With the new ads from Microsoft hitting the air you can almost smell the fear they are having of losing market share to Apple. First there was Lauren looking to buy a
Computer. After hitting the Apple store looking for a cheap Macbook( or as she calls it "the Mac store") she quickly goes to Best Buy in a search for a cheaper computer.
It's humorous that Microsoft agrees that Apple products are cool. In an article appearing in Business Week, Arik Hesseldahl compares the differences between the $699 HP notebook that Lauren buys over the 17" Macbook Pro, a higher quality system in a larger price range.
You Get What You Pay For
Hesseldahl added up the cost, also making sure to point out that the cheaper HP laptop came with a 60 day trial of Norton Internet Security 2009 requiring a $50 subscription to protect the PC from malware and viruses. Macs do not have to worry about these concerns and with the short lifetime of the PC you will be paying at minimum an extra $150 for protection.
Analysts also pointed out that the inevitable problems that PC users will run into will face an additional charge of $129 from a reputable repair shop such as Geek Squad just to diagnose the problem. Apple offers free help from its retail stores Genius Bar.
What It Comes With
Windows comes with a lot of software most being trial-ware and useless software that bloats the system down and for the first hour or so you are forced to buy that products or uninstall them. Apple comes preloaded with the usable iLife featuring iMovie, iDvd, Garageband and other exciting titles.
All that missing software and the extra fees can easily double the cost of the cheap PC. With a substandard battery rated for 2.5 hour while the Macbook Pro is rated for 8, a thicker heavier case and a lower quality display running at a lower resolution the bargain HP becomes not very compelling.
Consumer Reports ranks the Macbook number one in a list of a 1/2 dozen laptops with a 17" screen.
A Forrester Research study ranked Apple number one in "usefulness, usability, and enjoyability" way ahead of HP, Gateway, which is now part of Acer and Dell
"PC makers in the Windows camp have done everything possible to make their products progressively worse by cutting corners to save pennies per unit and boost sales volume," Hesseldahl writes. "There's good reason Apple is seeing healthy profits while grabbing market share. It refuses to budge on quality and so charges a higher price. Rather than running ads that seem clever at first but really aren't, the Windows guys ought to take the hint and just build better computers."
