Microsoft to Respond to Apple's 'Get a Mac' Ads

Informationweek reports on comments made by Brad Brooks, Microsoft's VP of Windows Vista consumer marketing at their annual Worldwide Partner Conference. Brooks admits that they have made mistakes with the Vista launch but that they are ready to counter attacks from Apple and let customers know that Vista is "finally stable and ready."

"We've got a pretty noisy competitor out there," Brooks said of Apple whose "I'm a Mac... and I'm a PC," commercials criticize Windows Vista. "You know it. I know it. It's caused some impact. We're going to start countering it. They tell us it's the iWay or the highway. We think that's a sad message. Software out there is made to be compatible with your whole life."

Microsoft is planning to launch a massive advertising campaign worth hundreds of millions of dollars to promote Vista. Key features to be promoted include upgraded security and compatibility with both applications and devices.