The Mojave Experiment: manipulation at its finest

Microsoft’s new ads dubbed “The Mojave Experiment” are a breed of their own. They reek of damage control, selective editing, and good old manipulation. Advertising annoys me in general, but these type of ads are especially maddening. Why? Because it is 100% certain that there will be tons of computer-illiterate folks who see these ads and don’t consider all the reasons why they show absolutely nothing at all.

Let’s begin at the beginning. Many troubles with Vista revolve around incompatibility. With computers, printers, scanners…everything under the sun. In the “Mojave Experiment,” Microsoft has pre-selected software, computers and peripherals that have all been tested and work fine with Vista. There was no opportunity for the surveyed users to take “Mojave” home and try to set it up with all their existing gadgets. Most “real users” liked Vista fine, at first, too, but then ended up scrapping it due to problems starting with troublesome installations. When those surveyed were testing “Mojave,” it had already been installed, as had all the programs. No hassle. This is enough of a problem already, as many stopped using Vista altogether based simply upon these two factors, neither of which were even addressed here.

The problems I pointed out above are further compounded by the fact that the people surveyed never even got to use “Mojave.” I repeat: Never. Used It. Find out how the “Mojave Experiment” was conducted, and learn more reasons why it illustrates nothing, after the break.