“I got an earful at the New York State Fair last week…. My primary advice to readers who are ready to buy a new computer has been to switch to an Apple Macintosh. Apple’s computers are based on Unix, a safer operating system than Windows, and they are unaffected by Windows viruses, spyware and zombieware. That’s what I told fairgoers who asked me what I thought. And it’s probably what I told folks who didn’t ask me what I thought, too,” Al Fasodlt writes for The Syracuse Post-Standard.
“Some of those I talked to said they hadn’t realized that Apple’s computers handled such common Windows documents as Microsoft Word files. In fact, Microsoft created Word for the Mac first, then created the Windows version after it was clear the program would be a success. Microsoft even offers a Mac OS X version of the Office suite; it’s Office 2004,” Fasodlt writes.
“I had some spirited conversations about personal choice in computing, too. Competition is vital, but information is important, too. I had the feeling, after talking to many readers, that Microsoft’s competitors need to advertise on TV and in print media more,” Fasodlt writes.
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: We must meet the same people as Al. Almost universally, they don’t know a thing about Apple Macintosh. Apple hasn’t just dropped the ball, they buried it several miles down. Here’s hoping that Apple wakes up and takes advantage of Microsoft’s malaise by actually getting the word out through advertising that the Mac is quite compatible with other platforms and is the better choice for the vast majority of personal computer users.
Related MacDailyNews articles:
Forrester analysts: Apple should advertise Mac OS X Tiger on television and in movie theaters – April 29, 2005
Mac fans line up for new operating system as passberby asks ‘what is a tiger?’ – April 29, 2005
Apple posts QuickTime movies of Mac OS X Tiger features in action – April 13, 2005
Why doesn’t Apple advertise Mac OS X on TV? – April 12, 2005
Why doesn’t Apple show its patented Mac OS X ‘Genie Effect’ in TV ads? – October 07, 2004
Top Ten things Apple needs to show the world about Macintosh – July 30, 2003
Apple doesn’t believe in advertising. That would cut into profit. Plus, Apple only knows how to make commercials that are fun to watch, but don’t sell computers. They rely on the iPod + iTunes –> Apple Store -> see Apple computers –> get interesting in Apple computer –> buy Mac theory.
MDN, I hope Apple gets on the ball as well. I am so sick of seeing those XP commercials everywhere. They are very effective at connecting with consumers and at tricking consumers that they can accomplish anything their hearts desire with XP. But we know the truth. Plug-and-play is plug-and-pray. There is no iLife for XP. Viruses, malware, worms. It is disheartening because for the life of me, I cannot understand why Apple does not advertise more prominently. Everyone is not a geek and peruse sites like this regularly, and word of mouth can only take you so far.
Apple, please just do something! (And not just brand ads – get a call to action message to buy in the ads please.)
Finally convinced my Mother to switch for her old Compaq to a 1.8 Ghz G5 iMac. She was very hesitant at first because people at her job kept telling her it was a mistake. (They use Windows at her job, big surprise) After one day on her iMac she was so impressed, she actually said, “I should have done this sooner.” And was surprised again and again how much easier it was to use and, for a woman who isn’t a big computer user or fan, she was having fun. Now my Mother and her husband want iPods and her husband wants a new Mac too.
Go there, read that book (it’s free online in PDF format), then you will understand what Apple is about. it takes time and care, but a well designed idea virus is exactly what Apple has in it’s arsenal. Interuption Advertising can only go so far, tried and true viral advertising is what will make a brand sell and eventually sell huge.
http://www.sethgodin.com/ideavirus/
granted… some more interuption advertising certainly wont hurt.
One of the major drawbacks to Apple doing advertising like the above requests is that Apple would basically have to say “Hey, we can run Office, too!!”. To hell with using M$ as a stepping stone to switching. I think the iLife suite and the security angle are the most important features to promote to potential converts. If they aren’t smart enough to do the five minutes of research necessary to find out that Mac supports Office then to hell with them as well. You may say that sounds elitist, but if Word and Excel is such a big part of these peoples lives then they really should be savvy enough to figure out other platforms support those formats or applications!
I had someone tell me they wanted a new computer a couple weeks ago and when I suggested Mac they said “No way!” because her husband told her that you couldn’t even check email on a Mac!! People like that just don’t even need to be using a computer, regardless of platform!!!
The word of mouth advertising is really starting to snowball. Almost every major newspaper with a technology section is praising Apple and berating M$ for flaws and missed deadlines on a weekly basis.
I feel that the natural progression of migrators will lend to a healthier growth of Apple in the long run. It will allow for more manageable expansion while retaining the quality. If everyone were to switch tomorrow, the quality would go to shit.
Hopefully, there will be a bit more promotion after the iNtel switch is complete.
This is no surprise. Everyone in the Real IT World already knows and understands the unique advantages of the superior platform that is Windows, along with the distinct and trailblazing improvements offered by .NET and the soon-to-be-released Vista. Thus the Personal Computing Experience will continue to be defined in the future — with all desires accommodated and all needs fulfilled.
©
Agreed 1,000% !!!
Apple MUST advertise the Macintosh advantage & Macintosh compatibility more effectively!!
If you look back at the history of Apple’s advertisements, they have always done a VERY POOR JOB of advertising historically. Even the first iPod ads were awful — do you remember that guy dancing around in his apartment after a bunch of closeup screenshots of his iBook that nobody could unerstand except a diehard Mac user?
Apple’s ads have always been awful. The silhouette iPod ad campaign was actually the FIRST ad campaign to come out of Apple that WASN’T awful.
In fact, if you’ll remember correctly, iPod sales didn’t even begin to take off until Apple switched their iPod print advertising from showing a photo of the iPod to the silhouette people.
Most normal (non-computer) people don’t care what a product looks like in their advertisments — they want to see people HAVING FUN with the product. Most people want to CONNECT with other human beings that they can relate to in their advertisements.
Apple finally got it right with the silhouette ads — they reached out to the majority of America. Now Apple needs to do something similar with advertising the Macintosh.
Come on, Apple! Wake up!
Unfortunately, Apple doesn’t advertise nearly enough. They rely on word of mouth from other Mac users to switch the Windows mob. And to be honest, do you really think Apple could pull off a commercial showing OS X and iLife in all its glory? Probably not, and even if they could I don’t think people would believe it’s true.
As on off-to-the-side thing I do, I make DVDs for graduations, trips, et al, as slideshows in iPhoto, and make the DVDs in iDVD. Then I package them up with a nice cover, and a nice label for the disc, so they look semi-professional. Then to “spread the gospel” I put a little “Made on a Mac” sticker on the inside of the case, with links to OS X, and to iLife.
People say the DVDs look pretty good (not bragging!!) and always ask how I make them. Some of the people I’ve talked to and ask about the sticker say, “What’s a Mac?” or “When did Microsoft release that?”
With the links, I hope that starts getting people (albeit small amount) to the Apple store, and gets them seeing the light. What do you guys do to spread the gospel?
Sputnik .. yer a hoot to read
The REAL IT world is pissed off having to deal with viruses, and malware, and spyware and would rather do something FUN.
Desktops are fixed by wiping them out and reinstalling. To damn expensive to try and figure out what’s wrong. Much harder to do that with a corporate server running SAP or Oracle so you use something that does NOT have that risk associated with it.
Hence why so many big shops put Windows on the desktop, and Unix in the data centers.
And when there’s a virus everyone gets the days off like the ones that shut down Detroit auto plants, the NC DMV, CNN, ABC, New York Times, Caterpillar Inc, SF Airport, etc etc.
And this is only 1 virus – Zotob.
Windows “superiority” has cost the country billions in lost time becuase of its swiss cheese security.
.NET will just make that more obvious
As long as Apple is good with the bank account and continues to turn out mind-blowing, so-simple products, then I’m happy with where we are now.
The Mac community is just that… a community. There is no such thing as a Windows community, at least not with the same passion for quality and experience.
To bring millions of “who cares about quality” people into the Mac community… is that going to be a good thing? Sure, more people need to switch, but they also need to be ready to. When they wake up and realize the truth, then they’ll be ready. We shouldn’t sound so desparate for them to do so.
This goes right along with MDN complaining that protected WMA files and music stores based on the format don’t work with the Mac. Who friggin’ cares! What difference is it going to make to us, except to dilute the awesome platform we already have?
toolazytotell,
I agree with your post, but I hope we can stop putting so much energy on the fact that Macs are better than Windows because of viruses. It’s more than that… the entire user experience is much more refined and user-focused than Windows has ever offered. That’s what really matters at the end of the day, and what people need to realize. There is a better computing experience waiting for them, and it has nothing to do with viruses, worms or malware.
…Windows users reply with “Office <version here>” when asked about what operating system they run on, they are too stupid to switch.
…Windows users reply “can’t use Mac because I could not exchange email with my buddies” they are too stupid to switch.
…Windows users reply “if Macs were as many as Windows they too would be infected by Zotob. The problem is that the virus cannot find them” they are way too stupid to switch.
…Windows users use Windows they are de facto too stupid to switch.
MDN “said” as in ’nuff said
Steve Jobs doesn’t want to sell any more product than he is now.
He has enough money to last himself a long time.
He has a deal with Bill gates to allow Microsoft to survive.
There are other reasons also why Apple doesn’t advertise effectively.
There must be, because otherwise they’d be able to outdo MS in every area of sales.
The main reason Apple doesn’t advertise effectively, is because the owner of his present ad agency is blackmailing Steve Jobs.
MW- moving. As in –Steve is not moving to a new ad agency.
There are a lot of my friends who are PCers and they always take the piss out of me for being a Mac’er, but when the see the G5 tower with the 23” display attached and I allow them to play with it and see that amongst other things like iLife, M$ Office works fine on the Mac and even looks better on the Mac they are jealous.
But, will they change. No they won’t because they have spent what they can on their current systems and even though they love the feel of the Mac and OSX they are frightened that they are not clever enough to learn a new system. I tell them to stop being a luddite and change.
Maybe some will, maybe not!
Either way I don’t give a flying flapjack because I know I have the very best system, I have tried to convert them and the rest is up to them.
FEAR of the unknown is a strong emotion.
We must meet the same people as Al. Almost universally, they don’t know a thing about Apple Macintosh. Apple hasn’t just dropped the ball, they buried it several miles down
——
MDN, you’re missing the point.. they’re not advertising on mainstream TV, because that’s really not where the receptive audience is..
Check the iTMS again.. they’re advertising there… those are potential converts.. people who know, use and like Apple products already..
There are ads for Mac Minis and Mac promos in the iTMS.. Very clever..
I’m not saying the Mute approach to major TV networks is brilliant.. but most of the time, it’s just not turning into sales
What’s the audience for people on the iTMS.. er.. about 25 million people.. got it.
mike >What’s the audience for people on the iTMS.. er.. about 25 million people.. got it.>
And where , precisely, does it advertise ANYTHING about the OSX or the Mac on iTunes?
Zero, Zilch, Nada. Nowhere! Got it!
Apple does not advertise because they currently own as much market as they desire, no more. A larger market will bring only the headaches that M$ is going through (not just the viruses).
As far as an office replacement, that could be Apples greatest trophy but it is not in Appleworks nor in Pages. Apple should team with the Open Office group, financially support them to create a truely efficient and usable alternative to M$ Office and make it run on Mac, PC and Linux. Then some sparks would fly.
It’s one thing to get down on people when they know all thealternatives, and then make a choice to stay with Windows. At that point, you can call them stupid, or whatever you like.
But that is not the situation. I work every day, literally, with people who have never been informed that a Mac is not just a different looking computer with a variation of a different Windows operating system.
Oddly enough, the features of the Mac that we have had available for a long time actually ARE advertised, and on tv.
How? A couple of years ago I saw a tv ad showing someone taking digital pictures and sending them via a wireless connection to the folks back home. Hmm, I thought: if I were thinking about buying a wireless laptop, that might just be the function that would tip me into buying.
Were they using a Mac, or were they using iPhoto, or iMovie?
No! It was an HP commercial for one of their laptops, and some piece of bundled software of theirs.
Here is what I think happens. As soon as some Mac OSX feature looks like it could reach critical mass in the collective minds of buyers, some company like HP leaps in with a commercial (preemptive strike?) to give the impression that HP is where you go to send digital photograpy.
IF, and it is a big IF, Apple had an ad agency that was basically competent, they could have that place in the mind of the buyers.
But that is now what happens. Apple’s ad philosophy seems to have always been this: If I present an image that is vague and mysterious, people will come looking for me. After all, it works so well for what we used to call “old maids!” NOT!
The one time (iPod) they present a reasonably focused image to the public, it works! (surprise!)
Having said that: there is no doubt that the Mac and OSX have more presence in the mind of buyers than ever. Hopefully, it is not just accidental.
But it is still hard to beat simple direct answers to problems.
Tell people what you do, and they will buy. Be vague about what you do and normal intelligent people will go buy from someone who at least appears to present a focused image, rightly or wrongly, because we know that in the real world, that HP laptop would only have been marginally successful in sending those images of the Roman Colliseum back home.
But since Apple does not show how OSX can be used, you cannot blame normally intelligent people for going to the HP default when they have not been shown alternatives.
Calling them stupid is, well……….Stupid. And elitist!
And where , precisely, does it advertise ANYTHING about the OSX or the Mac on iTunes?
—
Huh? Er.. gee the Mac mini ads and the iPod + Mac Student Union Promo..
I mean.. can you find a more perfect example of the Halo Effect than the Student Union combo??
Mac users are usually Mac users by choice. Most Windows users don’t know/think they have a choice.
Apple has decided to stick to the higher end consumers just as they create higher end machines. Basic to any business degree you learn to attract a certain group of consumers. Various studies have been done in the 20th century that have shown that low end customers only end up eating your profit by spending huge amounts of time on help lines,customer service requests, ect.
This is why some companies “track” customers e.g. moving higher end customers (bigger spenders) to the front of the line AKA apple pro card.
If Apple would advertise their OS and the computers at all would be astounding. I get a lot of the same conversations as Al, along with some incorrect, snotty, hateful coments from know-it-all Windows zelots like ron, Joe and Sputnik. Don’t show them the facts, they have their minds made up already. There’s just no getting through to them and then they laugh at Apple fans for being so loyal.
Ads would help greatly…something more and beyond those artsy-fartsy iPod ads.
Perhaps when Apple switches it’s product line to Intel chips we’ll see a boost in market share. People will see that Apple’s have Intel inside and may equate Macs and Windows boxes on some level, the Macs will have better industrial design and of course OS X, which is much better than MS will ever have to offer. Ever.
re: “Apple has decided to stick to the higher end consumers just as they create higher end machines. Basic to any business degree you learn to attract a certain group of consumers. Various studies have been done in the 20th century that have shown that low end customers only end up eating your profit by spending huge amounts of time on help lines,customer service requests, “
So why produce the low priced Mac Mini?
I deal all the time with people who have various kinds of degrees. I have two of them myself.
But what trumps college degrees easily is my school of life degree. I do remedial on business school graduates every day.
If someone wants to buy my product based upon intelligent comparisons of the alternatives, and if my product is legal and moral, guess what: I sell it to them!
There might be something to what you say if there is a limited supply of the product that you are selling, but no one can really tell me that about Mac computers. If there is a demand, factories to produce chips, motherboards etc, can appear amazingly quickly. Yeah, you can have temporary problems, but solutions appear if there is a real motivaition to do so.