Microsoft’s latest attempt at persuading customers to buy a Windows PC rather than a Mac is an advertising campaign that compares the price of Apple machines with computers from Asus, Dell, HP, Sony, and others; and then asks buyers to “do the math” and look at the money they could save – which they could then spend on a trip to Hawaii.
For example, compare Apple’s MacBook Air with a selection of Windows netbooks and straight away you’ll notice the difference in price – with the MacBook Air listed at $1,049 compared to netbooks for as little as $299. We’ll ignore the fact that Microsoft has classed the MacBook Air as a netbook and move on to specifications.
While the MacBook Air’s storage space may only be 64GB compared to as much as 640GB from the HP Pavilion, the Air features a super-snappy solid-state drive, which are famous for being significantly faster than traditional hard disk drives, and significantly more expensive for the privilege.
The Air features Intel’s Core 2 Duo processor at 1.4GHz, which performs better than both the Atom and E-Series CPUs featured in the Windows netbooks. While the Core 2 Duo may consume more power, the Air’s 7-hour battery life ensures you won’t notice.
Then there’s weight: The featherlight Air weights in at a mere 2.3 lbs, whereas the HP Pavilion – which is closest in specs – is over a pound heavier at 3.52 lbs.
Of course, Microsoft would rather you focused on price than user experience when you come to buy a new computer. If money is your main concern – and the stability, reliability and superiority of Mac OS X alone isn’t important – then you should buy a Windows PC every time.
Thankfully you get “security protection” free with each of the Windows netbooks, which will be handy in your never ending mission to beat malware.
While I’ll admit that the Windows 7 operating system is a vast improvement over its Vista predecessor, it still doesn’t compare to Mac OS X. You’ll find after a few weeks with one of those Windows netbooks that you’ll need a trip to Hawaii to cure your headache and frustration.
[via TUAW]
