Apple fires its return salvo as Microsoft issues misleading 5th ad
After appearing to remain aloof to Microsoft's jabs that Macs don't give enough choice, Apple has responded with ads which insist that poor Windows PC choices are no choices at all.
Two of the three new TV spots debuting this week directly reference Microsoft's "Laptop Hunters" ads, which since their debut in March have insisted that Windows PCs offer more choice for less money.
The most direct answer is "Elimination." Faced with deciding between Justin Long's Mac and several PCs, a shopper named Megan watches the PCs walk away as fewer and fewer of them meet her criteria of a big screen, a fast processor, and -- the dealbreaker -- a system that "just works" without crashes or viruses. In the end, Megan is left alone with the Mac as her only real choice.
"PC Choice Chat" echoes the theme with John Hodgman's PC character trying to advise radio show callers on what PC to choose only to find that he doesn't have an answer to requests for a PC free of viruses and with good customer support. Supporting this, the "Customer Care" spot has PC hiding the frustrations he's had getting help as he's bounced between hardware, software and sales staff while on the phone.
Each of the ads appears a gentle, if exaggerated, response but is a mirror of Apple's first official stance against Microsoft's campaign. The Mac maker argued that many Windows PCs aren't bargains at all as they won't do what their users want from them. Macs are better regardless of cost, Apple maintains.
Not to be outdone, Microsoft the very same week has issued a fifth ad of its own, and what's probably its most head-on challenge to Apple's pricing yet. Lauren (not the actress of the first ad) looks for a system with "speed, portability and battery life" under $1,700 and briefly looks at Macs, eventually settling on a Dell Studio XPS 13 on sale for $899. The system is arguably the 13-inch MacBook's closest competitor and has a similar screen, dimensions and even the same GeForce 9400M graphics that Apple briefly touted as an exclusive edge over the frequently lethargic Intel integrated video in many Windows portables.
In some regards, the Studio XPS 13 supports Microsoft's case. For its $1,099 official price, and especially the sale price shown in the ad, the system is unambiguously faster than Apple's MacBook at that level: it has a 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo Apple reserves for its $1,499 model, 4GB of stock memory that isn't available on any MacBook below the 15-inch Pro, and a 320GB, 7,200RPM hard drive that Apple only supplies as a build-to-order option. It has only slightly less real-world battery life in reviews and weighs only a bit more.
Once again, however, the ad relies on conscious misdirection to make the PC seem more appealing. Although the ad shows Lauren trying a 13-inch MacBook, it quotes her and her mother Sue complaining about the $2,000 price of the 15-inch MacBook Pro -- not only falling out of the size category the two had been considering but falsely portraying Macs as twice as expensive when Apple already offers a $999, if somewhat slower, MacBook. Even Apple's fastest aluminum MacBook would have fallen within Lauren's budget and saved her $500 over the price quoted in the ad.
Apple isn't content to depend solely on marketing to correct this perceived distortion of its value. As learned last month, the it plans to produce less expensive Macs in the near future that the Cupertino firm hopes will cancel out Microsoft's few remaining arguments against switching to a Mac.
Two of the three new TV spots debuting this week directly reference Microsoft's "Laptop Hunters" ads, which since their debut in March have insisted that Windows PCs offer more choice for less money.
The most direct answer is "Elimination." Faced with deciding between Justin Long's Mac and several PCs, a shopper named Megan watches the PCs walk away as fewer and fewer of them meet her criteria of a big screen, a fast processor, and -- the dealbreaker -- a system that "just works" without crashes or viruses. In the end, Megan is left alone with the Mac as her only real choice.
"PC Choice Chat" echoes the theme with John Hodgman's PC character trying to advise radio show callers on what PC to choose only to find that he doesn't have an answer to requests for a PC free of viruses and with good customer support. Supporting this, the "Customer Care" spot has PC hiding the frustrations he's had getting help as he's bounced between hardware, software and sales staff while on the phone.
Each of the ads appears a gentle, if exaggerated, response but is a mirror of Apple's first official stance against Microsoft's campaign. The Mac maker argued that many Windows PCs aren't bargains at all as they won't do what their users want from them. Macs are better regardless of cost, Apple maintains.
Not to be outdone, Microsoft the very same week has issued a fifth ad of its own, and what's probably its most head-on challenge to Apple's pricing yet. Lauren (not the actress of the first ad) looks for a system with "speed, portability and battery life" under $1,700 and briefly looks at Macs, eventually settling on a Dell Studio XPS 13 on sale for $899. The system is arguably the 13-inch MacBook's closest competitor and has a similar screen, dimensions and even the same GeForce 9400M graphics that Apple briefly touted as an exclusive edge over the frequently lethargic Intel integrated video in many Windows portables.
In some regards, the Studio XPS 13 supports Microsoft's case. For its $1,099 official price, and especially the sale price shown in the ad, the system is unambiguously faster than Apple's MacBook at that level: it has a 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo Apple reserves for its $1,499 model, 4GB of stock memory that isn't available on any MacBook below the 15-inch Pro, and a 320GB, 7,200RPM hard drive that Apple only supplies as a build-to-order option. It has only slightly less real-world battery life in reviews and weighs only a bit more.
Once again, however, the ad relies on conscious misdirection to make the PC seem more appealing. Although the ad shows Lauren trying a 13-inch MacBook, it quotes her and her mother Sue complaining about the $2,000 price of the 15-inch MacBook Pro -- not only falling out of the size category the two had been considering but falsely portraying Macs as twice as expensive when Apple already offers a $999, if somewhat slower, MacBook. Even Apple's fastest aluminum MacBook would have fallen within Lauren's budget and saved her $500 over the price quoted in the ad.
Apple isn't content to depend solely on marketing to correct this perceived distortion of its value. As learned last month, the it plans to produce less expensive Macs in the near future that the Cupertino firm hopes will cancel out Microsoft's few remaining arguments against switching to a Mac.
Comments
"Elimination" is very funny!
My 2 cents. Thank you...
Macintosh Forever...
Hmm, mine would have been the first but my reply was a little lengthy... oh well...
Please. What good is speed if it only lasts an hour?
Add LED backlighting, Bluetooth and a decent battery, and this pig is up to $1,700
Nice try.
I use own a PC and a Macbook Pro and run Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux regularly. I love my Macbook Pro but I have had Mac OS X lock up and have had to do 'Forced Quits' more on the Mac than the PC (running Vista and Windows 7). I have found the the Mac vs. PC ads filled with lies and half truths for a long time. It is funny that as soon as Microsoft plays this deception game that the Apple cult following gets their panties in a bunch.
Both operating systems are great and I find it nice to run them for differing purposes. Can't we just all get long?
So sad that Microsoft can't come up with any type of commercial that is capable of showing off its OS. They do not make the hardware so why are they so instant on trying to give the consumer the idea that they have anything to do with hardware. Why not show a PC running Windows against a Mac running OSX, which as we all know is a total package. Then lets see the PC run OSX and Windows like the Mac can. Next let them explain how they will have to pay a yearly fee to anti-virus software makers to keep their OS rid of viruses, malware, spyware, Trojans and such and how the make does not reply on this because of the OS. Then to top it all off, let then so what software comes on the PC and Mac for stuff like, pictures, video, web site creation, DVD creation. YOu will notice that I did not hit on music because Microsoft does have a decent piece of music software but I feel that iTunes is a much better tool for a music library.
My 2 cents. Thank you...
Macintosh Forever...
Hmm, mine would have been the first but my reply was a little lengthy... oh well...
This is what you would expect from Microsoft. If your a car salesman and your car breaks down 10 times a year, has recalls and costs twice as much to operate ..... you play up the cheap purchase price. All the PC manufacturers go along with it. They offer rebates and instant discounts like car manufacturers do and totally ignore the operating cost and problems. When was the last time you saw a commercial from any PC maker talking about the MS OS? I can't think of one in a long time. Otherwise known as SMOKE & MIRRORS.
PS: Thank you AI for using an iPhone compatible codec for the video.
Apparently the Dell XPS 13 in this Microsoft ad has a huge problem when the lid is opened all the way.
It blocks the rear heat vents and results in the machine overheating on the bottom so much that it burns legs.
Also there appears to be substantially less battery life than advertised according to owners.
Most likely because of the fans and the blocked heat vents in the back.
Guess "Laura" got her deal for under $1000, too bad it won't last long with these sort of issues.
She would have been better off with a MacBook. The resale value of Dells is no comparison to Mac's.
Guess I should post a link (click on customer ratings)
http://www.dell.com/content/products...&cs=19#reviews
If this is a violation, please forgive me and delete the link. thanks
So sad that Microsoft can't come up with any type of commercial that is capable of showing off its OS. They do not make the hardware so why are they so instant on trying to give the consumer the idea that they have anything to do with hardware. Why not show a PC running Windows against a Mac running OSX, which as we all know is a total package. Then lets see the PC run OSX and Windows like the Mac can. Next let them explain how they will have to pay a yearly fee to anti-virus software makers to keep their OS rid of viruses, malware, spyware, Trojans and such and how the make does not reply on this because of the OS. Then to top it all off, let then so what software comes on the PC and Mac for stuff like, pictures, video, web site creation, DVD creation. YOu will notice that I did not hit on music because Microsoft does have a decent piece of music software but I feel that iTunes is a much better tool for a music library.
My 2 cents. Thank you...
Macintosh Forever...
Hmm, mine would have been the first but my reply was a little lengthy... oh well...
Apple will not let you run OS X on a PC because they would rather have you pay for their overpriced hardware. They should open the restrictions and see how that goes. The lack of driver support for OS X would be an issue as Windows must work with all hardware while OS X only works with select hardware.
I have not run virus or spyware protection on my PC for years without issues. You just have to be cognizant of what you are doing.
I use Adobe Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements which I find much better then iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, and Final Cut Express. The package only costs $99. iPhoto is not a photo editor so you need to buy one anyway for any halfway serious photo editing.
Stan
Hey, if you want to read real reviews of children's picture books check out a site my wife started. It's over at http://www.theirfavoritebooks.com
How do you know you do not have any spyware or viruses if you don't run virus protection?
My first PC ran XP before service pack 2. You may remember the built in firewall was turned off by default. I got hit by the bad guys the first day I was on line with broadband DSL. And I didn't even visit any bad sites.
I have not run virus or spyware protection on my PC for years without issues. You just have to be cognizant of what you are doing.
How do you know you do not have any spyware or viruses if you don't run virus protection?
My first PC ran XP before service pack 2. You may remember the built in firewall was turned off by default. I got hit by the bad guys the first day I was on line with broadband DSL. And I didn't even visit any bad sites.
I have scanned occasionally (with free software) but do not run real time scanning. I also have a hardware firewall built into my Linksys Access Point.
Apple will not let you run OS X on a PC because they would rather have you pay for their overpriced hardware. They should open the restrictions and see how that goes. The lack of driver support for OS X would be an issue as Windows must work with all hardware while OS X only works with select hardware.
It will never happen- Apple has us in a Catch 22. If you want the OS you have to get the Hardware - no matter how over priced or cheaply made. If the OS was available all over the spectrum, Apple would tank. People would opt for other manufacturer's hardware - hand's down. They (Apple) are afraid to license out the OS. So many of us have to wait between generations of inadequate hardware until Apple comes up to speed.
Now where is that iPad?
So sad that Microsoft can't come up with any type of commercial that is capable of showing off its OS. They do not make the hardware so why are they so instant on trying to give the consumer the idea that they have anything to do with hardware.
it's a technique used to distract their audience from the real matter; that is, all the well documented unfavorable idiosyncrasies commonly associated with Windows of any flavor from 98 to Vista. by diverting their audience's attention to the hardware made by other vendors, they minimize the short comings of their own product with distractions. it's an interesting strategy, but a lame one because they're channelling most of the negative attention on the pc makers. for example, when we discuss these advertisements, we mostly talk about the pc, the hardware. not much discussion, in comparison to the previous, is on microsoft's windows. we trash the other hardware when we compare it to apple's hardware. it's a natural response to their advertisement. in microsoft's view, their advertisement is a success, but i'm afraid at the expense of the other pc makers. if i'm a pc maker, i'd not partner with microsoft to make these sort of advertisements because i'll end up looking ugly or uglier.
Apple will not let you run OS X on a PC because they would rather have you pay for their overpriced hardware. They should open the restrictions and see how that goes. The lack of driver support for OS X would be an issue as Windows must work with all hardware while OS X only works with select hardware.
It was tried. I'd have paid you to take our UMAX and PowerComputing units off our hands.
Apple will not let you run OS X on a PC because they would rather have you pay for their overpriced hardware. They should open the restrictions and see how that goes. The lack of driver support for OS X would be an issue as Windows must work with all hardware while OS X only works with select hardware.
I have not run virus or spyware protection on my PC for years without issues. You just have to be cognizant of what you are doing.
I use Adobe Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements which I find much better then iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, and Final Cut Express. The package only costs $99. iPhoto is not a photo editor so you need to buy one anyway for any halfway serious photo editing.
Look you're not the first guy to pop on these boards with the
"Well I have a Mac too so my opinion counts"
Facts are Mac users don't run virus protection AND don't have to be "cognizant" of what they're doing. That's a win in my book.
New Mac purchasers get iLife for free without the need to purchase an extra software title plus you'd need to add a comparable product to Garageband and iWeb.
Plus there's really no way for you to substantiate your "overpriced hardware" claim. You may try though if you can give me a breakdown of the software and hardware costs then we
can all make a more informed decision.
Whoever doesn't think Macs aren't more expensive is just plain stupid. Having said that, Macs still work more efficiently because of their OS which is something you just can't put a price tag on. Therefor the Mac i$ a better deal- less aggravation.
Sticker price is only item 1 in a purchase. After running two campuses with hundreds of units, I can peg a Mac's usable life at 5 years, a PC's at just about 3. So factor that in and you're still ahead with a Mac. Add in support costs (we've found that a tech can support about 4 times as many Macs as PCs with the same effort and time) and sticker price becomes a sucker's bet.
So it may be with Microsoft. After 25 years of using products with ever more complex, cumbersome and trouble-prone operating systems from Microsoft, I made the break last year for the reliability and durability of Apple. Others are switching too, while Microsoft is still hell-bent on building operating systems with tailfins. Can the world's leading software business be sowing the seeds of its own destruction? Don't be surprised. GM today. Microsoft tomorrow.