Apple Continues 'Get a Mac' Ad Campaign with 4 New Ads

[Anuba]

1. Malware is not a big problem on the Mac.

True.

2. Macs require less set-up, configuration and maintenance than a Windows-PC and whatever is required is much easier on a Mac.

Mmmm... depends. Basic setup might be easier (fewer options during setup, easier to get WiFi up and running etc), but once you go into more advanced stuff you'll often run into more obstacles on a Mac. Ever tried permanently mounting a network share or configuring Leopard's firewall? I keep seeing forum threads like that all the time; some PC power user has switched to Mac and says "I always do [X] on my PC, how do I do it on a Mac?" and the response is usually along the lines of "oh that's easy, just go into Terminal and enter 'Q#=OEW"UAD"E%JASDkja34' and hold down Option+Ctrl+Alt+Fn+8+F1+Shift!"

3. Macs run faster on the same hardware than Windows-PCs.

Faster in what way? System tasks, benchmarks, what? What matters in the end (if you think speed matters, that is) is how well your software runs. Consequently the speed is often in the hands of a third party. None of the software I use daily runs faster on Mac. I use Adobe Creative Suite, and it's a well-known fact that the Windows versions of Photoshop et al are much faster than the Mac versions. If you want Photoshop to run really fast on your Mac Pro, you have to boot into 64-bit Windows and run it there. Runs up to 50% faster depending on the task. What use is a higher theoretical speed if your software runs slower in OS X?

If I had to pick three points, it would be...
1) Little to no chance of malware, 2) Eye-pleasing and well engineered hardware, 3) The OS was tailor made for the hardware.

These are the points that Apple needs to hammer home to the masses. That's why these ads are so great. They keep hitting the same points over and over (in a clever way!) and soon, more and more people will get the idea.

It's more or less the same points they've been hammering home for 25 years. Cooler designs... tighter hardware/software integration... no malware... better OS... easier to use... yada yada. People get it. Apple isn't obscure anymore, everyone knows about their stuff. It's just that 90% of the people who are curious enough to go into an Apple Store or check out apple.com/store, look at the pricetags and go "Ouch!!! Wow. Who do they think they are? Goodbye." The remaining 10% will think about it and eventually buy a Mac one day. The market share may continue to grow slowly, but the only thing that could make the Mac's popularity explode is a price cut across the board and/or the introduction of cheaper consumer models, and that's not gonna happen.

Sorry, I definitely have to disagree. When shopping for a car for my wife last year, we looked at $30,000 Hyundai sport utility vehicles, and they were crap. Creaky, plastic junk.

We bought a Toyota instead, and the fit and finish is definitely better. But enjoy the Hyundai; you're welcome to disagree.

Depends on which Toyota it is. If it's an Auris (successor to Corolla in Europe, not sure if it's being sold in the US yet), you're up to your neck in creaky plastic. The new Hyundai i30, on the other hand, is head and shoulders above older Hyundais in terms of interior quality/look & feel.

 

[Anuba]

dp

 

[AidenShaw]

The... blah blah blah

Did you completely miss my allusion to the fact that in popular parlance "the Internet" and "the Web" are the same thing? Most people don't realize that "Http://" is not the only network standard.

Jeez, I thought that MAC folks were smarter than that....

I should stop assuming that anyone here has more than one brain cell in use.

 

[polaris20]

True.


Mmmm... depends. Basic setup might be easier (fewer options during setup, easier to get WiFi up and running etc), but once you go into more advanced stuff you'll often run into more obstacles on a Mac. Ever tried permanently mounting a network share or configuring Leopard's firewall? I keep seeing forum threads like that all the time; some PC power user has switched to Mac and says "I always do [X] on my PC, how do I do it on a Mac?" and the response is usually along the lines of "oh that's easy, just go into Terminal and enter 'Q#=OEW"UAD"E%JASDkja34' and hold down Option+Ctrl+Alt+Fn+8+F1+Shift!"


Faster in what way? System tasks, benchmarks, what? What matters in the end (if you think speed matters, that is) is how well your software runs. Consequently the speed is often in the hands of a third party. None of the software I use daily runs faster on Mac. I use Adobe Creative Suite, and it's a well-known fact that the Windows versions of Photoshop et al are much faster than the Mac versions. If you want Photoshop to run really fast on your Mac Pro, you have to boot into 64-bit Windows and run it there. Runs up to 50% faster depending on the task. What use is a higher theoretical speed if your software runs slower in OS X?

If I had to pick three points, it would be...
1) Little to no chance of malware, 2) Eye-pleasing and well engineered hardware, 3) The OS was tailor made for the hardware.


It's more or less the same points they've been hammering home for 25 years. Cooler designs... tighter hardware/software integration... no malware... better OS... easier to use... yada yada. People get it. Apple isn't obscure anymore, everyone knows about their stuff. It's just that 90% of the people who are curious enough to go into an Apple Store or check out apple.com/store, look at the pricetags and go "Ouch!!! Wow. Who do they think they are? Goodbye." The remaining 10% will think about it and eventually buy a Mac one day. The market share may continue to grow slowly, but the only thing that could make the Mac's popularity explode is a price cut across the board and/or the introduction of cheaper consumer models, and that's not gonna happen.

Depends on which Toyota it is. If it's an Auris (successor to Corolla in Europe, not sure if it's being sold in the US yet), you're up to your neck in creaky plastic. The new Hyundai i30, on the other hand, is head and shoulders above older Hyundais in terms of interior quality/look & feel.

No, I'm talking about their SUV's, such as the Highlander (which is what we bought). The similar Hyundai, while being a bit cheaper, was very, very disappointing, especially after having heard similar accolades as those from AidenShaw.

But we're digressing here with yet more car analogies.

 

[AidenShaw]

The similar Hyundai, while being a bit cheaper, was very, very disappointing, especially after having heard similar accolades as those from AidenShaw

It may be a matter of single product comparisions, and not looking at the larger picture.

 

[polaris20]

It may be a matter of single product comparisions, and not looking at the larger picture.

Maybe, but that's the market we were in. I also looked at their sedans and thought they were quite disappointing given the pricetag. But again, to each their own. I'll be sticking with Toyota and Nissan products for the time being.

 

[Anuba]

No, I'm talking about their SUV's, such as the Highlander (which is what we bought). The similar Hyundai, while being a bit cheaper, was very, very disappointing, especially after having heard similar accolades as those from AidenShaw.

OK, that would probably be the Santa Fe. Well... it starts at $21,000, the Highlander starts at $27,000. Clear cut case of get-what-you-pay-for.

What sets Toyota apart from the rest isn't the choice of materials, though (they use as much plastic as the next guy), but that their entire operation is one big worldwide quality assurance network. Every little Toyota repairshop in every little Hickville around the world sends data that goes straight back to the factory. If something is wrong with a new model they'll notice in a split second.

Not sure if there's any equivalent in the computer world, but I watched a clip about Fujitsu-Siemens quality assurance in one of their German labs and it was just bizarre. They spend more effort on stress testing the boxes that their computers ship in, than Apple spends on stress testing the computer itself. Apple are great on ID and R&D, but I'm not so sure about QA... I wonder if they ever put the MBA in some machine that opens and closes the lid one million times... if they did, what's with all these reports of hinge slop and hinge cracks? I wonder if the Chinese have been secretly putting melamine in the aluminium after the game was up with putting melamine in the milk.

 

[polaris20]

OK, that would probably be the Santa Fe. Well... it starts at $21,000, the Highlander starts at $27,000. Clear cut case of get-what-you-pay-for.

What sets Toyota apart from the rest isn't the choice of materials, though (they use as much plastic as the next guy), but that their entire operation is one big worldwide quality assurance network. Every little Toyota repairshop in every little Hickville around the world sends data that goes straight back to the factory. If something is wrong with a new model they'll notice in a split second.

Not sure if there's any equivalent in the computer world, but I watched a clip about Fujitsu-Siemens quality assurance in one of their German labs and it was just bizarre. They spend more effort on stress testing the boxes that their computers ship in, than Apple spends on stress testing the computer itself. Apple are great on ID and R&D, but I'm not so sure about QA... I wonder if they ever put the MBA in some machine that opens and closes the lid one million times... if they did, what's with all these reports of hinge slop and hinge cracks? I wonder if the Chinese have been secretly putting melamine in the aluminium after the game was up with putting melamine in the milk.

Completely agree (though the price discrepancy wasn't as big as the "starting prices" ) it is indeed you get what you pay for.

As it applies to computers, it's up to the buyer of the computer as to whether or not it's "worth it" or a "good value". So much of that is subjective, regardless of the country of origin.

I think the fact that both a regular PC and a Mac are Chinese-made are irrelevant in many respects. For example, their are some extremely well made guitar amplifiers being made by Vox, Orange, and Line 6 in China. There are also some major pieces of crap being marketed as guitar amplifiers being made in China.

Likewise, Lenovo and (IMO) Apple are both made in China, and both are exceptional machines.

Others also made in China, not so much.

 

[Goona]

http://blogs.zdnet.com/gadgetreviews/?p=3499

 

[Eidorian]

http://blogs.zdnet.com/gadgetreviews/?p=3499

Microsoft doesn't set OEM hardware prices and only sells its software.

Oh really?

 

[Anuba]

I think the fact that both a regular PC and a Mac are Chinese-made are irrelevant in many respects. For example, their are some extremely well made guitar amplifiers being made by Vox, Orange, and Line 6 in China. There are also some major pieces of crap being marketed as guitar amplifiers being made in China.

Likewise, Lenovo and (IMO) Apple are both made in China, and both are exceptional machines.

Others also made in China, not so much.

The thing about the Chinese is that they're so cynical... cat toys made from cat skin pretty much sums it up. They can build high quality stuff if pressed, but they are also willing to build stuff of lower quality than anyone with any measure of professional pride would never stand behind. From what I've been told (I talked to a guy at a software company that wanted some hardware built, they went with Malaysia in the end), Chinese manufacturers basically offer you different quality level packages... you can have crap quality, so-so quality, OK-ish quality or decent quality. It's not "we'll do the best we can at this low price", they literally offer to build you crap as one of the options. I bet Wal-Mart opts for "Level F" all the time.

http://blogs.zdnet.com/gadgetreviews/?p=3499

And in other news from the same source...

"Beta testers of Microsoft’s Windows 7 operating system are four times as likely to be happy with the new OS than early users of Windows Vista, according to a recent poll of corporate IT pros.

In a poll of corporate IT professionals conducted by ChangeWave Research, 44 percent of the 68 users testing Windows 7 said that they were “very satisfied” with the beta. A similar survey by ChangeWave in February 2007, just weeks after Vista’s launch, found just 10 percent of the respondents expressing the same sentiment."

 

[KnightWRX]

Did you completely miss my allusion to the fact that in popular parlance "the Internet" and "the Web" are the same thing? Most people don't realize that "Http://" is not the only network standard.

Jeez, I thought that MAC folks were smarter than that....

I should stop assuming that anyone here has more than one brain cell in use.

Wait, you want to debate on a technical forum about the Internet, and then say the Internet is just the Web because that's what most folk think ? And then you call me someone without more than 1 brain cell ? Irony, AidenShaw is thy name.

Even if you want to say that the Internet is just the web, I fail to see how Microsoft is responsible for that. The Web was popularized with Netscape as the main browser, Apache as the main Web server, using technology developed on NeXT first, and standardised on many different Unix platforms before Microsoft even attempted to enter the market.

Then Microsoft used its OS monopoly to embrace, extend and kept innovation out of the Web for the better part of 5 years with an old, unstandard browser that refused to adhere to industry accepted standards. And you then want to come on here again and say MS created the Web ? MS almost destroyed the Web.

Seriously, why don't you just leave this site if all you want to do is troll and kiss MS's behind ? You're seriously just a sad troll and the only thing you're accomplishing here is lower your credibility more and more and more...

 

[trevpimp]

Not one? Really? There are thousands on this site alone. Check out threads with topics like "Why does the optical in my Mac Pro sound louder than a helicopter taking off?", or the umpteen threads about hinge problems on MBA (a repeat of similar problems on the PowerBook Titanium), MBAs overheating due to lack or excess of thermal paste... Remember the iMac G5 model with a failure rate of 30%? Or the PowerMac G4 that was so notoriously noisy a special site was created for it (www.g4noise.com)? The Cubes that cracked? Battery recalls?

They make Chinese PCs like many other manufacturers, and that's OK, it's just unfortunate that the pricetags give the false impression that Macs were handmade by Swiss watchmakers.

Ooo. I was talking about my friends and family and the reviews at stores like bestbuy and cnet. But I'll take a look around the forum for common problems.

 

[Goona]

I read this somewhere, found it quite funny, Microsoft should use this for their new slogan:

"Windows, when you can't afford any better."

 

[trevpimp]

I read this somewhere, found it quite funny, Microsoft should use this for their new slogan:

"Windows, when you can't afford any better."

You deserve some props man

Even for finding it. That was the motto of the day. Well for me.

 

[Eidorian]

I read this somewhere, found it quite funny, Microsoft should use this for their new slogan:

"Windows, when you can't afford any better."

I really hope that you are joking.

 

[4D4M]

In a poll of corporate IT professionals conducted by ChangeWave Research, 44 percent of the 68 users testing Windows 7 said that they were “very satisfied” with the beta.

So 30 people are happy with the new version of Windows then? Sounds about right. Well done Microsoft, you must be very proud.

 

[opeter]

I read this somewhere, found it quite funny, Microsoft should use this for their new slogan:

"Windows, when you can't afford any better."

Linux is free...

 

[poxonyou]

They really need to retire this series. It's almost as if the ads speak to the converted more than anyone else. A regular Windows user does not experience frequent crashes anymore than a Mac user would run into trouble. So, a Windows user sees these ads and thinks, "That's BS. I use Windows and can't recall the last time it crashed." The bloated argument is OK, except I think if you ask any average (non-wealthy) person if they'd prefer a Mac for a bit more or a cheaper PC loaded with barely useable junk software, they'd choose the latter and just say they'd uninstall or ignore the programs they don't like. Viruses, costing extra for anti-virus software. "That's BS. I can download some of the top anti-virus software for free." (OS X is more secure, but people may be reluctant to believe that especially if the argument the ad makes against what the viewer currently uses is clearly dishonest to the viewer). That's not to mention the character they pick for the Mac is hard for many people to identify with. Mainstream Americans often aren't fond of what the Mac character comes off as (recent college grad, smug-ish, coffee shop dude). If these were ads shown in colleges, it may make sense, or if you wanted to limit yourself to college students and coffee shop bros.

I think a lot of people just aren't familiar with the look and feel of OS X and its top software. There is no reason for Apple to be shy about it because the look and feel kills XP, Vista, and 7 (to a lesser extent). Connect that with everyday people that viewers can relate to and you have a nice ad campaign. Not water cooler (soy cafe latte) chat for the already converted Mac users (like this ad campaign has been, as evidenced by the heavy positive chatter here and other Mac sites and little elsewhere).

 

[iPhoneNYC]

Should Apple be more aggressive in the face of the anti-Mac campaign? Or stay the course in their mild mannered jabs at PC?

 

[poxonyou]

I read this somewhere, found it quite funny, Microsoft should use this for their new slogan:

"Windows, when you can't afford any better."

This is the kind of thing that makes me hate Apple right now. They've turned into another brand for rich people (and hipsters trying to avoid anything too mainstream except when being ironic) to buy to make themselves feel better than the common people who can't afford them. In the early 2000's, Apple tried much harder to sell to the average person. The last few years have been just for those who are better off, or can use student loans to cushion the reality of what they're paying. I'm fairly certain this is intentional, in the same way Gucci doesn't sell a bunch of affordable purses or Rolex affordable watches even if they're made of the same material as something much cheaper. Rich people like that, but it means less people will always have Macs, less software will be developed for it, and there's a greater risk of damage if Macs fall out of fashion for the small demographics they've limited themselves to.

 

[Anuba]

"Windows, when you can't afford any better."

Wow... Whoever came up with that slogan sounds like an insecure douche with a pathological desire to be part of an elite. Poor Apple... to be a magnet for pathetic wannabes has destroyed many a brand.

This is the kind of thing that makes me hate Apple right now. They've turned into another brand for rich people (and hipsters trying to avoid anything too mainstream except when being ironic) to buy to make themselves feel better than the common people who can't afford them. In the early 2000's, Apple tried much harder to sell to the average person. The last few years have been just for those who are better off, or can use student loans to cushion the reality of what they're paying.

Nah... it's not like their products are astronomically expensive, they're just a bit overpriced. But you can still buy 4-5 cheap Macs for the price of one H20-cooled Dell XPS730.

I'm fairly certain this is intentional, in the same way Gucci doesn't sell a bunch of affordable purses or Rolex affordable watches even if they're made of the same material as something much cheaper. Rich people like that, but it means less people will always have Macs, less software will be developed for it, and there's a greater risk of damage if Macs fall out of fashion for the small demographics they've limited themselves to.

Yeah, there's always a certain risk involved when something that used to be exclusive becomes popular, especially when you have distinct designs like Apple does. It's just like when celebrities find a new club, soon the place is swamped by wannabes who soil the club's reputation, the VIP:s move on elsewhere and soon the place is sooo yesterday. There are already signs of the iPod fad having peaked, and with all this Mac product placement on TV plus the Starbucks crowd, the fashion gods could pull the plug on the Mac any minute and decide that Mac is so 2008, and in 2015 nobody's going to want to touch 2008 with a 20 foot pole.

 

[Rob0711]

This is the kind of thing that makes me hate Apple right now. They've turned into another brand for rich people (and hipsters trying to avoid anything too mainstream except when being ironic) to buy to make themselves feel better than the common people who can't afford them. In the early 2000's, Apple tried much harder to sell to the average person. The last few years have been just for those who are better off, or can use student loans to cushion the reality of what they're paying.

these are ads mate. take them with a grain of salt. and actually it is ms that tries to establish that thought. not the other way around (apple still simply forces the "it just works" idea, while ms goes into that "don´t give these elitist jerks money, instead give it all to us" approach). and since this forum is apparently target to a marketing shill effort it´s only logical that people will eventually say something that makes them look bad (like these anti racist comments on the software 3.0 thread or the constant warm up of that flamewar in the ad threads, etc.). though most here are apple customers. we aren´t apple. and taking stuff someone says (in a manipulated discussion) personal. or taking that as a reason to form a grudge on a third party is either childish or marketing.

 

[Goona]

This is the kind of thing that makes me hate Apple right now. They've turned into another brand for rich people (and hipsters trying to avoid anything too mainstream except when being ironic) to buy to make themselves feel better than the common people who can't afford them. In the early 2000's, Apple tried much harder to sell to the average person. The last few years have been just for those who are better off, or can use student loans to cushion the reality of what they're paying. I'm fairly certain this is intentional, in the same way Gucci doesn't sell a bunch of affordable purses or Rolex affordable watches even if they're made of the same material as something much cheaper. Rich people like that, but it means less people will always have Macs, less software will be developed for it, and there's a greater risk of damage if Macs fall out of fashion for the small demographics they've limited themselves to.

I don't get this kind of mentality, what the heck is a "hipster?" So what if you can afford a Mac, you know there are billions of people in this world who can't afford PC's, why aren't those companies targeting them, they should be lowering their prices to the price points of those people, so that they can have access to them. I wonder why so much Microsoft software is pirated especially in 3rd world countries, obviously those people can't afford it but yet you don't see Microsoft dropping their prices so that they can have access to it. I guess Microsoft and the PC companies are also elitists for not coming to the price points of these people. Dell is also elitist for bringing out the Adamo, why isn't it priced for regular people?

I don't know which early 2000's you lived in, Apple's products were never cheap. Look if you can't afford Apple products, learn to save money up, if more people did that, we wouldn't be in this financial mess we are in right now, get it used from someone, or get it refurbished. As for Macs being for rich people, I'm a student, I'm not rich, but I've learned to save my money for the things I want in life that I can afford and not go off complaining about things being too expensive and being for rich people. The Western world is built on branding, which is why the likes of Gucci, Rolex, Mercedes, BMW, charge the prices they charge, you build your brand up with superior products and you can charge what you want. That's life dude, get used to it.

 

[NT1440]

Yeah, there's always a certain risk involved when something that used to be exclusive becomes popular, especially when you have distinct designs like Apple does. It's just like when celebrities find a new club, soon the place is swamped by wannabes who soil the club's reputation, the VIP:s move on elsewhere and soon the place is sooo yesterday. There are already signs of the iPod fad having peaked, and with all this Mac product placement on TV plus the Starbucks crowd, the fashion gods could pull the plug on the Mac any minute and decide that Mac is so 2008, and in 2015 nobody's going to want to touch 2008 with a 20 foot pole.

Do you honestly beleive that most of apples products rely on them seeming "cool" to others in order to sell?

I have an ipod touch because it is simply the best PMP in the market right now, not because I am trying to be trendy (I'm the last person on the planet you want to talk to about style).