This is probably the best MS ad I have ever seen.

Yesterday, I saw an unofficial response over on Gizmodo. Some dude offered to give Lauren his Macbook to see which one she liked better if money were not an option. It would be an interesting study. It just shows that Macbook is way overpriced.

I am happy to see Microsoft finally step up their game with a decent ad campaign. Now if they can do something about their phones…

So – look as she walks into the Apple store. See the guy with the camera? Watch when she walks out. See the guy with the camera? Yup… he made it about 15 feet.

She really “shopped” the Apple store didn’t she.

Reality with the ads – they do a good job of convincing people to buy a Windows box because they’re cheaper. That’s wonderful and exactly what Microsoft wants and needs. People who buy Macs aren’t typically happy with how much they cost either, but they buy them for other reasons above and beyond price.

This was just an advertisement by Hyundai competing against Volvo or Kia against Honda. Sure they’re cheaper. Sure they have all the options. But they’ll also be in a car compactor years before that other brand is. Price isn’t everything when you’re making a purchase.

Oh – and check out this comparison. She didn’t get a “good deal” she got a great deal if it was a couple years ago. http://www.9to5mac.com/hp-microsoft-ad-broken-down —

Finally, Macs aren’t very over priced when you compare them direct hardware to hardware with HP, Dell, Toshiba or Sony higher end laptops. In the end, this commercial does great things for Microsoft. They’ll sell some low end laptops from it (and thereby Windows Licenses). Good for them. Does it benefit anyone but Microsoft? Nope. HP doesn’t make money on low end craptops. They’re going to lose money on these commercials because the buyers are all going to be folks who don’t know any better and spend half their time on the phone with support with questions like “Where’s the `any` key”.

Anyway, like I said… Hyundai vs Volvo. Kia vs Honda.

>Finally, Macs aren’t very over priced when you compare them direct hardware to hardware with HP, Dell, Toshiba or Sony higher end laptops.
@Brandon: I just got a Dell XPS Studio 16 for about $1370. The comparable 15″ Macbook Pro starts at $2240 for similar graphics, screen res, backlit keyboard, hard drive speed and size, plus the XPS comes with a webcam and facial recognition software for the OS and websites, which is a handy plus IMHO.

Agreed, one of the best MS ads around. As for the “responses”, all I can say is that Apple fanbois seem to have this need to try to justify spending way too much for Apple hardware, whether it’s a Mac or an iPod. It sounds to me like they’re trying to convince themselves more than anyone else. “Buyer’s Remorse” makes one do that.

I have a Kia. It is a shite laptop, and it made me go Mac

The Kia probably didn’t help your reverse parking either!
Doug mentioned the McStalker, here’s the link

http://i.gizmodo.com/5187031/lauren-we-have-someone-whod-like-to-talk-to-you?skyline=true&s=i

You still have to say your low priced netbook, that can actually be MacHacked cruelly delivers on a budget! this is really about a limited expenditure, not the cost of components!

It’s a clever ad in a way.

She’s sent to get a laptop that Apple don’t sell. Apple don’t sell a low end 17″ laptop. They compare a low end 17″ with a high end 17″ and conclude Apple are more expensive? Huh? Different markets altogether!

Here, when compared with their direct competition, the regular Macbooks are quite competitive.

The Mac build quality is pretty good too, Dell doesn’t compare. Few laptops have any metal shell whatsoever these days. For example, the metal shell on my old Acer laptop has kept it in magnificant condition despite it being 6 years old and extremely well used.

James R

edit: different James to above
edit: Ok, Brandon said pretty much the same thing before me!

@james (first one) – While your buyers remorse argument may apply to some if not many “fanboys” I can tell you 100% the argument doesn’t apply to me. I’ve never been as pleased with a computer purchase as I have been with my MacBook. I love my little Hackintosh HP Mini but I didn’t buy that one so it doesn’t quite apply although its an excellent value.

I agree iPods are grossly over priced. Maybe not the iPod Touch (although it is really expensive) but the regular ones are really over the top. That said – they’re also better built than most of the cheap plastic ones you see on woot.com.

Look – we could argue this all day. I’m a systems administrator. I use Windows Server, RedHat, Solaris, AIX all day long. I use a Mac at home. That should say a lot about the OS.

Build Quality – Breley’s Studio XPS (when built to match the MacBook Pro) definitely costs less – but more than the $1300 he paid. Its got “aluminum & leather accents”, but its made out of magnesium alloy. The MBP is Aluminum. For a better comparison, go price the Dell Precision laptops. That’s more the target market (price and quality wise) and that’s who Apple competes against in that space. Regular MacBook (13″) spec for spec the price is really close to his XPS system.

Resale Value – 2 & 3 year old MBPs sell for more on eBay than a brand new XPS. It gets even worse when you compare a straight MacBook against the resale value of say a laptop like the lady in the video bought.

Oh … and the XPS comes with 15 months of Trend Micro Security. Good thing, as that will save a lot of what it would have cost for a good anti-virus and firewall package. I’ll let you know when I HAVE to install Anti-Virus on my Mac.

Again – I could beat up the price argument all day long. It boils down to what you want, and getting what you pay for. I wouldn’t (as someone who spends all day and most of the evening in front of a computer) even consider buying the system she bought because I know its sub-par. The comparisons Microsoft is making here is (pardon the pun) Apples to Oranges and just preys on consumers who don’t know any better.

OK, here is my take. Yes, if you compare high end to high end then you are probably going to be in the same price range. The truth though is that most users, despite what they might tell you, are nowhere near needing a high end laptop. They do some email, Internet, and maybe use office. These days, they probably also do some music and photos. That is where Apple, I think fails most users. They do not offer the less expensive alternative like Dell and HP do. (Mind you, I think HP laptops are junk, but that is neither here nor there). By only offering the suped up models, you end up paying a lot more than you should because you are getting a lot of features most of us will not need and do not want (or even necessarily understand).

Going back to the car analogy, most car companies do not offer only one version of each model. There is the economy version which has few frills and extra features, a mid-range version, and the high end which includes very extra and perk. Apple only seems to offer the high end version, while most Windows companies offer several different levels to meet you needs.

Like Brandon said, it is comparing Apples to Oranges.

As for the iPod, I have to say that in my testing, the audio quality simply does not stand up. Yes, it is really cool looking and made from a much nicer material than other media players. And while the Zune may not ever have anything close to the market penetration of the iPod, I thought it was by far the best sounding media player out there. In fact, I found that the iPod was a distant number three behind the Zune and Sony Walkman.

Doug

This has really sent me into comparison mode, and really, the packaging, definitely does not constitute the device, and the power within, is no better with a polished steel case, performance is paramount

You’ve all covered tech back and forth here, so I’m going to take the vanity angle. I have yet to see an affordable comp that can rival the pure tech sexiness of the Macbooks. Maybe a Sony Vaio P but that’s not really a laptop — it’s a netbook that was hit by a really pretty hammer.

Oh Thomas – always taking the low road. I think that is probably true, but also think it doesn’t do the MacBook justice. I’ve been involved in tech for a living – like Brandon – for many years, and the sexiness is honestly the least important factor in choosing to switch to Mac around a year ago. It’s all about performance and UI and virtually no malware for me …