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.
There are a few easy to install, easy to migrate flavors out there!
Ubuntu, openSuSE, Fedora, Mandriva to name a few. The ad could be made using all open source software, like Kdenlive, Rosegarden/Ardour, Gimp, Synfig, Inkscape, Blender. Heck, I really hope all you creative aspiring film writers at least have Celtx installed on your computers. The ad can focus on the "free" aspect of the os, the customization of the OS. The ability to still run most of your windows apps without windows (thanks to WINE!) and such. Seriously, I think its time for the open alternative!
The apps mentioned aren't close to pro aps, I know. But having worked with them there is still a bit that can be done!
In the ad, they can tout the OpenOffice offerings. NetBeans for their IDE and programing development. Compiz to make the OS have more effects than even OS X has at the moment (albet, some of them really annoying like wobbly windows) And best of all, still free, and runs on all intel based hardware (even some older stuff works on PPC chips!)
Maybe I should make this... it would be a fun project. But who would air it? How would I get the funds for it? A good number of you are railing against Microsoft (and rightly so in some cases) but there are those who don't want to use a mac. Linux is easy enough to install, but the name scares people as the "L337" OS only for geeks. That is not the case these days. Anyhow, for those railing, look at this alternative too!!
Have at 'em.
(If I leave my MS based job and make my own, I'm switching to Ubuntu!!)
Agreed. It's what everyone knows and accepts for some strange reason. I accompanied a friend to Best Buy to assist her in purchasing a new laptop. She originally looked at a low-end Aluminum Macbook and was convinced by friends at the 11th hour to buy a Sony Vaio which is the same model in the MS video.
I've abandoned Wintel completely a year ago and never looked back. I'm a Win2k3 sysadmin and use it 9 to 5. Even with all my experience with Windows horrors, she ended up buying the Vaio because the price was cheaper and she believed it had more value than the Macbook.
A few days later, she began to realize the mistake she made. Even though she did not take my advice, I was the one that ended up spending countless hours trying to make her Vista Home OS p.o.s. machine perform decently. I charge $70/hr for clients to deal with Windows issues. After I got the machine working for her, I told her that had I charged her for the amount of time I spent to get it working, she could have bought serveral MacBooks and each one would work right out of the box. Even now, her brand new Vaio with virtually no software still crawls at certain times and she complains about it. When I visit her, I purposely bring my MacBook Air, open it up and it just works effortlessly on her wireless network where her Vaio intermittently loses connections. I still can't figure it out.
That is the Window Tax. If Microsoft factored it time wasted getting their product to work, no one would buy it.
And btw, I run VMware/XP on my MBA for my 9-to-5 job which uses windows-only tools. When I get home, its OSX only. Guess which OS always runs stable? No contest.
Funny thing is that had they done a "fair" comparison, there would STILL be an Apple tax, and Microsoft wouldn't have to lie about what Apple charges for products. But being greedy completely destroys the validity of the study and thus it's complete trash.
Granted, even I have a MacBook Pro and I try to avoid the "Apple" tax as best I can by buying on eBay or refurbished. Plus, everyone seems to forget that Apple products sell MUCH better on the 2nd hand market than any PC EVER will. This is probably because of the premium charged on Apple products.
I wouldn't call it an Apple "tax", it's more like an Apple "investment" that you could potentially get a positive return on if you play your cards right.
Frankly, Apples products do cost more, but for a reason. Comparing these systems is like saying a Porsche costs more than a Ford. The Ford may have more towing capacity or a certain feature that they think customers are looking for but they preform completely differently. I'd like to see how these numbers work out when compared using systems configured as closely as possible! This study is by far the most honest assessment I've seen out there and actually makes a good attempt to compare systems that are configured as close to the same as possible. If you look at the numbers in the Microsoft report, most of the mac configurations are either just plain wrong, or they are from systems that are now obsolete, having been replaced by models that were recently released. Also the systems being compared are not even close to comparable. Ex. new Mac Pros w/nehalem processors vs. the pc configured with a core 2 duo...... WAY off there! Lets have an honest assessment. Not one from someone who's being paid to tilt the scale.
Not exactly on topic... but out of nowhere my Sister-in-law said to me the other day that Apple's definitely not worth the extra money. She said she was in JB Hifi and there was a line of great looking silver laptops, really snazzy looking, no reason to spend extra on Apples.
Of course... her first mistake was that they WERE Macs. Then she said oh well... her PC is really just as good anyway (I asked her if she meant the PC her work had given her 2 months ago that still wasn't working properly after 3 IT guys tried to get it setup, or her laptop before that that she broke the screen on).
Anyway... she decided she wouldn't comment further
ps. Another mistake is she never even THOUGHT about whether a Mac was easier to use, better screen, good trackpad, faster etc - she judged entirely on what it looked like on the shelf.
pps. And yet another mistake - decide the new-fangled computer she's just seen must be cheaper than a Mac without knowing the slightest about the pricing of either.
If the people in this ad are any indication, then it's pretty sad how little the average computer buyer understands about the products they're comparing. "Dude, these are expensive. They're pretty, though. Let's go look at some PCs." If a computer buyer is that shallow, then it's their loss for not giving Macs more consideration.
I don't doubt that most people shop by numbers. "That computer has 320 whatsits, and this one has 500, so this one must be better." That doesn't mean they really care about the numbers. Apple's Mac/PC ads shift the focus away from pure technology to things like, can you make a home movie on it? Does it crash very often? These are the things that affect the computing experiences of average users. I imagine that's going to resonate with more people than a video of two obvious novices going through the motions at Best Buy.
WINDOWS 7 + OFFICE 14 + WINMO 7 is going to rock your world.
Performance. Elegance. Permanence.
So you just registered to post marketing bullshit here? (And really trite stuff at that.)
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.
You can say that again. Wow. Like every 1.5 weeks?
AI is getting peeved too. A bit surprised that they treat the MacBook as ancient when it's not that old, the speed bump was minor after 2 years, no FireWire, they benchmark a bit slower in some tests and no dedicated GPU.
MSFT is playing spoiler fir new iphone too. Making Apple look like fluff.
Damn these guys are desperate, seems Apple has them scared sh!tless.
Why they don't address their Microsoft tax?
Younknow what? It just hit me. This isn't about msft. No, it's about Sony, mobile devices, all the record labels Sony owns and cloud computing.
If Apple doesn't respond and it IS Sony, they are toast.
Kind if makes you want to BUY apple as buying American. Although they are really made in China. Amazing how all thses companies use communist countries, Amazing.
Not only do Mac users buy MS Office (while Windows users use Wordpad, presumably), the tables forgot to add virus protection, something like Photoshop Albums, a DVD writing program, and something like garage band.
I'd actually be interested in reading a genuine comparison
why does everyone keep bringing up virus software? You do know that Apple has semantic on their back of Hiuse computers in the stores don't you. If not, ask someone you know and trust that works at an apple store. I actually have screen shots I took when I worked there back last spring. Shhhhhhhhhhhh.
Honestly, I know so many mac users who love office. I don't know why. iWork is so UNDERATED it is a work of beauty, works great with Word, (if you have to export), and handles brouchures so well, I started using Pages instead of indesign for marketing and newsletters for my clients.
Must be strength in numbers (go pun intended) as so many seem clueless to iWork. It's a GREAT DEAL AND worth every penny.
Quote:
Originally Posted by hmurchison
He's totally right. Just last week I purchased a family pack of Vista Home Premium....no wait!
h
Funny thing about these ads is this. Apple's done a pretty good job of not trying to attack Microsoft's bread and butter.
Office
Windows Server
Microsoft lives or dies by their OS and Office suite and Apple , despite having iWork, hasn't made a concerted effort to harm Office sales nor have them support ODF (a potential anathema to Office file formats) and they haven't encroached on the Enterprise with server and middleware.
Yet Microsoft is acting like a bunch of babies and attacking Apple. Sure the "get a mac" "I'm a Mac you're a stinking PC" adds are funny but Apple's not screwing with Redmond's cash cow.
From the way MSFT is acting you'd think it was Apple that had the %80 marketshare
I did a little research when this Microsoft b***s*** campaign started. My aim was to compare as accurately as possible a new 2009 MacPro 2.66 8 core with an equivalent Dell.
I wont go into the detail, but here in Australia the Dell came out over a thousand dollars more expensive..
I know that Apple do not produce any hardware to serve the bottom of the market. But then their business model is not aimed there, and despite what those who do not use their hardware or software say, this way of doing business is hugely profitable. Apple is a business not a religion. They are in business to make money and they do that very well.
That is the Window Tax. If Microsoft factored it time wasted getting their product to work, no one would buy it.
Let's not forget the amount of time wasted by developers, too, which leads to inferior quality apps on all platforms just because of the legacy crap that must be dealt with, instead of developers further improving their apps and making them cross-platform. Microsoft brings us all down, Windows-, Mac-, and Linux-users alike. It's somewhat the opposite of Will Roger's joke: "When the Oakies left Oklahoma and moved to California, it raised the I.Q. of both states." In this case, the Microsofties are lowering the quality of all software.
Agreed. It's what everyone knows and accepts for some strange reason. I accompanied a friend to Best Buy to assist her in purchasing a new laptop. She originally looked at a low-end Aluminum Macbook and was convinced by friends at the 11th hour to buy a Sony Vaio which is the same model in the MS video.
I've abandoned Wintel completely a year ago and never looked back. I'm a Win2k3 sysadmin and use it 9 to 5. Even with all my experience with Windows horrors, she ended up buying the Vaio because the price was cheaper and she believed it had more value than the Macbook.
A few days later, she began to realize the mistake she made. Even though she did not take my advice, I was the one that ended up spending countless hours trying to make her Vista Home OS p.o.s. machine perform decently. I charge $70/hr for clients to deal with Windows issues. After I got the machine working for her, I told her that had I charged her for the amount of time I spent to get it working, she could have bought serveral MacBooks and each one would work right out of the box. Even now, her brand new Vaio with virtually no software still crawls at certain times and she complains about it. When I visit her, I purposely bring my MacBook Air, open it up and it just works effortlessly on her wireless network where her Vaio intermittently loses connections. I still can't figure it out.
That is the Window Tax. If Microsoft factored it time wasted getting their product to work, no one would buy it.
And btw, I run VMware/XP on my MBA for my 9-to-5 job which uses windows-only tools. When I get home, its OSX only. Guess which OS always runs stable? No contest.
That sounds a lot more like faulty hardware than a Windows problem (the wifi). I have to admit, I've never experience the slowness you're talking about on 5+ Vista machines, but then I build all of my computers to my own specification, so I do a good job of it
Comments
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.
There are a few easy to install, easy to migrate flavors out there!
Ubuntu, openSuSE, Fedora, Mandriva to name a few. The ad could be made using all open source software, like Kdenlive, Rosegarden/Ardour, Gimp, Synfig, Inkscape, Blender. Heck, I really hope all you creative aspiring film writers at least have Celtx installed on your computers. The ad can focus on the "free" aspect of the os, the customization of the OS. The ability to still run most of your windows apps without windows (thanks to WINE!) and such. Seriously, I think its time for the open alternative!
The apps mentioned aren't close to pro aps, I know. But having worked with them there is still a bit that can be done!
In the ad, they can tout the OpenOffice offerings. NetBeans for their IDE and programing development. Compiz to make the OS have more effects than even OS X has at the moment (albet, some of them really annoying like wobbly windows) And best of all, still free, and runs on all intel based hardware (even some older stuff works on PPC chips!)
Maybe I should make this... it would be a fun project. But who would air it? How would I get the funds for it? A good number of you are railing against Microsoft (and rightly so in some cases) but there are those who don't want to use a mac. Linux is easy enough to install, but the name scares people as the "L337" OS only for geeks. That is not the case these days. Anyhow, for those railing, look at this alternative too!!
Have at 'em.
(If I leave my MS based job and make my own, I'm switching to Ubuntu!!)
Windows is the most taxing OS to use of all.
Agreed. It's what everyone knows and accepts for some strange reason. I accompanied a friend to Best Buy to assist her in purchasing a new laptop. She originally looked at a low-end Aluminum Macbook and was convinced by friends at the 11th hour to buy a Sony Vaio which is the same model in the MS video.
I've abandoned Wintel completely a year ago and never looked back. I'm a Win2k3 sysadmin and use it 9 to 5. Even with all my experience with Windows horrors, she ended up buying the Vaio because the price was cheaper and she believed it had more value than the Macbook.
A few days later, she began to realize the mistake she made. Even though she did not take my advice, I was the one that ended up spending countless hours trying to make her Vista Home OS p.o.s. machine perform decently. I charge $70/hr for clients to deal with Windows issues. After I got the machine working for her, I told her that had I charged her for the amount of time I spent to get it working, she could have bought serveral MacBooks and each one would work right out of the box. Even now, her brand new Vaio with virtually no software still crawls at certain times and she complains about it. When I visit her, I purposely bring my MacBook Air, open it up and it just works effortlessly on her wireless network where her Vaio intermittently loses connections. I still can't figure it out.
That is the Window Tax. If Microsoft factored it time wasted getting their product to work, no one would buy it.
And btw, I run VMware/XP on my MBA for my 9-to-5 job which uses windows-only tools. When I get home, its OSX only. Guess which OS always runs stable? No contest.
Funny thing is that had they done a "fair" comparison, there would STILL be an Apple tax, and Microsoft wouldn't have to lie about what Apple charges for products. But being greedy completely destroys the validity of the study and thus it's complete trash.
Granted, even I have a MacBook Pro and I try to avoid the "Apple" tax as best I can by buying on eBay or refurbished. Plus, everyone seems to forget that Apple products sell MUCH better on the 2nd hand market than any PC EVER will. This is probably because of the premium charged on Apple products.
I wouldn't call it an Apple "tax", it's more like an Apple "investment" that you could potentially get a positive return on if you play your cards right.
Frankly, Apples products do cost more, but for a reason. Comparing these systems is like saying a Porsche costs more than a Ford. The Ford may have more towing capacity or a certain feature that they think customers are looking for but they preform completely differently. I'd like to see how these numbers work out when compared using systems configured as closely as possible! This study is by far the most honest assessment I've seen out there and actually makes a good attempt to compare systems that are configured as close to the same as possible. If you look at the numbers in the Microsoft report, most of the mac configurations are either just plain wrong, or they are from systems that are now obsolete, having been replaced by models that were recently released. Also the systems being compared are not even close to comparable. Ex. new Mac Pros w/nehalem processors vs. the pc configured with a core 2 duo...... WAY off there! Lets have an honest assessment. Not one from someone who's being paid to tilt the scale.
Of course... her first mistake was that they WERE Macs. Then she said oh well... her PC is really just as good anyway (I asked her if she meant the PC her work had given her 2 months ago that still wasn't working properly after 3 IT guys tried to get it setup, or her laptop before that that she broke the screen on).
Anyway... she decided she wouldn't comment further
ps. Another mistake is she never even THOUGHT about whether a Mac was easier to use, better screen, good trackpad, faster etc - she judged entirely on what it looked like on the shelf.
pps. And yet another mistake - decide the new-fangled computer she's just seen must be cheaper than a Mac without knowing the slightest about the pricing of either.
I don't doubt that most people shop by numbers. "That computer has 320 whatsits, and this one has 500, so this one must be better." That doesn't mean they really care about the numbers. Apple's Mac/PC ads shift the focus away from pure technology to things like, can you make a home movie on it? Does it crash very often? These are the things that affect the computing experiences of average users. I imagine that's going to resonate with more people than a video of two obvious novices going through the motions at Best Buy.
WINDOWS 7 + OFFICE 14 + WINMO 7 is going to rock your world.
Performance. Elegance. Permanence.
So you just registered to post marketing bullshit here? (And really trite stuff at that.)
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.
Microsoft's on a roll
You can say that again. Wow. Like every 1.5 weeks?
AI is getting peeved too. A bit surprised that they treat the MacBook as ancient when it's not that old, the speed bump was minor after 2 years, no FireWire, they benchmark a bit slower in some tests and no dedicated GPU.
MSFT is playing spoiler fir new iphone too. Making Apple look like fluff.
Hope apple responses. They might have too.
Damn these guys are desperate, seems Apple has them scared sh!tless.
Why they don't address their Microsoft tax?
Younknow what? It just hit me. This isn't about msft. No, it's about Sony, mobile devices, all the record labels Sony owns and cloud computing.
If Apple doesn't respond and it IS Sony, they are toast.
Kind if makes you want to BUY apple as buying American. Although they are really made in China. Amazing how all thses companies use communist countries, Amazing.
Not only do Mac users buy MS Office (while Windows users use Wordpad, presumably), the tables forgot to add virus protection, something like Photoshop Albums, a DVD writing program, and something like garage band.
I'd actually be interested in reading a genuine comparison
why does everyone keep bringing up virus software? You do know that Apple has semantic on their back of Hiuse computers in the stores don't you. If not, ask someone you know and trust that works at an apple store. I actually have screen shots I took when I worked there back last spring. Shhhhhhhhhhhh.
Must be strength in numbers (go pun intended) as so many seem clueless to iWork. It's a GREAT DEAL AND worth every penny.
He's totally right. Just last week I purchased a family pack of Vista Home Premium....no wait!
h
Funny thing about these ads is this. Apple's done a pretty good job of not trying to attack Microsoft's bread and butter.
Office
Windows Server
Microsoft lives or dies by their OS and Office suite and Apple , despite having iWork, hasn't made a concerted effort to harm Office sales nor have them support ODF (a potential anathema to Office file formats) and they haven't encroached on the Enterprise with server and middleware.
Yet Microsoft is acting like a bunch of babies and attacking Apple. Sure the "get a mac" "I'm a Mac you're a stinking PC" adds are funny but Apple's not screwing with Redmond's cash cow.
From the way MSFT is acting you'd think it was Apple that had the %80 marketshare
I wont go into the detail, but here in Australia the Dell came out over a thousand dollars more expensive..
I know that Apple do not produce any hardware to serve the bottom of the market. But then their business model is not aimed there, and despite what those who do not use their hardware or software say, this way of doing business is hugely profitable. Apple is a business not a religion. They are in business to make money and they do that very well.
That is the Window Tax. If Microsoft factored it time wasted getting their product to work, no one would buy it.
Let's not forget the amount of time wasted by developers, too, which leads to inferior quality apps on all platforms just because of the legacy crap that must be dealt with, instead of developers further improving their apps and making them cross-platform. Microsoft brings us all down, Windows-, Mac-, and Linux-users alike. It's somewhat the opposite of Will Roger's joke: "When the Oakies left Oklahoma and moved to California, it raised the I.Q. of both states." In this case, the Microsofties are lowering the quality of all software.
Funny thing is that had they done a "fair" comparison, there would STILL be an Apple tax
That is only if you believe that you should not pay for less weight, better industrial design and the ability to run OS X.
... and investing heavily in coolness that?s cooling off."
So where does 'hot' fit in?
I have a used PC to unload. I hope the ad makes it something I can now sale. Do I have to disclose that I still can't get it to work?
No, you don't have to disclose those details. Just say it's an average PC.
Agreed. It's what everyone knows and accepts for some strange reason. I accompanied a friend to Best Buy to assist her in purchasing a new laptop. She originally looked at a low-end Aluminum Macbook and was convinced by friends at the 11th hour to buy a Sony Vaio which is the same model in the MS video.
I've abandoned Wintel completely a year ago and never looked back. I'm a Win2k3 sysadmin and use it 9 to 5. Even with all my experience with Windows horrors, she ended up buying the Vaio because the price was cheaper and she believed it had more value than the Macbook.
A few days later, she began to realize the mistake she made. Even though she did not take my advice, I was the one that ended up spending countless hours trying to make her Vista Home OS p.o.s. machine perform decently. I charge $70/hr for clients to deal with Windows issues. After I got the machine working for her, I told her that had I charged her for the amount of time I spent to get it working, she could have bought serveral MacBooks and each one would work right out of the box. Even now, her brand new Vaio with virtually no software still crawls at certain times and she complains about it. When I visit her, I purposely bring my MacBook Air, open it up and it just works effortlessly on her wireless network where her Vaio intermittently loses connections. I still can't figure it out.
That is the Window Tax. If Microsoft factored it time wasted getting their product to work, no one would buy it.
And btw, I run VMware/XP on my MBA for my 9-to-5 job which uses windows-only tools. When I get home, its OSX only. Guess which OS always runs stable? No contest.
That sounds a lot more like faulty hardware than a Windows problem (the wifi). I have to admit, I've never experience the slowness you're talking about on 5+ Vista machines, but then I build all of my computers to my own specification, so I do a good job of it