In the world of PCs we have it pretty good. Hardware is pretty inexpensive for the performance across the board. It’s well developed and pretty amazing that you can take a conglomeration of parts drop Windows or Linux in it and have the thing work (usually). Overall this makes PCs cheap enough for the masses. Mac’s on the other hand tend to average almost double the cost of the PC average, according to a story by DailyTech:

“Macs have gone from an average price of $1,432 and $1,574, for desktops and laptops respectively in June '06 to $1,543 and $1,515 respectively in June '08.  While much lower to start, PCs are now even lower in average sale price. The average PC notebook went from $877 to $700,”

I would have thought that the recent change in Mac using Intel hardware would have enabled them to lower their prices, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.

It has always been comparing Apples to, well, PCs to compare the platforms. Apple controls its production from end to end. Microsoft’s approach is more of a middle of the road approach with its Windows Certified Logo program, and Linux of course goes for the gusto with a completely open approach. Each has it’s advantages and draw backs. What we are seeing now is the result of openness and demand. If Apple wants to catch up it means opening up and letting builders use their OS X on their systems. I can just imagine how that will affect their vaunted stability, even though OS X is Linux at heart with Mac clothing. It will level the playing field and Macs might actually capture a larger market share while reducing their prices.

What do you think? Will we see Apple open it’s OS to system builders?

Microsoft seems poised to finally fight back against Apple’s Mac Guy vs PC Guy ads. The trendy, cool young ‘Mac’ guy versus the older staid business “PC” guy in a suit, have become pop culture icons. Every Mac user I ever knew was into granola, watching tree’s grow, and communing with nature, not trendy and cool. Microsoft’s position until now has been to sit back and let them play out. This may have been a bad move on Microsoft’s part. Mac Guy has been thoroughly ingrained into the national psyche.

Brad Brooks, the Corporate Vice President of Windows Consumer Product announced during his keynote address July 8 at Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner Conference that Microsoft is launching a 300 million dollar advertising counteroffensive against certain “unnamed competitors”. Dailytech.com quoted him as saying , "We know our story is very different from what our competitors want us to think.  Today we are drawing a line and are going to start telling the real story (about Vista)."

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