[Update: Within a few minutes of having posted this story, Microsoft pulled its Switcher story.]

Microsoft, in its tried and true tradition of copying everything it can from its competitors, has posted its own Mac-to-Windows Switcher story. No, seriously. The company has posted a Switcher story from a freelance writer touting the wonders of Windows XP, but there are a few differences in Microsoftis approach to "Switching."

For one thing, the company used a stock photo image of their "Switcher," from Getty Images. We can thank a reader at Slashdot for finding that one. Apple has used real images of real people who have Switched to the Mac for its campaign. Speaking of "real" people, this womanis name is apparently Don Funk, according to the user profile screen shot posted with the story (again, thanks to the vigilant geeks at Slashdot for finding that).

Other tidbits from this womanis letter include the fact that she got Windows XP on a laptop for US$450 less than an iBook, even though she then suggests upgrading to Windows XP Professional, without mentioning the cost of that upgrade, which eats into that US$450 (thanks to TMO Forum Mod bweels for pointing that out).

She also uses a very subtle bit of wording to portray a situation that is not true. She says, "AppleWorks (previously called ClarisWorks) pales in comparison to Microsoft Office XP. Thereis no equivalent for the versatility of Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint®." There may be no equivalent for the versatility of those apps, but all three also exist for Mac OS X! Her wording suggests otherwise, and that seems deliberately crafted, to us.

She also touts the wonderment of being able to make individual user accounts in Windows XP, suggesting, without actually saying, that it can not be done with a Mac, despite the fact that both Mac OS 9 and Mac OS X offer that feature.

The best thing from this Switcher story is that she apparently works for Microsoft. We arenit making this up. At the end of the letter, and the "how she did it" section, is an editoris note that reads:

*Editoris Note: Now that weive successfully converted our writer to a Windows PC, we will be working on getting her to try a Pocket PC. Stay tuned for more developments!

You can read the full Switcher story at Microsoftis Web site.