Apple Demands Microsoft Pull Laptop Hunter Ads

[uberamd]

I do question a lot of the arguments that Apple is going away, they are insignificant, blah blah blah. At my local Best Buy way up in Northern Minnesota we have an Apple area. Yeah, thats right. In the past, every Best Buy I went to was PC only. PC PC PC. Apple? Nowhere to be seen unless you wanted an iPod. But now the Best Buy has a specific Apple area, with a large backlit Apple logo and a table with all of the systems and peripherals set out to play with. Its also by the front of the store, so you need to walk past it to get to the PC's, its not tucked away in some back corner.

The Apple display at said Best Buy is always full of people playing with the laptops and iMac's, picking up the laptops and getting this look of "wow, thats sturdy" on their faces. In the PC area, you see systems made mainly of plastic, with 15" models sporting crappy 1280x800 displays, and 17" models sporting crappy 1440x900 displays. Sorry, facts.

But you guys are right, Apple is going away. *sigh*

 

[iPie]

Actually I have had defects on all my portable macs (2)

This thread is getting ridiculous. We've got trolls insisting that the 'cult' of Mac is wobbling, oh, impending doom! Apple sucks! Every computer is created equal! And we've got people who deliberately wade out into the water and feeds the dim-witted, conclusion-jumping sharks.

Stop arguing. Apple's not going anywhere. You get what you pay for: Build quality, stability, tech support. That's it.

Actually, both portable Macs I have owned have had defects that have required repair. The latest was a defective hard drive on my MacBook Pro just 3 weeks after purchase (loss of data, 3 days to repair (during an on-site job!), and lots of time wasted).

Of course it was covered by the warranty and I wisely purchase AppleCare for my other laptop (defective CD drive and intermittent Wi-Fi). Warranties just don't happen to make up for the intangible and tangible losses associated with poor build quality.

Although I still prefer Apple computers, I have had more hardware quality issues with MacBooks than on all of my previous PC portables put together 7 portables and a grand total of 0 hardware issues.

IMHO - you need to add AppleCare to the price of the Macs to make the add accurate. Oh is that going in the wrong direction??? Ooops.

 

[APPLENEWBIE]

Here comes the car analogy again.

I can choose to take my trip in a new Chevrolet Impala, or a new BMW 5-series. No doubt the Impala will get me there and I will have a pleasant drive. However, the BMW, which costs more, will also get me there, but I will have a much nicer experience.

One is a mass produced committee designed product. The other is mass produced art.

You choose.

 

[somberlaine]

Apple Legal calling the COO of MS and asking them to stop running the ads sounds very unlikely. Even if there were specific grounds for claiming false information (and I don't see such myself), lawyers just don't do things that way. If you consider that he might just be making the whole thing up, that's even funnier (he's got to make up stuff to sound like the commercials are working).

The irony of the ads is that they show how well the Mac/PC guy campaign is working. Now instead of saying how great Vista is, MS is indirectly claiming the OS (Vista vs MacOS X) doesn't matter, that either is just fine and all you need to think about is price. Vista is no longer claimed to be better, now its just as good as a Mac.

Further crazyness is the idea that MS will be opening retail stores (what ARE they going to sell there, zunes? ) next to Apple Stores. If they do so that is really admitting that Apple is getting to them (so I doubt this is true either, they may open retail stores, but I doubt they will try and position them near Apple stores). The idea that they are doing it to build "brand awareness" seems crazy as who on the planet does not know about MS?

Good points. i am having difficulty believing this. lawyers just don't do stuff like this especially lawyers from a company that is so obsessive about secrecy and information control.

 

[charlituna]

And they have every right to. Apple is wrong on this one.

actually they are not in the wrong. Microsoft is. it is illegal to knowingly present false information. Which, if the call did happen, was what the issue was about. That Microsoft was running an ad that said something cost more than it does now.

Apple could have just slammed them with a lawsuit over it. Sounds to me like they wanted to be gentlemen and assume no ill intent and point out that the ads are no longer valid and need to be pulled or corrected.

and this Turner guy likely paraphrased etc to make Apple look stupid.

as for the "I"m a Mac ads" yes they only tell part of the story, but the part they tell is based on valid customer complaints and known issues about Windows etc. Thus why Microsoft has had no luck in stopping the ads. I mean who can they say an ad about Windows being prone to viruses and malware is a lie when you have how many companies making anti-virus software and keeping records of the tens of thousands of viruses, worms etc out there

 

[iPie]

Here comes the car analogy again.

I can choose to take my trip in a new Chevrolet Impala, or a new BMW 5-series. No doubt the Impala will get me there and I will have a pleasant drive. However, the BMW, which costs more, will also get me there, but I will have a much nicer experience.

One is a mass produced committee designed product. The other is mass produced art.

You choose.

No the right "Hardware" analogy would be Jaguar and Toyota.

The Jaguar is a lot nicer, more fun, better finishes, high quality parts - that break. Plus you can only get it repaired at Jaguar and use Jaguar blah blah blah

The Toyota is all plastic, boring, but needs less repairs - and when you do, you can bring it anywhere, use generic parts and off you go.

OK - software is another story

 

[uberamd]

Actually, both portable Macs I have owned have had defects that have required repair. The latest was a defective hard drive on my MacBook Pro just 3 weeks after purchase (loss of data, 3 days to repair (during an on-site job!), and lots of time wasted).

...intangible and tangible losses associated with poor build quality.

IMHO - you need to add AppleCare to the price of the Macs to make the add accurate. Oh is that going in the wrong direction??? Ooops.

When Apple starts making their own hard drives, get back to me. Thats one of the few moving parts in computers, and they die. PC, and Mac, they ALL use the SAME hard drive manufacturers. So poor quality on a Mac hard drive translates to identical quality on the PC hard drive. Sorry, nice try.

And I have had a bunch of Mac's and PC's, and only 1 mac has had issues (2 so far), and both are covered under standard 1 year warranty. My PC's on the other hand (Dell mainly) have been problematic.

And guess what, I work doing system repairs for a large university. Care to guess how often I need to fix PC's, send back defective hardware, and the like? Every single day. For Mac's? Not once have we ever had to send a Mac for repair or replace any Mac hardware. What does that say to me? Figure that out yourself.

 

[bpetruzzo]

There's no way the conversation really went down like that. If Apple's legal department actually called, it wasn't a friendly request to stop running an ad because it wasn't completely true any more. Who says that companies need to be totally truthful about their competition in ads anyway?

If Apple's legal department called Microsoft it was for copyright infringement.

But frankly, if those ads are working, I'm glad to see it. The last thing we need is for Apple to settle into a comfortable little place of prominence and stop continually improving our computing experience. That would make them no better than... well, Microsoft.

 

[lifeinhd]

If Apple did call at all, I can almost guarantee it was to complain about the ad when M$ said the cheapest MBP was $2000. However, Apple was still wrong to call, because at the time, that *was* the proper price. Is that person supposed to go rethink and potentially repurchase their laptop now that Apple has dropped their price? If I buy a shirt for $20 and a week later I find another shirt for $18, do I have to go back to the store and return the first shirt so I can buy the cheaper one? No.... So why exactly is Apple forcing this ad to be taken down?

 

[disagree]

Oh my goodness! How outrageous that a company would want their prices reflected accurately in ads that focus on cost!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is stupid.

 

[PeterQVenkman]

actually they are not in the wrong. Microsoft is. it is illegal to knowingly present false information. Which, if the call did happen, was what the issue was about. That Microsoft was running an ad that said something cost more than it does now.

Apple could have just slammed them with a lawsuit over it. Sounds to me like they wanted to be gentlemen and assume no ill intent and point out that the ads are no longer valid and need to be pulled or corrected.

and this Turner guy likely paraphrased etc to make Apple look stupid.

You still can't find a Mac laptop with a 17inch screen, new, for $700. Nor a mac with blu-ray built in.

Again, it still won't get me to buy a PC laptop. But Microsoft isn't wrong. Windows laptops are significantly cheaper.

 

[Nikos]

Hahaha, oh please, cry me a river Apple. It's ok when they take stabs at Windows/PCs but as soon as the tables turn they take legal action.

 

[Wikinerd]

Oh is that a unibody 13" I swear it was a 15.4" You're right. Well

1) You know they were referring to a 15.4" It was just a flash across that laptop, you couldn't even tell unless you were looking for it.

2) Only geeks really know that it was a 13" unibody not a 15.4". I suppose this is M$'s fault but it's not a blatant attempt at mischaracterization. I believe they were trying to compare against the 15.4" Maybe not.

3) The previous 15.4" is not $1699. The previous 15.4" had a 9600gt. The $1699 does not have a 9600GT. Ok I suppose you have 2.66ghz speed now instead of 2.4 or 2.53 but honestly these are mediocre speed bumps almost unnoticeable. Not to mention the difference in price that Intel charges for these CPUs is almost negligible. I say the 9600GT is a more fair comparison than simple CPU speed.

@1&2, People see a smaller screen too (You've got her hand to relate the size to..)... Unless you're blind, of course.

The market the previous low-end 15" MBP is supposed to serve is that of someone who wants a 15" computer with enough power for basic office tasks. Anyone who wants a 15" for graphics usually choose the $2,299 model. Now that gap is filled by another $1,999 MBP.

That is before the education discount, of course. (note that the ad said she's going to law school...)

Anyhow, Being a law student, all she would need can be filled by the $999 computer (half of what they portray); after all, she only wants "speed, portability, and battery life. I suppose the 1,699 will do? (2.53GHz, 5.5 pounds, 7 hours battery life).

 

[APPLENEWBIE]

iMacs are basically laptops on a stick. .

It's a nice stick, though.

 

[iPie]

When Apple starts making their own hard drives, get back to me. Thats one of the few moving parts in computers, and they die. PC, and Mac, they ALL use the SAME hard drive manufacturers. So poor quality on a Mac hard drive translates to identical quality on the PC hard drive. Sorry, nice try.

And I have had a bunch of Mac's and PC's, and only 1 mac has had issues (2 so far), and both are covered under standard 1 year warranty. My PC's on the other hand (Dell mainly) have been problematic.

And guess what, I work doing system repairs for a large university. Care to guess how often I need to fix PC's, send back defective hardware, and the like? Every single day. For Mac's? Not once have we ever had to send a Mac for repair or replace any Mac hardware. What does that say to me? Figure that out yourself.

I have no other data than my own experience as a user (also no technical experience, nor do I really care about how they source their components), unlike Odin Fanboy, I am happy to be corrected by actual data (when I see it).

Well I guess I have just not had the greatest luck with MacBooks.

But : never ever had to send back a Mac for any defects = unlikely .

I also work for a large university and the statistical probability of never having a problem with a Mac (especially given your statement in the first paragraph) is very low, unless your large university has few/no Macs.

 

[coleridge78]

Calling a integrated graphics system discrete is a massive error when that is your primary argument.

Almost all $1,300 PC's have discrete graphics.

Wait, now it's almost all? I'll accept that concession and leave you to it.

 

[Victor Odin]

But have fun with your plastic PC, anti-virus software, bloated OS, and constant security threats. I'll keep enjoying my virus-free, quick, sturdy computer. Good day to you.

I can't really dispute that.

I'm typing this on a Macbook Pro.

Sounds like you have something far better.

 

[Victor Odin]

Wait, now it's almost all? I'll accept that concession and leave you to it.

I haven't encountered a $1,300 PC with integrated graphics in the last month, so unless there is one one with a huge SSD drive, a 20" inch screen, or something esoteric, I will stand by "all".

 

[pdjudd]

Hahaha, oh please, cry me a river Apple. It's ok when they take stabs at Windows/PCs but as soon as the tables turn they take legal action.

Exactly what legal Action has Apple taken? I see no mention of a Cease and Desist order (which is legal action). All we know is that a phone call happened. Actually, we have Microsoft saying a phone call happened. We can't tell what it's about because the COO of MS isn't telling us much about it.

Phone calls are not legal action. Filing legal papers is.

 

[charlituna]

If Apple did call at all, I can almost guarantee it was to complain about the ad when M$ said the cheapest MBP was $2000. However, Apple was still wrong to call, because at the time, that *was* the proper price.

the laws would disagree with you. It doesn't matter that the information was right then. it only matters that it is wrong now.

as for the folks saying no way would Apple call. sure they might. they are swamped with Psystar, folks filling complaints about ATT issues (cause they can't get it in their heads that X is a carrier issue and the phone is actually fine), patent suits etc.

if they could get Microsoft to change the ads with a phone call, it saves a lot of trouble. If not, they send the letter, then the lawsuit etc.

Also, it is actually in Microsoft's best interest to make the changes and to have not made the 'yes i"m a total tool" sounding comments. why? Because they could attempt to drive home the notion that even with a $300 drop in prices they are still better than Apple

 

[BongoBanger]

I can't really dispute that.

I'm typing this on a Macbook Pro.

Sounds like you have something far better.

LOL! Instant win!

 

[coleridge78]

As long as my experience with Jesus Christ as my personal savior settles the fact that my God is better than yours.

This atheist is dumb enough to know that quoting one ancient website with an axe to grind is the senseless religion in this equation, as opposed to numerous industry and customer studies every year that rank things just the opposite of your delusional, cultish insistences.

 

[APPLENEWBIE]

Musings:

One thing about Apple's innovative design, is that I think it will raise all boats. I predict that within a couple of years, PC laptops and desktops will have much nicer enclosures/cases. Apple's lead will spur that. Witness already the (slightly weird in my opinion) Adamo by Dell. Junk design and hardware will become harder to sell as long as Apple sets the tone for the industry. That's good for everyone.

I wonder whether Apple has considered contacting the Laptop hunter buyers, and offering them a Mac. Depending on their experiences with the PCs they were given, they might jump at the chance.

Regarding Apple QA. I believe that every recent study/sampling that I know of puts apple at the top for quality, user experience and service support. There has to be a reason for that. Granted, apple stuff is not perfect, and given it's cost differential, problems that do develop are probably a bigger disappointment to users than they would be with a PC where less is expected.

 

[BLOND37]

reply

the ad that gets me is when the woman says "i'm not cool enough for a mac"

oh well thats yur problem..

and yes sure macs might be more expensive but if you have a problem you can walk into any apple store-genius bar or call apple care for help...

have you ever tried getting tech support from microsquish?

 

[Wikinerd]

I haven't encountered a $1,300 PC with integrated graphics in the last month, so unless there is one one with a huge SSD drive, a 20" inch screen, or something esoteric, I will stand by "all".

'cuse me?

http://www.amazon.com/Dell-Studio-X...f=sr_1_59?ie=UTF8&s=pc&qid=1247765642&sr=1-59