Apple has posted a new “Get a Mac” ad seemingly based on Walt Mossberg’s recent “crapware” articles for The Wall Street Journal.
As Mossberg explains in one article, “An excellent way to avoid or minimize the craplet problem is to simply buy an Apple Macintosh computer. New Macs don’t have any craplets displayed on their desktops. On a new Mac, no third-party software is automatically launched when you start the computer, and you don’t need antivirus or antispyware programs because the Mac is essentially free from those menaces. So, even my year-old Mac laptop reboots roughly three times as fast as my three-week-old Sony. Apple does include a few third-party programs on Macs… but these are tucked away in the applications folder and most are full working versions, not trials or offers. The main exception is a trial version of Microsoft Office. With some Mac models, you get trials of two Apple programs, iWork and FileMaker Pro. But these trials can be deleted simply by dragging the icons to the trash can.”
In the ad “PC” is stuffed to the gills with useless crapware which really slows him down:
See the ad in higher quality here: http://www.apple.com/getamac/
MacDailyNews Take: Thanks for odd, yet humorously compelling melding of “The Meaning of Life” and “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory” imagery, Apple! Quick, someone get “PC” one last wafer-thin mint!
Related articles:
Mossberg: Get a Mac to avoid resource-hogging Windows PC craplets, antivirus, antispyware apps – April 12, 2007
Mossberg decries Windows Vista’s dog slow boot and restart times vs. Apple’s Mac OS X – April 06, 2007
…and don’t skimp on the pate’!
Sort of a lame ad. Macbooks come with trial versions of iWork and Office. In fact, if you don’t trash the trial version of Office before you load your legitimate full version copy, your computer will get confused by the two.
Boo. Mac Ad’s first real stinker.
@ Wil…
Yeah, but notice it’s Micro$cum software that screws things up.
@ Des Gusting,
True, but it’s Apple who allowed their software to be put on their machine. In addition, the ad gives the impression that there is no trial software on any Macs which is not true. Probably not the extent that PCs have, (although I can’t be sure since I haven’t been in the market for the PC in a while), but the ad is misleading
@Wil
Although it still is trial software, I think it is different from the Windows “crapware”. Have you ever bought a box from Dell or somebody, and seen the amount of incedibly useless shit on it? In contrast, I wouldn’t even call these two programs crapware. Most people need some sort of Office type software anyway, so this just helps to let them know of a few of the main options, and lets them try them out.
All I can say is, “better bring a bucket!!”
Wil, Wil, Wil… These are two very different things. Much of Windows “crapware” is stuff that runs whether you want it to or not. That’s what causes the slowdown of your PC, not just the fact that the programs exist on the hard drive. When you boot your new Mac, there are no third-party background applications automatically loaded.
In Medieval times, folks would argue how many angels could dance on the head of a pin. Well, we are more sophisticated nowadays. In the 21st century, we debate how much adware and trial software constitutes unwanted software on a hard drive.
IMHO all software is unwanted if I didn’t install it and/or gave permission that it be installed.
To all those defending Windoze because the Mac has a couple of sample programs it is really not the same. On the Mac, you can do a complete reinstall and choose not to install the samples. On a Windoze machine you have to reinstall all the crapware.
Even if you own a clean version of XP, there is no guarantee that you will be able to get the proper drivers for the machine from the manufacturer. Sure you can hunt them down but Dell and HP won’t give them to you if you ask.
My GF bought a Compaq with crapware installed. I figured I would just put on XP, a clean install. Tried to get the drivers from Compaq or at least pointed to where I could get the drivers and they said no. The drivers were only licensed for use through their restore CD and they could not give them out seperately.
Needles to say after 4 months I took the machine back, got a full refund and bought a bondi blue iMac for my GF.
mw: play as in Oscar don’t play that sh*t
Wil has a point. Macs do come loaded up with a GB or more of “trial-ware”. That, and a bunch of utilities that are semi-limited “full versions” … non-trial-ware that can’t be upgraded for free – unlike the commercial versions. Still, these don’t load on boot-up – not unless you tell them to. There are people out there who load every widget in the world and several apps on their Macs at boot – and it costs them. It costs them in boot time, in memory use, in frustration … almost like having a Windows system.
OTOH, these problems are choices with a Mac. You can make them “go away”, or – at least – not bother you. It isn’t hard, you just undo whatever you did to make them a problem. A bit harder with Windows trial-ware. OK, a whole lot harder. Isn’t that their point?
DLMeyer – the Voice of G.L.Horton’s Stage Page Pod Cast
and by the way, that was an excellent commercial
Brilliant ad… very funny!
Very good visual ad. Makes you want to watch and listen to what’s being said.
@ All who responded,
Des Gusting: It is Microsoft, but it is Apple’s decision to throw it on. Since I work at a Mac reseller, I have had to help several customers wipe both their Trial Office and ‘Real’ Office, and then reinstall the full version, since there were conflicts between the two.
To the Rest: For sure, it’s probably much less than the crap you get on PCs, (I only assume so, since it’s been years since I’ve thought about buying a PC). But the ad is misleading. Macs DO come with trial software. Maybe they could have made the point of the dialogue clear about the AMOUNT of trial software.
Guess I’m a “Dialogue” guy.
new ‘Get a Mac’ ad: ‘Delayed’ – as in Leopard is delayed.
I don’t know about you guys but i loved this ad. I laughed!
To the idio who said this was “sort of a lame ad”, and then proceeded to do the moral equivalency thing between Mac and PC:
You’re an idiot!
Now, Ballmer and Gates, you bozos, deny that!
S.
It has a good beat.
It’s easy to dance to.
I gave it a 95.
@Wii,
You can’t even remotely attempt to compare the innocuous trial ware comes with a mac to the floodgates of nightmare start up ware new Windows PC comes with, have you ever really experienced buying & starting a new PC? You haven’t so you really aren’t qualified to comment. Heck you have to go looking for the trialware on a Mac. On a Windows box it explodes in your face and is a major pain to get rid of.
The ads are not misleading.
There must be 3 columns of trial software on a new PC compared to what on a mac? Office and a trial of iwork?
No comparison, be real. Go look at any desktop of a new computer at COMPUSA, if you still have one, see the clutter of icons already on your screen before you even open your first window.
why so anal about 20pcs of crapware compared to 2 or 3 on a mac? Clearly it’s bloated..
OOmpa loompa doopadedo….
Let’s contrast and compare…
Removing a piece of pre-loaded software from a Mac: click on application icon or folder > drag to Trash > Empty Trash.
Removing some OEM trial installs of Norton Internet Security on Windows XP: first, try and uninstall through Add/Remove Programs. Discover that program wasn’t installed. Scratch head. Refer to various support sites. Discover that uninstall requires the installation of an uninstaller. Discover joys of drinking before noon. Damages liver; improves sense of normalcy in a surreal world. Find uninstaller on OEM’s website. Install uninstaller. Now adding hard liquor to coffee – maybe I’m developing a problem. Run uninstaller. Uninstall uninstaller. Install “commercial” version of product. Use customer’s computer to locate nearest psychotherapist and substance abuse problem. Discover the joys of IE7. Go and find another bottle.
Sorry, I mean “substance abuse program” – see how dangerous Canadian Club can be on an empty stomach.
The last time I checked a new Mac with a trial version of Office, there was an uninstaller hidden in the Office folder. A pretty pain-free way of irradicating MS software. At least the MS MacBU has their heads screwed on the right way.
Apple includes things like Quicken (or used to) and Graphic Converter. How can you argue about software with such obvious value?
New hard drives often come loaded with a bunch of useless crap. I used to feel some weird obligation to back it all up and/or try it out first. Not any more.
I clog up my system with all kinds of add-on stuff. The difference? It’s MY choice to do so and I’m not stuck clearing off crap I don’t want, am uniterested in and will never use… like Office.
@Wil
Justin Long (mac) said “the only stuff that comes on a mac is stuff you want.”
I think that’s a valid point. I was glad that my MBP came with office so that I could decide whether or not I wanted to spend the money on it.
Meanwhile, at the friend rate of $25 an hour I spent almost 2 hours cleaning junk off of a brand new dell for a friend of my moms.
(All told, I spent 9 hours over there, but most of that time was spent moving software and data from her 11 year old windows 95 machine to her new xp machine. Oh, and finding xp drivers for her internal pci dsl modem….)
Sorry – I strayed a little bit from the topic there…..