Deconstructing the MS BS

Microsoft has launched a "PC versus Mac" site to try to hold back the flood of people - especially students - switching to Macs. In a particularly brazen (and kinda funny) move, they've chosen to use on of the hallmarks of the Mac as a selling point - that "it just works."

And is it me, or is that chick just creepy looking?


Here are their selling points (with my commentary):


Macs might spoil your fun.
There are some things you simply can't do out of the box with a Mac like watch, pause, rewind, and record TV like a DVR.
I've yet to see a PC that you can watch like a TV and which not only picks up over-the-air TV signal, but also records it right out of the box, although I'd bet that there are a few. But to make it sound as if they all do it is as misleading as it comes.

It's showtime.
You can't get a Mac that ships with a Blu-ray player, TV tuner, Memory Stick reader, or built-in 3G wireless. You can with PCs running Windows 7.
True. You can't get a Mac that has a Blu-Ray player built-in. Point one for Microsoft. See my comments on the TV tuner above, but just because ONE MODEL from ONE MANUFACTURER comes with a TV tuner, can it really be touted as "PCs come with a TV tuner?" This one doesn't. Or this one. Or this one. And those are just the first three I happened to click on. That's a bait-and-switch, pure and simple. Macs don't come with Memory Stick readers, but modern Macs do come with SD Card slots. Microsoft is really splitting hairs by touting Sony's proprietary Memory Stick. I wonder how many PC models actually come with them, outside of models built by Sony? And once again, Macs don't have 3G wireless built in. But most PCs don't either. But not a disclaimer to that effect to be found anywhere on the page.

Game on!
Most of the world's most popular computer games aren't available for Macs. And Macs can't connect to an Xbox 360. PCs are ready to play.
What's most? 50%? Granted, the NEWST games aren't always available right away on the Mac, but that's certainly not true in all cases. It's widely known that Macs aren't built for hard-core gamers (but I bet a good MacPro would be a screamin' game machine), so another point for Microsoft on this one, sort of. And no, Macs can't connect to the X-Box 360. But who cares, really? I've never understood why one would want to hook a computer up to a game console, anyway. But to imply that games can't be played on a Mac is just wrong. I don't game anymore, but back in the day, I used to play Starcraft, Civilization, Diablo (and Diablo II), and Warcraft on my Mac. And I still can today if I wanted to.

Direct TV connection.
Most Macs can't hook up to your TV unless you buy a converter dongle. Many PCs running Windows 7 are designed to connect directly to TVs, so you can watch movies and see photos on the big screen.
Notice the language here: MOST MACS, MANY PCs. The truth here is that MOST PCs won't hook up to your TV without an adapter, either. And before I got my AppleTV for Christmas a couple of years ago, I used my Mac Mini to watch movies and see photos on my big screen with no problem at all. Outright deceptive.


Macs can take time to learn.
The computer that's easiest to use is typically the one you already know how to use. While some may say Macs are easy, the reality is that they can come with a learning curve. PCs running Windows 7 look and work more like the computers you're familiar with, so you can get up and running quickly.
This one is hilarious to me simply because Windows is a Mac OS knock-off from the very beginning. And it's been widely reported that Windows 7 used the Mac OS as its inspiration. And "get up and running quickly?" Hah! Just try to set up a PC from unboxing to work-ready in under 15 minutes. I've done it repeatedly with Macs, most recently with my new Mac Pro at work, which took a total of 7 minutes to get up and running out of the box. If you count the (amazingly easy) transfer of files from my old machine, it was 45 minutes - applications, documents, preferences, bookmarks, EVERYTHING. Try that with a PC.


Working smoothly.
Things just don't work the same way on Macs if you're used to a PC. For example, the mouse works differently. And many of the shortcuts you're familiar with don't work the same way on a Mac.
The MOUSE works differently? BULLSHIT! I've used PC mice for years. That arguement may have had merit ten or twelve years ago when the Mac still only recognized single-button mice. But I've been using the right-click for more than six years now. And it works EXACTLY the same way on a Mac as on a PC. Even Apple's Magic Mouse works on a PC. And as for "shortcuts" not not working the same on a Mac... buh-huh? Maybe it's because on a Mac things are easier to find so you don't need to have all kinds of crazy shortcuts everywhere. Flat out false. And shame on you, Microsoft.

Use Windows 7 to simplify your life.
Windows 7 was designed to make it simpler to do the tasks you do every day, with features that the Mac doesn't have. For example, the new Snap feature makes it easy to view two documents side by side.
Huh. Two documents side by side???? Well SHAZAM, that IS cool! Oh, wait. Macs have had Expose since 2004, which lets you view open windows, documents and applications side by side with the press of a button. And if Snap is a new feature, why does it even exist if people are already using its functionality without it?

Touch and go.
Unlike Macs, many PCs running Windows 7 support Touch, so you can browse online newspapers, flick through photo albums, and shuffle files and folders—using nothing but your fingers. PCs with a fingerprint reader even let you log in with just a swipe of your finger.
Supporting Touch and having a touch-enabled computer are two completely different things. How many laptops (or desktops) have touch screens? I've yet to see one in the wild. Hell, I've yet to see one in a computer store. Honestly, MS... You're trying to use TOUCH as point against the company that makes the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch? Desperate and ineffective. No one thinks of Microsoft when they think "touch." They think of mobile devices, and probably ones made by Apple. And BTW, Microsoft, Mac portables (MacBooks and MacBook Pros) have trackpads that allow people to duplicate the functionality of their iPhones and iPads. Heck, there's even a new Magic Trackpad that allows the same functionalities on desktop machines, too. So, yeah, I guess all Macs fall into the "touch" category now, too.


Macs don't work as well at work or at school.
If most of the computers in your office or school run Windows you may find it harder to get things done with a Mac.
Wow. Wait. Let me catch my breath. Oh, wow. So they're honestly trying to say that if your company or school uses PCs that your Mac will somehow be crippled? Not unless it's running Windows in Boot Camp and catches a virus. I can personally attest to exactly the OPPOSITE. I've got the only Mac in our company - for more than five years now - and I have no problems getting my work done, and hella-quick. Macs have always played well with PCs. The same cannot be said of PCs. To this day, Windows boxes refuse to acknowledge Macs on a network. That's on Microsoft, not on Apple.

Sharing documents and spreadsheets.
If you use Apple's productivity suite, sharing files with PC users can be tricky. Your documents might not look right and your spreadsheets might not calculate correctly.
A very fine distinction, but true. If you create a Keynote presentation and try to export it to Powerpoint, it will, in fact, look like shit. But that's because Powerpoint is a shitty piece of software that, frankly, Microsoft should be ashamed to be charging for. Try importing a Powerpoint presentation into Keynote. It still looks shitty, but that's because it looked shitty in Powerpoint. And yet again, this is a red herring that belongs in 1995. Macs and PCs have been able to seamlessly share - and open and edit - Word, Excel and Powerpoint files for more than a decade with no problems. I do it at work all the time. Shameless, Microsoft. You make a lot of money from Office for Mac. You know that it works just fine.

Giving presentations.
You'll have to buy a separate hardware dongle to plug your Mac into a standard VGA projector. Most PCs with Windows 7 hook up easily.
Nice argument. "Most PCs use the same crappy, outdated technology that they've had for more than twenty years." It's a chicken-and-egg question: do projectors still have a VGA port because crappy PCs still use them (despite better, digital options) or do crappy PCs still have VGA ports because projectors still have them? It doesn't matter, though, because MOST PCs running Windows 7 will still be showing the presentation using Powerpoint, so it's going to look like shit, anyway.

Protecting your drives.
On a Mac, out of the box, you can only encrypt your home folder. With Windows 7 Ultimate, you can encrypt your entire hard drive and even USB drives. So your stuff can be safer wherever you go.
Whatever. The fact is that most everything the typical Mac user uses - documents, movies, music and preferences (such as bookmarks and web cache) are stored in the Home folder. Applications and system files aren't encrypted, but a simple password for each user (which CAN be set up directly out of the box) can effectively protect the machine from most prying eyes.


Macs don't like to share.
At least half the fun of having a computer is sharing the stuff that matters to you with other people. This is harder to do on a Mac.
My head just frigging exploded. Have you ever tried to set up sharing on a PC? I have. Never mind that it depends on which "edition" you have installed as to whether it can share at all. The setup process is confusing, convoluted and the exact opposite of easy. On a Mac, all you have to do is check a single check box.

Securely share your movies, music, and photos.
With a Mac, it's harder to set up secure sharing for your photos, music & movies, documents, and even printers with other computers on your home network. With HomeGroup, it's easy to connect all the computers in your house running Windows 7.
One word: bonjour, aka "zero configuration sharing." It's ridiculously easy to share ANYTHING on a network securely with a Mac. I've been doing it for over a decade, both at home and in the office. Streaming movies and music from another computer is as simple as opening iTunes and clicking on a shared library. And it works on a PC, too, foo. It's almost as if they're not even trying to tell even a partial truth anymore...

It's easy with a PC.
On a Mac, you have to manually set up photo sharing, manually set up music and movie sharing, manually set up file sharing, and manually set up printer sharing. It's easy to automatically and securely network with all the computers in your house when they're running Windows 7.
I give up. See my previous comments. All of this is just false. And you know what? Al the computers don't have to be running the most recent version of Mac OS in order to share. Suck on that, Microsoft.


Macs might not like your PC stuff.
Plain and simple, if you're a PC user, lots of your favorite stuff just might not work on a Mac. With PCs outselling Macs 10 to 1, the reality is that most computer software is developed to run on PCs.
Yeah. Macs downright hate .exe files. And viruses. And spyware. And malware, all of which are developed to run on PCs.

Hassle-free files at work.
Apple's productivity suite file formats won't open in Microsoft Office on PCs. This can be a real hassle for Mac users sharing work documents with PC users.
That's true. Word on the PC won't even offer the ability to import a Pages document. Excel won't open a Numbers document, and I've already shat all over Powerpoint. But the truth is that most Mac users don't use Apple's production suite. They use Office for the Mac, which will integrate seamlessly with their PC counterparts. And the fact that Microsoft won't offer compatibility with Mac documents isn't Apple's fault. It's Microsoft's.

Programs you already know.
If there's a Mac version of a program you need, you'll have to buy it again and relearn how to use it on a Mac.
Not exactly. Word on the Mac does work differently that its PC brother, but word is that's a GOOD thing. Honestly, have you TRIED to use Word on the PC lately? It's crap. Most applications that are available on both the Mac and the PC work exactly the same way, although the interface may be different (such as Photoshop). But Dreamweaver on the Pc will output html code just as well (or as poorly) as on a Mac. You'll just have a better experience using it on a Mac. And in the case of typography, there's a very BIG difference between the Mac and the PC and how it renders type. PC type simply looks like ass.


Macs don't let you choose.
PCs give you a lot more choice and capabilities for your money. You can get the PC you want, in the size and color you want, with the features you want. You just don't have as many options with a Mac.
Memo to Microsoft: the '90s are over. And while PCs languished in beige hell for years, Apple created the iMac in an array of colors. People stick their PCs under their desk for a reason: THEY'RE UGLY.


Loaded with features.
You can't get a Mac with a Blu-ray player, TV tuner, Memory Stick reader, or built-in 3G wireless. PCs running Windows 7 often come with features that aren't available on even the highest end Macs, including Blu-ray, eSATA, multi-format card readers, Touch, and mobile broadband.
Oh, hell. Not this again. Regurgitate much? Not counting on anyone actually reading all your backwash, Microsoft? See above. Repeat as necessary.

Available in your favorite color.
Macs only come in white or silver. PCs are available in a full spectrum of colors across a range of price points.
Nice selling point, Microsoft... "Macs only come in tasteful colors." And it's not true, either. MacBooks also come in black, liars. And there are also Macs "cross a range of price points," from the dirt-cheap (but still very capable) Mac Mini all the way up to the powerhouse beast 12-core Mac Pro. True, there are no $200 Mac laptops or netbooks. But you get what you pay for, even with PCs. But thanks for not trotting out the old "Macs are more expensive than PCs" garbage. Ever since the switch to Intel processors in 2005, it simply isn't true, either (not that that has stopped you in the rest of your Mac-bashing site).


More digital media.
With PCs running Windows 7, you can play the videos and music stored on your home PC while you're on the go, for free. Apple charges $99/year for its online service.
There are free alternatives to Mobile Me (which, come on, Apple, is quite overpriced). But let's deconstruct that sentence. "You can play videos and music stored on your home PC while you're on the go..." Kinda like with an iPod? With a Mac, you can copy over the files and play them anywhere, too. Or are they trying to say that you can stream the video and music from your home computer to another device somewhere? You can do that with a Mac. But once again, Microsoft, don't let the truth stand in your way. Your carefully chosen words and phrases aren't fooling me, although they might fool my grandma and other people who go into Best Buy and say "I need a computer that has the WIFIs."

Frankly, I'm surprised that the FTC doesn't have something to say about all the blatantly false and misleading things contained in Microsoft's anti-Mac page. There's not a disclaimer to be found. But at the end of it all, Microsoft is just making themselves look silly. More and more people - especially students who know how to do all this stuff if they want to - are using Macs. And those people know that Microsoft is full of shit. And just like I'm doing, they'll tell they're friends. Word of mouth is more powerful than any website.