Apple's marketing and Vista's woes driving converts to Mac

Apple's nifty, tongue-in-cheek ads and Microsoft Vista's inability to resonate with consumers is proving to be a potent combination that is successfully converting Windows consumers to the Mac platform. While Vista has been a big albatross around Microsoft's neck, according to Advertising Age, the effectiveness of Apple's marketing should not be underestimated.

But then last year his friends started buying iPhones and making the switch -- "guys like me, who didn't really care for Macs." And when the latest Windows operating system, Vista, came out, "It didn't do anything for me," Mr. Alison said. "The very initial version was really a mess."

So he went to an Apple store. The clean, simple and friendly experience convinced him it was time to consider a Mac, and now, six months after his first MacBook purchase, he has added a desktop Mac Pro and another MacBook Pro. (You can read more about his experience on his blog, www.davidalison.com.)

Mr. Alison's experience is not unusual. Blog after blog chronicles the move from Windows to Mac operating systems -- and more than a few were precipitated by Microsoft's now one-and-a-half-year-old Vista. And with the final door having closed on XP on June 30 -- Microsoft is no longer allowing manufacturers to sell new computers pre-loaded with XP -- it's possible user frustration could translate to even more sales for Mac.

"Apple has told a good story, created good products and created a good [retail] experience for people to buy Macs," said Jupiter Research analyst Michael Gartenberg. However, he added, "The whole Vista launch was such a debacle, and that has helped Apple."

The launch "debacle" he's referring to is the January 2007 debut of Vista, which was not only delayed by more than six months, but also was "buggy," with compatibility problems and uneven quality noted in many early reviewers' and users' opinions. And the estimated $500 million spent on the launch seemed only to draw a bull's-eye around the operating system.

Indeed, half of the eight "Get a Mac" ads Apple and its agency TBWA created so far this year mention Vista. And the latest, "Sad Song," has the PC guy singing "The Vista Blues" about how Vista is causing people to leave him for Mac.

Read full article: AdAge: More Consumers Make the Switch to Macs

On a totally separate note, but still Apple-related, check out this interesting music video that was done completely and literally, on a Mac.

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