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55 comments

Microsoft Apologizes For Photoshop Blunder

By - Source: Tom's Hardware US

Microsoft has apologized for changing the race of a person posing in a marketing photo.

CNet yesterday reported that Microsoft had edited what appeared to be a stock photo of three business people for its Polish site. While the original, untouched version appears on the US website and shows an Asian man, a white woman and a black man; an edited version of the same photo appears on the Polish website and shows a white man's head on the black man's body. The black hand resting on the table remains unchanged.

When asked for comment, a Microsoft spokesperson told CNet that the company was looking into details of the situation and apologized, adding that the image had been pulled from the Polish site.

Check out the images below or read the full story here.

Image Credit: CNet News

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Top Comments
  • 26 Ð
    baddad , August 26, 2009 11:06 PM
    So the white American male is officially gone from American adds.
  • 24 Ð
    Parrdacc , August 26, 2009 11:11 PM
    Any excuse to play the race card I guess. Shame.
  • 24 Ð
    nafhan , August 26, 2009 11:11 PM
    Other than the humorous photoshop mistake (forgetting about the hand). I don't think this is an issue. They're just targeting the local population. If they'd swapped out the other guy or the woman, this likely wouldn't have been newsworthy at all.
Other Comments
  • -7 Ð
    masop , August 26, 2009 10:55 PM
    Smooth move exlax! But at least they fessed up and apoligized for their actions.
  • 21 Ð
    ckiraly , August 26, 2009 11:03 PM
    oh...and the woman in the picture was originally a man.
  • 26 Ð
    baddad , August 26, 2009 11:06 PM
    So the white American male is officially gone from American adds.
  • 12 Ð
    Shadow703793 , August 26, 2009 11:06 PM
    CryogenicContrary to all the racism theories, I think thatthe polish version was modified to fit their demographics, there are less than tiny fraction of black people in Poland, the first image is a image the customers can't identify themselves with easily ... Anyway, they seem to suck at Photoshop ...

    Cause they NEVER used PhotoShop. They used Paint under Win7 (which it pretty decent btw)! :lol: 
  • 20 Ð
    anonymous@guest , August 26, 2009 11:07 PM
    whats the big deal if Poland doesn't have an ethnic african population?
  • 24 Ð
    nafhan , August 26, 2009 11:11 PM
    Other than the humorous photoshop mistake (forgetting about the hand). I don't think this is an issue. They're just targeting the local population. If they'd swapped out the other guy or the woman, this likely wouldn't have been newsworthy at all.
  • 24 Ð
    Parrdacc , August 26, 2009 11:11 PM
    Any excuse to play the race card I guess. Shame.
  • 5 Ð
    JohnnyLucky , August 26, 2009 11:14 PM
    I hope this wasn't some sort of weird joke rather than a bad mistake demonstrating a lack of attention to detail.
  • 3 Ð
    awaken688 , August 26, 2009 11:16 PM
    For something like a website image, I would think MS would just do it correctly. I'm sure they have a relationship with a stock photographer if they don't have one on staff already anyway. Just have him create a basic image like this and have several different types of people. Oh well. They got caught, but it is just a marketing strategy, not racism.
  • 1 Ð
    Hanin33 , August 26, 2009 11:18 PM
    my question is why and how are people deriving any information about the product being sold by the color of the skin of the people in a photo? do people in poland not do any business with those outside of poland?
  • -7 Ð
    Kaiser_25 , August 26, 2009 11:20 PM
    Apology accepted, but still stupid, they should have known better. Stupid advertising people.
  • 8 Ð
    skine , August 26, 2009 11:20 PM
    From the slashdot discussion on this, apparently in most parts of the world outside the US, an advertisement showing that level of ethnic diversity just screams "American."

    This would imply that the company is obviously not local, and isn't interested in altering their products to fit with local customs.
  • 15 Ð
    tenor77 , August 26, 2009 11:20 PM
    I wonder if they took out the Asian guy for the South African version.
  • 4 Ð
    szymek , August 26, 2009 11:27 PM
    it could have only happened in poland. Im telling you:D 
  • 12 Ð
    CptTripps , August 26, 2009 11:30 PM
    Perhaps the polish one is the original, if they had replaced the white man with a black man for the American ad would people still be angry?
  • 12 Ð
    Onus , August 26, 2009 11:38 PM
    This is a non-issue, it is being blown out of proportion to serve an agenda, by people who probably don't produce anything of value; they have to create issues so they can look and feel important.
  • 7 Ð
    Ryun , August 26, 2009 11:43 PM
    Maybe I'm a horrible person for this, but instead of the racial implications I can't stop thinking about what an awful photo edit microsoft did. Hell the lighting isn't even right.
  • 15 Ð
    allenpan , August 26, 2009 11:48 PM
    there is almost no black in poland beside the one who is turist, yes there are asian there, i am an asian and i lived and been in poland, my wife is a pure polish so i know this well, polish people are known to be judgmental but seriously this is marketing for locale, so whats the big problem crop out the black guy to make it more relate able?

    might as well ask microsoft why asian microsoft ads on tv has no black in there and no whites? b/c it is for the freaking country, geeze not everyone is so sensitive all of suddent
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