I couldn't have put it better. Me too... now I wonder why some people can't accept that and move on?
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Apple Continues 'Get a Mac' Ad Campaign with 4 New Ads
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I couldn't have put it better. Me too... now I wonder why some people can't accept that and move on?
"Much of the audience" . . . or you mean the tech-nerd and computer enthusiasts on Macrumors . . . and Neowin, and AI, and MacNN, etc.
We're not "much of the audience." Not even close. We're a niche that still thinks PC gaming is alive and well for example, and will continue unabated. Yes, that's how out of touch we are with what's happening in the rest of the market. Meanwhile the future is in consoles, while the REAL future is in devices like the iPhone. But I digress . . .
I don't see any class in the MS ads. I see lowbrow-Americana going on a Wal-Mart trip. More ugly "average" people doing average things. It's meat and potatoes. Talk about derivative. And cheap. MS tried to appeal to common folk by palying the "we're cheap" angle and just ends up looking . . . well, cheap and common. Advertising success, across any media, is all about IMAGERY, almost never about the actual information. And the image the MS ads project is lousy.
Doesn't matter how much the mac ads lie or tell the truth. It makes no difference. All the ads need to do is get your attention with style and spark your interest. They're clever, they look professional, and the characters are endearing. People remember them - something immediately recognizable. The Mac and PC guy are household names now. They're tech archetypes. The techie Odd Couple. They've become a classic. It's all about effective branding, and Apple has it down to a science. A commercial will only have someone's attention for a short amount of time, if they even bother to listen. Make it short, funny, lighthearted, and slick. It has to have the "cool" factor, not the "roadkill" factor.
MS can't brand to save their lives, anyway, much less design anything worth wanting unless you're compelled to use what they peddle.
The stark reality is that the licensing cash cow has virtually killed any "innovation" (read: ability to create compelling products) at MS. Ditto for the PC box assemblers. Just look at the Zune HD. A phoneless touchscreen mediaplayer (currently vapourware) that's 2 years too late. And it's not even released yet. Same for Windows Mobile. Look at the garbage MS calls a mobile OS. Again, late and underwhelming. Let's not even talk about how user-ufriendly it is. If it's more complicated than turning it on and using it and downloading an app with one touch, it might as well be a toaster.
You obviously have not seen the "Laptop Hunters" series.
But I do agree thought that the "I'm a PC" and those cute, " Hey look! 5 year old kid using the PC!" ads were pretty neat.
You got it in one... lowbrow Walmart vs. clever and professional. That's all the average consumer is going to get out of this.
Reinforcing the image that PC=bargain basement and Mac=cool and exclusive.
Eeeexcellent!
Umm... correction: Obama rose above McCain's attack ads, concentrated on highlighting his strengths instead of the opponent's faults, while McCain's ridiculous scare propaganda backfired and became his own undoing. Which is exactly what I think when I watch "Hi, I'm a Mac" ads that try to make it look like a PC becomes crammed with viruses the minute you plug it in: This is exactly like McCain yapping about Bill Ayers until your ears bleed.
But that is the experience of many consumers watching these ads. Malware has ruined many a non tech-nerd's day.
I really don't think any comparison can be made between attack ads during a national election and product ads that run every day. In fact, the Mac ads attack very softly, they merely poke some gentle fun at PCs to get the point across. Public perception of political ads are far different, and loaded with prejudice and expectation even before any ads air.
Well exactly. The Mac ads are merely reinforcing public perception of Windows, which has been the same for well over a decade:
Windows is virus-ridden
Windows is unreliable
Windows crashes
Windows causes grief and frustration
It's a pain in the ass at work, and at home, too
Much of that is still as true today as it was years ago (Vista.) But its truth doesn't matter, it's what everyone has grown to believe based on MS' horrible reputation. Bad reputations are quite tough to live down, and can taint your long-term prospects. It's like luggage, you don't really ever get rid of it.
No one outside of the forums is really familiar with the term "Apple tax" or its implications. It's a barb used in internet forums. People are simply aware that Macs cost more, but most are unaware of the actual breakdown.
The idea that you can possibly get "more" for your money with a PC is out there. But I really doubt it will do much more than what's already happening. If you're absolutely in love with that idea on the other hand, then it would be sueful to wait a few months for the fallout to show, if there will be any to begin with.
Yes... in 1998. Trust me, I love it when they poke fun at stuff like Vista's UAC because it *is* annoying. But the virus FUD is just a desperate attempt to cling to the past, just like when Letterman and Leno went on and on with Bill Clinton fat jokes years after Clinton lost so much weight that he could successfully hide behind a flagpole. It was easy and gratifying, so the truth didn't really matter.
I agree. I must live in some sort of utopia, because I've owned several Windows machines since the late 90s, and have been a programmer and network administrator for almost 10 years now, and I have yet to encounter the perpetually infected, spyware-ridden, constantly blue screening PCs that everyone swears exist in mass numbers. Even when fixing problems on the machines of family and friends over the years, the issues had nothing to do with spyware/adware/viruses. It was usually user error.
I didn't switch to a Mac recently because I was so sick of Windows and screaming in horror - I did it because I wanted to learn something different and get a quality machine at the same time. I was running Windows 7 for months with no antivirus or spyware, and when I finally did install AVG and ran a scan, there was not a single infection. Windows isn't bulletproof, but it's come a long way and Windows 7 is an outstanding piece of work. But since when has the truth been valued in advertising? Both Microsoft and Apple twist facts and tell outright lies to suit their purposes.
How is "Apple tax" a construct?
In 2005, Dell had a gross margin of 18%. Apple had 29%. Even after taking into account things like R&D, the extra cost for developing OS X etc, Apple's profit percentage was still 9.6% (Dell = 6.4%). So the Apple tax still exists even after you've taken all of Apple's extra costs into account.´
As to how Apple manages to blow nearly 20% of their gross margin while Dell gets by on 11.6, well... you pay some more for R&D (Dell actually spends $500 million on R&D, but Apple spends more), you pay for OS X development, but you also pay craploads for advertising and keeping all the Apple Stores running... which is kind of a bummer if you live in a country where no Apple Stores exist.
Sure they do, but the virus thing is kind of a serious accusation. It's like BMW saying, "Warning: If you buy an Audi you will keep driving into oncoming traffic". Keep it real, keep it fun, but don't insist that the competition's product is flat out dangerous unless it's 100% true.
I've had to fix many PCs belonging to non technical friends and family in the past 10 years as a direct consequence of malware. I'm sure I'm not the only one. In fact, the situation was better in 1998 than it is now. I'd never heard the terms "spyware" or "adware" back then. I agree that the virus FUD is hyped up and exaggerated by the marketing men (especially those in the IT security industry), but it is nevertheless real.
Welcome to capitalism! It ain't pretty.
And it shows.
well actaully i dont want to switch because i dont want a performance hit, i would go from 3.14GHz to 2.66GHz and pay $800 to do it.
you just copy and pasted that from the other thread, and it was already proven wrong.
Dell actually spends 500 million on research, WTF do they have to show for it?
The build quality isn't too bad. They tend to ship with a crap OS though!
Why are you here then?
http://blogs.chron.com/techblog/archives/2007/10/mac_os_x_malware_targets_porn_surfers.html
http://www.macworld.co.uk/business/news/index.cfm?newsid=25756
http://blog.trendmicro.com/new-malware-threatens-mac-users/
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/535/1051535/apple-reliable-cheap-chinese-computers
http://techblips.dailyradar.com/story/macbook_pro_screen_glitches_heat_not_nvidia_issue/
i like this one the best (mac pros releasing dangerous chemicals)>> http://www.inquisitr.com/4326/the-b...erations-of-my-family-through-private-school/
http://vowe.net/archives/008181.html
you just described OSX from the look of it
my Vista 64 gaming machine has never had any of the issues you mentioned above, it wakes up from suspend every time, and has never failed to play any games or open apps. you simply are just stuck in 1998 when windows and computer HW WAS unreliable
Well, let's see: he doesn't want to switch, and he spends 100% of his time here bagging on Macs, OS X, and Apple in general.
Yup, you guessed it. He's a troll.
I love the new ads. They are so much more stylish and classy than Microsoft's "I'm a PC" campaign... or pretty much any ad campaign they've ever run.
well thats Easy!
Microsoft's most expensive gaming mouse (comes with interchangable weights, etc) >> $79
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826105255
** there is 92 other mice inbetween **
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010290065 50001149&bop=And&Order=RATING
Microsoft's Cheapest mouse >> $8.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826105061
Apple's most expensive mouse >> $69
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MB111LL/A?fnode=MTY1NDA1Mg&mco=NzQxNTc
Apple's Cheapest mouse >> $49
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MB112LL/A?fnode=MTY1NDA1Mg&mco=MjE0NjYwOA
We do seem to have quite a prolific little band of them on here don't we. They've come on a bit since the "you're a fag using a fag computer, all Mac users are retards, etc" days, but I still haven't seen any present a coherent argument as to why I shouldn't use my Mac.
and your on here pretending like apple is the second comming of christ, your a fanboy!