Apple responds to Microsoft ads: "a PC is no bargain"


Recommended Posts

Apple has responded to the new Microsoft ads promoting low-cost generic PCs as a cheaper alternative to the Mac, stating "A PC is no bargain when it doesn't do what you want."

The comment, from Apple spokesman Bill Evans, appeared in a BusinessWeek article by Erik Hesseldahl, which examined the differences between the $699 HP notebook Microsoft recommended to its TV audience over Apple's 17" MacBook Pro, a system in a considerably higher quality and price range.

"The one thing that both Apple and Microsoft can agree on is that everyone thinks the Mac is cool," Evans added. "With its great designs and advanced software, nothing matches it at any price."

What you pay

Hesseldahl did the math to find out, noting that the lower cost HP notebook ships with a 60-day trial Norton Internet Security 2009, but requires a $50 subscription to help keep Windows from falling to the onslaught of PC viruses and malware.

Some savvy PC buyers might be aware that they can find free antivirus tools on the Internet, but between the fraudulent malware posing as free antivirus tools and the heavily promoted, multi-billion dollar security industry that staunchly defends its right to profit from adding the security that Microsoft left out of Windows, there's clearly a lot of PC buyers who will end up suckered into paying that extra $150 over the short lifetime of their PC to keep it as clean as the Mac would be without any antivirus software.

The analysis also points out that PC users who run into inevitable problems will face a $129 fee from Geek Squad just to diagnose the problem, while pointing out that Apple offers free help from its retail stores' Genius Bar.

What you get

Hesseldahl also outlined the difference in what users get in terms of usability with iLife's iMovie, iDVD, GarageBand, and other software. He noted that the PC ships with some third party movie editing tools that usually cost $184, but figures that collecting a few other software titles to match what ships on the Mac would easily cost another $340. Never mind that all those PC programs don't offer much in terms of tight integration like the Mac's iLife titles.

All that missing software and the extra fees can easily double the cost of the cheap PC hardware. And as the report describes, the bargain basement HP hardware isn't very compelling, with a wimpy battery rated for 2.5 hours compared to the MacBook Pro's eight, an extra 1.2 pounds of weight in a thicker case, and a far lower quality display with much lower resolution, 1440x900 compared to the MacBook Pro's 1920x1440.

Source: Apple Insider

Hesseldahl did the math to find out, noting that the lower cost HP notebook ships with a 60-day trial Norton Internet Security 2009, but requires a $50 subscription to help keep Windows from falling to the onslaught of PC viruses and malware.

Viruses? I thought those were one of the features that Microsoft cut out during Vista's development.

Source: Apple Insider

Notice no mention of the $200 pc's from best buy or any of the netbooks for that matter. Also no mention that microsofts moviemaker comes with a new pc also.

Also no mention that iwork is extra on apples and most pc's if not all either ship with open office or microsoft works.

Also if you install windows on the mac you will get viruses also.

Plus the non techies will not care about screen resolution. heck half of them want the resolution turned down because the text gets smaller.(yes i get this all the time at work).

Nice try apple

You wont get a virus if your a smart computer user and don't download **** you don't need or go on crazzy porn-o sites.

Notice no mention of the $200 pc's from best buy or any of the netbooks for that matter. Also no mention that microsofts moviemaker comes with a new pc also.

Also no mention that iwork is extra on apples and most pc's if not all either ship with open office or microsoft works.

Also if you install windows on the mac you will get viruses also.

Plus the non techies will not care about screen resolution. heck half of them want the resolution turned down because the text gets smaller.(yes i get this all the time at work).

Nice try apple

All good points.

This is not really a response, a real response is a new ad and no, that does not mean bring back the stupid "get a mac ads" Apple should bring back the type of ads they did in the early-mid 90s in a home or work place. Hell, they could even do it now from apple stores.

i do like the article, but no matter how you bite it, your not goign to get a close $ to $ comparison with a 699 laptop compared to a $3K mac. Alot of people have no need for the iLife suit. when i got my mac couple years ago, they considered iTunes as part of iLife.

the Viri/Spyware issue cn easily reverse if the Coders choose to target the mac.

the Genius Bar's are almost always crowded ( at least in Tysons corner ), and that Free Tech that they offer, is a trade off from time investment standing there ( but you can schedule in advance )

They do make some perfectly valid and reasonable points, including mention of the quality (and resolution) of the screen - and the included software packages, for example.

Apple kit IS EXPENSIVE. Only a blind fanboy would say otherwise, but the Microsoft adverts were far too black and white in terms of what one offered over the other. The full picture wasn't given.

This is funny. Apple bashed MS left and right with their "I'm a Mac, and I'm a PC ads" and MS just stood back, didnt comment, and took it. Now MS is fighting back and Apple is crying like a bunch of babies.

Hesseldahl also outlined the difference in what users get in terms of usability with iLife's iMovie, iDVD, GarageBand, and other software. He noted that the PC ships with some third party movie editing tools that usually cost $184, but figures that collecting a few other software titles to match what ships on the Mac would easily cost another $340. Never mind that all those PC programs don't offer much in terms of tight integration like the Mac's iLife titles.

Not many people use the extra programs that come with their systems...FAIL

Hesseldahl is an idiot...remind me to send him a tissue so he can wipe his nose.

I also own a Mac Pro but I run Windows 7 on it! Apple is really a perfect choice for people that aren't very good with computers and do not want to know how it works. A Power user cannot really like a Mac...I am saying that despite the fact that I have been using Mac OS X for the last three years. It was the better choice for me and I hated Vista but now I can return to Microsoft. Thank you Windows 7!

Apple is a very consumer oriented company and doesn't appeal that much to the power user. It took me a couple of years to understand the whole model and I have nothing against it. I actually recommend people to get Macs but for me Windows is much better...

Yeah, Microsoft tried to offer "tight integration" between their products too. They got sued.

I still think MS went the wrong way with their ads. They should've made different ads for different consumers. For example, price-conscious user buys HP, style-conscious user buys a Sony Vaio, business user buys a ThinkPad, etc.

Edited by ienhz
i do like the article, but no matter how you bite it, your not goign to get a close $ to $ comparison with a 699 laptop compared to a $3K mac. Alot of people have no need for the iLife suit. when i got my mac couple years ago, they considered iTunes as part of iLife.

the Viri/Spyware issue cn easily reverse if the Coders choose to target the mac.

the Genius Bar's are almost always crowded ( at least in Tysons corner ), and that Free Tech that they offer, is a trade off from time investment standing there ( but you can schedule in advance )

I'm sure everyone would agree macs are expensive. Yes, even the fan boys. They may not say it on line to protect their "so called "reputation" but deep down, I'm sure they will agree. If your looking for a 15" laptop, why spend 2,000 or more when you could get a HP or dell same screen size and the same specs for 300-500 less? Just for the name? Just to "be cool". Come on.

The genius bar in my area kind of sucks. They were very snotty. Told me they couldn't fix my broken optical drive on my macbook. I took it home and it was fixed. So go figure.

They do make some perfectly valid and reasonable points, including mention of the quality (and resolution) of the screen - and the included software packages, for example.

Apple kit IS EXPENSIVE. Only a blind fanboy would say otherwise, but the Microsoft adverts were far too black and white in terms of what one offered over the other. The full picture wasn't given.

Most people don;'t give a rats ass what type of software they have, as long as it works. I for one, do care, but most don;'t. Same goes for the resolution

Apple wants like what? over $200 for ram for the macbook? Just because it has a higher buss speed? Please, I bet you I could find the same type of ram at best buy or even new egg for a lot cheeper.

Keep in mind the times we are living in people,and look at what types of jobs people have,

Apple has responded to the new Microsoft ads promoting low-cost generic PCs as a cheaper alternative to the Mac, stating "A PC is no bargain when it doesn't do what you want."

Generic? How is HP generic?

Apple has some balls, but not very big ones. First they go after MS...now they are insulting HP.

This is funny. Apple bashed MS left and right with their "I'm a Mac, and I'm a PC ads" and MS just stood back, didnt comment, and took it. Now MS is fighting back and Apple is crying like a bunch of babies.

Because they know Microsoft is right

Not many people use the extra programs that come with their systems...FAIL

Yep. Same goes for that ilife

Hesseldahl is an idiot...remind me to send him a tissue so he can wipe his nose.

:laugh:

Yeah, Microsoft tried to offer "tight integration" between their products too. They got sued.

If apple and Microsoft could just work together like mature men, we wouldn't have this sort of problem. Hey, imagine a apple/microsoft OS. Built by both, and one clean, neat design. and SECURE

Generic? How is HP generic?

Apple has some balls, but not very big ones. First they go after MS...now they are insulting HP.

HP has some great looking designs on their notebooks. Chrome accents with espresso black and moonlight white color choices. Apple's design is nice, but thats all you get.

and HP is not generic

http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping...e=HDX18t_series

1920x1080 screen, blu-ray. Tv tuner, and more. Come on thats far from generic. May be this would have gone 6 years ago, but now its just tons of rubbish.

They have a point, it might be easier and cheaper for a novice to get a Mac, but if you know what you are doing, Windows is a good bet because you can get good free software and cheap hardware - you just need to know how to avoid viruses and fix problems.

Isn't the point of the ads to show that the customers get a laptop for under the price limit that "does everything they want"? I mean, it was a freaking line in the ad...

Exactly. They. The people. People have different tastes If someone wants to buy a cheep laptop with cheep parts let them. If they want to blow their bank account and get that $3,000 mac. Let them. They will be the ones getting the phone calls from the creditors

you just need to know how to avoid viruses and fix problems.

Like I said, don;'t download stuff you don't need, and don't go on crazzy sites like porn-os and you'll be fine.

Just be a smart computer user.

Yeah, Microsoft tried to offer "tight integration" between their products too. They got sued.

And the funny thing is that the same people usually use both arguments

a. Microsoft is a monopoly;

b. Microsoft offers no tight integration;

when they are fighting for their beloved Macs.

Gah ... Apple is so good at being gracefully desperate ... ;_; ... too bad they have nothing to base their claims on. I don't see how they can justify charging $2500 for a Mac Pro that has the same components many $800 PC's have .. with not much added in terms of peripherals or software, either. It seems to me you're paying $1000+ for a little glowing apple logo when you go to the dark side of computing and buy one of those ... things ...

Gah ... Apple is so good at being gracefully desperate ... ;_; ... too bad they have nothing to base their claims on. I don't see how they can justify charging $2500 for a Mac Pro that has the same components many $800 PC's have .. with not much added in terms of peripherals or software, either. It seems to me you're paying $1000+ for a little glowing apple logo when you go to the dark side of computing and buy one of those ... things ...

Why do you think they are fighting tooth and nail with Psystar? Kinda sad when their OS is running on similar spec'ed machines for a hell of a lot cheaper.

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • Motrix Next 3.9.6 by Razvan Serea Motrix Next is a modern, open-source cross-platform download manager built as the official next-generation successor to the original Motrix project. It has been completely rewritten using Tauri 2, Vue 3, TypeScript, and Rust, while still relying on the powerful Aria2 download engine for high-speed multi-protocol transfers. The app supports HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, BitTorrent, ED2K and magnet links, offering advanced features like multi-connection acceleration, task scheduling, bandwidth control, and batch download management. With a significantly reduced install size (around 20MB), it focuses on being lightweight, fast, and resource-efficient compared to traditional Electron-based download tools. Designed for Windows, macOS, and Linux, Motrix Next delivers a clean, modern UI inspired by Material Design 3 principles, with smooth animations and a minimal workflow. It improves usability through better download organization, system tray integration, and enhanced torrent handling including selective file downloads and tracker management. Motrix Next features: Multi-protocol downloads — HTTP, FTP, BitTorrent, Magnet, .torrent, ED2K, and Metalink tasks BitTorrent — Selective file download, DHT, peer exchange, encryption controls, metadata caching, GeoIP peer flags, and tracker probing Browser extension integration — Embedded Extension API with independent authentication, download confirmation, smart auto-submit, filename hints, referer/cookie forwarding, and real-time controls (Chrome Web Store · Edge Add-ons) Safe filename handling — Content-Disposition, RFC 2047, non-UTF-8, percent-encoded, and extensionless URL resolution with path traversal sanitization Download organization — Favorite and recent folders, optional file-type categorization, stale-record cleanup, and completed history backed by SQLite Concurrent downloads — Independent controls for active tasks, HTTP connections per server, segments per file, and BT peer limits Speed control — Global and per-task upload/download limits with day-of-week and time-of-day scheduling System integration — Tray operation, optional tray speed display, macOS Dock badge/progress, protocol handlers for magnet://, thunder://, and motrixnext:// Lightweight mode — Destroys the WebView on minimize-to-tray while Rust keeps the engine, task monitor, notifications, history, and extension routing alive Notifications and power options — Native task start/complete/failure notifications, keep-awake during downloads, and optional shutdown after completion Network controls — Scoped proxy support for downloads, app updates, and tracker updates, plus system proxy detection Auto-update channels — Stable, Beta, and Latest Across Channels policies with separate download and install phases Diagnostics — Structured logs, exportable diagnostic ZIPs, database integrity checks, automatic DB rebuild, and Linux GPU rendering fallback Personalization — Light/dark/system theme, 10 color schemes, 26 languages, and first-launch system language detection Motrix Next 3.9.6 changelog: New Features Clipboard management — App-owned copy actions no longer trigger the Add Task auto-detect popup. aria2 input compatibility — Multi-line aria2-style task input is supported for URLs with per-task options such as out=. BitTorrent IPv6 DHT — Added IPv6 DHT support and related configuration. File category URL patterns — File category rules can match URL patterns with validation and localized hints. Task status tags — Added clearer waiting and sharing states for task cards. Download event bridge — Added an aria2 WebSocket event bridge for faster download notifications. Improvements Improved task list transitions and preserved task state during tab switches. Kept RPC origin access enabled for local integrations. Restored AppImage stripping in release builds after beta validation. Added localized preference guidance across supported languages. Download: Motrix Next 64-bit | ARM64 | macOS ~20.0 MB (Open Source) Links: Website | macOS / Linux | Screenshot Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
    • Segra 1.6.2 by Razvan Serea Segra is a free, open-source OBS-powered game recorder offering fast gameplay capture, instant clips, AI highlights, deep game integration, and seamless uploads—perfect for gamers, streamers, and content creators. Lightweight, fast, zero bloat. Segra key features: Automatic Game Recording: Begin capturing gameplay the moment your game launches, with zero manual setup. Instant Clipping: Save important moments instantly using a customizable hotkey—perfect for highlights, montages, or quick shares. Segra AI Highlights: Let Segra automatically detect kills, assists, deaths, and key events to generate polished highlight reels without manual editing. Gameplay Uploads: Upload recordings and clips directly to Segra.tv for fast sharing and cloud access. Deep Game Integration: Enjoy advanced game-data tracking across hundreds of supported titles, enabling smart highlight generation and stat-informed clipping. High-Performance Capture: Record up to 4K at 144 FPS using OBS-powered technology with minimal performance impact, supporting NVENC, AMD VCE, and custom quality controls. Segra Editor: Edit recordings easily with timeline controls, segment management, and event-based navigation to build the perfect clip. Customization Options: Adjust hotkeys, output formats, storage paths, codecs, capture quality, and performance settings for a tailored recording experience. Segra 1.6.2 changelog: UI: Improved the transition from the loading skeleton to the real content card. Security: Added Segra.dll code signing and automatic VirusTotal upload. Settings: Fixed the settings header to highlight Account when scrolled to the top. Recording: Updated OBSKit.NET to 1.4.1. Download: Segra 1.6.2 | 74.5 MB (Open Source) View: Segra Homepage | Github | Screenshot Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
    • Hey Google, these are the Gemini features I want in 2026 by Aditya Tiwari Google Gemini has been around for over three years. The AI chatbot started its journey back in 2023 (as Bard) when ChatGPT was already a talk of the town. However, it quickly attracted criticism after misrepresenting facts about the James Webb Space Telescope. The search giant spent a year fine-tuning Bard before rebranding the chatbot and its underlying generative AI model to Gemini, drawing inspiration from NASA's first human spaceflight program. Note that Bard was initially powered by LaMDA and PaLM 2; Google has since added several new features and integrations to Gemini. That said, there is scope for improvement and a gap for new features. I have been using Gemini for a while now and have realized that the chatbot lacks several features, making it harder for me to research across topics. These are mostly function-over-form updates that can improve the overall experience. Delete individual messages from a conversation Image via DepositPhotos.com One good thing about Gemini is that it can maintain context throughout the conversation. But things might get chaotic when you want to ask a related question, but don't want it to be part of your conversation in the long run. You can't ask that related question in a fresh chat because Gemini will lose the active conversation context of what you're trying to research. If Google allowed you to delete individual question/answer pairs, you could simply ask about a sub-topic and remove it from the conversation to create a smooth flow of important stuff. Offline mode Image via DepositPhotos.com A big pain of using Gemini daily is that everything loads from the cloud. It takes time for your chats to appear, and you can't view your conversation history while offline. To get a better idea, you can open the Gemini app and see how it looks without an internet connection. While Gemini models run in the cloud, it wouldn't hurt if Google could store chats (at least the text part) on the device so we can refer to them when offline. Google can also offer a lightweight version of its AI model to help with basic drafting, summarization, and other tasks. It has the Gemini Nano model, which can perform on-device processing on Google Pixel, Samsung, and some other Android brands, but it's a system feature and not related to the cloud-based Gemini app. Make temporary chats permanent I can't thank Google enough for taking the time and effort to add incognito mode or temporary chat mode to the Gemini app. It lets you have conversations without worrying that the topics will end up in your chat history or used for model training (at least on paper). Google claims that it doesn't use your temporary chats to "personalize your Gemini experience or train Google’s AI models." However, the data is stored "up to 72 hours to respond to you and to process any feedback you choose to provide." That said, I often start researching something in a temporary chat, only to realize the chatbot's answer is good enough to refer to later. Sadly, Gemini doesn't have an option to make such temporary chats permanent. In other words, I won't be able to follow up on it if I close the temporary chat. I'm left with alternatives like copying the answers into notes or another app. My digital life will get a lot better if Gemini gets a button to make temporary chats permanent. Collapse answers for a cleaner view You're heavily invested in your research game and suddenly feel the need to go up in the chat to recall something. This is when the conversation thread starts to feel like an overwhelming, unending wall of questions and answers. What if Google added a way to collapse Q&A pairs in the Gemini chat thread? It would look quite clean and easy to navigate. You'll quickly get an overview of everything you have discussed with the chatbot. Add buttons to jump between messages Suggested mockup of the feature. This reminds me of a small but useful Gemini feature that Google could add to its chatbot: the ability to hop between prompts in a conversation. Just add simple up- and down-arrow buttons, similar to YouTube Shorts, so people can quickly scroll through the messages. A table of contents or Chat Overview It's hard to get a bird's-eye view of everything you have discussed with the chatbot during a lengthy conversation. This is where a table of contents, or Chat Overview, displayed at the top of the screen, possibly in a drop-down button, might come in handy. You'll be able to get an overview of the chat and jump between messages, serving as an alternative to the up/down arrow buttons. Temporary mode for Gemini Live Image: Google You can use Gemini Live to have real-time conversations with the chatbot, which feels like you're talking to someone in the same room. However, a downside is that Gemini Live doesn't work in Temporary Chat mode, so all your conversations end up in the chat history. Google should consider expanding the temporary chat mode to include Gemini Live. Default to a specific chat One thing that feels somewhat annoying to me is that Gemini always opens in a new chat, whether on web or mobile. Sometimes, you want to return to your last chat. Google can take cues from web browsers, which let you choose whether you want to go to a new tab or a specific web page(s). Gemini can also have options to default to a specific chat when reopened. That said, generative AI chatbots have endless possibilities given the vagueness of their work. You can mold them the way you want by attaching different connectors, adding custom instructions, and including source files. It remains to be seen what Google has in store for future updates and whether anything from this wishlist gets the green light. The search giant released a stream of new Gemini updates in recent months, including Gemini 3.5 Flash and Gemini Omni Spark, adding that it now has 13 products with more than a billion users each. What do you want to see in the Gemini app? Tell us in the comments.
    • Thank you for the post. Just a FYI that links to an outside site or promoting specific software is considered spamming here. Asking general questions is fine.
  • Recent Achievements

    • Conversation Starter
      sumytbe earned a badge
      Conversation Starter
    • One Year In
      B4dM1k3 earned a badge
      One Year In
    • One Year In
      DarkWun earned a badge
      One Year In
    • Dedicated
      Almohandis earned a badge
      Dedicated
    • Dedicated
      JuvenileDelinquent earned a badge
      Dedicated
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      507
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      181
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      86
    4. 4
      Michael Scrip
      78
    5. 5
      Steven P.
      76
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!