Apple's lawyers ordered Microsoft to stop running the "Laptop Hunters" ads. The "unscripted commercials" were based on the idea of giving people US$1,000 and seeing what laptop they could buy.
Kevin Turner, Microsoft's chief operating officer said that he knew the ads were working because two weeks ago he got a call from Apple's legal department saying the adverts had to be pulled because "Apple had lowered its prices".
"It was the greatest single phone call that I've ever taken in business," Turner said.
Turner thought the call was a joke, and when it turned out not to be, he thought Microsoft would just "keep running them and running them and running them".
Advertising experts say that since Microsoft launched the ads, which are in response to Apple's "I'm a Mac" ads, there is evidence that the campaign may be radically altering value perceptions of PCs.
BrandIndex has reported that Microsoft's value perception has risen steadily since the campaign began in March, while Apple's has fallen.
No wonder Apple is throwing its toys out of the pram. But we think threatening Microsoft with legal action just shows how Apple's sense of humour is really as paper thin as one of its airbooks.