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'Apple tax' report backfires on Microsoft; Mac fans fume

16.04.2009
Last week, Microsoft began flogging a report by an analyst whom the company had paid to document the "Apple tax" -- the supposed difference in price paid by an all-Apple household versus an all-Microsoft household. The report claimed an all-Apple household's costs would add up to an extra US$3,367 over five years, which prompted Mac fans to dissect the report and highlight discrepancies between the two scenarios.

But the report has also fallen flat among the technology press outlets Microsoft had surely hoped would carry its message. Instead, tech reporters and columnists have slapped down the findings. A Google News search for "" returns dozens of articles and blog posts deriding Microsoft's claims. The current top result is a PC Magazine column by John C. Dvorak. Instead of , which seems to be his favorite hobby, Dvorak as "propagandistic."

Why do I care? Because there's a huge disconnect between Mac fans' perception of the press as a Microsoft "partner" (as described by writer Tom Reestman) and the reality that the media as a whole has had a , in part because Apple makes a great underdog story.