Apple’s Power Mac G5 is “a true speed demon,” a very powerful personal computer, writes James Maguire for NewsFactor Network. But, Maguire writes, Apple needs to dispel three myths in order to reach beyond their core audience and increase market share with their new G5 machines.
Myth #1: “Apple does not have a sufficiently large library of software.”
Myth #2: Macs “are not price competitive” with Windows PCs.
Myth #3: “Macintosh users must deal with a blizzard of proprietary technology.”
All three are outdated myths that persist in the general public’s eyes. And it’s going to take a lot of education from Apple to dispel these myths and generate higher market share.
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Why Apple doesn’t blow these myths away with simple TV ads (and instead delivers one of its worst TV ads in memory with the pedestrian Power Mac G5 ad that they’re currently running) is beyond us. And we meet people routinely who believe one, two, or all of these falsehoods and discount the Mac option because of them. Why can’t Apple marketing fix this problem? We already know that a Power Mac G5 can blast a guy through his house and into a tree. Now take some of that money and run some ads that mean something.
MDN: wholeheartedly agreed.
Worst: they believe in:
Mac not being compatible
Does not run Office
cannot exchange email with PC users (honest to God: heard that!: “But I have lots of friend with PC, how could I send them email?)
cannot chat online with PC users
does not do TCP/IP
cannot share printers with PCs
etc
Problem is Micros**t profit from people total wrong knowledge and ignorance of basic computer stuff.
The more idiotic a person is the faster s/he will buy a Wintel PC: “I want to chat online with my friends!”
Here’s a great commercial Apple should run in regards to the software issue:
Have a guy and his wife in a store. He is grabbing one software title at a time, naming it as he tosses it into the cart while his wife crosses it off of a list…
Man- “Office”
Wife- “Check”
Man- “Photoshop”
Wife- “Check”
Man- “Warcraft 3”
Wife- “Check”
Then, lastly, they go to the computer department of the store and grab a Mac. The tagline could be something to the effect of “All of the software, none of the excuses”
here’s another one:
my sister asked me if you can get on the internet with a mac.
gertrude: maybe she was trying to understand how Macs could not get a virus. If she knows Windows a bit she knows the only way is to be off the net. Hence, Macs must be unable to get on the internet: only plausible way not to get infected in a Windows world.
At least here in Europe the “general public” is not aware there is something called a mac. A “computer” is synonymous with a wintendo pc period. There’s your problem right there.
“my sister asked me if you can get on the internet with a mac.”
No offense to your sister, I’m sure she’s a very bright person. This just illustrates the total ignorace out there about Macs. How can Apple overcome this without TELLING people the basics of what a Mac can do – I agree the Power Mac G5 TV commerical is worthless and a waste of time and money and effort. FOCUS, Apple!
Friend of mine was allot more interested in macs, when he knew it was a unix, and there is a terminal. But then, most of my friends are unix heads
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”grin” style=”border:0;” /> There is some awareness in the “unix environment” that it’s a real, not dumbed down, pretty standard unix, but not enough imo.
Remember the 1984 superbowl commercial Apple ran once…
Jobs and the powers that be wanted to pull the commercial because they thought it was awful, but they couldn’t because they already paid MegaBuck for the time slot.
Apple execs and Jobs have NO CLUE of what good marketing is.
The G5 commercial proves it.
Think about it! The staff at Apple can’t be so brilliant and innovative in all areas of hardware, software, OS, and peripherals and be so ignorant in terms of marketing. Apple doesn’t have a “complete system” yet to directly go head-to-head with Microsoft. Office is an example. Apple is withholding their replacement to the virus-prone Office; something much simpler to use, but offering pro publishing functions with typical Mac usability and interface.
But that will not be the MS death-blow. All at the same moment, Apple will introduce a whole new concept in GLOBAL networking, computing, and telecommunications. Very fast. Very cheap. For example, HDTV video-on-demand will be just one spoke in the communications hub. Only on a Mac! After 5 years, Apple will open source it to any other computer and telecommunication company.
Only then will Apple do a full-blown assault on Microsoft, not using a volley of old cruise missile-like ads back and forth, but a single devastating nuclear explosion wiping MS off the map.
It may not be today, but with Microsoft’s self-induced weakening, Apple is pushing its release date much sooner than initially planned (a few comm spokes may be missing). …and when it happens, each one of you, even the most die-hard Mac fan, will be completely jaw-dropping stunned! It will be a technology and media explosion like no company has ever produced. Within 14 days, MS stock will lose 90% of its value and in 5 years it will be a weak manufacturer of cheap game machines.
All of the subtle signs are appearing. Just listen. Its coming!
Aryugaetu, can I have some of what you’re smoking?
“wintendo”
That’s hilarious.
Ary: are you the new messiah?
I just read comments from PC users on various sites: they are amazing how clueless, ignorant, arrogant, stupid, foolish they are about all concerns computing. The biggest of all is when they brag about WIndows *inherent* security. Nothing shakes then: hearing them Windows is great and if OS X or Linux was at *their* place they would crumble under viral attacks. Windows is great in that it resists against overwhelming forces. Others would just succomb. We should all be grateful Windows is there.
Now, can human stupidity reach infinity? Apparently if you boot daily on Windows it is more than a possibility. I am flabbergasted from what I have read. I mean, could truly only the idiots be running Windows? Is idiocy and ignorance that common among Windows users?
A speechless Seahawk
what I wanted to say is that there are not myths to dispel when there is object in the awareness of the generall public that these myths could be attached too.
Aryugaetu: wow! Don’t drive or operate dangerous equipment for the next 24 hours or so.
…when there is no object….
Why doesnt someone send apple an e-mail with all of this and they should advertise the 1100 cluster on tv also proving that they are used in the realy world wich is what alot of my friends think there not. just an idea but someone really should take this to apple
I encountered this the other day at work. A co-worker, who is neither stupid or ignorant, told me he was a friend’s house and he had one of those “Macs with a white dome.” He thought it was really cool looking. Then he said he would like to have one but can’t because he needs a computer that runs Word. When I showed him Word on my TiBook he was really surprised.
I think the real problem is that you average consumer does not make a distinction between MS Office and Windows. They think it is the same thing…and its called Windows. Only Mac people refer to it as Office. So their logic is if a Mac can’t run Windows, then it can’t run Word. Don’t even try to explain to them that a Mac can acutually run Windows too.
the problem is people do not know what is a mac
you can see PC in every supermarket .. and Apple in an Apple store that looks luxurious .. some people are even afraid to step in [exegarated a little bit i know]
i know Apple’s market is not the 400$ computer … but a lot of the people do not need anything else because they use a PC as a typwriter that connects to internet and is capable of running the newest virus so you they can invite their cousin they don’t see often to fix their computer.
..
and the compatibility issue .. that is very common .. most people don’t understand technology .. do not know anything about standards or protocols .. have no clue ..
and a lot of them have kids that want to play games on this typewriter.
…
the other problem … you can get most of the software for a wintendo [good word ! leander] for FREE [at least as a private person in most parts of Europe .. at least i didn’t hear about any prosecution of private persons]… and that is a price even the most usable, intuitive compatible software/hardware solution cannot beat ! .. simple as that
i am waiting for panther and the new mac office if it has better support for Central European languages .. and then i’ll start switching people.
[my father is next with a 15″PB ]
How could anyone think the Mac can’t surf the internet when the whole ad campaign behind the original 233MHz iMac was easy internet access. Those ads were everywhere in 1997-98.
Only one of those myths is accurate. That is the price difference. Apple needs a $1000 headless non-crippled G5-based machine if it wants to increase market share. Maybe based on the 1.6ghz with an ATA drive instead of SATA. The 1.6 is currently way overpriced. Make the PowerMacs dual processor only and have a consumer line that have only one processor in them and ATA instead of SATA.
I don’t remember ever seeing a single iMac ad talking up it’s internet access. Ever. All I remember are the ads touting it’s fruit colored hulls.
Seahawk, fyi, re: my clueless sister:
nothing to do viruses (viri?).
she really just wanted to know if you can surf the web on a mac.
rageous,
Remember the Step 1, Step 2, Step 3, there is no step 3 commercial? Step 2 was get connected, and it showed a hand plugging in the phone cord. Jeff Goldblum did the voice over.
maybe we should all send an email to the pr or apple’s advertising company making suggestions and constructive critism of their current advertising techniques. for all we know, steve and his buddies might not even look at this site, so our best bet is to reach them directly
maybe we should all send an email to the pr or apple’s advertising company making suggestions and constructive critism of their current advertising techniques. for all we know, steve and his buddies might not even look at this site, so our best bet is to reach them directly
Keynote:
Yes, now that you mention it I do recall those ads. Thanks for reminding me.