That distinction may serve Microsoft well, says Matt McCutchin, a former ad copywriter who's worked on numerous Microsoft and PC-related campaigns in the past.

"It was a great strategy a year ago to try to kick the door open and get the buzz going, to get Microsoft talked about in a different way," says McCutchin, a lecturer in the University of Texas at Austin's advertising program. "I think that bringing it home to the actual shopping trip is the right next step. That's what really goes through a consumer's mind now."

Future Thinking

This latest ad is the third in a series of six "Laptop Hunter" spots scheduled to be released over the coming months. The segments are little-by-little upping the ante: While an early edition focused on a machine under $1,000 and the most recent looked for a laptop less than $1,500, a future spot is said to raise the price limit to $2,000.

Microsoft is clearly aware of the edge that playing up price can offer over its competition. A Microsoft brand exec even joked that when Apple unveiled a $2,700 MacBook Pro at this year's . The question now is whether Apple will address the hits in a new way or continue pushing for success with its past tactics. McCutchin -- who recently made the switch himself, by the way, to Mac -- thinks a change may be in order.