"We spent two hours in the store playing with the new iMac and, as a programmer with 25 years in the business, I can tell you this is not a toy," Haxton wrote to Apple. Haxton, along with nearly a dozen other bona fide Windows-to-Mac switchers, is now part of an Apple advertising campaign launched in June to lure Windows users to the other side.

Although the ad blitz is the largest ever initiated by Apple to convert Windows users -- who amount to nearly 95 percent of the market -- to a Mac-based system, the campaign's impact remains unclear after nearly eight weeks. In size, it is trumped only by Apple's "think different" promotion, which ran in 1998.

Visitor Increase

An Apple spokesperson told NewsFactor that while the company does not have exact figures on how many people have purchased Macs as a result of the switch ads, Apple can measure some of the impact by using its Web site.

At Macworld New York last month, Apple CEO Steve Jobs told an audience during his keynote speech that the company has had 1.7 million unique visitors to its Apple.com/switch site, and that 60 percent of those visitors were Windows users.

While Apple will not say how long the campaign will last -- or whether certain elements of its switch strategy are more compelling than others to Windows users -- the company has compiled mounds of anecdotal evidence to support the idea that the campaign is working.

Disenfranchised Users

But analysts say it is difficult to credit purchases of Apple systems to the switch message. Roger Kay, director of client computing at IDC, told NewsFactor that many disenchanted Windows users likely were already considering such a leap, influenced by Microsoft's own policies and behaviors more than by Apple's advertising.

"There are certain users going around saying, 'When Microsoft starts to install digital rights management software in my media player without telling me about it, I've had it; that's enough,'" Kay said.

Kay also pointed to bad press generated by the landmark antitrust trial and the privacy and security issues that have plagued Microsoft in recent months. These issues have made many Windows users uneasy and more willing to jump to an Apple system.

"I think they would be inclined to switch anyway, even if Apple weren't out there beating the big drum," said Kay. In addition, the Cupertino, California-based company rolled back prices earlier this week on its iMac and eMac desktops by US$100. The price reduction might also influence new users.

Not a Big Jump

Moreover, switching from a Windows machine to a Mac takes less effort these days than it used to, according to Carl Howe, research director at Forrester.

Howe, who recently dumped his own Windows laptop for an Apple PowerBook, told NewsFactor that Jaguar, Apple's most recent operating system upgrade, makes it especially easy to access and use networks. "Jaguar 10.2 has a lot better support for a Windows network, so I can mount all the Windows file shares from here," he said. "I can browse the network just like the Windows guys do."

IDC's Kay noted that improved compatibility at the application level also has made the switch to a Mac system less troublesome for Windows users.

Ad Impact Minimal

While Howe said he is unsure whether the campaign will sway users, he credited Apple with devising a well-communicated sales effort. "At least they're clear about what they're trying to achieve. They're saying, 'We want you to switch,'" he noted. "[Apple wants] you to buy [its] stuff."

However, analysts are quick to point out that PC sales for the rest of this year -- through the back-to-school and holiday seasons -- are forecast to remain flat or increase only slightly over last year.

And as a recent Forrester study noted, the PC market in general is unlikely to grow by gaining new users. Instead, market share will be gained as consumers upgrade or replace their existing computers -- which could be why Apple has been so brazen about trying to entice Windows users to the Mac.

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