Microsoft Offers Consumers a Way to Spend Wisely in a Recession – Stop Buying Apple

The never-ending competition story between Apple and Microsoft is always a funny thing to watch - they exchange biting words constantly and the entire blogosphere is invariably ready to discuss who is more successful in the latest example - Apple or Microsoft. What’s more, consumers often make their buying decision when choosing between a Mac and a PC based on what they hear both companies saying about the competitor - be it in ads or in interviews. Today we have yet another example of Microsoft trying to get additional supporters to its own camp on the day before the new line of laptops by Apple is announced - a CNET interview with Brad Brooks, Microsoft VP, Windows Consumer Product Marketing.

In the interview the Microsoft vice president is trying to explain why anyone choosing to buy an Apple machine will eventually pay more than those buying a PC - calling it a hidden Apple tax. For example, if you want to have the complete Microsoft Office experience on a Mac, you will have to run it on Windows and that means paying for the virtualization software, your copy of Windows and your copy of Office as well. There are other factors like unavailability of HDMI or BluRay and difficulties with upgrade.

But the question here is how often people actually buy a Mac to deliberately run Windows on it? Sure, some people eventually have to do that to be able to use certain applications that don’t offer a Mac version yet but should that really be the case of the most important thing for those buying Apple? I’m afraid that I just don’t think so - if you are perfectly comfortable on a Windows machine, should you really buy a Mac only to install Windows on it yet have that famous Apple logo on your laptop lid?

Of course it is quite understandable that Microsoft is trying to deliver its “PC is cheaper” message before Apple makes yet another groundbreaking announcement with its notebooks to make sure everyone knows that it’s not wise wasting your money buying Apple during an economic meltdown. But unfortunately for Microsoft this is not the best argument it could use here as no one is buying Apple because it is cheaper. What’s more, everyone already knows that Apple is more expensive - even without paying for all the additional software to run Windows and Microsoft Office on a Mac (but hopefully Apple will manage to enter the lower-end market with today’s announcement as well).

Consumers are aware of the price and the availability of cheaper options from HP, for example - but that rarely stops people from choosing Apple for one simple thing that they have and that people want. And that simple thing is a brand that is often supposed to represent somewhat luxurious lifestyle where you are not just some regular computer user, you are unique because you understand where the real value is - in Apple.

So when people buy Apple, they don’t do so because of the price, they are actually prepared to pay exactly the asking price as they see value in every single cent they pay. Or they just want to be extraordinary and unique with their choice. The fact that buying a Windows-based machine could be cheaper does not mean that Apple fan will ever take it into consideration.