It's not much of a comment, but it's a rare event for Apple to issue any sort of formal statement on anything having to do with a competitor. For those of us who try to figure out what's going on inside Apple from the iPod-slim body of information that leaks outside Apple, it's impossible not to wonder if Microsoft's attacking Apple's pricing hasn't stung the maker of the world's inarguably prettiest computers.

Hesseldahl's column lists all the features missing from the US$699 Hewlett-Packard laptop that a young lady chooses over a $2,799 MacBook Pro, the only Apple model with a 17-inch screen. The Microsoft ad focuses on the lack of a cheaper 17-incher in Apple's lineup.