Microsoft's current ad campaigns are not the first attempt to turn the idea of the Mac's "coolness" against it, maybe as if the concept of coolness somehow has to do with the prestige of owning a status symbol. Yes, it would be foolish to pay extra money for a shirt with a little alligator sewn on the front, as opposed to the same shirt without the alligator. But the coolness of the Mac is something very different. In this case the word "cool" is shorthand for the following equation: great industrial design + great ergonomics + great good taste = great ease, reliability, and pleasure of use. And, even if you buy the premise that this kind of cool does cost a bit more, surely it is well worth the money. If Microsoft advertising even hints that this kind of cool is dispensable, it a.) concedes that Windows systems lacks it, b.) says a lot about its own corporate values. Running ads that knock your competitors' product is always a gamble, and in this case Microsoft's ad agency blew it.

I buy computers based on versatility and power, so I buy PCs. People are entitled to buy for aesthetics; if that's what makes them happy, they should go with god. What I don't like is being told I'm a fat nerdy loser because I purchase a different brand of commodity than other people.

This piece is not about apple vs. Microsoft. Why does it always have to degenerate into that? I'm happy ripping Microsoft for the lame products and crappy ads they would make no matter WHO their competitor was.

I've taken the microsoft ads as saying that "mac" people are just into the brand and not the best value for the money. The guy calls the mac sexy but says he isnt' going to buy for astetics. Implying that's why people buy mac's. Frankly I think its a good ad campain.

Regarding "versatility" - can your PC run Windows, Linux and Mac OS X? Macs can.

"Regarding "versatility" - can your PC run Windows, Linux and Mac OS X? Macs can."

That doesn't mean much of anything if you buy large amounts of PCs for businesses, or for the average home user. Running Win or Linux is just fine for businesses, very few critical accounting or engineering apps run on Macs.

How many people out there really need to waste disk space and memory (not to mention time and effort) on setting up a dual boot computer? It may be versatile, but practical? not really.

can your PC run Windows, Linux and Mac OS X? Macs can.

But Macs have to. What does a PC user gain by being able to run Mac OS?

foobar:

Regarding "versatility" - can your PC run Windows, Linux and Mac OS X? Macs can.

Why can't a PC run Mac OS X? Is it a limitation in the hardware or the software?

KB01:

foobar:

Regarding "versatility" - can your PC run Windows, Linux and Mac OS X? Macs can.

Why can't a PC run Mac OS X? Is it a limitation in the hardware or the software?

Because the MacOS license says that you can only LEGALLY run their OS on Mac hardware!

You can only run ALL Windows software on a Mac, if you install Windows to dual boot on that Mac, because emulation does not work with Windows programs that directly access the hardware or those that use OLE/COM/Automation features of the Windows OS.