Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Tuesday, 09 June 2009 16:40
Opinion and Analysis
Page 1 of 2
The Microsoft Windows “Laptop Hunter” TV ad campaign in the US that saw
one winner proclaim she wasn’t “cool enough to own a Mac” due to the
Mac’s higher prices is coming to Australia, giving people the chance to
buy a laptop worth up to $1300 with Microsoft’s money.
Microsoft’s belated “I’m a PC” and “Laptop Hunter” TV ad campaigns worked well in positively marketing the PC and Windows experience, while establishing in the minds of consumers that PC prices were either cheaper or better value than Macs.
These ads were designed to counter the well known Mac Vs PC ads from Apple, who turned “I’m a Mac” and “I’m a PC” into household phrases long before Microsoft finally took firm possession of the “I’m a PC” designation.
Although Apple has just dropped prices on its MacBook Pros in the US, while opening up the door for an upcoming netbook-killing new “MacBook” that could be all slate like an iPhone pro, or a tablet slate with keyboard convertible to easily go from slate to fast typing, the current battle for volume sales is in the netbook market and above.
Microsoft is bringing its “Laptop Hunter” campaign to Australia, and for the lucky few who successfully follow the clues broadcast on FM radio, Twitter, email and Windows Instant Messenger, they can find the “Laptop Hunter” who is “blending into the busy CBD crowd” to score AUD $1300 of Microsoft money to buy a laptop.
Contestants then, with the Laptop Hunter embark “on a quest to find the best high performance laptop their newly acquired money can buy”.
Looking at the JB Hi-Fi online
laptop page as an example, we can see that under the $1293 mark there’s an Intel Core 2 Duo (C2D) laptop running at 2.0GHz, and 2GB of RAM, and for $1162 an AMD Athlon X2 Dual Core 2.1GHz with 4GB of RAM, and both with DVD burner, 320GB HD, 512MB ATI Graphics card, Vista Premium and 15-inch screens.
Beyond the $1300 mark are models more memory, bigger 16 and 17-inch screens and some with faster Intel C2D chips and also a model with a Core 2 Quad processor for $2778 – far more moolah than Microsoft’s Laptop Hunter is offering.
None yet offer Windows 7, but this will clearly come from October 22 onwards.
When you get to from AUD $798 to $1293 is a wide range of laptops, two with the aforementioned C2D chips, and the rest a selection of “Pentium Dual Core” processors, AMD Turion or X2 Dual Core and Celeron processors, but the most expensive Core 2 Duo or Athlon X2 models described above would have to be JB’s best sub $1300 value.
I guess AUD $1300 also had to be chosen because it’s far enough away from the cheapest MacBook in Australia, currently selling at the Apple store from AUD $1599.
So, if you live in Sydney, Brisbane or Melbourne, and want to try your luck at Laptop Hunter hunting,
read on to page 2 for details because the campaign has started – and ends on Friday 12th of June!
