What's with Apple's commercials?

[Billfred]

Originally Posted by Michael Hill

I personally believe Apple should work on lowering their prices instead of dishing out millions in advertising...

While we're at it, let's have Cadillac or BMW make a car that sells for $15,000.

Apple is not your average computer company. They are quite content to let Dell/Gateway/Acer/Asus/anyone fight it out for the low end of the market; they're quite happy reaping sizable margins from the higher-end product they sell.

At last week's Keynote, Apple's COO Tim Cook noted that Apple has 18% of the US computer market--but 31% of the revenue share. Almost one in three dollars spent in the United States on a computer is on a Mac. You don't get those numbers selling $500 laptops.

Originally Posted by Nawaid Ladak

maybe apple should open source their stuff, therefore it gets more attention. if you gave manufacturers like Dell, HP, and Gateway the option to add an Apple o.s. to their PC, you might see more use.

I think you're mixing up your lingo. Apple's long been involved in open source software to varying degrees. If you're talking about Apple licensing Mac OS X to other manufacturers, then I venture a hearty been there, done that. Apple doesn't need to license it, and lose their ability to integrate hardware with software as effectively by doing so.

otherwise, lower your prices, make it work for people who will actually LIKE to use it, and not just use it because it's COOL and think it's NICE.

As someone who actually likes to use OS X (and merely tolerates XP at work) and thinks it works just fine for me, I believe Apple's prices are fair for their product. Any eye candy is just a perk.