Let's face it, Apple's products are the most heinously expensive and technically impractical electronic there are. Their OS is runnable solely on Apple hardware, their Iphones are the most expensive cell phones in existance plus their service contracts are outright slavery, and the Ipods with their non-user servicable batteries are essentially disposable. That's not counting their brand new Macbook Air, which will be the first laptop in history where you need to replace the entire laptop when the battery can't hold a charge anymore. Oh, and if you really enjoy watching movies on your cell phone then you have way too much time on your hands. However, people are more than happy to jump on the Apple bandwagon and join the "let's just shovel all our money into Apple's coffers forever" club becuase of one thing- MARKETING.

Apple has successfully convinced people it's cool to buy expensive Apple equipment which for the majority of its service life will pretend it's a less expensive Windows system. Apple has successfully convinced people that its trendy to buy music players, cellphones, and now computers, that require the user to pay Apple to take it back as well when the batteries run dry (and in the case of cell phones, pay even more money to rent a replacement in the meantime). Apple has essentially convinced people that buying Apple is separating yourself from the herd, when all you're doing is following some other herd. Thus, the moral of the story- you can sell dog sh*t to people if you know how to market it properly.

Microsoft needs to be able to foster some sort of campaign that will endear their products to people as a social group. Apple has done so with their products- when you buy Apple, you don't simply own an Ipod or a Macbook, you've joined a club. Linux has done so- Linux users stand out from the herd, plus, they has an easily recognizable mascon- "Tux" the penguin, which they displayed in almost fad like reverence. If microsoft can do that, they will overcome a lot of the goose-stepping no-personality automaton stigma that Bill Gates left behind.