Not sure if this belongs here, but it's an interesting article
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2008/10/15/ap5559664.html
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2008/10/15/ap5559664.html
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Forbes Article on Microsofts attempt to spoil Apples new MacBook launch
- Thread starter badmac78
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For any other company, this would be a new low. For Microsoft though, it isn't really. 
Having the lowest price isn't always the most important thing. If it was, I'd be eating McDonalds food for every meal, every day.
Having the lowest price isn't always the most important thing. If it was, I'd be eating McDonalds food for every meal, every day.
Microsoft missed their golden opportunity to rip Apple on the new MacBook's lack of Firewire. Dumb and dumber....
Even in the PC world, you can get some C2D 2.4 GHz 15" laptops for $800, or you can get one very similar for $1500. Two products can have similar specifications, but have very different prices. Even amongst a single company's own product line-up, there are low-end and high-end versions of what is nearly the same thing (on paper, at least). This is also true when comparing one company's products to another (e.g.: Acer and Lenovo). The differences come in the form of better screen quality, screen resolution, keyboards, case designs/aesthetics, materials, reputation, customer support, etc.
So for any company to say that PRODUCT A is much cheaper than a MacBook and has similar specs, what about PRODUCT B, a different laptop with similar specs, yet costs a bit more? I'm sure these more expensive alternatives weren't included for comparison.
So for any company to say that PRODUCT A is much cheaper than a MacBook and has similar specs, what about PRODUCT B, a different laptop with similar specs, yet costs a bit more? I'm sure these more expensive alternatives weren't included for comparison.
Er, the whole "Apple tax" thing... Did you read the article? Microsoft is comparing the cost of ownership of a Mac. Firewire on a Windows laptops start at $650 or so. After Apple drops the plastic MacBook the cost of a Mac laptop w/Firewire starts at $1999.
From the article:
Wait a second, Macs dont come with enough software? Huh, what software do Windows machines come with that isn't a trial? Macs come with a ton of software, which for the most part is totally useful.
I too rather wonder what software Windows PCs supposedly come with that Macs don't.
Yes, most PC makers throw on a lot of junk, but most of it just that - junk. A professor of mine had a new HP notebook and I couldn't believe how much crapware was on it.
Yes, most PC makers throw on a lot of junk, but most of it just that - junk. A professor of mine had a new HP notebook and I couldn't believe how much crapware was on it.
Yeah, with Apple itself ditching FW let's see how much longer the other manufacturers keep it around.
They're not ditching it. Firewire isn't going anywhere. It's a video and audio standard that works better than anything USB.
Apple crippled the Macbook to force people who need Firewire to buy the more expensive MacBook Pro. They can't have people using a consumer machine to do work, you know?
MS is a marketing company that markets crap. So the proper name is CRAPWARE. I wonder what type of "junk" that comes on WinCrapdows that can be better than the beautifully designed and tight OS integrated apps Macs have right out of the box. If you were half serious with video, you could use iMovie vs Windows Movie Maker, the later which only supports WMV. If you wanted to video chat, you got iChat. On Windows, nothing, unless you count some MSN Download program, but the software for MSN Messenger (however crappy) is not present on the computer itself. That is why I came to two conclusions:
Windows is good for people that want to tinker around with computers. Not that it's a bad thing, just that that is it's sole purpose.
Macs are computers that can let you do stuff out of the box. No software to install.
The market can support that. Windows should NOT be marketed with PC vendors and their crapware that they preinstall, and you have no option to tell them to not do it. Only one of the Sony Vaios HAVE that option, and the OS is business Vista, theres not multimedia anything on it.
SB keeps saying Macs WILL NOT SELL in the conservative market, while also claiming Vista to be first class. Cheap stuff is never first class, especially when we've got Vista as our lowest of the low to reference to. Furthermore, Macs are growing 30% ahead of the PC market. So that must mean they sell a lot of Macs. Rock on SJ, never SB.
Windows is good for people that want to tinker around with computers. Not that it's a bad thing, just that that is it's sole purpose.
Macs are computers that can let you do stuff out of the box. No software to install.
The market can support that. Windows should NOT be marketed with PC vendors and their crapware that they preinstall, and you have no option to tell them to not do it. Only one of the Sony Vaios HAVE that option, and the OS is business Vista, theres not multimedia anything on it.
SB keeps saying Macs WILL NOT SELL in the conservative market, while also claiming Vista to be first class. Cheap stuff is never first class, especially when we've got Vista as our lowest of the low to reference to. Furthermore, Macs are growing 30% ahead of the PC market. So that must mean they sell a lot of Macs. Rock on SJ, never SB.
Don't remind me!!! That's a terrible and horrible piece of software. Always crashes.
Yup, sadly many people who promote Macs forget to mention that Mac is not for everyone
True, check in Amazon top 10 notebook sales, if Vista is first class how come its not in the top 10 and even the top 20, I only see OS X and XP in it.
All this from the company thats new slogan is;
Microsoft Windows, A life without walls.
If you dont have any walls why would you need windows?
Didn't think it through did they?
Microsoft Windows, A life without walls.
If you dont have any walls why would you need windows?
Didn't think it through did they?
For any other company, this would be a new low. For Microsoft though, it isn't really.
nice selective memory... mac vs. pc ads anyone?this article is a bit exaggerated and everyone is getting riled up over nothing. microsoft's points about cheaper harder is very valid, and there's not really much of the foul play so prevalent in the ongoing election. this article doesn't seem like a such a big deal imo
i would say more like linux is for people who want to tinker. windows is more the king of compatibility
The correct forum is Apple, Industry and Internet Discussion -- the purpose of the buying tips forum is to discuss pricing, pros and cons of different vendors and configurations, rebates, etc.
As for the article... I'm all for Microsoft competing on all fronts. Of course they advertise / stump against Apple. Apple does it to them, too. Competition is good for the industry, and MS is far too insular. Vista and MS Office are perfect examples of what happens if products are continually redesigned and upgraded in a vacuum. In the 1990s, Windows 95 and NT 4.0 were pretty good products. Win2k was a good, if basic product.
But there was a complete lack of a corrective market force to prevent Microsoft from going in the direction that ultimately became Vista -- a massively expensive waste of time for them that ultimately, many of us subsidize as users of MS products or consumers of products made by companies who use MS products.
So let them fight back. Occasionally they actually make a not-bad product. The Xbox 360 is not half bad, even if I'd much rather have a Wii. But it's an example of what MS has to do when they're not dominant in the market.
Microsoft certainly has a point.
In their newest laptops Apple seem to be going for a much higher build quality than their competitors - at a premium price. I haven't really been that impressed with Apple the last several years in this respect but it seems like they might have turned a corner.
You can get a quite capable machine for much less. That's simply a fact. However, OS X suits my needs slightly better than Vista does. For my purposes, the only real choice is between Linux and OS X, however, and I think OS X wins hands down on the desktop compared to Ubuntu.
For me the "Apple tax" is worth it, but it depends on your priorities, and to be honest, a XP/Ubuntu dualboot laptop for half the price (or even less) and half the weight would suit my needs as well. I just happen to have a preference for OS X and am willing to pay lots and lots of money to use it. Not everyone are.
In their newest laptops Apple seem to be going for a much higher build quality than their competitors - at a premium price. I haven't really been that impressed with Apple the last several years in this respect but it seems like they might have turned a corner.
You can get a quite capable machine for much less. That's simply a fact. However, OS X suits my needs slightly better than Vista does. For my purposes, the only real choice is between Linux and OS X, however, and I think OS X wins hands down on the desktop compared to Ubuntu.
For me the "Apple tax" is worth it, but it depends on your priorities, and to be honest, a XP/Ubuntu dualboot laptop for half the price (or even less) and half the weight would suit my needs as well. I just happen to have a preference for OS X and am willing to pay lots and lots of money to use it. Not everyone are.
I really hope this is correct. Aside from all the minor nits that affect only some people (glossy screens, firewire, the lack of a <3 lb notebook, the lack of a mid-range expandable desktop Mac, etc, etc), I think this is the major issue for Apple right now -- re-establishing their traditional reputation of making higher build quality PCs than anyone else.
by tinker you mean scanning their drives for rootkits and malware? or may be wasting 50% of their CPU time running antiviruses? or could it be spending hours trying to theme windows to look like Aqua?
MS windows lowered the standard and expectations from an operating system across the globe.
I don't think Apple can afford to drop the $999 MacBook in today's economy.
When they recoup the design and setup costs for the Aluminum MacBook, they'll come out with a budget $999 model. Hopefully, they'll throw out the Ethernet and put Firewire back in...
Windows is good for gaming (since a Windows PC with a lot of power is much cheaper than a Mac Pro) and we use it at work since Dell PC's are cheap-o.
XB360 is a great platform.
MS has its uses.