8 ms·

Apple responds to "I'm a PC"

72 points by andygeers 18y ago

ace 18y ago
low&lame
- raganwald 18y ago
  I'm reminded of what Charlton Heston said to Bill Maher. Charlton had taken out full page personal attack ads blasting Barbara Streisand for her anti-gun activism, and Bill Maher asked him if this was really appropriate. Charlton considered for a moment, and then responded. I was unkind, he admitted, Not unfair, but unkind. Now as to lame, is it there some factual error? Is Microsoft actually spending more on fixing Vista than advertising it? My feeling is that if the ad is correctly representing Microsoft's strategy, there is nothing lame about depicting it. The un-lame thing about the ad is that it never says Microsoft is wrong, it shows you the facts through a skit and lets you decide what to do. I wonder if people would react differently if these ads were SNL skits. I have a feeling that some people are so emotional about one company or the other--which is odd, these are companies, after all, not religious edifices--that they simply cannot sit back and enjoy a good laugh.
  - whatusername 18y ago
    If you look at Win7 as "Fixing Vista" --> which in some/lots of ways it is - then I'd guess that MS are spending more on "fixing" than on advertising.. Certainly nothing near that ratio though.. The reasonably insightful comment on reddit was that this isn't just a pissing contest between MS and Apple - it's a pissing contest between Crispin Porter and TBWA (the ad agencies)...
    - rbanffy 18y ago
      I seriously doubt it. They advertising budget is humongous.
    - raganwald 18y ago
      If you look at Win7 as "Fixing Vista" --> which in some/lots of ways it is - then I'd guess that MS are spending more on "fixing" than on advertising I considered that argument, but note that they are still pushing Vista to consumers and businesses, hard. So I think the ad is fair in that it discusses what MSFT is doing to Vista itself. If MSFT's $300 million was spent telling consumers to hang onto XP and wait for Windows 7, that argument would be a little more persuasive.
      - briansmith 18y ago
        What exactly is wrong with Windows Vista? I actually want to get Vista so I can get UAC.
        raganwald 18y ago
        Well, if you feel that Vista is wonderful, then it is reasonable for you to argue that Apple's ad is not factually correct. Such a view mirrors what MSFT's PR people are saying, namely that Vista is fine but for some reason the marketplace hasn't grasped why they should prefer it to XP or OS X. So... if you believe that the problem with Vista is its perception, then of course the solution is communication, not code. Entirely reasonable if you start with the premise that it's a fine piece of engineering and a good product.
        briansmith 18y ago
        I don't know if Vista is wonderful or not. I just know that UAC is more convenient and more secure then the workarounds that I have to use now. I have heard the performance complaints but I've also heard that you just need to disable the visual effects and they mostly go away. I think the main issue with Vista is that there is no obvious huge improvement that would motivate people to pay the retail price to upgrade. For example, I am interested in UAC and some of the other security features but I am reluctant to buy Vista just to get them, especially if Windows 7 is just a year or so away. Plus, upgrading Windows has always been a hassle in the past. Right now, I guess Windows XP mostly works okay for me, so I am sticking in the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" crowd.
    - raganwald 18y ago
      The reasonably insightful comment on reddit was that this isn't just a pissing contest between MS and Apple - it's a pissing contest between Crispin Porter and TBWA (the ad agencies)... I think one has the more appealing product to market, the other has the bigger budget and the defensive position. It's a fairly textbook marketing battle between the entrenched number one and the upstart niche player.
      - unalone 18y ago
        And Crispin is a company that's known for taking pretty daring risks. There was an article that said it was ironic that they're running Microsoft's campaign, because they're a very "Apple-like" company.
- deleted 18y ago
  [deleted]
- jyothi 18y ago
  > low&lame high end flame. :)
LPTS 18y ago
Brilliant. I love the look on Macs face when he swoops the ad money towards fixing vista and PC swoops it toward advertising. This is like boxing. Mac ads have had pc's reputation on the ropes in the collective unconscious. All the sudden, after getting beat on barely throwing a punch, PC comes out swinging. Even lands a blow on macs chin, shakes him up a bit. But before PC can land another punch, this uppercut takes out 3 of his teeth and drives the cartilage in his nose into his brain. Now, everyone who sees both ads will think "Why is microsoft spending $$$ on this without fixing vista?" This ad, and it's partner on censoring vista, just short circuited Microsofts 300 million dollar campaign. This is microsoft being completely outclassed by people who just get it.
- motoko 18y ago
  Actually, I'm thinking: wow, I voluntarily watched an advertisement for a geek sports rivalry. Go gray! No, go blue! Let's talk about this at the watercooler and pretend we share something to care about in our vapid, disposable lives!
  - Xichekolas 18y ago
    Yeah, at some point I'd like to see Linus walk through one of those ads and just slap them both on the back of head and call them morons...
    - schapman 18y ago
      "Who's Linus?" (I know who he is, just illustrating the market reaction to such an event.)
      - Xichekolas 18y ago
        I think that would be half the fun...
  - LPTS 18y ago
    Sports is the wrong metaphor. It's more like being in a science class and watching an argument between a creationist and a real scientist. "Evolution is good. Things should evolve and get better and we shouldn't be afraid of it." "I did not come from a monkey. God made the Supermall 6,000 years ago, and it's always bad when things change, which means I'm afraid of anything ever getting better. Can I have that banana?" Motoko: "Yawn. It's like watching sports."
arien 18y ago
MS and apple... It's kind of cute, like watching kids fight :)
- sofal 18y ago
  I'd say the same thing about the presidential debates. The problem is that these cute fights represent a power struggle of unthinkable magnitude and influence.
mixmax 18y ago
Now if apple would only realise that quicktime on the net has lost out to flash I would be able to wacth this. Quicktime reminds me of realplayer: buggy on PC's, runs lots of processes in the background I didn't ask for and requires me to install itunes which I don't want.
- sjh 18y ago
  "Slimming down the bloated iTunes 8 installer": http://blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/?p=554 http://blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/?p=554
  - mixmax 18y ago
    Thanks for the link, but my point was more that Apple should really watch their step here. They're creating a crappy product that pushes stuff you didn't ask for to potential buyers. And it inflicts heavy damage on their otherwise good reputation.
    - unalone 18y ago
      Is it possible that Apple's blind to the Quicktime problem because it's working on the Mac so well? I remember loathing Quicktime on the PC, but since I've moved over to OS X it's moved very quickly at all times. It's possible that its reliability on OS X makes Apple less quick to move and fix things, which is a tad disappointing.
- rkowalick 18y ago
  You can always use mplayer for windows
  - astine 18y ago
    On Windows, I prefer VLC. It's an easier install though YMMV.
- jordyhoyt 18y ago
  VLC media player: http://www.videolan.org/vlc/ http://www.videolan.org/vlc/
deleted 18y ago
[deleted]
jkent 18y ago
I wonder what proportion of Vista users think it needs fixing? I don't understand the new Microsoft PC adverts either. What does having glasses have to do with anything?
- cstejerean 18y ago
  I don't think Apple is trying to target users of Vista, just people that are considering moving off XP.
  - unalone 18y ago
    Why can't it be they're targeting both?
    - cstejerean 18y ago
      Anyone that has already decided to use Vista is unlikely to change their mind because of the Mac ads. IMHO someone considering an upgrade to Vista is much more likely to be influenced.
- jcl 18y ago
  What does having glasses have to do with anything? That is exactly the point Microsoft is trying to make. The Apple ads personify Windows as a glasses-wearing dork, while the Microsoft ads try to dispel that association.
visitor4rmindia 18y ago
When did advertisments become about putting your competitor down? Heck even the Coke v/s Pepsi wars didn't stoop this low. If Apple can't market it's products on their own features and has to rely on this kind of negative adverts I'd say it's really hitting a low-point. The ad kind of pisses me off actually.
- DanielBMarkham 18y ago
  You know, I'm starting to agree with you. I've had Vista since it came out and am completely happy with it. I thought the Apple commercials were cute, but off-base. They were funny, and they emphasized Mac good points, so I liked them. But now it just seems mean. Hell, computer commercials are getting like political commercials, and we've all had enough of that lately.
  - rbanffy 18y ago
    I am sure not a full-time Mac evangelist (I use Linux myself), but have you tried to use a Mac for a month or so? I was perfectly happy with Windows (XP then) when I decided to check the greener grass on the other side of the fence (Red Hat, first, then Debian, then Ubuntu) and I never thought about going back. Linux is so much more refined under the hood that more than compensates for the lack of software in several niches. I recommended my then girlfriend (now wife) to buy a Mac when she wanted to upgrade her PC and she loves it. I wouldn't recommend Linux for her because the added elegance under the hood would not compensate the limitations in dealing with complex (read quirky) Office documents. Now, we both cringe our teeth because our employers issued Windows running Dell laptops for us. Argh.
    - Jem 18y ago
      ...and I had to use a Mac at work for 12 months and hated every minute of it. For every person with a convert story to the Mac, there's another person who is quite happy to stick with Windows. I'm not sure why so many people consider the prospect so crazy.
      - 18y ago
jyothi 18y ago
Hilarious! Ad reflects what differentiates Apple from MS. Original, highly creative and perfect.
- thorax 18y ago
  This confuses me-- what does Apple spend on advertising? It's surely enormous.
  - eggnet 18y ago
    Apple invests in advertising. There is a difference.
    - eggnet 18y ago
      Apparently I should have spelled out the difference. Apple sees more than a dollar back from every dollar it invests into advertising. Microsoft will have a very tough time tracing back more than $200 million in revenue to this ad campaign.
thomasmallen 18y ago
This is pretty ironic considering how Mac ads far outnumber Windows ads. Maybe next time around Apple can pull a few of the spots and get Java up to date sooner than a year after an OS release.
- unalone 18y ago
  But do the Apple ads cost as much as this Microsoft campaign? (Disclaimer: I don't know if they do or not. I'm curious myself about this.) Because with Microsoft the cost of the ads kept popping up, especially in regards with Seinfeld. I'm guessing their current campaign is pretty vastly expensive, and I don't know if Apple's campaign is or not.
  - thomasmallen 18y ago
    It's just that, regardless of cost-effectiveness, an advertisement that criticizes another company for spending money on advertising is pretty hypocritical.
    - teej 18y ago
      To be honest, Leopard is a lot better than Vista.
      - tom_rath 18y ago
        ...and leaving Java 1.6 to sit on the shelf for a few years is far from 'bleeding edge'. Mac is very slick, but Apple isn't particularly kind to third-party developers who build software for their platform.
      - wizlb 18y ago
        To be honest...any version of Windows is better than Leopard. Especially if you value choice and flexibility.
        unalone 18y ago
TweedHeads 18y ago
Ads are really funny, unless you are on the microsoft side.
- astine 18y ago
  if you are on either 'side,' then you either own stock in one of the companies, or their is something wrong with you. But that's just my opinion.
  - unalone 18y ago
    I'd call myself on Apple's side, mainly because where they go there's an emphasis on polishing things till they shine and really caring about users. I've had a marvelous experience not only with Apple products but with Apple designers. Not so much on the other side.
tel 18y ago
As dirty as it is, Microsoft was asking for this. It's not polite to tease, but when the head of the pack shows they're susceptible to it, it's going to happen.
tok9 18y ago
Apple couldnt go any lower these days with thier ads. The desperation is starting to seep through.
Readmore 18y ago
I think it's actually pretty hilarious. Ever since the Microsoft "I'm a PC" ads came out I've wondered what it meant for the Apple ads, I guess now we know. Apple has them coming and going, there really isn't much they can do. Gizmodo had a similar reaction to many of you, that it's a pissing match and normal people don't care, but actually I think it's the opposite. People LOVE the Mac ads, even people who don't use a Mac think they are funny. This is another instance of the Techie echo-camber getting in the way, so what if some hardcore techies don't like them because Linux is superior, btw it's not, the market at large loves the ads and it's getting them to take a better look at Apple computers, end of story.
aspirant 18y ago
"Advertising is the price you pay for being unoriginal."
mds 18y ago
Reminds me of the escalating bumper sticker wars between the Jesus fish stickers and the Darwin fish (with legs) stickers... recently I've started seeing "Jesus fish eating a Darwin fish" stickers. I'm still waiting for "Darwin fish eating a Jesus fish eating a Darwin fish". I can't wait to see Microsoft's meta-meta-response.
jagjit 18y ago
These ads are getting more and more lame. As a fulltime programmer and xp and vista user - I never felt the need to use macs but for their unix base and cool design. Considered buying one recently but settled for a vista pc with much better configuration at half the price. It has been running great for me with not a single issue in past 6 months. For any need of unix system, I run ubuntu or freebsd vmware appliances on my vista. If apple cannot convince a frugal programmer like me who would love to own a mac - I do not know how even these ads can help them much in the general pc market. I think they will remain limited only to folks who really appreciate their commitment to design and would pay so much extra just for that.
- jagjit 18y ago
  And a crazy apple fanboy wants to vote my opinion down - why dont people like me just get it already. I guess these ads have an audience after all. But then it is a waste of the apple advertising dollar to preach to the choir.
  - olefoo 18y ago
    One very cynical view is that Apple is mostly in the business of selling 'Taste'. As such, confirming to customers who purchase many, many Apple products over the years that they are somehow better than those who lack their refined sensibilities is not wasted money.
deleted 18y ago
[deleted]
sfphotoarts 18y ago
These ads lack class, which is what Apple has always tried to stand for, in design of their products and their company image - anyone remember the Think Different campaign? I'd rather they work on reducing the difference in price between the pc world and the mac in laptops. It used to be a couple hundred dollars difference, which I'm ok with because that, to me, is the price of OSX, but its getting increasingly harder to justify the expanding price difference. If/when the OSX86 project gets to the point where their ISO is a no-brainer install of OSX on cheap dell/acer (etc.) laptops then Apple will have to reconsider its pricing. The irony here (like rain on your wedding day!) is that it's actually Apple with that big pile of cash spending it on advertising, while MSFT goes back to the drawing board to come up with an O/S that more people like...
socratees 18y ago
I liked the ad anyways!!!

72 points by andygeers 18y ago

ace 18y ago

low&lame

raganwald 18y ago
I'm reminded of what Charlton Heston said to Bill Maher. Charlton had taken out full page personal attack ads blasting Barbara Streisand for her anti-gun activism, and Bill Maher asked him if this was really appropriate. Charlton considered for a moment, and then responded. I was unkind, he admitted, Not unfair, but unkind. Now as to lame, is it there some factual error? Is Microsoft actually spending more on fixing Vista than advertising it? My feeling is that if the ad is correctly representing Microsoft's strategy, there is nothing lame about depicting it. The un-lame thing about the ad is that it never says Microsoft is wrong, it shows you the facts through a skit and lets you decide what to do. I wonder if people would react differently if these ads were SNL skits. I have a feeling that some people are so emotional about one company or the other--which is odd, these are companies, after all, not religious edifices--that they simply cannot sit back and enjoy a good laugh.
- whatusername 18y ago
  If you look at Win7 as "Fixing Vista" --> which in some/lots of ways it is - then I'd guess that MS are spending more on "fixing" than on advertising.. Certainly nothing near that ratio though.. The reasonably insightful comment on reddit was that this isn't just a pissing contest between MS and Apple - it's a pissing contest between Crispin Porter and TBWA (the ad agencies)...
  - rbanffy 18y ago
    I seriously doubt it. They advertising budget is humongous.
  - raganwald 18y ago
    If you look at Win7 as "Fixing Vista" --> which in some/lots of ways it is - then I'd guess that MS are spending more on "fixing" than on advertising I considered that argument, but note that they are still pushing Vista to consumers and businesses, hard. So I think the ad is fair in that it discusses what MSFT is doing to Vista itself. If MSFT's $300 million was spent telling consumers to hang onto XP and wait for Windows 7, that argument would be a little more persuasive.
    - briansmith 18y ago
      What exactly is wrong with Windows Vista? I actually want to get Vista so I can get UAC.
      - raganwald 18y ago
        Well, if you feel that Vista is wonderful, then it is reasonable for you to argue that Apple's ad is not factually correct. Such a view mirrors what MSFT's PR people are saying, namely that Vista is fine but for some reason the marketplace hasn't grasped why they should prefer it to XP or OS X. So... if you believe that the problem with Vista is its perception, then of course the solution is communication, not code. Entirely reasonable if you start with the premise that it's a fine piece of engineering and a good product.
        briansmith 18y ago
        I don't know if Vista is wonderful or not. I just know that UAC is more convenient and more secure then the workarounds that I have to use now. I have heard the performance complaints but I've also heard that you just need to disable the visual effects and they mostly go away. I think the main issue with Vista is that there is no obvious huge improvement that would motivate people to pay the retail price to upgrade. For example, I am interested in UAC and some of the other security features but I am reluctant to buy Vista just to get them, especially if Windows 7 is just a year or so away. Plus, upgrading Windows has always been a hassle in the past. Right now, I guess Windows XP mostly works okay for me, so I am sticking in the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" crowd.
  - raganwald 18y ago
    The reasonably insightful comment on reddit was that this isn't just a pissing contest between MS and Apple - it's a pissing contest between Crispin Porter and TBWA (the ad agencies)... I think one has the more appealing product to market, the other has the bigger budget and the defensive position. It's a fairly textbook marketing battle between the entrenched number one and the upstart niche player.
    - unalone 18y ago
      And Crispin is a company that's known for taking pretty daring risks. There was an article that said it was ironic that they're running Microsoft's campaign, because they're a very "Apple-like" company.
deleted 18y ago
[deleted]
jyothi 18y ago
> low&lame high end flame. :)

LPTS 18y ago

Brilliant. I love the look on Macs face when he swoops the ad money towards fixing vista and PC swoops it toward advertising. This is like boxing. Mac ads have had pc's reputation on the ropes in the collective unconscious. All the sudden, after getting beat on barely throwing a punch, PC comes out swinging. Even lands a blow on macs chin, shakes him up a bit. But before PC can land another punch, this uppercut takes out 3 of his teeth and drives the cartilage in his nose into his brain. Now, everyone who sees both ads will think "Why is microsoft spending $$$ on this without fixing vista?" This ad, and it's partner on censoring vista, just short circuited Microsofts 300 million dollar campaign. This is microsoft being completely outclassed by people who just get it.

motoko 18y ago
Actually, I'm thinking: wow, I voluntarily watched an advertisement for a geek sports rivalry. Go gray! No, go blue! Let's talk about this at the watercooler and pretend we share something to care about in our vapid, disposable lives!
- Xichekolas 18y ago
  Yeah, at some point I'd like to see Linus walk through one of those ads and just slap them both on the back of head and call them morons...
  - schapman 18y ago
    "Who's Linus?" (I know who he is, just illustrating the market reaction to such an event.)
    - Xichekolas 18y ago
      I think that would be half the fun...
- LPTS 18y ago
  Sports is the wrong metaphor. It's more like being in a science class and watching an argument between a creationist and a real scientist. "Evolution is good. Things should evolve and get better and we shouldn't be afraid of it." "I did not come from a monkey. God made the Supermall 6,000 years ago, and it's always bad when things change, which means I'm afraid of anything ever getting better. Can I have that banana?" Motoko: "Yawn. It's like watching sports."

arien 18y ago

MS and apple... It's kind of cute, like watching kids fight :)

sofal 18y ago
I'd say the same thing about the presidential debates. The problem is that these cute fights represent a power struggle of unthinkable magnitude and influence.

mixmax 18y ago

Now if apple would only realise that quicktime on the net has lost out to flash I would be able to wacth this. Quicktime reminds me of realplayer: buggy on PC's, runs lots of processes in the background I didn't ask for and requires me to install itunes which I don't want.

sjh 18y ago
"Slimming down the bloated iTunes 8 installer": http://blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/?p=554 http://blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/?p=554
- mixmax 18y ago
  Thanks for the link, but my point was more that Apple should really watch their step here. They're creating a crappy product that pushes stuff you didn't ask for to potential buyers. And it inflicts heavy damage on their otherwise good reputation.
  - unalone 18y ago
    Is it possible that Apple's blind to the Quicktime problem because it's working on the Mac so well? I remember loathing Quicktime on the PC, but since I've moved over to OS X it's moved very quickly at all times. It's possible that its reliability on OS X makes Apple less quick to move and fix things, which is a tad disappointing.
rkowalick 18y ago
You can always use mplayer for windows
- astine 18y ago
  On Windows, I prefer VLC. It's an easier install though YMMV.
jordyhoyt 18y ago
VLC media player: http://www.videolan.org/vlc/ http://www.videolan.org/vlc/

deleted 18y ago

[deleted]

jkent 18y ago

I wonder what proportion of Vista users think it needs fixing? I don't understand the new Microsoft PC adverts either. What does having glasses have to do with anything?

cstejerean 18y ago
I don't think Apple is trying to target users of Vista, just people that are considering moving off XP.
- unalone 18y ago
  Why can't it be they're targeting both?
  - cstejerean 18y ago
    Anyone that has already decided to use Vista is unlikely to change their mind because of the Mac ads. IMHO someone considering an upgrade to Vista is much more likely to be influenced.
jcl 18y ago
What does having glasses have to do with anything? That is exactly the point Microsoft is trying to make. The Apple ads personify Windows as a glasses-wearing dork, while the Microsoft ads try to dispel that association.

visitor4rmindia 18y ago

When did advertisments become about putting your competitor down? Heck even the Coke v/s Pepsi wars didn't stoop this low. If Apple can't market it's products on their own features and has to rely on this kind of negative adverts I'd say it's really hitting a low-point. The ad kind of pisses me off actually.

DanielBMarkham 18y ago
You know, I'm starting to agree with you. I've had Vista since it came out and am completely happy with it. I thought the Apple commercials were cute, but off-base. They were funny, and they emphasized Mac good points, so I liked them. But now it just seems mean. Hell, computer commercials are getting like political commercials, and we've all had enough of that lately.
- rbanffy 18y ago
  I am sure not a full-time Mac evangelist (I use Linux myself), but have you tried to use a Mac for a month or so? I was perfectly happy with Windows (XP then) when I decided to check the greener grass on the other side of the fence (Red Hat, first, then Debian, then Ubuntu) and I never thought about going back. Linux is so much more refined under the hood that more than compensates for the lack of software in several niches. I recommended my then girlfriend (now wife) to buy a Mac when she wanted to upgrade her PC and she loves it. I wouldn't recommend Linux for her because the added elegance under the hood would not compensate the limitations in dealing with complex (read quirky) Office documents. Now, we both cringe our teeth because our employers issued Windows running Dell laptops for us. Argh.
  - Jem 18y ago
    ...and I had to use a Mac at work for 12 months and hated every minute of it. For every person with a convert story to the Mac, there's another person who is quite happy to stick with Windows. I'm not sure why so many people consider the prospect so crazy.
    - 18y ago

jyothi 18y ago

Hilarious! Ad reflects what differentiates Apple from MS. Original, highly creative and perfect.

thorax 18y ago
This confuses me-- what does Apple spend on advertising? It's surely enormous.
- eggnet 18y ago
  Apple invests in advertising. There is a difference.
  - eggnet 18y ago
    Apparently I should have spelled out the difference. Apple sees more than a dollar back from every dollar it invests into advertising. Microsoft will have a very tough time tracing back more than $200 million in revenue to this ad campaign.

thomasmallen 18y ago

This is pretty ironic considering how Mac ads far outnumber Windows ads. Maybe next time around Apple can pull a few of the spots and get Java up to date sooner than a year after an OS release.

unalone 18y ago
But do the Apple ads cost as much as this Microsoft campaign? (Disclaimer: I don't know if they do or not. I'm curious myself about this.) Because with Microsoft the cost of the ads kept popping up, especially in regards with Seinfeld. I'm guessing their current campaign is pretty vastly expensive, and I don't know if Apple's campaign is or not.
- thomasmallen 18y ago
  It's just that, regardless of cost-effectiveness, an advertisement that criticizes another company for spending money on advertising is pretty hypocritical.
  - teej 18y ago
    To be honest, Leopard is a lot better than Vista.
    - tom_rath 18y ago
      ...and leaving Java 1.6 to sit on the shelf for a few years is far from 'bleeding edge'. Mac is very slick, but Apple isn't particularly kind to third-party developers who build software for their platform.
    - wizlb 18y ago
      To be honest...any version of Windows is better than Leopard. Especially if you value choice and flexibility.
      - unalone 18y ago

TweedHeads 18y ago

Ads are really funny, unless you are on the microsoft side.

astine 18y ago
if you are on either 'side,' then you either own stock in one of the companies, or their is something wrong with you. But that's just my opinion.
- unalone 18y ago
  I'd call myself on Apple's side, mainly because where they go there's an emphasis on polishing things till they shine and really caring about users. I've had a marvelous experience not only with Apple products but with Apple designers. Not so much on the other side.

tel 18y ago

As dirty as it is, Microsoft was asking for this. It's not polite to tease, but when the head of the pack shows they're susceptible to it, it's going to happen.

tok9 18y ago

Apple couldnt go any lower these days with thier ads. The desperation is starting to seep through.

Readmore 18y ago

I think it's actually pretty hilarious. Ever since the Microsoft "I'm a PC" ads came out I've wondered what it meant for the Apple ads, I guess now we know. Apple has them coming and going, there really isn't much they can do. Gizmodo had a similar reaction to many of you, that it's a pissing match and normal people don't care, but actually I think it's the opposite. People LOVE the Mac ads, even people who don't use a Mac think they are funny. This is another instance of the Techie echo-camber getting in the way, so what if some hardcore techies don't like them because Linux is superior, btw it's not, the market at large loves the ads and it's getting them to take a better look at Apple computers, end of story.

aspirant 18y ago

"Advertising is the price you pay for being unoriginal."

mds 18y ago

Reminds me of the escalating bumper sticker wars between the Jesus fish stickers and the Darwin fish (with legs) stickers... recently I've started seeing "Jesus fish eating a Darwin fish" stickers. I'm still waiting for "Darwin fish eating a Jesus fish eating a Darwin fish". I can't wait to see Microsoft's meta-meta-response.

jagjit 18y ago

These ads are getting more and more lame. As a fulltime programmer and xp and vista user - I never felt the need to use macs but for their unix base and cool design. Considered buying one recently but settled for a vista pc with much better configuration at half the price. It has been running great for me with not a single issue in past 6 months. For any need of unix system, I run ubuntu or freebsd vmware appliances on my vista. If apple cannot convince a frugal programmer like me who would love to own a mac - I do not know how even these ads can help them much in the general pc market. I think they will remain limited only to folks who really appreciate their commitment to design and would pay so much extra just for that.

jagjit 18y ago
And a crazy apple fanboy wants to vote my opinion down - why dont people like me just get it already. I guess these ads have an audience after all. But then it is a waste of the apple advertising dollar to preach to the choir.
- olefoo 18y ago
  One very cynical view is that Apple is mostly in the business of selling 'Taste'. As such, confirming to customers who purchase many, many Apple products over the years that they are somehow better than those who lack their refined sensibilities is not wasted money.

deleted 18y ago

[deleted]

sfphotoarts 18y ago

These ads lack class, which is what Apple has always tried to stand for, in design of their products and their company image - anyone remember the Think Different campaign? I'd rather they work on reducing the difference in price between the pc world and the mac in laptops. It used to be a couple hundred dollars difference, which I'm ok with because that, to me, is the price of OSX, but its getting increasingly harder to justify the expanding price difference. If/when the OSX86 project gets to the point where their ISO is a no-brainer install of OSX on cheap dell/acer (etc.) laptops then Apple will have to reconsider its pricing. The irony here (like rain on your wedding day!) is that it's actually Apple with that big pile of cash spending it on advertising, while MSFT goes back to the drawing board to come up with an O/S that more people like...

socratees 18y ago

I liked the ad anyways!!!