Yup, I think those PC user are getting just what they want, maybe even more computer than they'll ever figure out how to use. They are not Apple's market. Apple does attract and probably shouldn't try to attract the Laurens. Why dumb down the Apple audience? That can only lead to dumbing down the product.

Ha! The blue screen of death at the end was the perfect touch. Just the split second exposure with the dreaded "End.wav" audio playing says it all.

I've had my Mac laptop for almost four years, and it's still running strong. Before that, I had a Dell laptop, and it lasted six months. In the long run, you save tons of money with a Mac.

Of course it worked...Microsoft used prices which are subject to change and legally Apple could sue. Personally, I see these ads as a win for people who are thinking about getting a Mac because it forced Apple's hand to up the hardware and value of their product for the same price. Competition is good for consumers, no matter how much fans of either side beat their chests that their side is better.

My original MacBook (a green G3 circa 2000) is still running and providing computing support for my son. It's only problems are screen size and speed. And the original battery is pretty nearly dead, but the spare I got when I bought it is still OK. My 17" MacBook Pro (G4, circa about 5 years old) is still running very nicely, and my wife uses it. It's main problem is running out of disk space (only 80 Gb)! My year-old 17" MacBook Pro is running well, but it is from work, and as I'm changing jobs, it will have to go back, but there is a new MacBook Pro coming with the new job.

(BTW, there is a G3 desktop (10+ years old) and a Mac SE (21 years old, which was on the front line for 10 years) still here, and in full working order. Apple hardware is usually very long-lasting if you take reasonable care of it.)

The only thing that the Mac laptop can't do is run Windows applications that need a hardware key. Otherwise, it's all in one nice package. With my laptop being my main daily computer, it's got to be reliable and powerful. The MacBook Pros run a second screen or video projector (or stream to the TV), and allow me to get most things done. There is a Pentium 4 that gets run every few months for heavy Windows jobs, and a dual G5 PowerMac dual screen for big graphics and DTP work, but the laptop gets the daily grind.

Did it cost more? You bet! Was it a good investment? Most certainly. Would I buy another Mac laptop? Every time! You get what you pay for, and with a good 10 years in these laptops, I can amortize the cost without problems.

@All. :)
@Michael--that's my favorite part too.
@Shevonne. I had a similar experience with a Dell laptop, ended up passing it to mother-in-law, where it got called "the Dell from Hell." I'd vouch not all Dells are bad though.
@Bill. You've reminded me I need to get my old G4 iBook working-needs its power board replacing.

I love your point, Kit, that the ads were "also pointing out how cool" the Apple brand is. Apple should have thanked Microsoft for endorsing the distinctiveness of the Apple brand. No wonder Apple owns 91% of the premium laptop market -- if you can afford it, why buy anything else?

Good marketing increases the value and long-term profitability of a brand; it doesn't undermine it by focusing on price. What are the benefits of Windows beyond being cheap? Talk about having no pride in your own product.

There's another danger to competing on the basis of price: there can only be one low-price leader in any category. You know what you call the second-cheapest product in the discount market? A failure. What will Microsoft advertise when Google releases its OS and makes generic computers even cheaper?

This is a really silly argument. Many if not most computer users need a computer for managing their photos, documents and maybe spreadsheets. Some need a system that will take care of their finances.

Any modern computer can do all of that, for about $400-$600 plus software. The cost of that software ranges from free (OpenOffice) to heck-a-expensive, whether you use a MAC or PC.

I run a business where we sell tickets to concerts, and run an office.

All in my PC's run about $800 - $1,000 with software. We have never had virus problems, and everyone is online. The computers typically last 3-5 years unless we need a hotrod for Photoshop.

Our ticketing system is online, using a hosted application, and our main ticket window computer happens to be a 6 year old PC. It is left on 24/7/365.

I've not had a single computer failure in all that time.

I recently was considering upgrading my personal laptop. I still might. I am drooling over a MAC Book Pro 17" - I love the operating system look, Aperture looks like a really cool photo app, as does iPhoto and some other software specific to MAC.

Will I ever buy MAC's for the office? Only if they make financial sense. Up to this point, they would be a tremendous waste of money, as we don't need any of the benefits that they offer.

I don't get all the hate for PC's - they are a very good tool - indespensible for us, where MAC's would simply be an unneeded luxury.

@Paul. I'm not sure this is an *argument* per se, just an amusing discussion. The Macs vs PCs debate will rage on in different corners of the net for years yet, because each, indeed, has its own plusses and pitfalls...though MS Windows is often the biggest pitfall, and the "Apples are more expensive" meme is often overplayed :) One thing though, from my own experience I'd say you're remarkably lucky not to have had a PC failure in 3-5 years!

@Freddy. You're thinking about ChromeOS? Watching that situation develop is going to be very interesting indeed!

Kit, I'm curious why your article seems so personal. You seem to use imply "we" includes Apple and yourself, while "you" is MS and Dell. "We", or you, seem to be very spiteful toward "you", or MS. Are you affiliated with Apple, and if so isn't that a conflict of interest? And do you hate HP, ASUS, and all other Apple competitors, or is it just DELL and MS?

@Alex: I didn't see Kit use the word "we" in his article. I've reread it, and he's clearly mocking a misleading Microsoft ad. That's all. Now if you're into conspiracy theories, I have heard that Kit likes to pal around with terriers, or something like that.

@Alex. I think I was very careful to avoid using I, Me or We. And if you look, I equally take the mickey out of Apple's whiny phone call, silly Lauren and dumb ol' MS's ad campaign. No--I'm not affiliated with anyone, and I'd declare it if I were--that's just good journalistic practice. And I believe I hate no person or thing in the world. Nope--what I'm doing here is merely spikily pointing out how MS has had to water down its (already pretty weak) ad campaign. Maybe it's a European thing.
@Freddy. Um....

Just thought I'd chime in with another view, but first, @Alex, I heard Kit goes cow-tipping on weekends...

Seriously though, I switched to Macs in late 2006 and never looked back, but I haven't encountered the same positive reliability as some commenters here. My blackbook went in for logic board changes twice and a battery replacement once. My 20" iMac had its LCD, logic board and internal power supply changed. Thankfully, all the Macs in my home (a MacBook Air which is my work machine, the blackbook - which my wife uses, the iMac - which my 6-year-old uses, the Mac Mini - which holds all my digitized music) are on AppleCare. The lesson I've learnt is to sell the Mac before the 3 years' AppleCare warranty runs out - the cost of repairs could otherwise exceed the cost of a new Mac.

So I don't know... have the good people at Apple dropped their QC down a few notches? I can't imagine any of this batch of machines lasting anywhere near as long as Bill's G3.

@Guy. Hi Guy, my bio info is available under my byline link. Interesting use of "propaganda" there--all advertising is propaganda, especially ads in the style of these MS ones, which do not tell the whole story, and the equally-irritating "I'm a Mac" ones from Apple.

Just two observations from me. I'm in the public relations business, and I have to commend the Apple PR people for this story with Fast Company. While the byline buys some editorial leeway, I was impressed that there was such an Apple tone and voice to the article. I would have liked to see some of the same context offered here by commenters (as in - Everyone knows that comparably equipped Apples cost more, particularly when you consider the additional software costs associated with buying the MS products so you can communicate with much of the planet.) Yes, I'm a MS user and an Apple fan, but for any computer user the differences are clear. Second observation - spend some of this attention on your mission - we're looking for fast companies (these are both part of the Ice Age of computing, as is the schoolyard argument about who is better). They are exhibiting some elements of a Fast Company from time to time, but there are so many other companies and ideas worthy of your masthead! Thanks, though, for the YouTube link - made me laugh.

Doesn't caveat emptor apply anymore? In age of interaction cavaet emptor applies to the information age even more so than the industrial one. MS ads or Apple ads, if people in this day and age cannot learn to think outside the marketing box, then they deserve to be sputniked. If I want to look for bias here I am sure to find it, but this 2009, I look for the social graph.

In an article like this where is "the position" in a multi-dimensional multitask mindset world? Further I don't need to personally worry about what the PR role here is, for my principal learning here comes from how "marketing-proof" and "PR-resistant" I can become. It is not the idea virus I learn from but developing social media immunity and this immunity then learns to appreciate the best out there in ad agency (but not PR) mastery.

e.g.,Caveat Emptor 2.0

@Emeri, .......English please ?:) Seriously though, the Apple vs MS wars have been and will continue to rage on simply because its human nature to take sides. @Guy As for the comment on Kit, all I can say is that Fast Company produces a great magazine and their idea of open discussion on articles is great albeit not original. btw - if u wanna talk about "propaganda" why are you using the lesser of two evils technique when you speak about Macs being more expensive?
@Kit, dude, like your sense of humor in your articles, keep up the good work. @every1 remember, we do have CHOICES, don't like something, don't buy it no more!
p.s I am not affiliated with either Apple, MS or Fast Company although I have been trying to for years :)

@Demetri. :)
@Emeri--interesting thinking there! I like the caveat emptor 2.0 idea.