14 DAY TRIAL // The latest Windows Laptop Hunters ad from Microsoft shrugs off MacBook Pro on the same arguments that the Redmond company has used so far: higher price and lower performance. Only that this time around Microsoft has had the Audacity to step on what is perceived to be Apple's home territory, by implying that a Windows laptop is superior to a MacBook Pro when it comes down to video editing. Again, the ad could be argued both for and against, but the point is that, at a marketing level, the new Laptop Hunters video delivers a new blow to Apple.
Following in the footsteps of Lauren, Giampaolo, and Lisa and Jackson, Sheila wants a new machine tailored to video editing tasks. This time around Microsoft has upped the money available to no less than $2,000. Sheila ends up choosing an HP HDX packing an Intel Core2 Duo P8600 (2.4 GHz), 4GB DDR2, 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT, and a 400 GB SATA HD. But before doing so, she downplays a MacBook Pro at $1,999 for being left capable of performing the tasks that she as a filmmaker is looking for in a computer. Sheila chooses HP HDX's 4 GB of DDR2 and the additional hardware for well under $1,400 over the MacBook Pro, which costs considerably more and offers a 2.4GHz CPU, with 2GB of DDR3 and the same graphics card but only with 256 memory.
In terms of price comparison, Microsoft has won yet another battle with Apple. A Windows laptop offers much, if not just as much as a Mac for less money. In the end, this is the underlying message that the Redmond company is sending out, adapted perfectly to the economical downturn, and to consumers that are carefully spending their money. And fact is that just as two years ago, 2 GB of RAM machines were starting to become the norm, OEMs are starting to focus more and more on building as much system memory into their computers as possible. Considering that the 64-bit version of the upcoming Windows 7 operating system requires a minimum of 2 GB of RAM, the 4 GB would be a must for video editing.