I'm sure some wanted to believe that Apple would take the high road with regards to Microsoft's Laptop Hunters ads. But those people don't understand Apple. Instead, Apple has responded with an ad of its own. And let's be serious here for a second. It's pretty effective.
(To see the right ad, click on Latest ads and then Elimination).
The point here is simple: Microsoft is pushing the value and choice of PCs compared to Macs, which is unassailable. PCs are cheaper and come in an amazing array of choices from a variety of sources.
Apple, in response, is changing the conversation, because they have to. But what they are advertising here is effectively the truth as well: PCs are prone to errors, crashes and malware. (I say effectively here because one ounce of common sense would prevent most of the security issues people have with PCs. And as my wife or any honest Mac user would be happy to tell you, Macs have all kinds of errors and crashes too, sorry.)
Anyhoo. Quibbling aside, it's an effective response.
Which brings up an interesting point. What will Apple do when Windows 7 ships? I mean, it's smaller, faster, and better than Vista. It approaches Mac-like elegant and design. It's just a better OS. Do they simply prattle on about the same, increasingly out of date complaints? Or is there something new to say about PCs that's relevant in the Windows 7 era?