Microsoft Corp. today kicked off a new global awareness campaign designed to “showcase how people can explore, enhance and pursue their passions with Windows XP and related technology.” It’s sort of an “ignore that Apple Mac OS X Tiger stuff” misdirection play.
Microsoft so thoughtfully posted one of the new “Start Something” ads that’s part of the new global awareness campaign for Microsoft Windows XP and invited users to click the image for high-res version.
Well, various MacDailyNews readers clicked to view the image, downloaded it and checked the file’s info by using iPhoto’s “Get Info” and other methods to view the file’s EXIF information which shows it was created with “Adobe Photoshop CS Macintosh.”
As one reader wrote, “Isn’t it ironic? A picture launching their big campaign designed to steal the thunder from Apple – was made on a Mac!”
Microsoft’s press release can be found here.
The direct link to the “Start Something” ad (7.4MB) is here.
MacDailyNews Take: Hey, they asked us to “start something,” so we did!
Да вы че? Какие BMW, Lexus и Toyotas? Жигули – вот лучшая машина!
Clutch those straws people!
This might have been said already, but Photoshop CS is available for Windows XP too.. this ad could really just have easily been made on a Windows XP PC.
Yes, the ad is ioronic, but still, nothing about the ad is exclusive to Mac (as far as it’s design).
I guess my question is… why would they design it on a mac if it could’ve been done on a PC?
fact is that mccann, ms’s ad agency, uses macs and all the xbox ads are done on macs. game covers etc.
just a fact, but it is funny.
that said, if apple does not speed up their freaking machines soon, even creative people may get impatient with their computers.
“We’ll start something alright… start watching more people switch to Apple!”
Don’t see it happening anytime soon.
right on, mark smith – what a bunch of lame-os if all we can do with our time is bash on redmond
too easy a target
i smell a bunch of frustrated designer-types amongst us, and we smell stinky
The mouse in the pic is a Mac Mouse…..lol….. so unwindows……lol
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Pity the patchers, for most do not know that a better way exists.
Start Something: reboot now.
Computing the Microsoft way…
I *told* you Microsoft ads were useless….
they may be useless but at least they have ads…
Of course it should have been done on a PC – Pshop is available for PC. Micro$hit should make it a condition that their design studios use PCs.
What I see in the ad is a sort of gaudy, confused explosion of colour and other unconnected things, all coming out of something propped up on an old and very inadequate base structure.
Oh! It’s Windows XP! I see the connection now!!!!
“why would they design it on a mac if it could’ve been done on a PC?”
…because the PC was down due to 27 different viruses and OTHER minor problems.
Watch out for those space jellyfish, NASA.
I downloaded the image on my PC at work, and tried to open it in Microsoft Photo Editor (Win2K). The file was too big to open. So obviously not targeted to Windows users.
And, by the way, I love licking Triumph’s butt hole.
It’s interesting that this was created on a Mac using CS and has the Mac OS mouse pointer dragging the lo-fi file folders (take a closer look, their pointer is longer and white) Yet the ad is specifically targeting new computer users (note the newborn nerd in the ad) with lots of distracting shapes and colors. This ad will catch your attention but my eye was immediately drawn to the colors and shapes before the ad pitch, this is a big no-no in professional advertising and print on the web because people expect things to be quick and simple. The ad seems to fall flat with little imagination in it’s composition, I did however like that the kid is leaning against his chair even though you could theoretically relate that to boredom! Anyway, it really wasn’t a secret that Microsoft sometimes uses Macs, I mean hey Apple uses Windows to develop iTunes for their platform natively
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First thought? – I see the kids ‘lower intestine’. No wonder hes not looking happy. Kind of reminds me of ‘The Thing’.
First thought? – I see the kids ‘lower intestine’. No wonder hes not looking happy. Kind of reminds me of ‘The Thing’.
First thought? – I see the kids ‘lower intestine’. No wonder hes not looking happy. Kind of reminds me of ‘The Thing’.
“Micro$hit should make it a condition that their design studios use PCs.”
Yeah, and I’m sure the story would end up on MDN and we would then all have fun bashing MS for their totalitarian ways.
“This might have been said already, but Photoshop CS is available for Windows XP too.. this ad could really just have easily been made on a Windows XP PC.”
Except for the fact that it says, “Adobe Photoshop CS Mactintosh.”
What I want to know is, Why didn’t they use Microsoft Publisher to do the whole thing? Come on Microsoft, you’re trying to get in the market with that crap, let’s see what it can do.
Thought so.
When are we going to see Apples “Start SOMETHING and finish it (without restarting, pulling your hair out or compromising)” campaign?
classic
uhm, of course they use macs. i mean .. sorry ??
For years the Windows Retail Box has been designed on a mac…
Microsoft is a company. They are designed to gt as rich as possible. Thats a business plan, not something emotional you choose. They HAVE NO INTENTION of delivering something GOOD – as long as what they throw on the market is being bought. If the concern rises too high, they fix it a little (“as much as required but not more”).
So, they know the overall experience on Mac/OSX is much much better, but that is nothing of their concern. Its not their intention of beating this (no i wouldnt think they really could, but it could be dangerous, because: they’ve got heaps of money)
See, no one has any interest in putting together THE mobile phone in one instance, the killer phone, with all you would need etc… because its not about creating a GOOD phone, or gadget, its about creating a business plan after which you can sell stuff over years… then you add color screens, multitimbral audio chips etc.. then you add a very bad camera, only to be able to improve it over the newxt few phone generations
muahua, as long as people buy these toys, they will get new ones every other quarter *g*
so, let me get a psp finally .. 😀
Well amusing as this is, my Apple Mac G5 has broken down AGAIN. Apple can you please get someone else to make your hardware, ur clearly too busy spending millions on annoying iPod adverts. For me the Apple OS and software is so reliable, the hardware packs in long before the software goes wrong.