machines are about the same price in both lineups.
So even for notebooks they tend toward the same pricing once you sort out the differences. Sony has Blu-Ray and Apple has OSX as their selling points. Thus far, it has worked out better for Apple than Sony.