This day in Engadget: Microsoft unleashes a laptop hunter
By Laura June 
posted March 27th 2010 3:33PM
posted March 27th 2010 3:33PM
Welcome to 'This day in Engadget', where we crack open the archives and take a whimsical look back at the memories and moments of our storied past. Please join us on this trip down random access memory lane.
On March 27th, 2009, Microsoft outed the first of a new series of ads called the "Laptop Hunters," starting off its campaign with Lauren, who wanted a powerful computer for less than a thousand dollars. We poked a bit of fun at the ad (well, mostly we poked fun at Lauren herself), but it signaled that Microsoft was taking on its main competitor -- Apple -- where it hurt them most: pricing. Of course, this was pre-Windows 7, which proved to be a major success by any metric, but certainly against the much-maligned Vista. Apple later called to complain about the ads -- saying that the pricing was no longer correct -- and Microsoft updated the ads, though Microsoft COO Tim Cook Kevin Turner had something to say about the size of the price cuts.
Also on this date:
March 27th, 2009: Tesla's CEO said that model S Roadster wasn't actually that expensive (and we laughed at him), the iPhone 3G became available contract free, and Palm issued a takedown for TealOS (the fake WebOS for older Palm devices.
March 27th, 2008: NVIDIA drivers took the heat for causing 30 percent of Windows Vista crashes, Microsoft Surface was reportedly headed for consumers in 2011, the PlayStation Network had a major security situation on its hands, the OLPC was lovingly overclocked, and a MacBook Air got pwnd.
March 27th, 2007: The as-yet-unreleased first gen iPhone was waved around at CTIA, AT&T sued NASCAR over a paint job, Netflix founder Reed Hastings joined the board of Microsoft, and Texas Instruments showed of its tiny little DLP projector.
March 27th, 2006: Media snacker Robert Scoble showed off Microsoft's Auxiliary Display on video, Denmark was reported to be joining forces with France in asking Apple to open its DRM, and photos of the supposed iRiver E10 got shown off.
March 27th, 2005: Sony was reportedly going to be forced to stop selling its Dual Shock Controllers over patent infringement, TiVo was said to be testing banner ads during fast forwards, and Palm's Tungsten E2's specs were finally revealed.
March 27th, 2004: Two men in Italy were banned from ever using cellphones again after using them to harass ex-girlfriends, some Palm video game emulators got shown off, and something called the Simputer finally came into existence.
Also on this date:
March 27th, 2009: Tesla's CEO said that model S Roadster wasn't actually that expensive (and we laughed at him), the iPhone 3G became available contract free, and Palm issued a takedown for TealOS (the fake WebOS for older Palm devices.
March 27th, 2008: NVIDIA drivers took the heat for causing 30 percent of Windows Vista crashes, Microsoft Surface was reportedly headed for consumers in 2011, the PlayStation Network had a major security situation on its hands, the OLPC was lovingly overclocked, and a MacBook Air got pwnd.
March 27th, 2007: The as-yet-unreleased first gen iPhone was waved around at CTIA, AT&T sued NASCAR over a paint job, Netflix founder Reed Hastings joined the board of Microsoft, and Texas Instruments showed of its tiny little DLP projector.
March 27th, 2006: Media snacker Robert Scoble showed off Microsoft's Auxiliary Display on video, Denmark was reported to be joining forces with France in asking Apple to open its DRM, and photos of the supposed iRiver E10 got shown off.
March 27th, 2005: Sony was reportedly going to be forced to stop selling its Dual Shock Controllers over patent infringement, TiVo was said to be testing banner ads during fast forwards, and Palm's Tungsten E2's specs were finally revealed.
March 27th, 2004: Two men in Italy were banned from ever using cellphones again after using them to harass ex-girlfriends, some Palm video game emulators got shown off, and something called the Simputer finally came into existence.
I think these ads were executed well, good job on Microsoft's part.
@Schmid7y
I agree. However they should not really have been neccessary. because anybody who has ever used a PC knows that Windows is simply a far, far better OS than the kluged on UI over freebie Unix that CrApple foists upon the market at greatly inflated proces.
I just do not get it. WINDOWS IS BETTER.
@Schmid7y
I remember the collective cow the tech blogs and Apple fanatics had over these ads. They called her all types of evil names, made fun of her weight, and tried everything to heap scorn on her.
There was even a group of them that offered to buy the girl a Mac so they could then run around and shout about how no one really wanted a PC.
@Mack Stone You cant even compare mac sales with pc sales is like 1:100 per hour
@LAY
and when she said "No thanks."?
@Mack Stone What's a Mac?
@LAY I remember people calling BS on the adds. I can't remember anything about her weight that was negative though.
Another story that surfaced around the same time was the one about the college student who claimed she had to drop out of college because she bought a Dell netbook with Ubuntu pre-installed. I remember that one getting particularly nasty.
You know guys, instead of replying to Mack Stone you could always just hit the Report button and get him banned for constant trolling.
Just a thought.
@aikiwolfie Erm... how did that go? I've been using Kubuntu on my netbook for college for well over a year and haven't dropped out.
If she valued college over her netbook, surely she'd just install Windows XP and be done with it.
@Schmid7y
Missing the old Engadget.
@Schmid7y These ads where pretty Lame the only one i liked was this one and it wasn't even done by microsoft.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbJSuduTrPs
@Schmid7y It actually happen to me. I sold my 13" Macbook (core duo 2.4ghz, 2gb DDR3, 250gb HDD, and Aluminum Uni-body) and time capsule for $850 on Ebay, and I got brand new 16.4" VAIO F (i7 1.6ghz, 4gb DDR3, Geforce 330m, 1080p screen, HDMI port, 7200rpm 500gb HDD) for $1195.
I lost lovely multi-touch trackpad, aluminum body, and Mac feeling (that makes me wanna take Mac out in public place :) )
Now I have HDMI port to connect my 47"HDTV, tons of processing power, 1080p display, and games.
Also I don't have to worry about my wife's netbook (Timecapsule had serious problem with Windows)
Over roll, I don't regret my decision. I am doin video editing and web development. I got what I need for less money. I would come back to Apple when they were willing to remove Apple Tax.
@raiden8383 oh sorry... actually I sold my macbook with time capsule for $950
@raiden8383 That's bull, you will never find a Macbook unibody on bay for that cheap, i know cause i have been looking for one. Also when buying any machine it's the Bus speed what you have to look at and not how much noise the processor makes.
@keymaker1 It is not bull. As I said I put on ebay "buy it now" for $950. I sold it very fast. Time capsule was 500gb (first generation). I got refurbished Mac aug 2009 for $999 plus tax and Used Time capsule for $110. I spent around $1200 and I sold them for $950.
I only lost $250(if include tax) but it still good deal to me because technology is changing very fast.
Is this helpful to you?
@Schmid7y vw for the win
So, I guess it keeps posts coming on slow days (aka weekends)? Not a bad idea.
My girlfriend just got herself a Sony VAIO laptop (which we all know is on the expensive end of Windows PCs) with a new i7, 4GB of RAM, a 500GB HDD, a 1GB video card, and a 16" 1080p screen, for just under $1000. Eat that, Apple. She should've been in a laptop hunters commercial.
@Alex
Show me where you got that or I'm calling BS.
Not because I'm defending Apple or anything. I just want that laptop.
@Phoenix
Sony.com, configure an F Series laptop. There was a one-day $50-off promotion, plus I got a slight discount through my company. (But you can get Apple discounts as well.)
My dad got a Sony VAIO with a Core i3 and Blu-ray drive at Best Buy for $729, $280 cheaper than the cheapest MacBook!
@Alex
My girlfriend actually got a laptop under a grand because of those commercials too. But of corse it was no i7 lol. But none the less, it still owns my current one.
She wants a MAC now too JUST because of their iPhoto program. Literally just because of that. I keep telling her not too, but she'll do what she wants to do =/
@abedinthehouse
omg I forgot to mention, my gfs name is also Lauren!
@abedinthehouse
Show your girlfriend Picasa. It's very nice (and free.)
@abedinthehouse
Tell your gf to use Windows Live Photo Gallery. Although the name is annoyingly long the software is a magical experiance in my opinion. I used Picasa and many other softwares but none had the stright forward look and feel that fits with Vista or 7 as Live Photo Gallery. Since I started using it, it's now my default photo viewing program and my only photo gallery solution, and it beats iPhoto in many aspects! :)
@Alex But It already Start $999 which include i7 1.6ghz, 4gb DDR3, 500gb HDD 5200rpm. 780p display, Geforce 310m, and free upgrade blue-ray disc drive
If i wanna add 1080p and Geforce 330m 1gb, it added $150. Are you sure that this option are included?
I got mine (i7 1.6ghz, 4gb DDR3, Geforce 330m 1gb, 1080p screen, HDMI port, 7200rpm 500gb HDD) for $1195+no tax
@Alex I'd just like to point out that the base configuration for an F series VAIO is $999 and one spec'd like the one you mentioned (assuming the slower i7) is $1354.99. A bit more than a slight company discount if it really was under a grand. Oh well, would've liked to have that if it really was under a grand.
@Alex
The configurator must have been slightly different when I ordered it because hers does not include a blu-ray drive. I think her configuration added up to ~$1200, minus the $50 instant rebate and the company discount, which came out to like ~$980 or so.
@Alex However I agree with you. about price, that is why I sold my macbook to buy PC.
cheapest Macbook price = non configuration VAIO F price
(i don't wanna talk about refurbished thing)
Macbook has core duo 2.2ghz, 2gb memory(4gb max), 250gb hdd, 13" 1280x800 display, (from apple.com)
VAIO F hs i7 1.6ghz, 2gb memory(8gb max), 320gb hdd, 16.4" 1600x900 display, blue-ray drive, geforce 310m 512mb (from sonystyle.com), HDMI port
Look what we can get for $1000, also I can guarantee that you can find more low price of VAIO F all of the internet.
Laptop hunters was a great marketing campaign, regardless of how you want to look at it.
@Mack Stone You're a dumb ass. Not everyone is willing to waste money on a Mac when they can get something better for the same price or less.
@Mack Stone So because I dont want to spend a bunch of money of a laptop, that makes me a cheapskate? To do more than play a few games, surf the net and do a report or two? What can a mac do that the average person cant do already?
@Mack Stone
I certainly am a cheapskate, what with my i7 laptop. I should have just gotten one from Apple. Which laptops have the Intel 2010 Core processors from Apple? Oh...
@Mack Stone
Oh hi, trollboy.
I would give you a C for the effort, but seeing that Mac trolls are as common as it gets you get a big fat F.
@Mack Stone
I didn't see all the other posts. You get a B-, too many gullible idiots reading Engadget apparently.
@Sunweb i would of given stoneTroll a C but
macs cant find C they just point to MacHDD
ba dat shhh
thank you thank you ill be here all week
try the veal dont forget to tip your waitress
@Mack Stone
you're right though, most people who buy macs certainty are not cheapskates, but they certainly are idiots if they think they are getting a good value.
i don't know why someone buying a 1000 dollar computer makes them a cheapskate, that's a lot of money.
Also, buying a better computer for 1000 instead of 1700 doesn't make you a cheapskate, it just makes you smart.
@Mack Stone
Silly fanboy, people who buy BMWs don't care about anything but... STATUS! Sure, their cars are developed at Nürburgring, some have simply breathtaking performance, and in many respects are amazing cars, but I just read something saying 80% of 1-Series buyers thought their cars were front wheel drive and I doubt even 10% ever really explore what their Ultimate Driving Machine is capable of.
Oh, never mind, you were right on comparing BMW buyers to Apple users. My bad.
@Mack Stone
The Mac vs. PC ads were marketed towards people who wouldn't buy a PC anyways. See what I did there?
Looking back, I HATED those Mac vs. PC ads...
@Mack Stone
People who buy BMW's are mostly arrogant pricks who don't give a f*k about traffic rules and cause, by far, most frustration to other drivers, cutting us of, driving way to fast, thinking they are the king of the road. Excellent comparison if you want to state that mac users are arrogant bastards (like the stone temple pilots) .
And I know at least one person who has a mac and never buys us a beer, he always drinks off of others.
All that makes you quite the ignorant loser. well done.
@Mack Stone
First of all, lumping "us" all in the same group must really be fun for you. So the iPhone might have "missing feature" but I know that doesnt matter to a majority of the world. Teck/geek people dont make up all of the people who use electronics on a daily basis. Joe Sombody and Susie Something aren't going to care about those "missing features".
Also the people who want to spend in a recession will do so regardless. People by high end PCs so why not Macs in a recession.
No one has ever touted any competing touch screen smartphone as "The iPhone Killer" The public has come up with that moniker.
Also because a phone doesnt outsell the iPhone that means it has "gone down in flames"? Wow what logic.
I dont want the iPad but that doesnt mean it isnt going to do well or be a success. I wish you wouldnt lump all of the people who just choose not to purchase Apple Products into "Apple Haters".
@Mack Stone
I think you, too, are blinded by the place you come from. I doubt many HATE Apple like you claim. Personally, it is just deep and profound disappointment. Apple used to, well, Think Different, and now they just think iPhone (witness: bobble head iMac v. iPhone look iMac, a minor refresh of a 4 year old design). The Intel switch worried me since I loved my iBook G4 and was lusting after a G4 Cube and 12in PowerBook G4, but the day the delayed Leopard to make sure the iPhone was "just right" was they day they died to me. Yet, I still shelled out a few grand for a 15in MacBook Pro... then had to buy Windows to do all the stuff I need a computer to do. And then had to go buy the operating system I was told by... well, by folks like you, would be on them if I waited till the late September refresh. And then the problems started. I went through 2 batteries, a new top case, a new charger, new screen, new logic board and a new hard drive, and about 40 of those little rubber feet... in 15 months. Mind you, my computer was being carried in sleeve, inside a pricey designer messenger bag that has never even touched the floor, let alone been manhandled. The staff in store were smug and utterly unhelpful, and even with an appointment, I would wait for an hour to be told they would need it for a week to fix the latest problem, which is a problem for someone who makes their living with their computer. I rejoiced the day I got the EXACT computer I wanted with both a 128 SSD and a 500gb HDD, blu-ray burner, HD TV tuner, massive screen and Windows. Oh, and it all cost 1/2 of my MBP, and thus far, not one issue. Then I wanted an ultra portable computer for checking email and the such, and briefly considered getting an MacBook Air. Then I wised up, got a netbook and paid off a credit card. Yes, there are a select group of industry professionals who Apple computers are better for, but for the vast majority, they would be fine with a basic netbook, or if they must, an iPad. Also of note: Apple STILL does not have a notebook that costs less than a grand! Online, right now, there are 125 computers priced under the cheapest MacBook at Best Buy...
So, Mr. Stone, since you are obviously a *very* enthusiastic Apple user, I implore you to go just one week without coming in contact in any way with the dreaded Micro$oft and their Windows. Just seven short days. Then we will discuss irrelevance.
@Mack Stone yes, wouldn't buy a Mac because they know how much money they have! do you need to be taught the value of a dollar again? or how to say nice things?
@BrianH I want you to give up every luxury food you have then. No more chocolate, no more champagne, no more lobster. $40 lobster dinners are for idiots! People should live on bread and water. Cheap and does the job just fine!
Macs have a better designed and better built exterior (Jonathon Ives is an unmatched industrial designer.) Mac OS X is attractive, user-friendly, and reliable. Going on a Mac is like sitting down in a Mercedes-Benz.
Do Macs offer a better user experience? The consumer market votes with its money, and it votes yes, yes Macs do.
@Kristofir
At 5% of the market share they obviously voted different than what you think.
@Kristofir
ok Kristofir (pretty good name for the topic at hand)...
let's stop comparing a device intended for the "high class" society like a grade lobster to the mac, that's why people hate mac users, because they think that the mac is god gift to earth or something.
Also, the mac isn't the Luxury version, and PC is, because no one NEEDS a pc, it isn't a necessity.
The mac is just the disgusting 90% dark chocolate bars that only a few people like.
The pc is milk chocolate, and only douches don't like milk chocolate.
@BrianH
I like both milk and dark chocolate, but I like milk more. I also make sure I get the good stuff.
@BrianH Lindtt: Hurrr!
... Anyway, continue.
Nice article, keep up writing things like this.
Ooh, I had forgotten about the Simputer... iPad killer!