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While it seems most PC users got a kick out of watching Seinfeld inquire about the future of chewy computers and Bill Gates doing the robot, I've remained critical of Microsoft's $300 million ad campaign and have yet to be impressed with one of its commercials, including the "I'm a PC" segments currently being aired. By contrast, I found myself chuckling at Apple's initial round of ads, not because I thought they were accurate (they're not), but because they managed to throw humorous jabs without going for that impossible knockout punch. For those of you who follow baseball, it's like being a Red Sox fan (which I am) and tipping your hat at the Tampa Bay Rays for outplaying your team last night (which they did), even though you despise them (which I do).
But lest anyone accuse me of sleeping with the enemy (you know, those whiny Mac losers), let me go on record as saying that the new Mac ads suck too, and not just because I've developed an urge to want to punch Justin Long-in-the-tooth square in the face (I bet he's a Tampa Bay fan too, the smug bastard). Rather, it's Apple's laziness that disappoints me this time around, an unforgivable offense considering Microsoft practically pointed at its face and said "slap me here." And instead of doing what Mac commercials do best - distort the truth while hyping up Macs as the utopian PC it isn't - Apple went from throwing funny jabs to trying to land a viscious uppercut, and missing.
The first ad pokes fun at Microsoft for spending an inordinate amount of money on advertising instead of throwing more cash into Vista. Is it just me, or is this not exactly the scenario the idiom "pot calling the kettle black" was created? I'm not sick of Justin Long because he came over to my house one weekend and kicked my kitten, but because what started off as a few funny commercials has turned into a near constant bombardment by Apple that's now a tired theme. Surely Long hasn't been starring in the ongoing ad campaign on a pro bono basis, so is taking a shot at Microsoft for spending money on an ad campaign really the best response Apple could come up with? Forget the fact that Microsoft is responsible for three of America's top 16 richest people with a combined net worth of $88 billion (Bill Gates, Paul Allen, and Steve Ballmer). The tone of the ad also takes on a somewhat uncomfortable tone when John Hodgman (PC) says "With all the Vista problems that have been frustrating PC users, I have to take drastic action." Revenge might be a dish best served cold, but if there's a recipe for humor, it would say to serve subtle, which the ad doesn't do.
The second ad isn't much better and attempts to bash Microsoft's new commercials for avoiding the V word (Vista). And just like the other ad, it makes no mention of anything Mac, instead focusing entirely on Microsoft's decision to launch an ad campaign of its own. Is there another writer's strike I'm not aware of?
We all knew a response was imminent, but did anyone anticipate it being this lame?
Comments are closed on this article
Muerte
October 21, 2008 at 1:07pm
Macs are consoles with keyboards. Which a console would be great with a keyboard if you didn't actually have to use it for a computer.
Devo85x
October 21, 2008 at 5:09am
Are they still talking about all of "the V word's" problems that they never name... honestly, i switched to vista about 2 weeks ago and im actually satisfied with it slower gaming yes but overall a very nice OS (and before anyone responds with "i should try linux" i have a dual boot with Ubuntu (yes i set up emerald and compiz) and i used to have OpenSUSE on my system) but anyways... heres my idea for a comercial... they get 5 mac lovers and 5 pc lovers, put them in a room and let them argue about it... somehow i think the pc would have more "highlights" of the argument... then make a comercial about the mac people getting owned at something they like to do best (talking shit) the only difference is we can back it up
djremix71
October 20, 2008 at 6:46pm
Quote= "even though you despite them (which I do)."
Apparently the writer "dispite"s the Red Sox. Lol.
On another note (a little bit less English-y). I hate mac commercials. All my mac friends chuckle and say that is so true, where as I just sit there and chuckle cause they are retards. Have you tried a mac- I tried one and it kept on gliching and freezing!
I will build a hackintosh- not because it is a superior operating system, but so I can have to a toy.
Mac OS X has a nice UI though.
Paul_Lilly
October 20, 2008 at 8:51pm
The writer (me) despises Tampa Bay, not the Red Sox. But you did find a typo, so have a cookie on me.
Gailim
October 20, 2008 at 11:35pm
why the hate? you cant win the WS every year. you came up huge in game 5. why cant you just be proud of that instead of trashing a team with 1/3 your payroll?
Queenof1
October 20, 2008 at 6:01pm
yeah, these commercials were funny at first but are now played out. What's amusing are the YouTube ones with Mac, PC and Linux. And Linux is a girl!!! oh and the "I'm a Nintendo, I'm a Playstation" one. that's funny too.
Zyryn
October 20, 2008 at 2:09pm
Okay, the first computer I ever touched was an Apple IIe. And that was the last Apple product I ever used, thankfully. Sure the Macbooks look slick, but what do you do when the motor of your slot-fed, integrated-into-the-chassis DVD drive burns out? It happened to a client of mine, who said, "there's something wrong with the DVD drive." Well DUUHHH!!! There's something wrong with the whole thing: It's a MAC!!! Unfortunately she had to send it back to Apple, haha.
At least Micro$oft had the decency to sit down with MaximumPC and relate their Vista issues. Why don't I ever hear of Apple doing something similar, say with their bad iPod hard drives and proprietary Mac hardware?
ZYRYN
"...and the sea shall grant each man new hope, as sleep brings dreams...of home."
--Christopher Columbus
johnny3144
October 20, 2008 at 2:01pm
does anybody else see the irony here about mac mocking Microsoft's advertising?
and it's funny how mac mock vista's stablebility. i used one of the imacs at school for video editing(the ones with Core 2 Duo), and the bloody imovie crashed 5 time in 2 days. yay for stablebility.
nekollx
October 20, 2008 at 1:03pm
Hi I'm a PC, And i'm doing my own ad campign.
And I'm a Mac, and i'm afraid of fair competion.
AntiHero
October 20, 2008 at 1:00pm
Firstly, WHOO SOX! Secondly, i don't see the point of bashing Microsoft...it's like Steve wants Gates to do what we're all thinking he should do, retaliate. Mac is the bully of the computer world. Thinks it's hot shit in a champagne glass, but really, it's nothing more than the disliked bastard child who basically robs you of your lunch money (in this case, money for apps or perhaps even lunch for a few weeks given the 3k price tag in comparison to pc tags that are a quarter of the price) and then this child beats you and your friends up verbally with little result, all in a desperate cry for attention. PC is the moderately intelligent kid, whom people like, and get along with, and who treats everyone with respect, and takes a lot of pushing to get agitated.
