By SteveJack
Microsoft began the next phase of their $300 million Windows Vista resuscitation campaign with three new TV ads on Thursday night.
Microsoft’s first ad begins with a poor imitation of John Hodgman, who plays the “PC” in Apple’s “Get a Mac” ads. This is actually quite appropriate for a company whose main product, Windows, and whose biggest current failure, Zune, are themselves poor imitations of Apple creations.
Microsoft’s fake Hodgman claims, “Hello, I’m a PC, and I’ve been made into a stereotype.” Somehow, Microsoft seems to have failed to notice that they are reinforcing said claimed sterotype by using an imitation Hodgman to headline their commercials. Sometimes, the cluelessness astounds.
The ad then segues into a montage of many different people from many walks of life who each claim, “I’m a PC,” too. Microsoft seems confused about what they’re selling: they are supposed to be selling “Windows,” not “PCs.” Microsoft doesn’t even make PCs. HP makes “PCs,” though. And HP, like Microsoft, is currently busy trying to hide Windows, too, by applying lipstick to the Vista pig while exploring the possibility of creating their own OS without Microsoft.
At the end of the ad, finally, Microsoft gets around to showing the Windows logo with the hypocritical and insanely stupid tag line text, “Windows. Life Without Walls.” Hypocritical, because Microsoft’s entire business is based on trapping people within Windows to the point where they come to believe that they cannot ever hope to escape. (Windows users: You really can escape and it’s way easier than you might think.) Insanely stupid, because, if you’re living a “Life Without Walls,” then you obviously have no need for Windows. Duh. Great ad agency you have there, Microsoft. Who the hell gave final approval for that tag line? Oh, yeah, Ballmer. It all makes sense now.
Shameless mug plug: In a world without fences and walls, who needs Gates and Windows? (Get one today – it’s an especially great gift for IT guys!)
Here’s Microsoft’s first ad:
Deepak Chopra: “I’m a PC and a human being. Not a human doing. Not a human thinking. A human being.” Presumably, he just sits on the couch all day staring at a blank wall while eating chips. Paint chips. Lead-based. Listen, we already know that you’re not thinking Deepak, you fraud, or you’d be using a Mac. It’s typical that vapid Hollywood types – and Microsoft – would eat up that sort of meaningless tripe.
Microsoft’s other two ads also do their damnedest to show a bunch of people claiming to be personal computers, too:
I’m a PC, but I used a Mac to make these fruitless commercials.” (“Fruitless,” get it?)
Anyway, if Microsoft’s goal was to convince people that it’s okay to use PCs, then the ads are almost passable. I say “almost” because the overriding message highlighted right upfront by fake Hodgman is that Microsoft is yet again weakly copying Apple and also because there’s a very real risk that the average viewer might end up wondering, “Hey, if Microsoft’s so worked up about responding to Apple’s Mac ads, then maybe I should stop into my neighborhood Apple Store to see what all the fuss is about before I buy my next PC?” Or maybe, “Why don’t they mention that Windows Vista I keep hearing bad things about?” Or even, “Boy, Microsoft sure seems confused.”
That Microsoft runs the very real risk of driving even more people to Macs obliterates their muddled message that “a ton of people all made the very same mistake, but since we all don’t know any better, it’s okay to smile blissfully and proclaim our use of inferior personal computers,” uh, I mean, “it’s ok to be a PC even though Apple makes fun of us and we’ve never even touched a Mac so we have no earthly idea what we’re missing.” Uh, well, you know what I’m saying. Microsoft’s real goal is simply to keep the sheep in the pen.
So far, Microsoft’s $300 million ad campaign has, like a Windows PC, a lot of disparate parts that don’t really work very well – or at all – together. None of what I’ve seen so far seems to have resulted in the sale of a single copy of Windows Vista, but Microsoft’s floundering about may well have helped Apple sell even more new Macs.
And now, to cleanse the palate, here’s a real image ad:
SteveJack is a long-time Macintosh user, web designer, multimedia producer and a regular contributor to the MacDailyNews Opinion section.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Readers too numerous to mention for the heads up.]
Microsoft is so clueless.
“Ya gotta problem with that?”
“Noo, noo, you just carry right on PC. Maybe you’d be less angry if you used a Mac.”
“I have a beard. And glasses. And never wear suits.
And I’m a PC. You know, the Mac variant. The one that works.”
I am not a Pissy! thank god
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In the Apple ads, isn’t one to assume that Apple is talking about the computers, and not the people who use them? Has anyone looked at (or used) a Mac, then compared it to a PC?
Apple should do an ad that uses a talking MacBook Pro, vs. a talking ThinkPad. Ya know, they could animate them to open and close the lids (displays) like the notebook is a mouth, and say “I’m a Mac, and I’m a PC”. That ought to clear up the misconception.
Are people that insecure?
Apparently Macintosh they are.
I will say this, they have done a good job of at least attempting to create some interest, not quite sure what it will do for them – reassure their existing customer base a bit and maybe staunch the bleeding a little bit.
A guy on Youtube already added the classic BSOD near the end of the commercial followed by the Vista logo. Been done many times I know, but it’s still funny!
I’m surprised at how effective these ads are.
I know Microsoft is a company built on theft and crap.
I wouldn’t buy a Microsoft product if Bill Gates stayed at my house and ate my scalloped potatoes.
But I have to admit, these ads may do the only thing Microsoft could have hoped for: Create a feeling of okayness about using Windows.
Even though Microsoft is absolute garbage, I have a new appreciation for Crispin Porter + Bogusky.
Sounds like “I am a PC and I am selfish” at the end of the ad
“I’m a PC, and I have all the empty internationalism of an airline advertisement.”
I’m a PC and that means I get more choice than three desktops and three laptops.
looking at this objectively (as opposed to having my mac blinders on), i would say these are very good commercials and will be successful for Microsoft.
i don’t know what the impact will be for Mac or marketshare. but it should slow down the negative tide Microsoft has been having lately.
However, these commercials still do not fix the crap that is Vista, or prevent Microsoft from churning out any more crap out of Redmont.
um…..I didn’t think I’d say this but……please bring back Seinfeld….
Unfortunately the catch phrase will just remind the audience what the other guy is – and reinforce the Mac message.
I’m a PC and have to copy because I can”t innovate on my own.
Yes, Macintosh, but there’s been a prevailing wisdom that Hodgman and Long are meant to embody the users rather than the machines. I see it often as an anti-Apple talking point around the blogosphere, “Why does Apple make fun of PC users?” At the same time I’ve explained to numerous people who were honestly confused both online and offline that it wasn’t the case.
Microsoft took advantage of that angle. No telling how many people there are across the country who don’t understand the “Get a Mac” ads, but that’s who Microsoft is selling this to.
Only watched the first one. While listening to all those people that claim that they are PC’s I realise that it sounds more like “I am pissy” or “I am PC (ie politicly correct)”
Also the way they’ve edited the parts together lol: “Im a pc and this is where I work”(guy in blue T-shirt in a serverroom) followed by “and these are my employees”(cows).
ie: Pc-users are mindless drones that like being stucked in damp window(s)less rooms in the basement…
Could analyze this to death 😀 – thats semiotics for u
I’m pretty sure Jobs & Co. brainstormed all possible MicroSuck rebuttals before they even released the first “I’m a Mac” ad, and have been waiting for them to respond like this.
It will be interesting to see what Apple does, if anything.
“Not a human doing. Not a human thinking. A human being.”
Uh, so if, you know, you don’t, like, think or do anything, you know, and you just sorta “be”, like, you should be using Windows.
It looks like an Apple ad, but these people aren’t saying anything the Windows user experience or what they do as PCs. Apple’s switcher, Mac user, and Mac/PC ad campaigns each had a singular message: Mac’s are easier and more fun to use; these specific people do these specific cool things with Macs; there is nothing you can do on a PC that you cannot do and do better on a Mac. Whether you agree with these statements or not, whether you think Apple should be showing the OS, the message is simple, clear and focused.
These Microsoft ads most strongly resemble Apple’s “Think Different” campaign. That campaign didn’t have a specific OS related message. Instead it attempted to associate the Apple brand with a type of person. But, where the Apple campaign tried to co-opt extraordinary people, this MS campaign seems to be trying to co-opt ordinary people. I’m sure they’re all wonderful and admirable people, but it’s hardly stirring. It’s hardly inspirational.
The ad firm must be getting lots of input from MS executives.
Apple slogan:
“Think Different”
MS slogans:
“Aspire to mediocrity.”
“Accept your sheepness.”
“What? You think you’re special?”
Microsoft’s best ad campaign was the series that had the photo or video showing the small reality—the child in the classroom, the person starting their first small business—and chalk drawings overlaid showing the potential—the great scientist, the tycoon. It was complete bullshit, but that’s beside the point. It had a clear, and stirring, message: we can give you the tools to succeed.
Troll Alert: Beware of blatant astroturfing ahead.
> > > astroturfing: n.
1. The use of paid shills to create the impression of a popular movement, through means like posting phony ‘grass roots’ comments to MDN.
The funny thing is all the celebs in there are iPhone users, and Pharrell uses mac pros in his studio just like every other producer/artist just like all the biggies, the 300 milli is gonna go quick for all this hodgepodge.
I just have to laugh about the comparisons, it illustrates the gigantic FAIL of Microsoft, the lack of comprehension what this game is all about.
In a world without walls, we wouldn’t even HAVE windows.
Not bad commercials.
But MDN is right.
Microsoft doesn’t make PCs.
Life without Walls? Then why would I need a Window(s), if I have no walls?
Aren’t these commercials basically the same kind that Apple was running 10 years ago?
I guess not only does Microsoft need Apple to get their ‘innovative’ ideas from, but MS’s ad agency also needs Apple’s ad agency for the same.
I’m a pissy!!!
Weren’t they supposed to say “I’m Pissed Off!!!”
O c’mon! we know you’re PeeC. But do you know what mac really is!! I used to be on PeeC and Thanks God I’m lucky enough to meet Apple. And look at me….. “I am so happy since then.”
MDN, you crack me up. If you were a really hot woman without baggage and emotional issues, and mild snoring didn’t bother you … I would marry you.
HELP!!!
I’m PC!!!!
I think the shark cage dude sums up the whole campaign, “I’m a PC, and I’m kinda scared.”
There are apparently very many that do not know about the “I’m a…” ads OR don’t get it. VERY many.
Hopefully, starting to understand, if you believe the latest Apple market stats.
But, I wonder what those that haven’t seen or understood the Mac ads think about these Pissy ads.
What can you think? “This is Sesame Street a tad over-redundant?” “Okay, I get it, (whatever it is) I don’t need THREE ads unless you think I’m a lemming moron.” etc
“I’m a PC and that means I get more choice than the best three desktops and the best three laptops.”
That is so lame. It makes the Gates/Seinfeld ads look good.
There is no denying that a lot of people with different backgrounds use “PC’s” instead of Macs. Why point out something that is obvious. So because these people use Windows (who are mostly NOT like me), you should also use Windows. Go with the herd – don’t switch to Mac. Is that the message?
This just reinforces Apple’s message in its ads, that Macs are better than Windows PC’s. It is apparent that Microsoft can’t bring itself to claim that Windows PCs are better than Macs, because no one would believe it.
Instead, it’s – You should use a Windows PC because other people use it.
I think what they’re really trying to say is, “I’m a pussy!”
A Window is a clear wall isn’t it? It is worse than a wall cause you can see out of it and see a better thing….but you cannot reach that……because the window is blocking it……..
I just love the fact that they hired Deepak Chopra for these ads. That guy is the biggest bag of hot air in the “motivational speaker” racket. He’s never said anything substantive in his life.
-jcr
yeah, these ads are to keep the sheep herded. They basically are saying ” please quit leaving our horrid platform in droves.”
Crap begats crap, I think that is how the old testiment would work it.
This tactic is so bad I couldn’t watch any of the above to the end. It’s truly getting worse. Can’t they do anything right?
Maybe someone above already stated this, but here is the problems with these ads:
They obviously start with the premise that we’ve all seen the, “I’m a PC, and I’m a Mac” commercials. But the Hodgeman and Long characters in those commercials represent computers. They are not acting as humans. These MS commercials ridiculously get people to say that they are a PC. What? How stupid is that? Would any self-respecting person really want to demean themselves by equating themselves with a piece of hardware. I am not a PC or a Mac. I USE a Mac because it beats the sh!t out of using a PC all day. I’m pretty sure that they got all those people to say they are PCs by promising them a MacBook.
At least the Seinfeld ads were fun to make fun of as possibly the worst Microsoft ads ever made. I happily grabbed them for future generations to make fun of.
But these are just plain dull.
Where’s ‘Yawn’ when you need him?
Come on ‘Yawn’. All is forgiven. Come back and tell us how great these new ads are so we can make fun of YOU some more. Liven up our day, dear little turd troll.
Yawn.
Where are these, “anti-Apple talking point around the blogosphere”?
In a few days, it will be on to Phase Three of the TV ad campaign. If Microsoft tries enough different approaches, they might actually find one that isn’t totally lame.
this is so pathetic it’s actually amusing
so , not only do they copy our os , now they’re copying our ads ?
steve jobs must be laughing his balls off at this crap
he’ll have a field day at mac expo , in fact ms really deserve all the derision they’ll be getting over this desperate pitiful garbage
it’s like a mac fan making a parody of the mac ads ( tongue in cheek and still saying pc’s suck ) , but m$ funded it !!!
bizzare
These ads are better than the Seinfeld ones, good work Microsoft. However, that’s a bit like saying Ming the Merciless was better than Hitler. Still no clue about what they’re selling.
as ken1w stated , why don’t they do pc’s are better than macs ads ?
so more people use pcs , i never knew that !!
selling more doesn’t mean you’re better
abba outsold bob dylan but nobody would claim abba have made a bigger contribution to popular culture , they just make more dough
a bit like m$
buy our stuff , cos everyone else does and being a mindless sheep really IS cool after all
oh and uncle fester will be out of a job if m$ goes bellyup and he’ll end up selling cars again or washing machines or fountain pens or something more suited to the moronic ape
These are incredibly defensive Ads. I smell fear…….
Maybe what Microsoft have to do is take a clue from the trolls they pay to hang around site like this and sadistically abuse people. Here is what they should do for Phase 3 of their $300,000,000 Vista iron lung campaign:
“Hi! I’m a Mac. And I SUCK.”
“I cost more than a PC.
“The only reason I don’t have loads of viruses like Windows is because the Mac platform is OBSCURE and no one wants to bother. But just wait. The Mac is going to be DELUGED with viruses any day now.
“I’ve been stealing ideas from Microsoft for years.
“Steve Jobs is so scrawny looking because HE’S GONNA DIE! So dump all your stock holdings in Apple NOW!
“I don’t have ANY enterprise hardware! Mac OS X Server is too lame to work as an enterprise server! I am so weak and puny! I’m anorexic because all I know how to do is look elegant and futuristic.
“I don’t have ANY games. I also don’t have ANY applications. I don’t have ANY free solitaire game when you buy me!
“I am so slow. Vista can run rings around me.
“I’ve had 64 bit hardware and a 64 bit operating system since 2003. But NO ONE CARES!
“Some women are said to have peepee envy. Well I have peecee envy! Why wasn’t I born a PC! Everyone knows IBM invented the PC, right! Why didn’t IBM invent me?! If only I had DOS as my underpinnings. Why can’t I have a kewl inventor like Bill Gates? He knows EVERYTHING! I hang on his every prophetic breath. He’s such a charitable guy! He gave away millions of copies of Windows last year!
“And here I am with all this Open Source software added to my operating system. Now that I think about it, my core operating system IS OPEN SOURCE! That means anyone can figure out how to break into me and turn me into a zombie computer! Like Bill Gates said:
” “Nowadays, security guys break the Mac every single day. Every single day, they come out with a total exploit, your machine can be taken over totally. I dare anybody to do that once a month on the Windows machine.” “
“I am so lame and pathetic! No wonder I have such meagre market share! Please don’t buy me! I don’t want you to be ashamed of having me.”
blahblahblahblah
Feel free to post your own favorite lies, insults, FUD and myths.
Hey! After all. Lies, insults, FUD and myths are keeping John McNovaCain and that polar bear killer lady neck and neck with Obama and Biden! Why wouldn’t it work for Microsoft!
it gets better
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9115120&intsrc=hm_list
“Microsoft’s ‘I’m a PC’ ad images made on Macs”
OUCH !!!!
“looking at this objectively (as opposed to having my mac blinders on), i would say these are very good commercials and will be successful for Microsoft.”
It stands to reason that you would be impressed by this garbage. They are idiotic and annoying, much like yourself.
Well… 1000% better than the ads about nothing. If you’re in the “I hate Apple people camp” you’ll feel better about using a PC.
Me… I use Windows (sometimes) but not a PC.
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OTOH, it shows, once again, that MS is so clueless and unfocused that it has no real benefit to convey or advertise.
You can knock I’m a Mac, I’m a PC, but each ad actually tries to convey a real advantage.
What I most get out of MS’ advertising is just how great Apple’s ads are. Mac v. PC is cute, funny, conveys actual product benefits AND as SJ pointed out, portrays PC as the more loveable (if hapless) guy.
The REALLY telling thing is that MS doesn’t spend one dollar on TV touting any benefits of this OS they’re trying to force on the world. Mojave just tells us that Vista is so unadopted that tons of people can’t even recognize it.
Well at least the ads about nothing are gone. I felt embarrassed for Jerry & Bill.
Windows. Life Without Walls. And you’ll see why no one remembers “1984”.
(and flappo, lay off ABBA!)
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“Microsoft’s ‘I’m a PC’ ad images made on Macs”
Oh yes they do!
Ireland. Life Without Wales.
Defensive…? Feeling left out of the ‘cool’ group at school? Pretty damn funny.
“Me too… I’m hip… is anybody listening? “Anybody out there? “Anybody? “Hey, seriously… I really am just as cool and with it as all of you other kids. “I just got my new business cards, and this time I had them made with soy ink and recycled paper. “Honest! “Go carbon footprint… oops, I mean go SMALL carbon footprint… heh, heh! “I knew what I meant. “Please like me… please. “I know I always hog all the cake and soda, but I did it for your own good so you wouldn’t get too much of a taste of freedom, and maybe go astray and get a Mac. “I really, really need somebody to play with, and all the smart kids won’t even talk to me… <~sniff~>
As mentioned above… these ads are extremely defensive. The whole intro thing, “I’m a PC, and I’ve been stereotyped…” Right there, it starts whining, yet misses the point of the Apple commercials’ Hodgman PC characterizations by showing a bunch of ‘stereotypically’ different looking people who say “I’m a PC… [too].” Microsoft is trying to undo the Apple message of what “PC” is by associating it with all these multi-varied personalities who use PCs, yet the PCs each of these supposedly ‘hip’ ordinary “I’m a PC” folks use, remain afflicted with the disease called Windows, of any flavor (98, 2000, XP, Vista) as portrayed by Hodgman so humorously in the Apple ads.
“Hi. I’m a Mac.”
“And I’m a PC.”
Says it all.
I’m a mac user but not an idiot fanboy. These are not bad ads.
i’m always reminded of steve ballmer and bill gates remarks
‘oh apple , they’re the small market share guys’
from just a few years ago
..now they’re quite literally shaking in their boots as they have NOTHING , nothing at all to counter apple’s superior os and marketing
anyone recall david and goliath ?
nuff said
@Your Mom BluRay:
In a world without Walls and Fences, why would I need Windows and Gates?
I’m an Mac user, but not once when viewing the Mac/PC ads did I think that they were meant to be literal representations of each and every user of each format – I’m not that stupid. Microsoft evidently thinks people are since they feel the need to show us that the people who use PC’s look different to each other. Let’s see a series of ads from them that tell us why those people are PC’s, “..because I’ve never tried anything else”, “.. it’s what my work forces me to use”, “…because you’ve paid me as a token celebrity.” and so on.
In the Apple ads Mac and PC are both the systems they use and the users of that system, they’re not a literal representation of any one person or model, they’re a mix for the purposes of short adverts – we understand that. Mac is shown to be at an advantage because of the system he is/uses, whereas PC – as nice a guy as he may be – is let down by the system he is/uses. It’s not a slight on PC as a person, but on the system, it’s an education that there are other options. You don’t have to like Mac, you may even prefer PC as a person, that’s not the overall point, it’s that the system you use can help or hinder you. Microsoft are trying to sell the public on the fact that Apple are in some way impuning them and that only losers use PC’s. I give people slightly more credit than that – when they’ve been given the choice.
windoze 95 was pre internet and apple were going through a moronic management phase
only reason we lost market share , apple once had 20+%
they will again
in fact , double that – at least
now with the internet , people are much more informed , and we have things like forums so people can share their real world experiences and not rely on a monthly biased magazine for information
power to the people !
Why Pharrell Williams ?!
When did he sink to this level?!
I disagree with MDN’s take. I think these are effective ads showing that real people doing very different things are use PC’s. I’m still interested in where this goes, but this Ad works for Microsoft.
If you live in a world without walls, what do you need Windows for?
So that you can shut the Window when it gets windy or cold.
Phase III will be the killer: “Hi, I’m a slide rule. Suck on that Mac dorks!”
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I’m an ad guy and make TV commercials for a living.
These become boring quickly.
In fact, I couldn’t finish watching the second one.
A TV commercial shouldn’t be boring.
Should be to the point, funny if you can do funny, pointed if you can make the point.
And they should get attention.
Well – they got my attention – once – then they become repetitive. Sorry, I actually enjoyed watching the Gates – Seinfeld thing. It might not have sold anything, but it wasn’t boring.
Oh and I’m NOT a PC – first Apple was an Apple II and I have stuck with them.
These aren’t bad ads at all. And they aren’t meant to sell features…they are branding ads which promote the promise and the feel of the brand.
Let’s admit it. Competition is good for Apple. I think the company is at a point where it needs more of it to continue to innovate.
Well, technically a Mac is a PC too. What the F- do these ads have to do with Vista or any other Microcrap product?
The MS ads aren’t really ‘bad’ – they’re just the tired standard “me too” formula hacked onto the end of a teaser. So many companies have used exactly this formula to sell their product – from soap powder to insurance. So the MS campaign gets a big yawn on that front.
The real problem for MS is that these ads totally depend on the Mac campaign to make any contextual sense. Without the Mac ads, any viewer would wonder who that odd-looking fat guy at the beginning is and why he is talking about ‘stereotypes’.
So these MS ads function to immediately position their competitor in the minds of the viewer – and remind the viewer of just how effective the Mac ads are on several levels. If anything, viewers will feel mildly disappointed (and cheated) to discover they are not being treated to another brilliant Mac ad after all… but something else – something derivative and far less engaging.
To reverse a popular saying, these MS ads are ‘Praising [Mac] with faint damnation’. I would guess that general viewer response will be “shit MS MUST be scared”.
Actually, Microsoft (and a lot of other people) miss the point of the Apple ads.
Both actors say “I’m a _____” But listen to what they claim to be – a Mac or a PC, Not the Mac OS or Windows. They are portraying HARDWARE.
The Mac guy claims how nice it is, as a piece of hardware, to run the Mac OS, and the PC guy is always demonstrating his frustration because HE has to run Windows.
Microsoft’s ads, by using the “I’m a PC” line, miss this point completely by passing up the opportunity to use the name Windows, or Vista. they just mention hardware, which Microsoft does not sell, thereby running the risk of further confusing the customer.
I’m a Mac, and I’ve been running continuously for over 8 months.
I’m a PC and none of my drivers work anymore, and my new Vista operating system has slowed me down by about 20%.
When news first started leaking about Microsoft’s new ad campaign, the perceived wisdom was that whatever it consisted of, it should not directly respond to the “I’m a Mac” ads. That was on the basis that to do so would be to give them even more credibility and acknowledge that MS considered Apple a real threat to their business.
The Seinfeld ads, dire (IMO) as they were at least met that requirement. Now MS have abandoned that principle and these ads will do exactly what they shouldn’t – draw even more attention to Apple and the Mac.
MS should really have spent the $300M on making a better product rather than trying to convince people that the one they’ve got is better than it is.
What was that?? Did I miss something or did that make sense???
Hooty from Alabama
Why do they make the PC users in that commercial sound like a tortured minority?
“Hi. I’m a commercial with various cultures and dialects. That makes me PC….”
So, criminals who deface property should use PCs?
Sounds about right.
“I’m a mac user but not an idiot fanboy. “
You got two out of three right.
I like the third commercial, as it comes out as “I am a pissy” when repeated so fast so often. Kinda makes me wonder just what kind of shower Seinfeld and Gates were taking with the shoes.
Macs of course are PC’s so neither camp is right technically, however Macs do make desktop computers, so I wonder is this add by MS for Windows or Dell, HP, Apple, Acer etc., if so, gee kinda biased towards the apples aren’t they.
It could come back to hurt them, imagine the next ad.
“I’m a PC” and the other guy says “I’m a PC too, but I am a Mac PC.”
Oh that would confuse them.
Well the bright side is that we know that the Redmond photocopiers are working. That should be a relief for shareholders,
As a longtime Mac user I have to comment that MDNs take is off the mark today. That commercial was funny. The “I’m a Mac” ads are getting outdated. What used to be funny is now about how to slam Vista which is kind of like picking on the weak kid in the playground.
Apple hasn’t had real advertising competition from Windows and I’m glad that Microsoft finally did something to fight back. Apple needs to be challenged.
And MDN — Drop the editorial arrogance. Makes you look like you can’t handle a little Microsoft heat.
My idea for one of the people in the ads:
“I’m a PC… I have appeared in the Microsoft Ads because they paid me shit loads of cash to say this crap that I dont believe in”.
“I hate windows and love Macs – but hey, these lies pay well!”
@ derekcurrie
YOU ‘my friend’ need psychiatric therapy.
I’M A MAC – because I change the world.
My name’s Will Ferrell…
And I’m a Porn Actor.
I’m NOT a pc, and NEVER will be.
YUP.
You have to admit these commercials are pretty effective. I agree with the opinion that the goal of these commercials is to continue to make people think that windows is still “good enough” and “ok to use”.
MS wants to maintain the status quo and not have its monopoly bleed out.
I’m hoping that Apple can counter these ads just as effectively.
the next get a mac should be a rebuttal ; PC and Mac back with the female shrink…
Shrink; So PC you feel like you´ve been made a stereotype ?
PC ; …..’
uzw….
“I’m a PC and that means I get more choice than the best three desktops and the best three laptops.”
More choices, more confusion. Apple was there long ago and the company was dying. Too many hardware variations of their own and also clones from companies such as PowerComputing.
If you have only 30 minutes to go in a store and choose a computer, which is easier an Apple Store of a CircuitCity?
Will the salesperson truly be able to tell you the differences between the myriad of PC’s? There’s more that can go wrong with PC’s since Microsoft doesn’t make PC’s than can go wrong with a Mac since Apple makes the whole enchilada.
It’s easier for Apple to focus on stability from the standpoint of hardware than Microsoft possibly can, with the exception of the XBox. This is also Nokia’s problem and every other phone maker. The fewer the hardware selection, the easier to choose for the customer, and the easier to update/upgrade for the manufacturer.
Microsoft is getting these celebrities to even lie for them…..how low can they go?……….how low can they go?……..
http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid687242818/bclid686964029/bctid1438482116
The irony is that you can’t understand the ad unless you know about the Apple ads. In other words, if you are watching the ad with someone who has been out of the country, they would say, “I don’t get it. What do they mean ‘I’m a PC’?” and you’d have to say, “Well, Apple has these ads in which two people…” and when you give an example of the Apple ads, you have to talk about an area in which Mac is superior to PC.
Since pretty much all PCs that are not Macs run Windows, the ads implicitly advertise Microsoft Windows. However, they also implicitly advertise Macs.
So it’s a great advertising campaign, so far as I’m concerned.
There’s nothing wrong with about using pc’s. I have a couple of them besides my Mac. They are running Linux and FreeBSD however, not Windows.
This ad is a huge success. The fact that it has pushed so many Mac fan boy buttons is proof of that! It hit home baby! It hit home!
“Hi. I’m a PC and…. where did this CoolWebPro search bar come from?”
“Hi. I’m a PC and… hive… error? Am I a Bee? A Bee C?”
“Hi. I’m a PC and… illegal operation? PC runs from 5 0.”
“Hi. I’m a PC and… I’m an engineer… and… I spend my time… defragging my hard drive… running multiple scans daily… Sometimes I get work done in between.”
“Hi. I’m a PC and… I’m… feel… ing… sluggish. How… many…. times….. must…… I……. install…….. Windows……… to………. avoid……….. Winrot?”
Where did the $300,000,000 go? I sure hope they come up with better ads than the ones we have seen so far. So far, not all that inspiring.
“Come on ‘Yawn’. All is forgiven. Come back and tell us how great these new ads are so we can make fun of YOU some more. Liven up our day, dear little turd troll.”
It’s sad the things you live for.
Start your own rebuttal ad: “I’m a derekcurrie and I’m a loser in the game of life”.
“Hello, I’m a Mac”
“And I’m a PC”
“And I’m a PC too”
2006 “Touché” ad
Typical Microsoft – they’re so far behind, their latest ad campaign flavor of the moment can be answered by a 2006 ad from Apple.
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Interesting, as many noticed, that they spaced out on the fact that the Apple ads are about the machines, the tools, and not the people. Also interesting that they utilize a charlatan con man like Chopra. But, what else is new? The whole Microsoft empire is built on a massive con.
“apple once had 20+% they will again”
They might get to 20% of the US home notebook sold at retail market. Apple’s never going to get to 20% of the world market ever again.
“They might get to 20% of the US home notebook sold at retail market. Apple’s never going to get to 20% of the world market ever again.”
err , apple have 78% of the world mp3 market fer starters
Never say never.
The problem with these ads is that the beginning is so similar to the “Get a Mac” ads that many people may think that they are. That only benefits Apple. Also, M$ runs the risk of negative press and backlash with this. While the music and the orange theme at the end does produce a nice feeling, the rest of the ad is a failure.
????????
Based on the variety of lifestyles and messages, many viewers are going to think the message is I’m P.C. meaning politically correct especially if they don’t connect the John Hodgman look-alike to the Mac ads in the beginning.
And most people aren’t technogeeks (that’s good, right?).
Notice:
“I am a PC”
not
“I am a Windows PC”
If they did not put up their logo in the end, any Mac, Linux or Windows PC could use the add. It never said why they us Microsoft’s OS.
OK, those commercials are SOOOO pathethic….
“I’m a PC, I’m average and below”
I wonder how much charged Chopra to talk? Never liked him. He’s a con man speaking for con men.
Vapid Hollywood types = Obama supporters.
I need walls. Walls are good.
“I’m a PC and my Mom does to!”
I like the deepak chokeya paragraph….
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$300,000,000 for a new ad concept and all they can come up with it “hey, look, a bunch of people use Windows. It must be good, right?”
Cool people in those adds. They really should use Macs. Maybe it is time for Apple to move on from the I’m a Mac adds. Maybe its time to show people what it is like to have a digital environment that works together in a really great way. A computer is just he beginning. The music is all on the iPod. The iPhone takes both on the road and provides the map. The external hard drive is wireless and also does backups is a really cool way. I all connects to the TV with a single box. And it all just works!
The coolest design professionals always have used Macs.
Somebody needs to tell the world!
I don’t even recognize most of those people. Are they supposed to be important?
“err , apple have 78% of the world mp3 market fer starters”
What does that have to do with the PC market. But second, they no longer have 78% of anything. They have 71% (and shrinking) of the US mp3 player market, a market which itself in revenue terms is now shrinking.
MS has set themselves up … without even knowing it. How about a revived 1984 Super Bowl commercial with the PC lemmings walking in line, unconscious chanting ” I’m a PC , I’m a PC, I’m a PC “.
I’m a PC and nothing is happening.
I’m a PC and I’m calling the IT help desk.
I’m a PC and I’m making sure that I’m plugged in.
I’m a PC and I’m making sure my monitor is plugged in.
I want to go home.
Mac should respond with “Duh. I’m a PC, too.”
Where was Jerry Seinfeld saying “I’m a PC” in the new spot?
You guys are such one-sided fan boys that you just can’t pull the blinds off your eyes long enough to understand those commercials. Of course they HAD to have the Hodgman look-alike… to start off the story that “Hey! PCs are for everyone, not just suited-up geeky businessmen like our competitors imply.” They are saying they connect to the common man and woman, are cross-culture, and not “elitist” as some would say Mac is. I think that message came across pretty clear, and rather effectively.
That said, it also failed because it didn’t really address Windows as an OS or its features, capabilities, or how (in some alternate universe) it’s superior to the competition. Of course if they had actually tried that course, it would have completely failed.
Questions I have for Microsoft:
Is a criminal who defaces property a good representative of a PC user? Is that what you want to portray as a PC user?
So what does PC really stand for.
Piece of Crap?!
@CYxodus
This ad is a huge success. The fact that it has pushed so many Mac fan boy buttons is proof of that! It hit home baby! It hit home!
—-
Ur…. no.
The fact that you troll a mac news site categorically proves that you are in denial.
Come, join the light side where life is fun, carefree and above all safe.
I’m a Mac.
Your potential. Our Passion.
“They might get to 20% of the US home notebook sold at retail market. Apple’s never going to get to 20% of the world market ever again.”
—-
This is the one thing that makes me laugh out loud.
This is your average Windows using drones view of life “all because we have dominant market share means we are the best”
Blaaa Blaaa Blaaa…
Well look at the SHARE PRICE of Apple stock and Microsoft stock if you want to know who is the dominant player.
And it aint Microsoft!
Having 90% of the world’s computer market means fsck all if 89% of your customers are pissed off to the point of insanity with how shit their computer and OS is.
“PC”
I would rather choose between three insanely great desktops and three insanely great laptops that an infinite number of PCs, every one of which is a boat anchor.
scut sez: “Let’s admit it. Competition is good for Apple. I think the company is at a point where it needs more of it to continue to innovate.”
Actually, there never is a point where a company does not need competition. As I am ever saying: Competition is the father of innovation.
There are two general groups of people. There are those who are driven to innovate innately. All they need is to be allowed to do so. Sadly anyone who innovates is considered ‘different’ as in odd, and they get slammed for it. Such are humans. But with encouragement they often turn out to be the ‘geniuses’ who catalyze change. Mozart anyone? Encouraged as a kid through to adulthood. His dear old dad dies and the support structure crumbles. Mozart dead at 33.
The other group are those who have the spirit of having to ‘be’ better than someone else or to improve themselves. This is wrapped up in game playing. Both men and women get into this mindset. If they perceive there’s nothing to fight for they lose interest. Give them competition and they get work done. I am decidedly not one of these people. But in leadership roles I’ve found competition encourages remarkable results for these folks.
Also, we all know very well that Apple are just as capable of becoming a “f*cked company” as any other. Lord help us if they became a monopoly. Such problems already exist within Apple. My favorite these days is security. Apple sat on security because they took the superior security of UNIX for granted. They had to be literally shamed into closely examining their code for security flaws. And OMG are there flaws being found! QuickTime alone is shocking (yeah, this is a ‘fanboi’ saying this) in its vulnerabilities. The bottom of the well of insecurity has yet to been reached. Result: All of us who use Apple software benefit. Apple was kicked in the butt to innovate and they needed it. We needed it.
You people are funny..You enjoy your little macs, enjoy buying a product for more money than its value. You justify your purchase by supporting mindless attack ads that don’t say anything about your product. Tell me, how much would it cost for me to purchase a mac with a dual core 3.0 processor, a 750gb hard drive, and a 1gb graphics card. Oh they don’t sell anything that powerful? Well…I recently bought a computer with those specs for less than almost every single mac computer. Damn, logic sure makes apple look bad. So keep buying your macs for their looks or for the programs that are emulated to work on the more powerful PCs, keep on mindlessly following what seems cool without questioning why such a bad machine costs so much.
Windows not walls? Aren’t walls needed in order to have windows?! Oh Microsoft, stop trying. You are embarrassing yourself.
I think I figured out why these ads are so poor:
I bet Microsoft went out of their way to find an ad agency that would make their ads on Windows. And just about nobody does! Creativity is a niche that does not put up with being forced to do things the stoopid way, which is what Windows is all about. It’s generally Mac or the highway.
So Microsoft scraped the bottom of the bucket and found a couple ad agencies willing to ‘say’ they only did Windows. And as you’d expect from the bottom of the bucket, the resulting ads are worthless garbage. And of course we found in both cases that the ad agencies cheated! Oh my. Made on a Mac.
If you like being ordered about, it’s Windows for you. If you like to run your own life, go for the Mac. Uncreative versus creative.
on personifying Windows machines, these people all need to be bloated, virus ridden, and crippled. And also, when did Microsoft start making PCs?
Simply can’t wait to see Apples rebuttal to this Microsoft Ad campaign in upcoming ‘I’m a PC – I’m a Mac’ commercials. You just know its already in the works.
Oh look, the ‘Yawn’ troll is back. Let’s screw with him:
“You people are funny..You enjoy your little macs, enjoy buying a product for more money than its value.”
Article 1 presented to the court: A tattered old LIE that has been retold endlessly using the propaganda strategy that if you say a lie enough times, people will believe you. Witness the Bush League lying to use endlessly that Saddam Husein had anything whatsoever to do with 9/11. This strategy is ancient, and soooo boring. Every single study of Mac versus Windows PC cost has proved the Mac to be the CHEAPER computer. Clue: Never just consider shelf price, unless of course you want to act mentally challenged and ‘special’.
“You justify your purchase by supporting mindless attack ads that don’t say anything about your product.”
Right, like the series of Mac ads that discuss how easy it is to switch from Windows to Mac by simply taking your new Mac into any Apple store to have your files transferred over for free. That says nothing about the joy of being an Apple owner. Nothing at all. Just keep those blinders on good and tight!
“Tell me, how much would it cost for me to purchase a mac with a dual core 3.0 processor, a 750gb hard drive, and a 1gb graphics card. Oh they don’t sell anything that powerful?”
Lazy as ever. Never do your own homework. Total failure in school, if they ever found out how you cheated on exams. DIY dopey. It’s called ‘Customize Your Mac’:
http://applestore.com/us/help/online_store_exclusives
Now take a look at the configurations of the Mac Pro you can buy:
You can customize your Mac to have 4 TERABYTES of hard drive space. Hmm. That’s comfy.
How about we toss in two 3.2 GHz Quad-Core Xeons? Nice and fast.
Want some RAM? How about 32 GB! (Can’t do that on any regular PC. It requires 64 bit processing. And we already know, because I’ve posted why, Windows users are avoiding the MS created pitfalls of 64 bit Windows like the plague).
Graphics card? I’ll take the NVIDIA Quadro FX 5600 with 1.5 GB of memory.
“Damn, logic sure makes apple look bad.”
BWAHAHAHA! Who’s looking bad right now? You, insipid troll.
“So keep buying your macs for their looks…”
Heeheehee! When have you ever found any of us here blethering on and on about how pretty our Macs are? Look up the word “utilitarian”. I know it’s a big word, but you can do it. Opening a book is not that hard.
“or for the programs that are emulated to work on the more powerful PCs”
You just broke your leg. What do you think you’re talking about. No such thing. Oops, wrong planet.
“keep on mindlessly following what seems cool without questioning why such a bad machine costs so much.”
I have to yawn at you Yawn. FUD, Lies, insults, propaganda, all the day through. And we laugh at you. And you don’t like that do you? But it’s your own fault. You chose the bliss of ignorance over fact. And we’re not buying. Go try the trailer park down the road. They’ll love your cheap Celeron Windows PCs.
Wow… SteveJack is bitter
Doug sez: “MS should really have spent the $300M on making a better product rather than trying to convince people that the one they’ve got is better than it is.”
When a company gets this DESPERATE that they have to turn to ads to sell a product they introduced a year and a half ago that people literally AVOIDED and COMPLAINED about when it was installed on their new PC, you realize one thing:
The company can’t make their product better. They don’t know how. Their Research and Development departments have been gutted of talent and filled with dolts. Marketing has taken over, and marketing suck at two things in particular:
1) Leadership. They make the absolute worst leaders. Witness Ballmer. Witness George W. Bush. Great salesman! Moron leader. Gotta love how he talks! Completely clueless inside. Vehement about what he believes in! And what he believes in is vacuous ignorance and deceit. Make everyone happy when you talk! Too bad it requires incessant lying to make them feel that way.
2) Production. They don’t produce anything tangible. All the create is perception, aka deception. Witness how the Bush League, who are predominately marketing oriented, utterly failed to produce tangible quality results in just about anything.
So here we have Microsoft who are (A) Unable to improve their products (B) Under the worst possible kind of management.
These worthless ads are the result. It’s called decay.
A few comments:
One, the bar has been lowered by the Gates-Seinfeld ads, so that anything else will seem like a success.
Two, the “i’m a pc” campaign is less about logic, and more about feeling. There are logic errors everywhere, but come on, PC-users wouldn’t be PC-users if they used any logic.
Three, the campaign is NOT going to get Mac users to switch, it’s to keep the existing PC users thinking it’s okay to be “pc”.
In conclusion, this is a bit like politics, where the hardcore base, is not going to be swayed. Mac users are going to laugh at all the hypocrisy and inconsistencies in the PC ad. PC users will feel justification for their use of a PC, because they like “being”, rather than “doing” or “thinking”. It’s those people in the middle, the independents, that both ad campaigns are targeting. Apple hopes that people with those problems they illustrate will consider switching. MS hopes that those sheep won’t stray from the flock, because that flock is so cool, it’s got Deepak and Eva, and other cool people who think saying “i’m a pc” is like cool! They probably think they’re saying, “i’m politically correct by using a PC”.
“But the Hodgeman and Long characters in those commercials represent computers. They are not acting as humans. These MS commercials ridiculously get people to say that they are a PC. What? How stupid is that? Would any self-respecting person really want to demean themselves by equating themselves with a piece of hardware.”
Spot. On.
Apple ruthlessly attacked Microsoft by pointing out the flaws in Windows?
Microsoft would do much better spending that money improving Windows.
SteveJack,
Simply brilliant! Even more so than usual, if that’s possible.
Bravo!
“This ad is a huge success. The fact that it has pushed so many Mac fan boy buttons is proof of that! It hit home baby! It hit home!”
This is confirmation that MS is worrying. Why are they targeting the people who takes up only 8% of the pc market?
MS please please do not…aaaaaaaaaaaaaah…you are doing it all WRONG!! WHY!!
ok… i should calm down. but i cant believe MS would do such a …wait a minute yes i can believe it, but still what ad agency comes up with a campain like this.
(wait a minute)
the people at the ad agency all use Macs right.
so they are poking fun at MS and MS doesnt even realise. HA!
Cant wait to see Apple’s subtle response. And by Apple i mean the ad agency that does their ads…
I’m just kind of disappointed not to see more of the Seinfeld stuff. i thought they kind of had something going.
“Are people that insecure?”
yes.
next question?
What Microsoft has failed to comprehend is that Hodgeman represents an actual PC, not a PC user. None of these people are PCs. They may use PCs but they are not PCs. It doesn’t work on that level. But it may get Apple to stop their current ad campaign, which is probably the ultimate goal.
The thing about all this is I suspect the Apple Mac and PC ads are now going to be discontinued. This is sad. I will miss those guys.
“They might get to 20% of the US home notebook sold at retail market. Apple’s never going to get to 20% of the world market ever again.”
so you figure the LHC is still going to destroy the world?
…cause “ever” is a pretty long time, so unless we are offing the entire planet, only a total moron would make a claim like that.
“This ad is a huge success. The fact that it has pushed so many Mac fan boy buttons is proof of that! It hit home baby! It hit home!”
ya know, it is possible that there is a subtle difference between “pushing buttons” and “slowing down as you walk by to look at the train wreck” that you aren’t picking up on…..
I’m a PC and a lemming… because I use the crap that M$ makes simply because I have no clue and everyone else does it.
That’s the message
Sorry derekcurrie, I was simply using hyperbole to emphasize that pcs have always, and will always be more bang for your buck…I am a computer science major, I own my own computer building store, I believe I know a thing or two about computers…Whereas you are probably some kid that chose what seems to be cool and you work (if at all) at starbucks. How does it feel to be stereotyped? As for the macbook pro having such high *possible* specs, in order to get them, that costs over 17k, which doesn’t make much sense…since the parts themselves would cost not even half of that. And anyway the macbook pro is designed to be a server, not a personal use machine. When you know a little something about computers, you may come at me with your rebuttal.
look, the ‘Yawn’ troll is back. Let’s screw with him:”
You appear to be suffering from poster misidentification syndrome. Why do you think there’s only one person in the world who disagrees with you or you have the wits to “screw” with anyone?
derekcurrie, why not try screwing a woman? Lose your virginity, that might settle you down. Granted given your appearance you’ll probably have to pay, but It’ll be good for you.
Also, I enjoy the fact that you sit here insulting windows on a MAC site. Are you not brave enough to stand up for your product in the face of confrontation?
@Someone who knows about computers
(but obviously doesn’t),
Said, “…the macbook pro is designed to be a server, not a personal use machine.”
Okay, so you’re 8 years old, or developmentally challenged.
Well, nothing wrong with that, and it explains your posts.
At least now I won’t continue to try to deduce the logic of what you write, and instead I will skip your posts altogether.
All I can say is a big, fat, ‘Huh?’
Is it just me? I just don’t get what the point of these ads are…other tan totally making no point at all!
someone who knows about computers is funny and knowledgeable.
I would like read more and more about his thoughts on Macs and their users.
Missy, explain to me why I must be 8 or challenged…your post did neither…you quoted my fact and decided not to address it. Please post with a point, so your fellow fan boys don’t think less of you.
Assuming that you are questioning my knowledge, and assuming you believe the macbook pro with such specs is designed to be a personal use machine, allow me to let me know why you are mistaken. With the fact that it may have up to 32gb of RAM, there is never a need for one person to require 32gb RAM, nobody would ever use that much unless purposely stress testing their computer. Also 4tb of memory is meant for servers (for a ridiculous price in this case)…Majority of people have not even accessed 1 terabyte of information, let alone 4.
Tap. Tap. Tap. Um. Hello, “Someone who knows about computers“
You’ve repeatedly said, “macbook pro” is not a personal use machine and “the macbook pro is designed to be a server”.
I suppose I could use my portable laptop, the MacBook Pro as a server. (http://www.apple.com/macbookpro/)
On the other hand, a Mac Pro would make more sense. (http://www.apple.com/macpro/)
“I believe I know a thing or two about computers”
I’ll go with two. And thanks for playing! Drive safely!
(Lesson: Be careful with those insults. Re: “Whereas you are probably some kid that chose what seems to be cool and you work (if at all) at starbucks.”
(“When you know a little something about computers, you may come at me with your rebuttal.” Done! But only a little.)
Someone who knows about computers said:
“And anyway the macbook pro is designed to be a server, not a personal use machine. When you know a little something about computers, you may come at me with your rebuttal.”
wow. just wow. that is truly incredible……
“With the fact that it may have up to 32gb of RAM, there is never a need for one person to require 32gb RAM, nobody would ever use that much unless purposely stress testing their computer. Also 4tb of memory is meant for servers”
ummm, the amount of plain old wrong in that statement is overwhelming!
first, it doesn’t support 32 gigs. i wish it did, because your second ass-umption is also wrong, and it is entirely possible under a unix system to use any amount of ram, because unlike windows unix uses ram intelligently.
and for knowing so much about computers, you seem unclear on the difference between memory and drive space.
i believe Missy is in fact wrong. you are not 8 or challenged. you are 8 AND challenged.
now go away, or we shall taunt you again a second time.
PS, you are confusing the mac pro with the macbook pro. but you know something about computers, so i am sure you can spot the difference between them. (hint, one has hinges and opens up! oh shiny!)
Bless their hearts – so close.
Again, to critique some Cinema/Media/Advertising Subliminal Psychology
Power of Story Telling, and all that …
These 3 Ads do ‘work’ and work great, until the end.
All 3 of them. The very end, the tag on each of them.
Will be the death of this campaign – hope Microsoft doesn’t figure this out.
One ends with fish – us being one or something, either way is smelly.
This is my office – yep, the place we all love, Work
Have a problem with that – Hey Man, sorry, just waitin’ on Show to start
Like the Hanna Montanas of America will not want creepy ol’ geezers like Bill and Jerry hanging around, clipping toenails, and bringing Dad’s PC into their bedroom.
No one wants to keep memories of an experience, service, product – you name it – that goes with smelly fish, working at the office, or a guy who wants to rip off their head.
If we do, won’t be positive.
Hey Microsoft – what a way to leave ’em laughing – nice job.
Thanks
BC Kelly
Tallahassee Fla
p.s.
Now I’m off to participate in a Work of Art disguised as an advertisement – The Genius Film
Experienced through that Creative Vision on our desktop we call Apple
im a fanboi
@ Someone who knows about computers:
“With the fact that it may have up to 32gb of RAM, there is never a need for one person to require 32gb RAM…”
Didn’t Bill Gates make a similar claim regarding 640K?
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Continuing,
“…I was simply using hyperbole to emphasize that pcs have always, and will always be more bang for your buck…”
Unfortunately, that claim depends very strongly on how “value” is defined.
Simply put, the more holistic one becomes, the more your claim is wrong, because the issue isn’t as simple as you would like it to be: value constitutes many factors that are far greater than merely today’s initial purchase price of some hardware.
“I am a computer science major, I own my own computer building store, I believe I know a thing or two about computers…”
But how many business classes do they require you to take in that major? Probably not many, and probably no Accounting classes at all. Afterall, “value” is generally about money, not MHz.
And on the techie side, even if you’re a graduate student, there’s some posters here that have built/used/owned/etc computers for longer than you’ve been alive.
There’s more … a LOT more… to computers than just the minutia of how to screw one together, or even OS backflips or otehr technical “How To” things that a comp sci undergraduate program is teaching you.
What’s outside of the expertise of your major are the holistic and “bigger picture” items that gets into more strategic elements, such as to how a computer is being used as an effective tool to enhance productivity. This includes factors such as lifecycle costs and effectiveness.
When you have a clue about lifecycle costs, productivity, and accounting rules, perhaps you’ll learn what the bigger pictures are. If all you see is today’s initial purchase price, you’re blind. And just because you can’t see doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist, or that others can’t see the bigger pictures.
You have the opportunity to learn something that you’re not going to get in your college’s Comp Sci program, or in your little DIY PC assembly shop. Ultimately, its up to you to open your own eyes and learn, which for you right now is a challenge.
-hh
@luis… How about providing the photo page for that Flickr image instead of the direct image URL.
Fanbois, and I am one, I hate to say it, but…these ads are great. They may not turn the tide for Micro$oft, but they will have a positive impact. They’ve turned a negative into a positive. Apple doesn’t have to be afraid, but they may frown a bit.
So what’s the worst that could happen? 90% of computer users continue to use Windows?
…Oh, wait…
What the heck they are they trying to catch up with exactly? These commercials show the M$ inferiority complex at work. They want so badly to one-up Steve Jobs. They don’t get it. No matter how much money you make or how ¨ber-powerful you get, if you’re a schlub, you’re a schlub.
Whatever your position on the effectiveness of these ads may be, there is one sad reality related to them… from observations of PC sites, self-blindered PC users appear to be engaged in an orgy of self-flagellation and having a collective orgasm over these spots… absolutely convinced that the ads are going to put Apple in its place.
It’s pretty sad.
Well, misery loves company!
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The latest Microsoft Ads are getting the blue screen of death! (video)
http://nosesplash.com/blog-news/154-im-a-p-of-c.html
WOW
Microsoft has at long last put a face one the mindless many who still insest on buying sub-par product!
Thanks Microsoft… now we know who to watch out for…
Big Mac fan, but I have to admit the ad does what it is intended to do – pull at the “heart strings” to get people to feel closer to their computer and feel like part of a community. Is it true? Probably not. Does it matter? Not if the people watching feel more connected and therefore become less likely to switch.
You have to admit – much better than the ridiculous Seinfeld commercials.
@MDN
“And now, to cleanse the palate”
Thank you! I really really needed it after watching the other three.
“an orgy of self-flagellation and having a collective orgasm”
That’s Sundae Monday in the Microsoft Employee Cafeteria.
I’m a shark. And I’m gonna eat that Windows guy.
I’m Bob. And my nuts are itchy.
Forgive me oh great mac fanboy, I mistakingly added book at the end of a word. I thought you would be able to figure out what I meant since you obsess over macs and know the specs by heart. And as for value not being about mhz, no it isn’t…Value is about power vs price, in the general mac value that equation would go something like this:
Low power / High price = low value
whereas in PCs, where they are fully customizable and the price directly reflects power, the value is going to be much higher.
At the end of the day, there is not enough (actually nothing) a mac can do that a pc can’t, so there is no reason to pay more for less. If you would like to continue this argument, go ahead. But I’m done, and by the way…These ads were perfectly on target. They were meant to make apple users get all antsy, and that is exactly what has happened…If you would like to claim otherwise, please look around, take a glance at all of the fanbois saying that they failed, saying M$…one of the most successful businesses in the world…doesn’t know what they are doing.
Well, it looks like the “im a pc” guy also uses an iphone xD
Here’s something a Mac can do-not crash while one is doing all of those things a Windows box can also do!
When I worked as a production artist, occasionally I would be forced to use an XP machine for convenience’s sake, and one thing they could not do to save their miserable Microsoft powered lives was multitask, pretty much at all. If I’m doing computational intensive graphics work (such as a long render, etc.), on my OS X machine I can skip over to iTunes and watch a movie while I’m waiting, and surf and check my email or even, yes, work on a different project in MS Word or an Adobe app without disturbing the render or having any of the other apps go bye-bye. With the XP boxes, often looking at it wrong during mission critical times such as these would bring the whole damn system down.
Even if Windows boxes purport to have the same features, they can most certainly NOT do anything a Mac can do. Not well, not in my real life experience, which has borne this out time and again. Sorry, chum. I need more than a glorified game console to make a living in the real world.
this topic was about Microsoft, and correct me if I’m wrong, but one thing not on the list of products that company makes are PCs, smarty. You may know hardware, but that’s not what we’re discussing-Apple just happens to be a hardware maker that has a rock solid OS as well. If you really knew about computers you’d remember the days when practically EVERY box manufacturer had a proprietary OS, and there was no Windows to speak of at all until the Mac made its debut (and the Xerox thing is a moot point-Apple brought it to the masses, Microsoft then, and only then, reverse engineered it and developed Windows). Why do I waste my typing?
I don’t give a rats arse about choice on the PC side because at the end of the day, it all leads to Windows making the choice differentiator of a PC nothing more than the silly brand/logo stamped on the front of them.
Perceived choice is not equal to real choice. Having a choice between a PC and a Mac is a real choice. But having a choice between a PC and a PC is a farce (like having choice of bottled water and bottled water)!
@Gera:
Despite being cast as the PC guy in the Apple ads, John Hodgman is a confirmed Mac user. Seeing him with an iPhone should be no surprise.
Spotting Eva Longoria with a Mac, however, is ironic. (http://macenstein.com/default/archives/1381)
So touching!
MS, u good.
@ derekcurrie
You had me up until the needless political jab.
@ Massacre,
“Apple also happens to use the Windows Mobile platform to sell iPhones, but we don’t see the the MacDailyNerds mentioning anything about that.”
Actually, MDN and many commentors have lamented this point more than a few times.
Next question?
‘Some troll who knows nothing about Macs’ sez:
“Sorry derekcurrie, I was simply using hyperbole to emphasize that pcs have always, and will always be more bang for your buck…”
That is, as anyone can prove by doing their homework, nonsense and always has been. You live and die by the shelf price and know absolutely nothing about the actual price of any computer. Look up ‘Return On Investment’ and ‘Total Cost of Ownership’. Wikipedia is your pal. Then go Google us any professional cost analysis of the total cost of an IBM derived PC versus the Macintosh. Every single one of them finds the Mac to be cheaper. – But of course you won’t bother to check the facts as trolls never do. It makes fools of them.
“I am a computer science major”
Kewl. But I have three degrees and have been computing since 1974. I’ve been using IBM derived PCs since 1988 and Macs since 1991. There must be something in my credentials you can insult. Have at it.
“I own my own computer building store, I believe I know a thing or two about computers…”
If you build computers, that would be a logical conclusion. But your tone is so troll. So what is there to believe?
“Whereas you are probably some kid that chose what seems to be cool and you work (if at all) at starbucks. How does it feel to be stereotyped?”
You mean like me immediately knowing that with a bad attitude like the above you are only here to hurt other people? Again, so troll.
“As for the macbook pro…”
Typo or ignorance? That should be Mac Pro, not ‘macbook’ anything, nor ‘mac pro’. The fact that you don’t bother to capitalize the names of computers you purport to know again is so troll.
“…having such high *possible* specs, in order to get them, that costs over 17k, which doesn’t make much sense…since the parts themselves would cost not even half of that.”
I’d be happy to verify your parts list with prices. Got one? I am willing to bet you won’t bother. I already provided the source for my Mac configuration prices.
“And anyway the macbook pro is designed to be a server,”
Again with the ‘macbook’. Because you did this twice, it is obviously not a typo. It is an act of ignorance.
If I correct you to have your line read “the Mac Pro is designed to be a server”, again you are so ignorant. No. The Mac Pro is NOT ‘designed’ to be a server. It is a desktop Mac. If you choose to use it as a server you can buy Mac OS X Server for it. But it ships standard with Mac OS X client version. Anyone could have looked that up at Apple. Why are you trolls so frickin’ lazy that you can’t even bother to verify anything you say? It is so incredibly easy to tear off the mask.
So what Mac IS designed to be a server? The XServe. You cannot buy the XServe without Mac OS X Server. Again, anyone could look that up, and you didn’t bother.
“When you know a little something about computers, you may come at me with your rebuttal.”
As I have just proven, all you have going for you is vacuous bravado. POP goes the balloon. All that was inside was air.
If by chance you are just messed up and somehow only dressed up as a troll, I can offer apologies for pulling the usual tearing apart the troll routine. But you have said some outrageously wrong things.
One thing I always point out about the IBM derived PC that will always be a benefit. You CAN DIY them. You are NOT stuck paying for Mac features you may well not want. Only in that respect can a PC be cheaper than a Mac, and being a gear head I love playing with computer parts and pieces. But would I put Windows on my PC creation? Guess.
Anyone stupid enough to be in that ad deserves to use a PC.
Hahahaha
(They all look like idiots anyway; people who would not know a better computer if they used one).
hey pc guy
first off, apple doesn’t need a million versions of their computers…they WORK.. unlike the pc’s which all are at the mercy of a company that is jerking around with stupid pointless ads when it should be stealing.. er i mean fixing it’s OS… almost everything micosoft does just plainly sucks…. so in closing, yes my pc guy, it takes a TON of computers to find ONE that works just right with vista… and from what i have heard microsoft is still in search of that one computer that runs vista correctly
if i was apple, i would contact every vista user who now runs on a mac and shoot commercials of people expressing their views on which is better
You know the frenchcall a Swimming Pool : Piscine (PCn?!) – and apparently they do it??
If you go to http://imapc.lifewithoutwalls.com/ and choose keywords -> microsoft employee, everyone is greyed out, including monkeyboy
Life without walls reminds me of the joke about the guy with a car door in the desert. If it gets hot I roll the window down.
If you don’t have walls, you sure don’t need windows
Sheesh this “someone who knows something about computers” is a narrow minded feisty one.
“Value is about…” Funny, I have never seen anything that did not have value. It’s a human concept. I will come back to that in just a bit, but your other point is also brilliant.
“At the end of the day, there is not enough (actually nothing) a mac can do that a pc can’t” and I can agree with that.
The analogy of cars comes to mind. Yes the PC cars run faster, have more power, and are most customizable. But there is something extra that those cars have that far outweight all that power and that is the obnoxious back seat driver known as Windows, developed by MS. Now MS, doesn’t even make desktop computers, nor notebooks for that matter but they sure make for an upleasant ride.
So “at the end of the day” you might get to the same destination driving a Mac or some other brand of PC, but the value, at least for me is the software interface that makes it a pleasure to drive, vs. the rattle on back seat driver that is Windows.
THAT is what gives value to my work and that is one of the reasons I drive a Mac, it leaves me with a great smile on my face and the idea that yes, I have the power to be the best I can be.
That power of course is love. I have known many Mac users that love the experience. Can’t say I have seen the same for the rest, actually the opposite seems to be the case.
Last year when Steve Jobs and Gates appeared on stage at that conference hosted by the WSJ, it was obvious that Steve-oh had set up shop in Gates’ head, and these latest ads just show how messed up Microsoft’s leader has become.
These ads just nailed how most normal people use PCs and a few pretentious frigtards use Macs.
And the Seinfeld ads, the “Steve Granny” in the pretentious but ultimately drab Apple house is still funny.
The line “I’m a computer science major” pretty much says it all. When you think you know everything, they give you a Bachelor’s degree. When you find out you know nothing, they give you a Master’s. When you find out you know nothing but neither does anyone else, they give you a Doctorate.
I was following his argument until that line….then I realized he already knows it all. Maybe someday he’ll grow up (actually COMPLETE his degree) AND work at Starbucks…..or be a Windows Guru! Wouldn’t THAT be fun?
Someone who knows about computers:
“Forgive me oh great mac fanboy”
No. You’re still an idiot with delusions of superiority. Fsck off.
Yeah, nothing worse than an amateur expert! I’d wager many of the rest of us were too at one point in our lives. No on expects a kid to know any better.
Do you know what PC means? Piece of Crap.
I am not pissy, I am a Mac.
Funny. They all look like NPCs to me.
Marketing guru Seth Godin’s take on why Microsoft’s ad campaign will fail. Definitely worth reading.
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2008/09/what-advertisin.html
“Apple also happens to use the Windows Mobile platform to sell iPhones, “
That’s true. Apple can’t sell a single iPhone without using Windows Mobile to do it. You would have thought Steve would have someone fix that.
Steve Jobs himself said that Apple isn’t best at everything and therefore teams up with companies to give a great user experience.
It’s all about the user. I would want to say “even if that user uses windows at this point” but i don’t think thats entirely correct.
(maybe they are trying to but i just don’t see Apple software working as well on a “PC” than with their own hardware/OS X.
@Road Warrior
I respect your response, you are the first person to argue with some sense of respect and not mindlessly throw out PC insults or calling me a troll. I am a PC user, I always have been, I have tried macs, but in the end came back to PC. but being a PC user doesn’t mean I only use Windows, I also have multiple versions of Linux on my computers. I personally enjoy the windows operating system though.
@derekcurrie
Yes, the macbook was a typo, and I wasn’t paying attention and ended up typing it again. My apologies on that. And I’m sorry, but that system is designed to be possible to use as a server, hence the 32gb RAM, hence the 4tb, that kind of hardware can’t be used by one person. It can be used however by several people connecting to it. And the Motherboard being made to support that much is also supporting the server argument. Personal use motherboards typically hold up to 8gb RAM, not 32. I’m sorry if I came off as a troll, I am not such. The total cost for ownership for a PC for a knowledgeable user is simply the cost of the product. I do my own repairs, and they are free. I never run into any serious problems that I have to pay to fix, and if I ever did, I wouldn’t jump ship. Building a PC gives you an understanding of how it works, you can’t do that by buying a Mac. I am not arguing without knowing the difference. I have played on Macs, I have messed with them for months, ended up giving it back without really being excited about it. I am not saying that Macs are worthless machines, I am saying they are expensive machines. They cost more, and have comparably less power when compared to PCs. This may be because of the software (partially is), but that adds price without really adding much to the user, unless they intend to use the software frequently. Sorry that I came off as a mindless troll. I am not one.
It’s very funny how many of the idiots here fail to get the point of the ads and argue petty semantics. It’s the reason why they don’t understand why Apple users are viewed negatively elsewhere and can only post on a propaganda site such as MDN (and there’s a reason why the “editors” never reveal themselves.)
“Someone who knows about computers”
Your biggest mistake is your clueless, unchecked ego. Again, fsck off. No, seriously.
@Mod, when did I ever have an unchecked ego? I was stating credentials which allow me to talk about computers like I know how they work. The only egotistical thing I did was defend my stance on Macs. In my experience, it is Mac fan boys which are the egotistical ones. They believe that anyone using a PC is inferior to them, and that is simply not true.
Ha ha! The people of the USA are getting FLEECED by the uber rich they so adore! Poetic justice! Of course their government can’t afford healthcare for people, but surely they can afford to give major corps and banks multibillion dollar handouts and tax cuts! The rich need their freedom! Stop picking on the billionaires!
@ Someone who knows about computers
Well it is refreshing to hear your response. I do enjoy a good discussion (argument) and don’t mind the occassional personal shot across the bow but often the latter is what comes out of it and it is reduced to name calling.
I agree that there are a few people out there that really get turned on by Windows, and Linux for a variety of reasons. However I have seen the windows environment thrusted upon a lot of people and due to the historical nature of FUD are too reluctant to even look at a Mac interface and make a decision based on incorporating aspects of the operating system. Frankly I have met more people that love their Macs, the emotional response for some people, especially love is a powerful driving force. For others fear, control, hate well I think that gives you an idea of why Windows is so popular, it certainly embraces those qualities. Just look at many of the “error” messages given by Windows, patronizing and derogatory from my point of view. To hear you say that you enjoy the windows experience is something that not only I can respect, I would go insofar as to say it is something that is not heard of very much. Over the years, most people who love Macs extoll the virues of the Mac by how it makes them feel. Most windows users I have seen tend to focus on denigrating the Mac rather than promoting the virtues of Windows, and that is a great difference.
You make some other comments that I find noteworthy: “Building a PC gives you an understanding of how it works, you can’t do that by buying a Mac.” That is a great statement for people who want to understand how a PC, or for that matter how an operating system works. That is all fine and dandy for some (and for me as well) but there are many users who don’t want to know how it works, they just want to work. Back to the car experience, they don’t want to know how the engine works, they just want to drive. Now if you think of it, say 40-70 years ago, the lads would go out to the garage on the weekend and fix up old cars over a few beers. They can’t do that anymore and computers, especially Windows computers certainly fill that male bonding niche. There has been many a time where I have worked on a project on my Mac and the Windows crew comes over to play a network game, install sound cards, upgrade VRAM or some other item before the games begin. Meanwhile I just continue being productive on my Mac, because I don’t have to deal with that stuff. Computers for me are a tool to reach a goal, not the goal itself.
So to me, it is PCs that are expensive machines. You get addicted to a keeping up with the latest hardware and the operating system simply gets in the way of being productive. You say you fix and maintain your machines for free, but you are more of an exception. Imagine what it would cost if you had to pay someone doing all that work, which is what a lot of users end up doing.
Finally ‘”Mac fan boys which are the egotistical ones. They believe that anyone using a PC is inferior to them, and that is simply not true.” That makes me laugh. It reminds me of the time I got into an argument with a Windows IT tech and he went on and on humiliating me and Macs in front of a crowd of people. I let him go on and on and on because he made a big mistake right at the start so I gave him a lot of rope to hang himself on. Finally I asked him one simple question “When was the last time you spent a day working on a Mac.” Well as it turns out it was years, back to system 6.08, which he was comparing to Windows XP. I trashed him…totally. He soon was left without a job at our organization while I continued to go up the promotion ladder due to my productivity and lack of down time. That egotistical response that you see is merely a reaction to years of FUD from Windows users. Consider it a bit of a payback. Besides, when you own the second best performing stock on the planet, I think you can afford a bit of ego.
Yet I do understand where you are coming from. You said that you like Windows and that is your choice based on parameters that are important to you. My parameters differ so I have made a different choice.
@ Someone who knows about computers
I agree with the car metaphor. Most people don’t even do their own oil changes these days, much less a tune-up or a weekend valve job. Most drivers just want to turn the key, step on the gas, and GO!
When you consider that most computer “drivers” have neither the time nor the inclination to get into the guts of a PC, and that it costs the average user $300 a shot to get his PC wiped clean of viruses, worms, adware, and spyware, most consumers are better off with a Mac that works than a PC with problems.
I would say it’s much more important what a driver does behind the wheel of his car (computer) than how much he knows about what goes on under the hood.
Thanks for the stimulating dialog.
Building a PC does give understanding of how it works. You run a business assembling PCs for other people, thereby depriving them of that knowledge. And you make money off it. How wonderfully evil of you to profit from keeping others ignorant. I salute you.
@ @Someone…
That was a nasty, close-minded, and counter-productive comment. Go troll on Slashdot or somewhere else.
OFF TOPIC ALERT! DANGER DANGER! POLITICAL TIRADE AHOY!
Wouy sez: “Ha ha! The people of the USA are getting FLEECED by the uber rich they so adore! Poetic justice! Of course their government can’t afford healthcare for people, but surely they can afford to give major corps and banks multibillion dollar handouts and tax cuts! The rich need their freedom! Stop picking on the billionaires!”
Such is the view from someone outside the USA. Being a citizen inside the USA I can say that oddly enough, the vast majority of citizens of the USA do not see it that way. And that’s why we elect criminals, neo-feudalists, oligarchists, outright fascists, scam artists who are brilliant at lying about their having Christian piety, the oh-so-compassionate conservatives who trickle (or is it tinkle?) on the peasants and corporate yes-men to run our government.
If you haven’t gotten the clue human world, my country is now definitively on the path to total irrelevance and bankruptcy, both financial and moral.
And yes Wouy. The scum who have forced this up our crevices are worshipers of the Gawd Mammon. They want a renewal of the good old days of the Dark Ages. Their wish will be granted.
But what is not obvious is HOW this is being done:
Marketing. Keep that word in mind as you analyze exactly what is going on over here. This is the age of marketing. All marketing people do is schmooz to impress other people and to sell stuff. It doesn’t take poetic justice to get people to buy the lie. It takes a relentless cradle to the grave selling of the absolute nonsense of the critical importance of wealth, encouraging you to go into debt beyond your means in order to pretend to have it, that drives all the fawning sycophants and wannabes to crash and burn then fall into line as the new peons, serfs and slaves to the neo-con-job-aristocracy.
Kiss the ring of Paris Hilton. She might deign to let you sniff her white powder. Sucker.
‘And they shall wear shoes on their heads.’