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Windows ads may have been made using Macs

Ina Fried Former Staff writer, CNET News
During her years at CNET News, Ina Fried changed beats several times, changed genders once, and covered both of the Pirates of Silicon Valley.
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Ina Fried
Is Microsoft really relying on Macs to create advertisements on all the creative things you can do with Windows?

Well, maybe. On Sunday night, Microsoft announced it was kicking off a massive, 15-month "Start Something" campaign. Apple fans quickly noted that the metadata for the ad image Microsoft had posted to its press Web site appeared to have been created using the Mac version of Photoshop.

Many Mac die-hards were already seeing red over similarities between Microsoft's still-in-early-development Longhorn and Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger, which goes on sale next week.

Microsoft Windows communications director Debbie Anderson told CNET News.com on Wednesday that "it wouldn't be surprising" if some of the work on the campaign was done on Macintoshes.

"In the graphic design industry I would expect creative design work is done on Macs as well as PCs," she said, adding that many different outside agencies and partners worked on the "Start Something" effort. "I'm sure many of them use Macs, many of them use PCs and many of them use both."