Why Apple has not advertised Mac OS X

20 years ago

“Many writers and readers have wondered why Apple has not advertised Mac OS X on television or in print. They argue that the inherent superiority of Mac OS X compared to other operating systems is so obvious that Apple is crazy not to advertise it. Typically, a long laundry list of failed technologies in Windows is compared to successful technologies in Mac OS X. Its Unix roots and better resistance to malware and viruses is touted. Candidate ideas for 30 second TV spots are outlined. And when all is said and done, many end up suspecting that Steve Jobs must have struck a secret deal with Bill Gates to keep this far superior OS under wraps and a secret from the world in exchange for some concession,” John Martellaro writes for The Mac Observer. “From my perspective, things are quite different. Here’s why.”

“A computer operating system, an OS, is a very abstract concept for most modern users. Especially those not-so technical users who are new to computers,” Martellaro writes. “Even with an elegant GUI, such as Mac OS X’s Finder, (or better, CocoaTech’s PathFinder) there is a huge gap between what the OS does — here’s the key — and seducing a non-technical customer into making a purchase decision. After all, Mac OS X, Windows and Linux all have the WIMP interface: windows, icons, menus and a pointing device. To the untrained customer’s eye, they all pretty much look alike… As a result of this understanding of the product profile of an OS, it’s very, very difficult to create — in a 30 second TV ad or a print ad — a compelling and appealing set of images that create appreciation and then demand for a particular OS… The situation could change in the future, but that’s why I believe Apple has not yet advertised Mac OS X.”

Full article here.

MacDailyNews Take: A very interesting article, with which we do not agree, however, it is well worth the read and highly recommended. We believe that Apple could create compelling TV commercials that show the world, if nothing else, what Mac OS X looks like and the basics of how it operates, so that when the Windows Vista marketing appears the masses will at least recognize that Microsoft’s clone came from Apple, as usual. Even just showing MS Word and Excel running on a Mac in a TV commercial would open a lot of eyes and be very effective.