Microsoft launches 'PC versus Mac' site
updated 03:00 pm EDT, Mon August 9, 2010
Touts advantages like Blu-ray, product variety
As part of a new marketing effort, Microsoft has launched a webpage promoting the advantages of PCs over Macs. The page touts Windows 7-based PCs as "designed for work and play," having several features Macs go without. Macs cannot play Blu-ray movies, for example, and have a much smaller list of A-list games to choose from.
PCs are also described as better for productivity, having more broadly supported document formats, and more software to choose from. A major emphasis of the page is customization, as Microsoft points out that there are more built-in options in buying a PC, such as TV tuners, different colors and in some cases 3G modems. The page does make some contestable claims however, such as implying that Mac owners must pay $99 a year for MobileMe in order to play music and video hosted on a remote computer.
Apple has for several years employed a similar attack strategy. The company's "Switch" ads were eventually replaced with the "Get a Mac" campaign, which lasted for some time before being shut down in May. Apple has since toned down anti-Windows rhetoric, though it continues to address the downsides of PCs through means like its "Why you'll love a Mac" page.
Dedicated MacNNer
Joined: Sep 1999
Blu-Ray is so last century
With Blu-Ray player in the $99 range, why not just hook it up to a 40" screen and be done with it?
Spending $ on a computer to do mindless activity is a silly thing to do.