Microsoft Claims Apple Wanted to Silence Laptop Hunter Ads

Posted 07/16/2009 at 3:00pm | by Paul Lilly

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Apparently it's all fun and games poking fun at the competition until someone turns the table and slaps you across the face with a reality check. Just ask Apple, who threw the first volley before going on a marketing blitz with Justin Long-in-tooth. According to Kevin Turner, Microsoft's Chief Operating Officer, Apple's lawyers were none too pleased with Microsoft's Laptop Hunter ads and wanted the software maker to stop airing them.

"You know why I know they're working? Because two weeks ago we got a call from the Apple legal department saying, hey -- this is a true story -- saying, 'Hey, you need to stop running those ads, we lowered our prices.' They took like $100 off or something," Turner said during his Worldwide Partner Conference keynote. "It was the greatest single phone call in the history that I've ever taken in business."

In case you've somehow managed to miss them, Microsoft's Laptop Hunter ads feature regular people challenged to find a laptop that fits their needs at a certain price point, and if they can find one, Microsoft will pay for it. In every commercial, an appropriate MacBook ends up being out of the price range. You can view all of them here. And if you're an Apple fan, here's your link.

Image Credit: refreshed.notian.net