Follow Up: Microsoft Batting 1,000…dollars.

Ironically, after posting my last blog entry regarding Microsoft’s newest marketing strategy, I had an encounter this weekend that proved the $1000 challenge true.

My boyfriend is in the market for a new computer, and since he has always been a PC he decided to try a Mac (even after I warned him of the $1000 minimum). So, yesterday he ventured to the nearest Apple store in Allentown, Pa to see what he could find. Believe it or not, he bought something for under $1,000, BUT before you dub Microsoft a liar, let me explain.

He bought, for $600, a mini-computer that consists of a 6″ x 6″ white box. No screen, no mouse, no keyboard…just this little box that sits on his desk. Not far into the trip home, with his new toy in the backseat, he had a high-speed encounter with the law (this part of the story will be important later). One of his best friends, a Pennsylvania State Trooper, caught up with him on the highway and provided a friendly police escort, making the ride a little…quicker.

Once he arrived home, eager to hook-up his new Mac, he came to the inconvenient realization that this little box doesn’t adapt to just any monitor, and he would need a special kind of cable to plug it into the monitor he already has. Not wanting to take another hour-long drive back to the Apple store, he did the next best thing–called the police! His friend the trooper was still in the area and agreed to pick-up the cable for him.

The cable arrived within a few hours, and he immediately hooked it up to the mini-Mac, only to discover his keyboard and his mouse were not compatible, either.   This time, a cable wouldn’t do the trick. So, back in the car and off to Best Buy he went to buy a new keyboard and a new mouse. Finally, five hours and $250 later, his new computer was usable.

On a positive note for Apple, now that I’ve had a chance to use the new mini-Mac I must say…it’s pretty cool.

Moral of the story: Sure, you can find a Mac for under $1000, but not necessarily in one piece. Coolness comes with a price tag.