Mac Lovers Try To Take Over Microsoft's Holiday Window Display (UPDATED, PHOTOS)

UPDATE: A member of the Windows PR team issued this statement regarding the Twitter feeds posted in the Saks Fifth Avenue holiday window display:

Important to note that the windows are the private property of Saks Fifth Avenue. As such, there are filters in place to make sure that in opening them up to Twitter feeds we had content that was appropriate for the general public to view and was within the holiday theme. This filter includes any attempt to spam the windows with negative commentary that is not in the spirit of the holidays. The windows have not been hijacked in any way.

------------------------------------

In an effort to promote its new software, Microsoft teamed up with New York's Saks Fifth Avenue store to help build Windows 7-powered holiday windows and to create a PC-themed lounge for shoppers.

Unfortunately for Microsoft, Mac lovers have tried to usurp part of the Saks Fifth Avenue window display and use it to promote Apple, and put-down Windows.

Here's how:

The Saks windows, which were inspired by scenes from the kids' book "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Flake," also feature a live Twitter feed that displays a stream of real-time Tweets tagged with the hashtag "#holidaywindows." These posts are all displayed, very publicly, on the Windows 7 holiday Windows right off of Manhattan's Fifth Avenue.

The Twitter feed was intended for customers to share their holiday wishes on the Microsoft-sponsored 50th street window.

Mac-loving Twitterers, however, have been using the hashtag to Tweet out how much they adore Apple products, to criticize Microsoft, and to point out Windows' flaws.

See the screenshot below for an example of what's been said about "#holidaywindows", and follow the Twitter feed below for more real-time updates.

And from Gizmodo:

See photos of Microsoft's Windows 7 holiday display at Saks below.

Holiday Wishes

Here's a shot of the live Twitter feed broadcasting Tweets with the hastag "#holidaywindows." Tweets have included: "@foresmac: A 27" iMac would make the ultimate Christmas gift this year! #holidaywindows" and "@eth0: #holidaywindows This store is closed.U must go now to 58th Street and 5th Ave and buy there.Yes, that sexy crystal cube, go inside."

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Comments

[fuelie]

03:42 AM on 12/03/2009

By the way, windows programs can run on a MAC in various ways, even with free software, and thanks to the free Wine initiative, more and more windows programs can run on a MAC very securely, safe from virus attack, without even buying and loading a copy of the Windows OS!

[fuelie]

04:31 AM on 12/03/2009

I worked with Windows for over 20 years as an IT guy, and switched to a MAC upon retirement 2 years ago.

No one could pay me enough money to switch to such an inferior, failed OS.

Windows is a piece of garbage that belongs in an incinerator!

Long live MAC and UNIX.

[PenguinLinux]

11:11 AM on 12/01/2009

EPIC FAIL for he Mac users......

http://www.techflash.com/seattle/2009/11/microsoft_nice_try_mac_geniuses_but_were_filtering_your_tweets.html

[Pegasys]

12:49 PM on 11/30/2009

Hmmmm....

It appears that Windows 7 is making Mac users uncomfortable with their allegiance.
They are exhibiting an uncontrollable need to reinforce their own faith in the All Powerfull Apple
by sniping at everything Microsoft.

Your PC envy is showing boys and girls.

Getting a virus,spyware or adware due to your own carelessness....approx:80$
Finding thousands upon thousands of cool and usefull free apps....Priceless
Being able to custom build a PC to your specs and not being limited by what Apple
allows you you to put in.....Priceless.
Being able to find thousands of 3D Games develloped for the PC.....Priceless
And if you want your PC to look similar to an IMac on your desk, just follow the link.

http://www.msi.com/index.php?func=prodpage1&maincat_no=654

You should note that while immitation may be a form of flattery, and while I may find that PC
kind of appealing, I and many others prefer the freedom to build our own PC rig with the hardware We The People choose.

Furthermore: if Apple Corp allowed OSX to be freely sold to be installed on any custom built PC,
they would find themselves in a world of hurt trying to make it compatible with all the freely available
hardware out there...

And...Admit it...You have right mouse button envy too.

[Gucci Mane]

02:13 AM on 11/30/2009

Mac's are garbage computers.... do u think only 5% of people use them because mac's haven't been around long enough or people just don't know about them? what 30 years isn't long enough??

People ramble on about how mac's are safer and better... I've had used windows for 15 years and haven't got a virus yet

Steve Job's has admitted that he's copied microsofts idea's and concepts...

sorry mac people!

[PenguinLinux]

02:17 PM on 11/30/2009

Both Jobs and Gates copied the idea for the GUI for Xerox's PARC.

[insideoutgraphics]

09:49 AM on 12/01/2009

Windows Users Suffering 'Black Screen Of Death'From Problem Patches
(look at link above)

Microsoft says it's looking into reports that its latest security updates are causing some Windows machines to stop working and display a mostly black screen with no desktop icons, taskbar, sidebar or other elements -- seizing up and displaying just a "My Computer" Explorer window, if they're lucky.

"Microsoft is investigating reports that its latest release of security updates is resulting in system issues for some customers," a company representative said via email in response to our inquiry. "Once we complete our investigation, we will provide detailed guidance on how to prevent or address these issues."

Define Garbage.

[PenguinLinux]

10:32 AM on 12/01/2009

That's only one of the many reasons I use Linux, and NOT Windows.

[Carnacamarna]

09:12 AM on 12/02/2009

It's not Microsoft. It's malware. :-)

[PenguinLinux]

06:47 PM on 11/27/2009

Did you know that when Al Gore invented the Interent, he used a Mac!! IT'S TRUE!!!

L0LZ!!

[ScapeGoat]

09:14 PM on 11/27/2009

All Gore never said he invented the internet he said:

During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet. I took the initiative in moving forward a whole range of initiatives that have proven to be important to our country's economic growth and environmental protection, improvements in our educational system.

He was responsible, in an economic and legislative sense, for fostering the development the technology that we now know as the Internet.

In May 2005, the organizers of the Webby Awards for online achievements honored Al Gore with a lifetime achievement award for three decades of contributions to the Internet.
"He is indeed due some thanks and consideration for his early contributions," said Vint Cerf (often referred to as the "father of the Internet")

[PenguinLinux]

02:29 PM on 11/30/2009

My humor was clearly missed. :(

[enoughofrr]

02:28 PM on 11/28/2009

You laugh at your own jokes? What a twink.

[PenguinLinux]

02:28 PM on 11/30/2009

You missed irony.

[poster1122]

06:26 PM on 11/27/2009

Scapegoat seems dubious of the proposition that the Mac can be just as easily be hacked as any other platform given the right incentive for a hacker to do so. Because he's heard this for years and he hasn't been hacked. Ergo the Apple platform must be (generally) secure.

Perhaps this will dispel his belief. Every year, there is a hacking contest called PWN2OWN. There's a 10K prize for hacking into a fully patched system (of any platform) and making it your b-tch.

In 2008, Mac OS X was the first machine to go down (first 2 minutes of the contest actually):

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/03/28/mac_hack/

In a separate Swedish competition that year, the Mac last 30 minutes:

http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/security/soa/Mac-OS-X-hacked-under-30-minutes/0,130061744,139241748,00.htm

In 2009, the winner of the 2008 PWN2OWN took over a Mac in under 60 seconds:

http://blogs.zdnet.com/security/?p=2917

Don't get me wrong. This is not to say that Mac is a bad platform. There are many nice things about it. But we all need to be vigilant when it comes to security and not just assume that Steve Jobs (or Bill Gates or Linux Torvalds) will protect us from all the wolves out there.

[PenguinLinux]

06:38 PM on 11/27/2009

I agree with all of the above.

Some people also seem to be missing the point that you cannot really compare Mac OS X to Windows either. They are just worlds apart from the ground up, completely different design philosophies and implementation, etc. It'd be better to compare Mac OS X to xBSD than it would be to compare Mac OS X to Windows.

[ScapeGoat]

09:36 PM on 11/27/2009

I do agree it is hard to compare the minor leagues (windoze) with the major leagues (OS-X). But, windoze and os-x are always compared. Even by windoze users (like your self.) By PC magazine and Mac magazines.

They both run on personal computers

They both do about the same thing. (only one does it better and without the added hassles).

They are comparable in cost.

They are both easily available to the general public & used by the general public.

One (windoze) always copies the other & then claims it does not.
"One of the things that people say an awful lot about the Apple Mac is that the OS is fantastic, that it’s very graphical and easy to use. What we’ve tried to do with Windows 7 […] is create a Mac look and feel in terms of graphics."
So. Aldous just made it clear; Windows 7 copies/borrows its design from the Mac. Only, no, it doesn’t. Not according to a retort from Windows Communications Manager, Brandon LeBlanc. (Boy, is this deja vu all over again?)

The public sees them as competitors for the same market and so does windoze and apple.

[ScapeGoat]

09:38 PM on 11/27/2009

Windoze has always copied the mac. Why copy it if they aren't competitors? And don't bring up xerox. Apple never stole the code from them (xerox). But Gates broke his agreement and used apples code to help him "invent " Windoze. He seems to have a history of stealing things and then calling it his own. Remember DOS or better know as QDOS ( quick and dirty operating system). Not invented by Gates but bought by Gates who then passed it off as his own work.

[poster1122]

06:41 PM on 11/27/2009

In other words:

Did you know:

In 2006, with no cash prize, a Mac OS X web server was hacked and taken over in a contest in 6 hours. In 2008, with a $10K prize, a fully patched Mac was taken over in 2 minutes. In 2009, for the same $10K prize, a fully updated Mac was taken over in a few seconds.

What will 2010 bring?

[PenguinLinux]

06:45 PM on 11/27/2009

2010 will bring the iCry..an exclusive for Apple fans. It will only cost you $10,000 too.

Whatever it does, unless you have an iMac, iPhone and an iPod, you are not worthy top even know about he iCry. You should feel honored that you even know one exists.

No. The Mac users won't tell you what it is or does, but it costs a lot... Money you can't afford.

You are not worthy.

/end sarcasm

[PenguinLinux]

03:52 PM on 11/27/2009

hmm interesting... Apple Inc uses Linux for their hosting servers.

http://searchdns.netcraft.com/?position=limited&host=apple.com

[ScapeGoat]

04:34 PM on 11/27/2009

I told you, Apple can and does use Linux.

No big revelation there. Yawn.

[PenguinLinux]

04:48 PM on 11/27/2009

Macs seem to have an issue at the 9th layer.

[poster1122]

01:58 PM on 11/27/2009

Scapegoat:

Please stop claiming that having a Mac in itself makes a user safe from viruses. It doesn't. The Mac OS simply isn't attacked as often. But that will change over time as/if it gains market penetration. You're already seeing now the early stages of that with the proliferation of iPhone viruses (which uses the same OS core). The iPhone is a little hardened against these attacks because by default it only allows Apple-approved software to run on it, but jailbroken phones that remove that restriction have proven to be especially hackable. Even approved apps (e.g. the SMS application) have been known to be exploitable.

But that same protection doesn't exist on the Mac platform. So users really need to start being conscious of this stuff before they attack to any public wi-fi network.

Oh, and before the Linux fanboys come out saying that they're safe too, keep in mind that Facebook runs atop the LAMP architecture (where the L in LAMP stands for Linux), and of course Facebook is hardly ever hacked, right?

My point here is not to say that Windows is better than Mac or Linux. It's a platform. Some people like it; others don't. So be it. I don't really care. At the end of the day, OS platforms are just tools to get your work done. Just don't get caught in some false sense of security.

[poster1122]

02:00 PM on 11/27/2009

Oops:

So users really need to start being conscious of this stuff before they ATTACH to any public wi-fi network.

[PenguinLinux]

02:53 PM on 11/27/2009

poster, exactly.

If Windows users have the network name of WORKGROUP or MSHOME and they have folders shared with default permissions, anyone else in the cofeeshop who is on the same network will see those folders, be able to share them, etc.

wif-fi, aside from being slower than a wired connection, is also inherently insecure because you can break into a wifi network in about 5 minutes by using the right tools.

Security is really am indset, a way of acting, vs a hardware or software setting.

[ScapeGoat]

02:24 PM on 11/27/2009

Been hearing that for years. Just wait, the Mac OS will get as many viruses as Windows.

"Most Mac users gaze on smugly as reports of each new Windows security crisis break. And they have good reason – research from Sophos PLC showed that 68 viruses have affected the Mac while 97,467 have affected Windows. Of those 68, most are a decade old or older and don’t directly affect OS X," Digit Magazine reports.

According to VistaHeads, the number of window viruses will hit 1 million in 2009. Of course, only a few are really a problem.

Mac OS-X has about 6 known viruses.

Can people create viruses against OS-X. Yes, of course they can. But right now it is not a problem compared to windows.

One of the reasons it is not a problem, is because there is no ".exe" in Apple. ALL programs must be installed manually. Either with your code word or by manually putting it in your folder. So no one can sneak a program onto your computer with a virus via email.

Can OS-X be hacked. Yes, but it is a lot harder then with windows.

Personally, I don't care why Apple Computers have almost no viruses, no spyware and not hacked like windows. The fact is, I don't have to worry about this stuff and don't need to buy programs to protect myself.

[poster1122]

02:38 PM on 11/27/2009

Mac is roughly still only 5% of the PC market. As/if that changes, be complacent at your own risk. The iPhone, being the same OS core, threatens to change everything. Because we're no longer talking about a fringe-ish product anymore.

I suggest you go to the metasploit project or to a black hat conference sometime. Those folks have put together exploit kits for the Mac platform already. Now all one has to do is download the kit and wrap it inside a virus or worm and it's off to the races. For better or worse, it really is that simple.

Right now, the focus is on the iPhone, since that does have serious market penetration. Are you really prepared to bet that it stays there? No one will connect the dots and think, huh, most of these vulnerabilities are in the main branch too?

[PenguinLinux]

03:44 PM on 11/27/2009

"One of the reasons it is not a problem, is because there is no ".exe" in Apple"

That's not the reason.

Neither xBSD, Mac OS X or Linux have *.exe in them so it's not Mac OS X exclusive.... what is the difference is the philosophy of design and implementation. Each is different from the other, but they are all more akin to each other than Windows is, which has a 180 degree completely different philosophy of design and implementation...and THAT is the difference from the ground up.

[ScapeGoat]

10:24 AM on 11/27/2009

Since Mac is Unix based, you can write programs in Unix.

Go to any DNA lab, they all have Macs because the programs used to decipher DNA sequences are written in Unix and run on Apple computers.

Very powerful stuff.

[PenguinLinux]

10:59 AM on 11/27/2009

Actually Mac OS X is a hybrid mix of NeXtstep and FreeBSD. xBSD (OpenBSD, FreeBSD, NetBSD, etc) is a derivative of UNIX, but it is not UNIX itself like say SCO is.

So it's true that Mac OS X is UNIX-RELATED but it is not UNIX itself.

[ScapeGoat]

11:55 AM on 11/27/2009

Wrong. Do not pass go, do not collect $200.

You can run linux on Apple.

This is from Dr. Paris Sabeti of Harvard Medical School:

“My Mac is part of this huge computing system, Karlsson adds. “That's what I like about it. I've got all the data on the UNIX cluster, and it’s all big text files and programs I’ve written—things that I can't really look at or work with from there. So I can take those files and copy them onto my Mac, where I can still work with them in UNIX and run all my Perl scripts to manipulate them. Sometimes I do things on the cluster, sometimes I do things on my Mac Pro, and sometimes, I have to figure out exactly which end I'm doing it on - which is interesting, because that means the process is so seamless. It’s like the Mac is an extension of my brain. It’s so nice to be able to move data back and forth so easily.”

[ScapeGoat]

11:55 AM on 11/27/2009

continues:
For data analysis, the Sabeti lab scientists typically write their own programs in Perl, Java, or C++, and they adapt existing open-source tools created by others. “The UNIX interface on the Mac makes it extraordinarily easy to program in different languages, and go back and forth between programming and seeing the results,” says Sabeti. Yamins agrees that Mac OS X is an ideal platform for script-based development. On his Mac he uses Python to develop a common scripting language for the lab.

[Eris23]

12:18 PM on 11/30/2009

Written in Unix, eh? When did Unix become a programming language?

[ScapeGoat]

10:20 AM on 11/27/2009

I never had a virus or spy ware to worry about.

My friend uses Windows and has had so much problems with viruses and crashes. He wanted to switch to Mac but unfortunately, the programs he uses are only available to window users.

If he switched to mac but used windows programs, he would still be susceptible to viruses and crashed using the windows OS.

He used Linux as much as possible but still is depended on windows, so he has to live with all the BS that comes with windows.

[PenguinLinux]

11:01 AM on 11/27/2009

Well, your friend could run Linux with Crossover which is the commercial version of WINE and it works great with Windows apps.

Also, you can't compare Windows to Mac OS X.

You need to compare like systems to like systems, not things that are completely different. Comparing a Ferrari to a Semi-truck is the same in the sense that they are both vehicles, just as Mac OS X and Windows are both operating systems, but each is of a completely different design implementation and comes from a different design philosophy. Comparing a Ferrari to a Lamborghini would be a closer fit.

Comparing Windows to Mac OS X just doesn't make sense., yet most people do so because they are computer illiterate. My point isn't really about Mac OS X or Windows, so much as it's about being in the same ball park on the same playing field.

What if someone said to you that A-1 Steak Sauce is the best and that it's better than a Ferrari, now wouldn't that make you tilt your head and go "WTF?" Dude.. that simply just does NOT make any sense. WHAT are you smoking???" Wouldn't you say something like "uh.. maybe try comparing to say Heinz 57 instead perhaps?"

I dunno.... Maybe I'm just the odd ball for trying to educate the masses of people.

[ScapeGoat]

12:03 PM on 11/27/2009

I don't know but you sound like your in left field.

[ScapeGoat]

12:05 PM on 11/27/2009

PS, I did say that my friend is running Linux in addition to Windows (not Vista).

[PenguinLinux]

11:55 AM on 11/27/2009

Instead of comparing Mac OS X to Windows and how virus-free Mac OS X, let's do something on a more equal playing field... let's compare Mac OS X to FreeBSD... hmmmmmm....same amount of viruses on both... now why is that?

Oh yeah....

because Mac OS X is based on FreeBSD.

Knocking Windows (which is completely different than OS X and not even in the same ballpark) is sort of like walking up and kicking a puppy to make yourself feel better.

[ScapeGoat]

12:44 PM on 11/27/2009

Windows is not even in the same ballpark as OS-X

Exactly, that is what Mac users have been saying for years!

It's the little leagues Vs the big leagues!

[OMAguy]

09:11 AM on 11/27/2009

How pathetic.

[Halfwit]

04:41 AM on 11/27/2009

Eeeew. The Apple superiority complex makes me want to vomit.

[PenguinLinux]

10:15 AM on 11/27/2009

There's an app for that.

[wolfgangmo]

06:12 PM on 11/27/2009

Bwahahahahaha. Good one.

[nicainmiami]

01:09 AM on 11/27/2009

Why is it that Mac users feel the need to tell people that they use a Mac?

[PenguinLinux]

10:17 AM on 11/27/2009

For the same reason the followers of some religions go around proselyting about their deity of choice. Evangelism and Fundamentalism are the root of the problem more than what the person is actually promoting.

[ScapeGoat]

10:21 AM on 11/27/2009

Because windows users are so obnoxious.

[PenguinLinux]

12:17 PM on 11/27/2009

Not nearly as much as the Apple product users are.

[Osusuki]

02:10 PM on 11/27/2009

More like ubiquitous. "Obnoxious" is when you have a 3.36% worldwide market share and talk like you own the planet. And since the average Mac costs twice as much as the average PC, maybe "obnoxious" is when you get your purchasing power mixed up with the computing power of the platform.

Or maybe "obnoxious" is claiming a better record against viruses and malware when nobody cares enough about your platform to target you in the first place. Targeting Macs with malware is like targeting Kansas with a backpack nuke--nobody would hear about it for three years. Hackers don't target Macs for the same reason the 1995 Honda Civic is the most stolen car in America, and the Mercedes E Class is the least stolen car in America: there are a hundred times as many Civics to steal.

[hassia]

05:40 PM on 11/26/2009

What I have found is that it is fashion to knock windows.I really dont get it. If you don't like windows dont buy it simple.

[PenguinLinux]

11:52 AM on 11/27/2009

I think most people pirate it because they know it's not worth anything.

Yeah, Windows has issues, but the issues from Windows really just adds to the much larger issue that people don't want to learn about computers. They want it to operate like a microwave, like some appliance in their kitchen. Most computer users who use Windows just want it fixed, don't know or care what they did wrong, don't want to learn how to fix or prevent the issue from happening again if they can, etc.

Windows users have a Layer 8 issue, while Mac users have a Layer 9 issue.

[Poiks]

03:23 PM on 11/26/2009

Here's a thought: Anyone who feels the need to call users of a particular OS names is probably suffering from a personality disorder.

[hassia]

05:41 PM on 11/26/2009

ditto