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http://www.macnn.com/articles/01/11/19/apple.trying/

Apple trying to lure former Mac users back?

updated 08:45 am EST, Mon November 19, 2001

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With the ongoing $1 billion Window's campaign, c|net's Apple tries to woo Windows defectors discusses Apple's attempts to lure former Mac uses back to the platform: "While Apple says that the differences between the two operating systems are greater than ever, at first blush consumers will see many similarities between the two products. The deciding factor may come down to the deftness of the marketing Apple employs to woo back customers who once used a Mac."

by MacNN Staff

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11/19, 08:59am | report spam | close Reply | delete
when is Apple...

going to do commercials for their stores to let the wintel users know that they exist? i'm so sick of the Gateway Country commericals with talking cows. Where's Apple ... i want a big, white talking apple dammit?

Pecker Gnat
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11/19, 09:32am | report spam | close Reply |
Marketing

i don't think apple realizes that there are alot of people out there that still think that the "Mac" is a small beige box that has a green and black screen from the days of old. sad, but true. and alot of people have no idea what a Mac is... know why? because they don't market effectively. they're catering to the same people who have always used the Mac. they need to bring in some new recruits. one day, all the seniors will have left, and they won't have any new freshman to play.

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11/19, 09:45am | report spam | close Reply | delete
A positive thing

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/011119/sfm011_1.html

Filemaker Pro rebate for sales of Office v. X. Now Microsoft Office does come with a database for the Mac. And a much better one than Access.

beno
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11/19, 09:50am | report spam | close Reply |
what marketing?

I believe Apple's efforts to 'woo' windows users consist of mr. Shiller hoping really hard they will notice the mac and perhaps buy one.

berserkintosh
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Joined: Jul 2003

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11/19, 09:56am | report spam | close Reply |
apple ads

that ipod comercial sucks. me and my peecee friend were watching it and he said what this for? so i told him just watch and it shows a guy playing with his ibook then messing with some device very quickly then dancing alot. he thought it was for the ibook because nothing else clearly stood out. now if my peecee friend who knows about apples newer computers laptops and how the look didnt get the commercial something tells me it went right over the head of the average user. not to mention most of apples commercials just suck. on the other side it beats the h*** out of those c*** dell commercials that actually send my peecee friend running for the remote. and why doess the cow in the gateway commercials have a male voice? arent all cows female? (no pun) did they find some sort of hemophrodite cow or did the steroids they pump the cow with for it to make more milk cause its voice to change?

berserk

--Helen--
Dedicated MacNNer

Joined: Feb 2001

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11/19, 09:58am | report spam | close Reply |
Gateway Cows

I don't know why, but the whole "gettin advise about computers from cows" idea actually frightens me as an investor and as an consumer.

How does an Iowa Dairy know so much about computers?

Are farmers now feeding cows ram chips instead of feed because of falling prices? Do cows have some inane sense of how motherboards work? Have these cows studied the workings of the USB and/or Firewire milk connectors/suckers too much? If so, what have they learned?

Are these alien cows? How come they know so much about computers? Are they going to take over the planet? If so, how will they make phone calls? Better yet, how will they fit in the phone booths?

the cubed
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11/19, 10:18am | report spam | close Reply |
Apple Ads...and such

When is Apple going to learn that they aren't going to get people "back" unless they show, in their advertising, why the heck someone should go back. Or why Ma and Pa PC user what makes the Mac better. It isn't the ads they currently use, which are over the heads of most people because the ad doesn't show or tell explicitly what the point is; except for us who ALREADY use Macs and are more than the average user.

I think that makes sense :)

Jon

Pascal Lessard
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Joined: Aug 2001

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11/19, 10:59am | report spam | close Reply |
Re : Apple Ads...and such

I totally agree... but I think Apple can't right now. Why ? Because of the ongoing G4 fiasco.

Do you remember the burning Intel bunnies ads a few years back ? They had to stop that very successful ad campaign because Motorola suddenly couldn't continue to improve the PowerPC's speed.

As long as this will continue, Apple will have to continue to bet that the looks alone will allow them to sell computers. Unfortunately for Apple, looks will only sell so much. Computer performance will do the rest. And right now, the current Mac's performance is OK but certainly not mind blowing.

Right now, Apple is in a race against time : the longer it takes for Apple to get things straightened up, the harder it will be for them to regain market share. "Normal" people have long considered Macs to be something of the past, don't forget that. I don't like it, but that's how it is. For Apple to regain market share, Apple will need a powerful OS (Mac OS X is almost finally here : it is powerful and fully buzzword compliant, but lacks a few features. 10.2 will correct that.), a modern hardware platform (that is now done with the latest PowerBooks) and faster CPUs (where are they ?)

The "slow" CPUs are killing Apple. With a friend like Motorola, who need enemies ?

\0

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11/19, 11:05am | report spam | close Reply | delete
This is news???

Apple wants to get old customers back. What a shock. After reading this, I'm on the edge of my seat. Such insightful reporting. This reporter is so in touch with the business world.

Next there will be an article explaining that Apple wants new customers. I can hardly (yawn) wait.
Please tell me more...

Pascal Lessard
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Joined: Aug 2001

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11/19, 11:15am | report spam | close Reply |
Re : Apple Ads...and such

I totally agree... but I think Apple can't right now. Why ? Because of the ongoing G4 fiasco.

Do you remember the burning Intel bunnies ads a few years back ? They had to stop that very successful ad campaign because Motorola suddenly couldn't continue to improve the PowerPC's speed.

As long as this will continue, Apple will have to continue to bet that the looks alone will allow them to sell computers. Unfortunately for Apple, looks will only sell so much. Computer performance will do the rest. And right now, the current Mac's performance is OK but certainly not mind blowing.

Right now, Apple is in a race against time : the longer it takes for Apple to get things straightened up, the harder it will be for them to regain market share. "Normal" people have long considered Macs to be something of the past, don't forget that. I don't like it, but that's how it is. For Apple to regain market share, Apple will need a powerful OS (Mac OS X is almost finally here : it is powerful and fully buzzword compliant, but lacks a few features. 10.2 will correct that.), a modern hardware platform (that is now done with the latest PowerBooks) and faster CPUs (where are they ?)

The "slow" CPUs are killing Apple. With a friend like Motorola, who need enemies ?

the cubed
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11/19, 11:54am | report spam | close Reply |
Re: Apple Ads and Such

I agree about the G4 issue. But there's no reason why they shouldn't advertise what they have. If they take the stance that we're not going to advertise (properly) until the next great processor, then they're not going to be gaining anything. They've got a product, advertise it. Don't worrly about the next best thing as there is always going to be newer, better, faster and cheaper. Apple has a significant lineup of Systems and accessories, yet the major market doesn't know or care about it; why? No advertising that says you get this for this and blah blah blah.... (That damn Steve in those dell commercials comes to mind)....... It's relatively simple, yet the fact seems to completely evade Apple and their PR people. Bring the Mac to the masses, but make sure your'e actually advertising to the masses, rather than the select who already have Macs and are on MacNN, MacC, Versiontracker, MacosRumors and all the others on a daily basis!

Sorry, one big runon :)

Jon
j@glidewave.com

the cubed
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11/19, 11:57am | report spam | close Reply |
Re: Apple Ads and such

I agree about the G4 issue. But there's no reason why they shouldn't advertise what they have. If they take the stance that we're not going to advertise (properly) until the next great processor, then they're not going to be gaining anything. They've got a product, advertise it. Don't worrly about the next best thing as there is always going to be newer, better, faster and cheaper. Apple has a significant lineup of Systems and accessories, yet the major market doesn't know or care about it; why? No advertising that says you get this for this and blah blah blah.... (That damn Steve in those dell commercials comes to mind)....... It's relatively simple, yet the fact seems to completely evade Apple and their PR people. Bring the Mac to the masses, but make sure your'e actually advertising to the masses, rather than the select who already have Macs and are on MacNN, MacCentral, Versiontracker, MacosRumors and all the others on a daily basis! And work out upgrades and other value added things too.....not rocket science here..

Sorry, one big runon :)

Jon
j@glidewave.com

Frank Shefman

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11/19, 12:17pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
Apple and Windows

I run a Mac dept., use a Windows machine in my office and am looking for a machine for the home.....I would love to get a Mac but (at least here in Canada), unless you are a graphics/video pro...you can't justify
the cost difference between the 2 systems. The imac is ok..but if you want a G4 tower forget about it...they are too expensive. Unless they reduce there prices no amount of marketing will increase share and they will always be a marginal, niche company. I am not the only loyal Mac fan that is considering swithching due to price.

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11/19, 12:21pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
You can justify the price

Check:

http://homepage.mac.com/mac_vs_pc/Intro.html

Macs are much cheaper than PCs in the long run. Get your Mac in the U.S...a decent G4 system costs only $1699 USD.

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11/19, 12:25pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
G4s faster than PCs

What most people don't realize is the G4 and G3 processors are much faster than their PC counterparts in the same price range. The reason is pipelines and RISC processing. Macs use fewer pipelines by as much as a third on the average on PC processors. This means less chance for errors to get stuck in the processor and more chance to get something done. And RISC processing takes the lowest common denominator of a mathematical equation and computes that, instead of a more complex function. The problem is communicating that to the average PC user. Not to mention Macs last much longer than PCs. An average Mac has a lifespan of 7 to 8 years. How many 80386 machines do you see out there?

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11/19, 12:30pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
Macs more compatible than

PCs! Yes with VirtualPC by http://www.connectix.com you have the entire PC library of software available to your Mac. Not to mention 18000 Macintosh software titles at http://guide.apple.com/. Not to mention all the VGA monitors are Mac compatible. Not to mention Strydent's making practically all PC printers compatible with the Mac with its Powerprint software at http://204.239.210.50/pcl/index.htm. Not to mention Mac OS X understands all those unix commands your system admins have been dying to use on a home machine with Linux. Apple offers you the best of all three worlds. A PC only gives you compatibility with Macs that are 6 years or older thanks to http://www.gemulator.com/. Now who is more compatible?

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11/19, 12:39pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
Trouble justifying Macs?

Check Dennis Sellers recurring articles at Maccentral under the title forward migration.

http://search.macworld.com:9000/cgi-bin/query?mss=search&i=MacCentral&pg=q&q=%22forward+migration+kit%22

Foward migration kits help PC users understand why the Mac is so great, and what options there are for living in a multiplatform world.

the cubed
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11/19, 01:04pm | report spam | close Reply |
PCs and prices

I tend to agree that Macs *are* more expensive than PCs. I'm a tech(ish) guy and have been a mac person for years..... but have had to use PCs for things. I've had problems on both platforms, but when a problem happens on a mac it generally brings you too your knees, sometimes mitigating the long run cost issue that people talk about. It's true Apple needs to re-address pricing, but for the most part I do agree that you get what you pay for....but there's pluses and minuses to everything. Oh and the other issue with a mac when you have a problem is that if you have a failure (like I did), finding a person who can help is near impossible, unlike the PC where everyone knows the problem and can fix it (relatively).

Jon.

beno
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Joined: Jul 2003

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11/19, 01:18pm | report spam | close Reply |
YAWN

Yes.

Apple makes expensive stuff.

We know.

Get over it.

Already.

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11/19, 01:57pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
If you need Mac help

just stop by http://www.macfixitforums.com/ There is always someone there to help you. Hard to find Mac help? I never found finding Mac help hard. You just aren't looking in the right places.

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11/19, 01:59pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
Expensive?

I've never seen a PC that can do half the things a Mac can do at the $799 price range...if you need help seeing what I am talking about, visit http://guide.apple.com/

berserkintosh
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11/19, 02:47pm | report spam | close Reply |
bwah?!

"but when a problem happens on a mac it generally brings you too your knees"

like what? ive never encountered a problem i couldnt fix in 8 years on many macs at worjk and home. zap pram, rebuild desktop, run norton, zero drive, reinstall system. ive never had any tech training. just basic stuff that could take up to a few hours at the most to fix any major problems.

hard to find mac help? you mean one of the 4 local dealers that are apple only or one of the many peecee/mac stores that my friend took his 8600 in to a frys and had it fixed? do you mean all the mac tech and help sites and forums that help users with problems so complex i dont even try reading them? these are easy to find, you shure ur a tech guy?

then again finding help for a pc is much easier because quite simply they really need more help. between mass motherboards cards drivers games programs viruses and the microsoft operating system the average consumer has trouble just finding what the h*** is wrong let alone getting it fixed. its really sad when a company that uses 15 peecees has its own full time tech guy. then again you get what you pay for.......

b e r s e r k

Mastrap
Addicted to MacNN

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11/19, 05:44pm | report spam | close Reply |
who cares

I don't care that Macs are more expensive.

1. They allow me to do what I want to do without having to worry about the computer.

2. They look fantastic.

I understand and respect that not everyone wants to spend the extra money but Macs *are* premium products - all the cool design and features have to be developed in an expensive R&D department. Dell just has to buy grey boxes from the cheapest grey box manufacturer they can find. I rather go out once a month to an expensive restaurant than eat everyday in a cheap and nasty place. I rather save up for longer to afford the latest Mac than to work on a computer that gives me no joy while I use it. Everytime I look at my iBook I smile. Worth every penny I say.

the cubed
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11/19, 06:24pm | report spam | close Reply |
Missing point.

I've had problems with ram literally blowing up, hard drives frying ( and disassembling my self with a new one and transfering the circuit), and if it weren't for the fact that I know what I'm doing and do enough due dilligence to fix myself. My point however is that average Ma and Pa user AREN'T up to that. The fact is out here at least, there is NO LOCAL MAC support. Long gone about 6-7 years ago, and the only thing close is 60 or so miles away. Regardless, the problems I had were a long time ago, just before macfixit and such, but even then macfixit wouldn't have helped anyway. I simply used what knowledge I had to transplant hardware.

Ster

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11/19, 10:22pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
Re: Missing point

[QUOTE]
... hard drives frying ( and disassembling my self with a new one and transfering the sircuit)...
[/QUOTE]

LIAR!
I'm sorry, but unless you have a clean-room in your garage, you did NOT open a modern hard-drive, swap out a chip, close it back up, and have it work. Period. Exposed platters + non-clean-room air = destroyed disk.
And how, pray tell, did you know what chip (excuse me, "circuit") had burned out? Have the full chipset specs, do you?
I rarely call people liars, but come on! Seriously, if you're going to make stuff up, at least be realistic.
Oh, if you're going to make outlandish claims, attach your name, so we know who you are.
-Ster

\0

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11/20, 03:15am | report spam | close Reply | delete
hmmm how about this

Isn't the g5 coming out soon(MWSF)?
If so Isn't it debuting at over a ghz?
well a HUGE thing to look at is how pc users look at apple and think "thats pathetic they can't even break a ghz" it sounds stupid but Its true, if apple came out with the g5 boasting a 1.2 or higher ghz proceessor then the mhz gap would be alot closer(considering that Most Pcs are 1.2-1.4 with the fewer high end models at 1.6-2)
I don't know I think that If apple had the g5 and a killer ad campaign they could regain A mass amount of pc brains.

My friend just got an AMD 1.6 ghz 512 ram 120 gig HD 24x burner 48x cd rom 16 x dvd windows xp etc
he was telling me about it and I said "wow sounds cool, too bad its running windows"

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Apple trying to lure former Mac users back?

updated 08:45 am EST, Mon November 19, 2001

when is Apple...

Marketing

A positive thing

what marketing?

apple ads

Gateway Cows

Apple Ads...and such

Re : Apple Ads...and such

This is news???

Re : Apple Ads...and such

Re: Apple Ads and Such

Re: Apple Ads and such

Apple and Windows

You can justify the price

G4s faster than PCs

Macs more compatible than

Trouble justifying Macs?

PCs and prices

YAWN

If you need Mac help

Expensive?

bwah?!

who cares

Missing point.

Re: Missing point

hmmm how about this

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Apple trying to lure former Mac users back?

updated 08:45 am EST, Mon November 19, 2001

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when is Apple...

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Apple Ads...and such

Re : Apple Ads...and such

This is news???

Re : Apple Ads...and such

Re: Apple Ads and Such

Re: Apple Ads and such

Apple and Windows

You can justify the price

G4s faster than PCs

Macs more compatible than

Trouble justifying Macs?

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YAWN

If you need Mac help

Expensive?

bwah?!

who cares

Missing point.

Re: Missing point

hmmm how about this

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