'Macs and PCs can get along': Microsoft

Microsoft will today announce a new advertising campaign touting the Macintosh version of its Office suite.

The ads, which play up the ability of Macs and PCs to get along, will begin to appear in magazines geared towards Mac users over the weekend, according to an email from a Microsoft representative. One ad features a Mac and a PC playing chess by the pool, while another shows a Mac and PC sharing a Chinese take-away while watching a late-night movie.

The ads claim "Macs and PCs have never been so compatible" and encourage Mac users to go to a new website, http://www.officeformac.com to download a 30-day free trial of Office.

Microsoft, which until recently had been critical of Apple's efforts to pitch Mac OS X, has been stepping up its marketing effort for the Mac version of Office. Last week, Microsoft and Apple announced a promotion in which new Mac buyers can get a copy of Office for $199 - about half the regular price.

In July, Microsoft said it had sold 300,000 copies of the Mac OS X version, less than half of the 750,000 copies the company had expected to sell by that point. Recently Microsoft executives have said they have been more pleased with Office sales, but they would not say how many copies have been sold.

The new campaign, which Microsoft says is evidence of its commitment to the Mac, were designed by McCann Erickson.

Ian Fried writes for News.com