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I've been a pretty big fan of Microsoft's Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld ads. No, it's not because I'm such a Seinfeld fanboy (I am though) or that I enjoy watching Bill Gates perform the robot on cue.

Instead, I look at the Seinfeld ads as a way for Microsoft to turn the company's poor public image into a positive image that will help it finally fix its Vista PR woes.

But after buckling under the pressure of "what is this about?" articles, Microsoft has shelved the Seinfeld ads (they may or may not come back) and has instead started attacking Apple by explaining exactly what a PC is. (Editor's note: Microsoft says the move away from the Seinfeld ads was always planned.)

What a bad move.

I don't blame Microsoft for trying to battle Apple ads and I even commend it for doing just that. But now is not the right time to do it: Microsoft didn't improve its image yet. And if it hasn't been able to do that, how can it possibly expect to compete with the single company in this industry that has the best image of all?

It's PR suicide.… Read more

Ted Landau

September 2008

The App Store is no doubt one of the best things to have happened to the iPhone (and the iPod touch). Users are happily adding a wide array of apps to their devices, usually with little or no difficulty. Still, occasionally things go wrong. At such times, beyond the standard troubleshooting advice you'll find here at MacFixIt, it pays to know at least a bit about what's going on "under-the hood." Here's a Q&A detailing 5 things you should definitely know:

1. Where are iPhone apps actually stored on … Read more

According to Forrester, Apple has finally reached the single milestone that could change the dynamic of the computing business for good: its U.S. laptop market share has reached 10.6 percent during the second quarter of 2008. Just one year ago, it captured just 6.6 percent of the same market.

Globally, Apple's market share is reportedly hovering at just about 3.3 percent--a far cry from its success in the United States--according to one report, but Net Applications places it closer to 5.5 percent. Which estimate is correct? You decide.

Either way, it illustrates an important point: Apple is successful, and its popularity is growing each day. Years ago, no one thought that Apple would survive another year, let alone capture 10 percent of any market. But today, it's sitting atop the technology industry, and companies in every major market are looking up.

But how did this happen? Is Apple's success in the computing market a by-product of Steve Jobs' insight and uncanny knowledge of what people want? Or is it pure luck, thanks to questionable moves by competitors and being in the right place at the right time?

Apple zealots would undoubtedly contend that Apple's success has nothing to do with luck, while Microsoft fanboys would argue against that point. In reality, Apple's success in the computing market is the by-product of both skillful positioning and a healthy dose of luck.

Here's why:… Read more

While acknowledging Microsoft is in a tough spot in trying to recast Windows after years of attacks from Apple, one ad executive said she is highly skeptical of Microsoft's new approach.

Microsoft's latest ad, which starts running tonight, features a Microsoft employee who looks very much like the PC guy from the Apple ads, saying "I'm a PC and I've been made into a stereotype."

"Casting Microsoft as a victim still doesn't work for me," said Kathy Sharpe, CEO of New York-based interactive ad firm Sharpe Partners. "They aren't … Read more

After two weeks of running a series of ads with Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates that left many people scratching their heads, Microsoft's latest spots take direct aim at the Apple ads that have turned Windows into a punch line.

"I'm a PC and I've been made into a stereotype," says Microsoft employee Sean Siller, who looks a whole lot like John Hodgman, the actor who plays the PC in Apple's ads.

The spot then goes on to have other people say that, they … Read more

This week CardScan released its business card scanner and contact management software for Mac, the CardScan Executive for Mac. More and more people using MacBooks for work and business, and now they have a card scanning solution.

The new system includes the color business card scanner that scans in color at a rate of up to 20 cards a minute. Users can also import contact information from e-mail signatures and other electronic documents. Other contact management functions include the importing and exporting of vcards, printing to envelopes and labels, and viewing images of business cards in "image view."… Read more

Despite IT spending hitting the skids, according to Forrester, Apple's US laptop market share hit double digits for the first time, leaping from 6.6 percent market share in Q2 2007 to 10.6 percent market share in Q2 2008, as The Register details.

Yes, it's only the laptop market, but as more and more of the market shifts to portables...this is good news for Apple, indeed.

Globally, Apple's overall share is not as rich, at a reported 3.3 percent, in part because its European market share still sags at 5.5 percent. Net Applications, … Read more

Earlier this year, we took a close look at Iomega's eGo line of portable hard drives. We tested both the brown leather eGo and the camo eGo, with superb results: we liked both Iomega's Drop Guard design that protects the drives from drops up to a meter above the floor, and the quick transfer speeds.

Now, Iomega is taking the drives' aesthetic value one step further by introducing the 320GB eGo Helium. The drive is just .63 inches, and its sleek exterior casing is anodized silver to match perfectly with Apple's MacBook Air. Inside the chassis, you'… Read more

Apple's picking up notebook market share faster than any of its competitors in its home continent, according to DisplaySearch.

Market research figures released Wednesday have Apple's share of the North American market for notebooks, up from 6.6 percent to 10.6 percent in the second quarter of this year, compared to last year. Every other major notebook maker's market share was either flat or down, compared to the previous year, with market leaders Hewlett-Packard and Dell picking up just 0.3 percent and 0.2 percent, respectively, and Acer's share plunging 4.2 percent, including … Read more