Microsoft has kicked off the latest installment of its Windows Brand Campaign. It's called Laptop Hunters, but there is more to this chapter than just consumers looking for a new laptop. The campaign shows that Ballmer's statement last week was more than just "Monkey Boy running his mouth again" and was actually foreshadowing what was to come. Since laptop sales have taken off, and the economy has done the opposite, Microsoft wants everyone to know that PCs, and not Macs, are what consumers want in these troubled times. The first commercial, which is embedded below, features Lauren, who wants to buy a 17" laptop for under $1,000. The jab at Apple comes right after Lauren exits the Apple Store: "I would have to double my budget, which is just not feasible. I'm just not cool enough to be a Mac person."

The ad ends with Lauren telling us "I'm a PC, and I got just what I wanted." According to the Windows Team Blog, "the Laptop Hunters are not told they are taking part in an ad campaign by Microsoft. Instead, they think they are participating in market research. Each participant set their own budget for a laptop to meet their own unique needs. We then provide the participant with cash and sent them out to find and purchase a laptop—all in a single day. We followed them with a camera crew throughout the course of their hunt and recorded their experiences. Everything is completely unscripted." Of course, that doesn't mean it's not edited.

With the new campaign comes a new website on Microsoft.com. The site helps consumers pick a new Windows PC based on five categories:

Gamer: Something just short of a supercomputer. Everything sharp, shiny and overclocked.

Jetsetter: Sleek, light and, above all, portable. Everything you need, to go.

Socialite: Cosmopolitan, ready to take on the world and share it with the World Wide Web.

Designer: Made for media-pictures, audio, video, etc. It's ready to help you make it and watch it.

Parent: A little something for everyone. Built to create and share memories.

I'm happy Microsoft is finally hitting back against Apple, but on the other hand, I'm not sure this is the best way to do it. The timing is very good, but what it really comes down to whether consumers will be able to relate to Lauren and whomever else we are introduced to in the next few ads. Here's how the blogosphere has reacted to the new campaign:

ZDNet: "The sarcasm is amusing, but I already forsee a new "I'm a Mac" commercial spoofs on this one. And unlike many Microsoft marketing managers, I don't cotton to the idea that any time you can get someone talking about your products or ads, even if it is negatively, is still good news."

Microsoft Pri0: "The trip to the Apple store and "Lauren's" explanation afterward is one of the more aggressive digs Microsoft has made at Apple in a commercial. The implication, of course, is that Apple's products are more expensive—and that won't fly in this economy."

What are your thoughts on Microsoft's bold move?