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Apple vs. Microsoft Ad Campaigns: Measuring Viral Video Performance

Our friends at VisibleMeasures have put together some data regarding Apple’s ‘Get a Mac’ ads, and Microsoft’s recent $300 million ad campaign. Interestingly, Apple’s most recent ads (Bean Counter, V Word and Bake Sale), garnered twice as placements, not views as Microsoft’s ‘I’m a PC’ campaign. When comparing views, Microsoft’s ads received 1.7 million views [...]

Apple (AAPL) Has More Cash Than Microsoft

Microsoft recently its first quarter revenue report, and deep within the documents, is a pretty astonishing fact. Based on the most recent information from both companies, Apple (AAPL) has more cash than Microsoft.

VentureBeat points out that while Apple closed the quarter with $24.5 billion in the bank, Microsoft is hovering around $20.7 billion when [...]

Microsoft’s New Ad Spot Made on a Mac. Who Would of Thought?

Recent metadata has indicated that Microsoft’s retort to Apple’s “Get a Mac” campaign was in fact created on a Mac running Adobe’s Creative Suite 3. Following the publication of photos on Flickr showing Microsoft’s creative copy used to make the ad, the company made hasty attempts to wipe the slate clean of the humiliation [...]

Video: Microsoft Airs Two More “I’m A PC” Commercials, PC Guys Tells His Story

In an attempt to reclaim “PC Guy” and correct his image, Microsoft has launched a new ad campaign called “I’m a PC.” The new ads start off mimicking Apple’s “Get a Mac” ads with a John Hodgman lookalike.

Like the ads previously aired by Microsoft, these commercials do not feature Vista, or even mention Windows. [...]

[Update] Video: Microsoft Airs First “I’m A PC” Commercial, Doesn’t Mention Windows

Microsoft has aired it’s first commercial in its new “I’m a PC” ad campaign. In attempting to reclaim the “PC Guy” image, Microsoft showcases a wide diversity of people calling themselves PC users.

Microsoft announced that it’s commercials featuring Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates were on hold, and that the entire campaign was going to [...]

Seinfeld and Gates Microsoft Ads Not Cancelled, Just “On Hold”

Looks like the internet jumped the gun yesterday when reports flooded out about Microsoft canceling their Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates ad campaign. New information (via Gizmodo) claims that the campaign is simply “on hold.”

Last night we reported about Microsoft cancelling its un-focused Seinfeld and Gates ad campaign. Well, apparently the campaign is not being [...]

Microsoft Bails on Seinfeld, Launching New Campaign to Directly Target Apple

Microsoft is dumping the ill-received Seinfeld Windows campaign for something a little more focused. A campaign directly targeting, and mimicking Apple’s “Get A Mac” ad campaign

Microsoft aired two commercials which were called New Family and Shoe Circus. Although both ads commanded attention, and bounced off every tech blog on the planet, Microsoft wasn’t trying to [...]

Video: Microsoft Airs New Jerry Seinfeld Commercial, “New Family”

Tonight Microsoft has aired its second installment in their ridiculously irrelevant $300 Million media extravaganza. The new ad, titled “New Family” comes in at 4 minutes 30 seconds long and features Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld living and interacting with real people.

I’ve previously written that “The commercials do demand attention, and by attracting buzz, Microsoft [...]

Microsoft to Replicate Apple Genius Program

If imitation is the highest form of flattery then Apple should be blushing right about now.

Microsoft has recently stated that their latest marketing campaign will include expertly trained in-store personnel. The company’s GM of corporate communications, Tom Pilla, has stated that the Microsoft representatives, dubbed “Microsoft Gurus,” will provide support and answer customer questions, [...]

Microsoft: First Seinfeld and Gates Ad Just an “Icebreaker”

For those of you that may be at complete loss after seeing the new Windows ad, “Shoe Circus,” one Microsoft exec provides some explanation.

A recent memo from, Bill Veghte, Microsoft’s senior vice president of Online Services & Windows Business Group details to company employees that the first ad of their new campaign was merely an [...]

Video: Microsoft Airs First “Jerry Seinfeld - Windows” Commercial; Rips Off Apple

In response to Apple’s cut-throat “Get-a-Mac” ads, Microsoft announced that it was planning a huge $300 million dollar ad blitz, beginning with commercials set to star actor/comedian, and known Mac user Jerry Seinfeld. Tonight they aired the first commercial in the “Seinfeld-Windows” campaign.

The ad begins with Seinfeld walking through a mall, when he spots Bill [...]

New York Times: Microsoft Windows Monopoly is Slowly Eroding

Microsoft’s Windows Operating System continues to make billions of dollars being sold and prepackaged with new computers. However the inevitable demise of its dominant monopoly, is so apparent that even mainstream media is writing about it (via Silicon Alley Insider).

Joe Nocera write the following for the New York Times
Windows is already dying a death by [...]

Apple Sees Recent Surge in iPhone’s Web Share

According to recent figures, Apple’s coveted iPhone 3G has seen a surge in its global web share.

In a report gathered by web analytics company, Net Applications, the figures show that in June of 2008, one month before the launch of the iPhone 3G, the first generation iPhone held about a 0.16 % share of the [...]

Microsoft Releases Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2

Microsoft released a significant upgrade to its Internet Explorer web browser this afternoon. The first edition of IE 8 was for developers, and Microsoft suggests that anybody who browses or uses the web, will love IE 8 beta 2.

During the last year, Internet Explorer’s market share lost six points, falling to 73 percent, still not [...]

Microsoft Retains Jerry Seinfeld as Part of $300 Million Ad Blitz

In order to combat the battered reputation that Microsoft has been receiving over the past several years, they are going to begin a $300 million ad campaign that is set to star known Mac user Jerry Seinfeld.

The decision follows in the wake of Apple’s, “Get a Mac” campaign, a series of humorous ads aimed at [...]

Microsoft Demanding That Xbox Related iPhone Apps be Free of Charge

Microsoft has recently decided to halt the sale of any Xbox Live related applications and is demanding that applications currently available through the App store be made free.

Despite the fact that Microsoft has yet to officially release an application on the iPhone platform, they have mandated that developers creating Xbox Live related applications, of which [...]

Numerous Apple Users Left Out of Olympic Games

“Friday’s opening ceremonies not only marked the beginning of the Summer Olympics from Beijing, China—it also marked the start of NBC’s ambitious plans to offer streaming coverage of Olympic events to both computers and mobile devices.”

“NBC, which holds exclusive U.S. broadcast rights to the Games, plans to offer live streaming of more than 2,200 hours [...]

Microsoft partners love iPhone

“Channel partners with close ties to Microsoft (NSDQ:MSFT) are generally reluctant to admit to using products from Microsoft’s archenemies. However, the appeal of Apple’s iPhone is apparently becoming too strong for some Microsoft partners to resist. ChannelWeb recently spoke with several Microsoft Gold partners—some of whom have been using the iPhone for months, others who [...]

30 years of Microsoft. From 1978 to 2008.

As Bill Gates’ retirement officially nears the end, reflecting back on the last 20+ years of your life is only natural. I mean, WOW… Bill Gates is retiring. Check out these pictures below of Microsoft in 1978 when they were 3 years old, and had a dozen people working for them - compared with the [...]

Symbian set free after Nokia buyout.

“The leading smartphone operating system, Symbian, is to become open source, under guidance from a newly set up Symbian Foundation. Nokia is buying up other vendors’ Symbian shares for US$409 million (£204 million), and then - apparently - donating the company to the Foundation. The Symbian Foundation will start work in 2009, and will unify [...]