It should come as no surprise that Apple isn’t a big fan of Microsoft’s “Laptop Hunters” ads, but some may be surprised to learn the Mac maker’s lawyers reportedly called a senior Microsoft executive and demanded the ads be removed. The topic of the TV ads, which feature prospective buyers comparing the prices and features of Apple laptops and Windows-based laptops, came up at Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner Conference in New Orleans on Wednesday. Kevin Turner, Microsoft’s chief operating officer, was at the conference to announce that Microsoft was planning to open its first stores this fall, with at least some of the locations likely to be right near an Apple store.
But the most intriguing part of Turner’s speech was when he recounted a telephone call he says he got from Apple’s legal department demanding that Microsoft remove the ads. Here’s Turner’s tale, according to Microsoft’s official transcript:
“And so we’ve been running these PC value ads. Just giving people saying, hey, what are you looking to spend? “Oh, I’m looking to spend less than $1,000.” Well we’ll give you $1,000. Go in and look and see what you can buy. And they come out and they just show them. Those are completely unscripted commercials.
And you know why I know they’re working? Because two weeks ago we got a call from the Apple legal department saying, hey — this is a true story — saying, “Hey, you need to stop running those ads, we lowered our prices.” They took like $100 off or something. It was the greatest single phone call in the history that I’ve ever taken in business.”
Since Microsoft launched the ads, which are a response to Apple’s “I’m a Mac” ads, there is evidence that the campaign may be radically altering value perceptions of PCs. According to a report in AdAge, BrandIndex says Microsoft’s so-called value perception has risen steadily since the campaign began in March, while Apple’s has fallen.
Well it sounds more like a request, but still……Apple in fear of MS marketing….really?
Microsoft and Apple are both whores. One is a street hooker and one is a high priced call girl.
I call BS on this MS attorney. Sounds like he’s just repeating something Ballmer told him to say. I honestly believe Apple doesn’t give a crap about those commercials. Apple probably just sits back and laughs at them actually. Yeah, go out and buy that cheap piece of junk pc for a $1000 and see how happy you are.
“Well it sounds more like a request, but still……Apple in fear of MS marketing….really?” //// Well, what would you call the Ad Age Report/lawyer phone call then?
#2. Actually, $1000.00 is the “Sweet Spot” for a PC. You would know that if you knew anything about computers.
#3. “Hey, you need to stop running those ads, we lowered our prices.”
Doesn’t sound like a demand to me.
I got a pretty solid Toshiba laptop for $550 a couple years ago, I can get one really solid for that price today and I could have gotten something really sweet for a grand. Apple makes good machines but the Apple faithful really go overboard in their digs at PCs and their claims of the quality of Macs. Both make good systems, why take this all personally?
I wouldn’t be surprised if this whole story was made up.
What’s that smell?
#5–McCullough==no threat, I agree, just a whiny grovelling plea for mercy.
But fear of reduced sales/reduced margins in the future?===yes indeedy.
When you ask two conflicting questions at once, you should man up and take all answers as generally as you can. Can only make you stronger.
I agree with SL–if the call was made, it was made by interns in the marketing department pretending to be lawyers. Or maybe intern lawyers. “Good” lawyers don’t make empty threats.
Microsoft sucks.
No, Microsoft is great. They have done more to advance computer technology then any other company. Visual Studio and the Windows API are works of art. If it was not for Microsoft, it would have been Borland from Scotts Valley in there place, not Apple.
you know, I bought a “cheap piece of junk” netbook, a dell, and man am I happy with it. I also have 2 “cheap piece of junk” laptops well past their prime by about 8 years and 4 years that have served as servers running XP. Oh, and I have an iMac that crapped out about 3 years after we bought it due to a bad logic board. I also have the “cheap piece of junk” PC that I built for $1100 that can play crysis just fine. So yah, I’m pretty happy with it.
Quote from #11 – ‘No, Microsoft is great. They have done more to advance computer technology then any other company. Visual Studio and the Windows API are works of art.’
Along with creating some the worst technologies in history like the registry, destruction of the OS if one decides to remove IE, & releasing a known gimped and massively flawed OS to the public. Apple is hardly perfect but at least it does not try to work against the user.
Apples ads are fun. This MS ad is mean. It also perpetuates gun violence.
#15
Ok, this is true, but I blame marketing pinheads, not software engineers. Microsoft marketing is very poor, they live in fear.
Microsoft with overwhelming numbers versus Apple and their higher quality. Its just like the good old days of USSR versus USA. Its the cold war for the 21st century and this time its personal!!!
The way I understand it is that the request came after Apple increased the basic specs on the Macbooks after June 8th. Basically they are claiming the ads are misleading.
Of course so are the I’m a Mac ads. “Hello Kettle”.
The MS ad I love is the one were this young man claims that Apple laptops are all about aesthetics, not performance. While design is certainly important to Apple’s presentation, I would put my money on the MacBook in a performance benchmark competition with this guys PC laptop purchase. I hope MS and Apple keep the battle going, it is very entertaining.
# 15 Apple will sell your butt in a New York minute. You want proof? The Iphone deal with AT&T.
They bricked Iphones to protect that deal.
They also made an upgrade to prevent other mp3 players than an Iphone from being able to use their web site even though they had to be making money off the transactions. Very anti competitive.
I’m not defending any action or business choices made by the MS corporation nor am I a fan of same.
I’m suggesting the fan boys grow up.
Hey, #11, it’s “their place”, not “there place”. Learn English!
“While design is certainly important to Apple’s presentation, I would put my money on the MacBook in a performance benchmark competition with this guys PC laptop purchase.”
…Not if you’re paying the same thing for a PC than that MacBook. You can get a top of the line machine for what the MacBook sells for. Much better graphics engine, memory, hard drive. But that’s kind of the point – your money on a PC goes to performance, not, well, prettiness. (Or user friendliness – although, technically, it’s a false dichotomy to state that Macs are more user friendly than PCs.)
I love my Mac but this is pathetic.
Apple users seem to think that owning one makes them smarter, hip, and more sophisticated. I own a Macbook and I haven’t noticed any personal changes. Perhaps it’s because it normally just sits there unused. I do sometimes take it with me because it’s small though.
More to the point though, I think the ads make a valid point. Macs are made in China with much the same components as about anything else.
Even if Apple reduced their prices, they still can’t compete on any level with MS laptops. Low end Apple laptops still run close to $1000. Reduce the price by $100 and you’re still at $900. As someone else said, they got a MS laptop for less than $600, you can probably get them for less than that.
If Apple wants to run ads trying to make MS look stodgy, they can’t complain when MS runs adds trying to make Apple look expensive, which undeniably they are.
When are those sub-$600 Macbooks coming out again?
#8 is right..
$1000 of crap is still crap.
I own a mac, along with a windows PC and windows notebook so I think I’m reasonable unbiased when I say this seems to be the usual apple horse-poop.
Its their normal “Do as we say, not as we do, even though what we do is lie in our ads and you don’t.”
I’m so sick of the half truths and sometimes outright lies that apple tried to push as fact in their shinier-than-thou ads, even though they are entertaining.
Things like the suggestion that Japanese digital cameras won’t work with a PC, or that macs are for ‘creative’ people while PCs are business only are outright lies.
Then there is the value side of things, my mid-range compaq notebook, which does everything I require of it, cost a little under $600 when I bought it compared to the lowest priced macbook at the time at well over $1100 with remarkably similar specs. For me anyway the PC DID give me far better value.
add comparable software that duplicates the functionality of Garageband, iDVD, iMovie, iPhoto, etc. and I am quite sure that the sub-$1000 PC notebook would be on par in price with a Macbook
The commercials are horse shit. But why argue with horse shit? It’s a dumb move.
#25 derspankster said “Apple users seem to think that owning one makes them smarter, hip, and more sophisticated. I own a Macbook and I haven’t noticed any personal changes.”
That’s weird. Usually your penis will grow 3 more inches. You better double check.
#1 true, #2 very, twice.
Chrome OS Biiotches!
Ok, not really.