Microsoft hits Apple on their own turf
The gauntlet has been thrown down and Microsoft is making it pretty clear that they’re not going to be bullied around by Apple’s advertising tactics. In England at least. Apparently, these booths aren’t just advertisements, but they’re also interactive booths. From AppleInsider:
“It’s a friggin booth where you can record your own I’m a PC video,” he said. “This is outside the Apple Store, Bullring, Birmingham, England.” He added that a trio of Microsoft staffers will be on hand to turn patrons off from the Mac for the next three days.
Microsoft staffers will be there goal-tending! Wow, this is a pretty gutsy move. One would think this is just asking for it – how can things not get intense or even hostile? Of course, it’s perfectly legal for Microsoft to put these booths right in front of Apple stores, but talk about taking it to their house and just invading their turf – ballsy! Steve Ballmer and all his buddies aren’t holding back and are pulling all the stops. What do you guys think? Good idea, bad idea? Let us know!
Windows works fine. This is an awesome move by Microsoft. Stick in right in Apple’s face. Sweet! I can’t imagine why anyone would buy anything from Apple anyway.
Dog walkers will appreciate the kiosk.
@FyreStarrter No they are for people who don’t know how to use computers.
This is awesome, way to go MS, keep it up
Microsoft comes off as being rather desperate for even acknowledging Apple in this sort of way. Clearly, Apple is gaining traction and getting attention from Microsoft due to Apple’s success in recent years. By responding to Apple (in such a gutsy way), Microsoft is only acknowledging Apple as a legitimate threat and competitor.
In terms of advertising, Microsoft’s $300 million campaign doesn’t seem to be paying off. Apple’s most recent ads underscore the issue of how Microsoft itself is distancing itself from the Vista brand (and for good reason). I’m sure Apple is spending far less money on their campaign, but it appears to be much more effective.
i just think its sad… i mean look pcs are better for the money, design wise they are lacking, dells hps or whatever other pc brand all look like a tower of crap and that is why apple will do better. People like a pretty product, vista did turn out decent but wasnt ready for launch when it did (sort of sounds like an xbox 360) but they were on a down swing so a bad product on a down swing isnt going to help, contrastly the xbox was coming off an upswing so the poor quality of the 360 was tollerated. sooo in other words windows 7 has to be bad ass and over the top, and it cant have 20 different versions and be very expensive. they also need to make a straight from microsoft pc, the Cadillac of pcs, one with an actual design team working on it and making it look sick. and thats how they could climb back from the rubble that they currently are in. These ads are bogus, arent helping the cause they just look desperate and they arent even good quality… im a pc… sad.. higher a new ad team
Microsoft profit from latest fiscal year: $17,681,000,000
Apple profit from latest fiscal year: $1,072,000,000
I love you Apple kids who think Microsoft doesn’t have the money to “fix Vista” because they spend money on advertising.
Oh wait there was an Apple commercial about that and you drank the kool-aid as usual.
Let me add some more facts:
Mobile Phone OS Market Share (as of 2Q 2008):
57.1% Symbian
17.4% Blackberry
12.0% Windows Mobile
7.3% Linux
2.8% iPhone
You’re not quite there yet boys.
If there’s one of these windows cages in front of your local Apple store, take your Apple logos and paste them all over it.
LMAO
Mircosoft really feeling it now with the apple ads saying vista needs more advertising than money for fixing it
@j3ff
Apple’s new ads never said Microsoft doesn’t have the money to “fix vista.” I’m pretty sure they are asking why they are spending $300 million on advertising and not to “fix vista.” And why are you posting the mobile phone OS market share anyways? Noone said Apple is bigger than Microsoft, let alone even mention WinMo vs. iPhone. But to comment on these statistics…
Windows Mobile (originally pocket pc) introduced: 2000
iPhone introduced: 2007
Current year: 2008
@J3ff: So you are saying that bigger is better? If I make more money than you, does that make me a better person than you? Does Exxon rule and have a place in your heart because they are worth billions even though they do it by ripping off us consumers by manipulating the markets?
I don’t even think you want to go into the mobile OS discussion. MS has been pumping that craptastic OS out for years and years, while Apple has been in the game a little over a year? Seriously. Did you expect that the Apple OS which runs on one device would have the same numbers as MS?
Now, if MS has so much money, and is so confident in is market share, why then are they so petty about Apple and not just take the high road and ignore them. Why have they worked so hard to publicly try and squash the open source community?
To those that think Apple is somehow mean for attacking MS, GET REAL. It’s called competition in a free market dumb@sses. I’m sure MS widdle feelings will survive a few jabs from the “underdog” It’s not like they don’t spend hundreds of millions trying to buy out or stomp out any kind of competition. They spent a fortune trying to convince the world that linux is crap. HA! Linux is crap at a free price tag but Vista is worth $400??? HAHAHA
I think this is a move of desperation, and just tad immature. If you build it, they will come. Maybe MS should focus more on actually making their products speak for itself.
@ Evilhomer: You’re a complete moron. MS should take the high road but it’s OK for Apple to attack MS? To paraphrase you – It’s called competition in a free market dumb@ss!
Your numbers are way off, it’s not even funny. I also suggest you look up the meaning of the word profit.
Let’s put it like this, to each his/ her own. I owned macs for 5 years, had the best of times also the worst of times, riddled with a ton of incompatibility issues but were user friendly, it came to a point where it hurt me more than it helped me.
Figured I’d try a PC and have never looked back since, do I miss my mac, hell yeah! do I wish my PC functiond like a mac, hell no! i knew what i was buying when I bought it.
Now all this fanboyism is quite hilarious for the most part, I find it particularly funny about how petty this all is, after all, are you really that eager and willing to give both Steves your hard earned money?
You say Microsoft, I say Apple
You say Xbox360, I say Playstation 3
You say iphone, I say Touch HD
You say Nintendo DS, I say PSP
Point is who really cares? Stick to what works for you!
Am I getting paid for this diehard fanboy bullshit? NO!
Is there money/ royalties going into your pocket? NO!
and lastly…
Does Steve Ballmer/ Jobs give a shit about you? NO!
so why are you getting an erection/ hurt feelings over someone else’s preference??
People who understand computers buy PCs, people who don’t understand computers buy Macs, it’s that simple and there is nothing more to it.
If you’re disagreeing with this point you’re an apple fanboy.
Could not agree more….I “am a PC”, and I also have an iPhone 3G, I use them very effectively with one another.
To all the Vista haters: either explain (coherently), in an academic fashion what you hate about Vista, and why you find it is so terrible or inferior to the almighty Mac, or simply just shut up already. I have yet to find someone comment, in a very practical and factually grounded manner why they hold their position.
I like Apple products, but honestly, they put on airs as though they are the superior elite without even understanding that if it weren’t for MS they would probably have no business…BTW (they are business partners). Mac users: either provide facts and real comparisons to show you machines superiority or just stop talking, because otherwise all you are doing is being an Apple apologist only giving talking points and rhetoric in place of convincing facts…
Either put up, or shut the hell up.
BTW…I detest how Apple plays the role of “big brother” and particularly to their iPhone customers, and want us to fall down in worship when they release something for the iPhone that really should have been there in the first place….look for this phenomenon when they release C&P, if they ever get around to doing it.
@d
I’ve been a PC user for probably 8 years, including about year of Vista. Two months ago I switched to Mac.
I don’t understand computers?
Well I’m not going to say this is dirty because I have a feeling after this move apple’s going to pulling out all the stops and just go full force with their advertising so saying micro$oft plays dirty and apple doesn’t is like a double standard.
Apple ‘08!
@ d
Actually, it’s people who understand computers and used a PC buy a MAC.
That’s what she said.
giggity,”i haven’t had any problems with vista either…if you can’t get it to run smoothly your a dumb@$$”
Exactly!–You have to ‘get vista to run smoothly’. A computer is a tool. Imagine if you had to ‘get a shovel to work smoothly’, or a ‘hammer to work smoothly’. Just get a Mac and it’ll run every OS that’s available, smoothly. BTW, you won’t have to get it to work. It’ll ‘Just Work’. Even a pee-cee maroon will be able to do it.
im sorry but pc will always be better than a mac why because im running:
MacOSX (kalyway) , ubuntu, and vista on my machine
bling bling lol!!
MS doesn’t make pee-cees. Just software that runs/walks on them.
BTW Even MS has dropped the ‘vista’ tag. Now it’s windows 7 or something.
Dark Demon wrote: “This is hilarious! I live in Birmingham, England and I looked at that pic and immediately recognised it. That’s funny, I’ll go and check that out tomorrow.”
Let us know what you see. I suspect the photo is a photoshop fake. The operators of a mall would not put a Microsoft booth directly in front of the Apple store.