Microsoft alters Laptop Hunters "Lauren" ad after Apple calls to complain
By Laura June 
posted July 24th 2009 12:31PM
posted July 24th 2009 12:31PM
In a continuation of the saga that began about ten days ago, Microsoft has altered one of its Laptop Hunters ads to reflect Apple's recent price changes. Last we'd heard, Microsoft COO Kevin Turner was boasting that the ads had been so successful that a rep from Apple had called to ask that the ads be pulled. Turner pointed out that Apple's complaint -- that the prices were no longer correct -- was the result of a price cut of "$100 or something." Now it appears that one ad -- the one featuring the second Lauren -- has been re-edited so that she no longer mentions the price of the MacBook Pro ("over $2,000"), which has been dropped to $1,700. We'll be honest -- we don't care how this turns out, just as long as we can keep on using the words "Apple" and "Microsoft" in the same sentence.
[Via Apple Insider]
[Via Apple Insider]
Just had to weigh in on this... Mac Boys - the hardware is the same, not similar, the same. The motherboards are mddded slightly (dropping the BIOS for example) but computers are a commodity product, only the shells are different - they not only use the same components, but are made by the same consortium of companies (for example, ASUS, the ones who introduced the world to the modern "netbook" also makes Apple laptops)... Basically, you're paying for the OS (and is an Apple OS worth the $500+ premium)?
Apple, unlock the OS and play on a level playing field. Microsoft, well, stop being Microsoft - you;d make the whole world proprietary and us paying a fee if you could - go out and buy someone elses OS again and brand it as your own (that is a reference to the original DOS if anyone doesn't know)... Have fun Mac Boy and Mic Boy...
@bryan >> "the hardware is the same, not similar, the same"
I said this above... but I'll say it again.
It's not about the components... it's the total package. Even computers with the same components can be vastly different.
If you think a $700 13" HP laptop is EXACTLY the same as a 13" Macbook Pro... you're crazy.
It might not matter to you if you only compare CPU, ram and hard drives... but things like thickness, weight, trackpads, battery life and the OS are what differentiates between laptops.
>> "is an Apple OS worth the $500+ premium?"
Is Vista the reason Windows laptops are so cheap?
are they really the same hardware? unibody construction. backlit keyboards. mini display port. giant touchpad. of course these are all things that any hardware manufacturer can adopt. so now add those extra costs in and add the software support in the os and many apps and you have the rough costs of an apple macbook pro.
apple designs systems. that means software and hardware. unlocking their os to any dell/hp/sony/asus pc clone maker would cheapen not only the experience but also the apple brand name-the name that has taken years to build. the name that sells 1,000,000 phones over a weekend. the name that everyone in the industry waits to copy from.
a level playing field would simply turn into os wars. who can make a cheaper os for less? people covet their hardware and are fans of hardware. if you remove that aspect, you remove enthusiasm for technology which is something apple invented and microsoft so wishes they had just once.
They fixed a lot of things in their new commercial that had bothered me in the earlier ones...nice job Microsoft!
@Michael Scrip
Yes, the 13.3" HP is the same computer essentually as the 13.3" Macbook. If you think differently, you are deluding yourself. Same components, same manufacturer, same everything internally. Different shell, different OS. You are paying a premium for an OS and a shell.
@bryan >> "Different shell, different OS. You are paying a premium for an OS and a shell. "
First, reply to the correct comment.
Second, different shell and different OS... that's a huge difference. Unibody aluminum body, huge multi-touch trackpad, glass screen, less than an inch thick... and how much would that HP laptop cost if HP developed their own OS?
I know what you are saying... they are probably made in the same factory... but they are NOT THE SAME LAPTOP.
Tell me the difference between this: http://www.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/hp_pavilion_dv3t_3.jpg
and this: http://assets.gearlive.com/blogimages/gallery/macbook-pro-09-unboxing/011-macbook-pro-2009-unboxing_medium.jpg
ALL computers are essentially the same... until you look at *other* ways they are different. You are forgetting that last part.
I said it before, and I say it again: Apple and Microsoft are not competitors on the PC market. Never were. Microsoft makes software, Apple makes computers, which run ALL of Microsoft's products. Apple's software products (except a handful of free ones) are not allowed to run on non-Apple computers, which means that MS can take all of the other manufacturers for themselves.
MS is ill-advised to take on Apple as a direct competitor.
That does not mean that Apple is not a threat to MS. They are, simply because they showcase alternatives, since MS was stupid enough to venture into a business model that only worked as long as they had a quasi-monopoly.
The only way for MS to avoid this threat is by beating Apple on the same playing field: By making products that are BETTER than Apple's. An OS that Mac users are willing to install instead of Mac OS X.
Running ads will do nothing. But that's hard for the sales guy that runs MS currently to grasp.
Whatever, I'm gonna go play Crysis now.
@Michael, thank you for agreeing that the are the same laptop with just a different case... Out of your own mouth, all the things you're point to are not pointing at the core components. So open up that MAC, you're seeing an HP inside. And an Toshiba, and a Sony, and a Dell, and a Gateway....
" No major laptop brand is really much more likely to break down than any other. Why? Because most laptops are essentially commodity products, made from the exact same components, and differentiated only by their outer shells and extra features.“
“Who makes the most reliable laptops?
by Dan Ackerman – 5-7-08
http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9938550-1.html?tag=cnetfd.mt
ODM/OEM Laptop manufacturers (2007)
- Quanta sells to (among others) Alienware, Apple Inc., HP/Compaq, Dell, Toshiba, Sony, Fujitsu, Acer, NEC, Gateway and IBM; Quanta is currently (as of August, 2007) the largest manufacturer of notebook computers in the world (9,677,000 notebooks shipped in 2006)
- Compal sells to Toshiba, HP/Compaq, Acer, and Dell
- Wistron sells to HP/Compaq, Dell, IBM, NEC, and Acer
- Asus sells to Apple (iBook), Sony, and Samsung
- Inventec sells to HP/Compaq, Toshiba, and BenQ
- Arima sells to HP/Compaq, NEC, and Dell
- Uniwill/ECS sells to IBM, Fujitsu, and Dell
"Currently, the Taiwan-based OEM companies with largest market share are Quanta, Compal, Wistron, Inventec and Asus, whose laptop shipment account for 85.5% of the total globally. “
- China Laptop Industry Report 2006-2007
http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/462211
It's not about breaking down, it's about the quality of the build. The new MacBooks are incredibly solid, largely to the aluminum and the unibody structure. Granted no PC will break more often than another. Some people seem to correlate breaking to software malfunctioning, which plagued a lot of the HP Pavilions that all my classmates had. $599 Best Buy deal, and a bunch of students going back to school, you do the math haha.
@bryan
Once again... why can't you reply to the same thread? It's really easy... just click reply in the comment.
Anyway... Yes, Macs have motherboards, CPUs and hard drives. Of course they do... they are computers. Why do you keep repeating that?
But Apple comes along and adds OTHER features that other computers don't have. Why do you keep ignoring that?
It's not a Macbook Pro if it doesn't have a glass screen.
It's not a Macbook Pro if it doesn't have a glass touchpad.
It's not a Macbook Pro if it's not made out of aluminum.
It's not a Macbook Pro if it doesn't run OSX.
See any differences between an HP laptop and a Mac laptop? It may come out of the same factory in Taiwan... but it's not the same computer.
All computers have motherboards, CPUs and hard drives... but that doesn't mean that are all computers are the same.
All cars have engines, wheels and seats... but that doesn't mean that are all cars are the same.
hey Buddy,
I think you have take note of this..
If Benz and GM cars components are made in China by same company, it dosent mean..
That they are same ....
Get this into ur mind.....
and exactly the same way Apple and HP are not the same in their hardware too....
I'll take any excuse I can get to see this commercial again. Lauren is a hottie.
To Kevin Turner of Microsoft ... I call Shenanigans .... Prove it ... Apple legal would never make that call.
Turn over the phone records or you are a liar.
Apple legal would send a certified request for a cease and desist, as would any corporation Microsoft included. They would NEVER call and make a request.
P.S. If I called Microsoft from my office what are the odds I could get the COO of one of the largest corporations in the world to pick up the phone?
Answer 0% it would have to go through Microsoft legal first, you as a officer of a corporation would never take that call without legal council on hand ...PERIOD !!!
SHENANIGANS
SHENANIGANS
SHENANIGANS
NEW MICROSOFT AD CAMPAIGN: Now focus on ALL the applications/games that do NOT run on a Mac.
Point out how, if the Mac was SO great, why is the PC the dominant business tool for Fortune 500 companies.
Why is everyone so surprised that Macs cost more? It's completely redundant to say that it has similar specs, for a lot more than the competition. The reality of it all is you are paying to use Mac OS X, and have seamless integration between your Apple products. That's why people buy Macs.
I could go price a PC for a lot less than my MacBook, but I like Mac OS X, and realize I pay a pretty premium to use it. Sony is no better, they have a Sony Tax too. I also love Apple's customer service and what they offer their customers (and for the price you pay, it better be a great experience). The only other PC manufacturer that actually treated me well and fixed everything, even the minor things was Dell. I had an old XPS M170, back when the XPS line was a premium laptop line, not plagued by this Studio XPS crap, and Dell had its own XPS hotline for customers.
I'm a macbook user and I didnt pay a dime for mine. If I were to pay for my own laptop, I'll get one from HP.
Say what you want, I've been using mac since the powermac 7200. All mac os is a computer world equivalent to Micheal Bay, all style no substance (not to mention it got more leaks that the titanic). Throughout my college years my macs have always been the chick magnet (and still is) but the windows based pc is the one who did the real job, generating beer money and getting shit done. And praise dont come any higher than that.
nicely put and so true though u will be called a hater, fanboi, and so many other adjectives
Nice to see that MS is getting to The Apple. I don't remember this much flak from MS with the not completely true "Switcher" adds. And they were in some cases mostly false. But hey MS may finally be getting the whole advert. idea its only taken them this long....
if that's her mom then in 30 years that's what she'll look like...
i'm an apple user, and i think these commercials are pretty effective at grabbing you while watching TV.
they are well done, but i don't see what they do for PC's besides saying that they are cheaper, which we all already know.
i actually thought the PC commercials with the little kids using photoshop software made the point better...
besides, i don't know why Apple cares what the commercial says one way or another. the higher price point is
where they decided to position themselves in the market, like BMW or Audi vs. Chevrolet. didn't a report
just come out that apple has 90% of the market over $1000? what more do they want?
@javanese: PC/mac style and substance remark: prolly depends on what you do. i use both at work and it takes me four times as many clicks to do something on the PC side as the Mac side. Maybe it sheds light on how our brains process things.
Microsoft is getting pretty clever at marketing nowadays. First they have the brilliant laptop hunter ads that stung Apple in the pocketbook, then they make an announcement about "the best phone call" the Microsoft employee had "in his life", when he spoke to Apple's legal team about prices in the laptop hunter ads.
If it wasn't for that highly publicized spin on Apple's request, "Microsoft changes laptop hunter ad after Apple price drop" would be the only headline we would have seen. As it panned out, Microsoft was able to twist the development into a jab against Apple and their laptops only coming down "what, a hundred bucks?" in price.
That said, I just bought a Mac Mini and a MacBook Pro as my sole desktop and laptop computers, so I'm not a Microsoft fanboy or anything. I just respect Microsoft's newfound panache.
The Microsoft stores sound like another effective idea if they can showcase cool things like Surface, too.
Mark my words, she will look exactly like her mom in 20 years. It's all in the hips......
Surface could be the game changer in these stores .... I can see it now ...I go in to the suburban mall for a laptop or desktop in the ads for under a grand ...and walk out with an 80,000.00 surface device....these guys at MS are freaking tricky.
I'll take a PC and the Girl Please.
I really hate how these advertisements get these people talking about mac, i understand this is a promo for microsoft, but come on, they seem to get people who are uneducated on computers, people walking up to the mac, OH this is purely for astetics, MAC is the least esteticly pleasing piece of hardware out there, and they dont realise that it is a powerful machine, i know its competition, but you dont see mac with all these extra features on their computers, all the hardware is pretty basic.
NOW, mac is for Production and artistic purposes, but most people say you cant use it for every day computing, but YOU CAN!
It is a learning curve, but it would not be any more difficult for these people to learn mac, because obviously they dont really have a clue on how to use Winblows either.
That sounds like the most 1990s Mac comment ever lol.
1. Most people find them incredibly elegant to look at, even I wold agree.
2. Every PC can do media work as well, it was just decided in the 90s that the Mac would be the media computer, despite PCs do it just as well.
3. Mac OS X is designed to be the easiest OS to use, with no learning curve. The computers holds your hand while you're using it.
Yet another story that refers to this supposed phone call (from Apple Legal to MS).
Seriously, guys, just have a look at what evidence you have:
Exhibit A: testimony from an MS guy that he took a call, and while he reckons he had a hunch that it was Apple Legal on the other end, they never said who they were, and he himself admitted he had no real proof of who was actually calling him.
Exhibit B: n/a there are no other exhibits.
No supporting evidence, no supporting testimony, no confirmation from the suspected "other players", no hard-copy proof of anything whatsoever. Just one guy, and his hunch.
You have to stop reporting this phone call without adding a disclaimer mentioning the completely unproven nature of the claim. Or at least do it once, hey! Instead of just reporting the call over and over again as though it is a true and established fact. It is not.