

Microsoft launches a PC vs Mac website - superduper
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/compare/pc-vs-mac.aspx

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tptacek
You know... all snark aside, a lot of these things are true:

* Macs get a tiny fraction of the games available to Windows.

* Macs really don't have Bluray support.

* Macs really are different from Windows, although they are different in arguably a good way, and my mom had no trouble learning them.

* Macs really do a crappy job with Word and Excel, and like it or not, and regardless of the degree to which this is MSFT's fault, Word and Excel are important in business.

* Macs are less compatible with hardware, although this is getting less and less so.

Now, obviously you have to trade this off against:

* Macs shipping out of the box able to do solid video and audio editing --- as in, "plug in the Flip camera and go".

* Macs superior out-of-the-box integration with the #1 online digital media store (ITMS)

* The all-around better user experience on the Mac for the things most people care about.

And, I am genuinely baffled by the "it's easier to share on Windows". Uh, no
it isn't.

As a Mac user I say it's about time Microsoft stopped pussyfooting around
making oblique references to Apple. It's a real fight, and they should try to
win it.

~~~
mgrouchy
I've never had a problem with microsoft word/excel for mac.

I'm not trying to say your wrong on all of these points or anything, I just
always find it funny how companies use Marketing speak and omission to lie.

~~~
ben1040
I'll agree with this under the condition that we're talking about the most
recent release of Office.

Having had to wait 2 years for an Intel version of Office was disappointing.
Office 2004 ran perfectly smoothly on my old iBook G4. But on a MacBook that
otherwise should have run circles around that iBook, Office was nowhere near
as responsive, and would often thrash the disk while trying to open documents.

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melling
9 out of 10 people already use Windows. Are they trying to get that number
back up to 9.4 out of 10? I think their efforts are better spent in mobile and
building an iPad competitor. It's really going to hurt when Apple and Google
lock up the mobile and tablet markets.

~~~
potatolicious
I don't think this is a bad idea for them - I've heard (no sources,
unfortunately) that new college entrants are now predominantly using Macs. It
takes years for the loss of market share to truly translate into
profit/revenue loss.

If it's true that the younger generation is flocking to Macs in droves, then
it would be deceptive and ill-advised to say that 9 out of 10 people _right
now_ use Windows, and that's the way it will stay.

I think MS is fighting to avert a disaster that will happen 5-10 years from
now. This seems wise, though as a Mac user I have to scoff a little bit at it
;)

(Windows _can_ do more than Macs, but lack of integration and poor UI means
that most of its users _don't_.)

~~~
dandelany
This is precisely it. 1/10 are Macs, but among college students, it's 27%
(<http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2010/08/07/big-macs-on-campus/>). This is why MS
is worried.

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mishmash
They pretty much nail the "fun" category, but the repeated shots they take at
compatibility (and iWork) seem pretty dishonest to me, considering, you know,
Office for Mac has been around 25 years?

And the Top 10 list made me laugh aloud:

    
    
      1) the Dock and contextual menus have been around since 2001
      2) iMovie and iPhoto were out first
      3) Okay, score one for MS.
      4) It takes exactly three clicks on Mac OS X as well.
      5) Uh, Spotlight?
      6) Macs have long been applauded for their sleep/wake abilities. 
      7) Again, nothing OS X hasn't done for years.
      8) Point two for MS.
      9) iTunes/Front are good, internet TV doesn't count.
      10) Not really seeing this one either.

~~~
tptacek
The top 10 list isn't really interesting because it's just a framing device
for Win7 features; the "real" top 10 list would lead with "native support for
Word and Excel", and would include something about security.

~~~
mishmash
> The top 10 list isn't really interesting because it's just a framing device
> for Win7 features;

Right and it's not technically a top 10 of Mac vs. PC, but the tabs are right
next to each other which is why I commented on it.

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snprbob86
What is most striking to me is the frequency at which this site says "many
PCs", as in "not all PCs". Or "can get" as in "won't necessarily get". With
Apple products, buyers don't have to think. They just buy the iMac which fits
in their kitchen nook, or the largest (or smallest) MacBook they can afford.

I'm reminded of when I went to the Apple store to buy a spare battery for my
Macbook. I wrote down the model and serial numbers of both my existing battery
and the laptop itself. I got to the store, walked over to the accessories wall
and said "I'd like a spare battery for my Black--". "Black MacBook? Here you
go." He hands me the battery. "Anything else I can do for you?"

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j79
I was amused by this key point: On a Mac, out of the box, you can only encrypt
your home folder. With Windows 7 Ultimate, you can encrypt your entire hard
drive and even USB drives. So your stuff can be safer wherever you go.

Obviously, the problem with this statement is, any and every Mac you purchase
will have encryption available - even if it's "only" the Home folder (which,
I'd guess, is where 99% of my personal data is located...) The same can't be
said for the PCs at BestBuy with Home or Professional installed.

Just amused by it.

Now the, "the mouse works differently" statement...I'm not even going to touch
that one!

------
Herring
<http://www.apple.com/why-mac/>

I don't know about the technical details, but comparing it with the Apple
website makes one thing clear: Microsoft has no design sense.

------
faragon
"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you
win." Mahatma Gandhi

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gphil
Forget comparing the OSes, instead compare this to Apple's equivalent website:
<http://www.apple.com/why-mac/>. I don't think there's any question who has
the better campaign going.

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powrtoch
I think the crowning irony may be "PCs do what you want: they just work."

~~~
beej71
This bullet point needs to be taken out and shot for all platforms to which it
refers.

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SmokenJoe
Doesn't work on my iPad. "easer to share" Not so much and none of the other
argument make sense either. How about cheap and not as bad as people say it is
for a marketing campaign?

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inodeman
I am a developer, and have been using PCs for 20+ years, always wanting to
throwing out the windows whenever MSFT crashed the thing.

Bought a Mac two years ago, and to tell the truth, I never knew how bad
Windows was really until I used OS X.

My wife started using computers two years ago, and she just loves the Mac, I
am professional developer and can honestly tell you that developing on the Mac
is just awesome to developing on Windows,the Mac rocks inside out!!!.

Pc's are old school, Macs will rule this new century in computing.

Macs are rock solid easy to used by both experienced and unexperienced users.

This Microsoft site seems quite lame, and is obviously targeted to users who
have never used a Mac.

Best regards

~~~
statictype
_I am professional developer and can honestly tell you that developing on the
Mac is just awesome to developing on Windows,the Mac rocks inside out!!!._

Honestly, I find this to be true only when developing against Unixy platforms
or tools that have better support for Unix than Windows (like git or node.js
or arduino)

