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You know what's funny. I bought a MacBook less than a month ago, and yes, it out performs my PC. Only on certain tasks though. And that's not saying much because my PC is a FIVE YEAR OLD DELL!

Seriously, there's a lot of bias in this fandom....

And the Mac vs. PC ads got boring a long time ago.
 
You know what's funny. I bought a MacBook less than a month ago, and yes, it out performs my PC. Only on certain tasks though. And that's not saying much because my PC is a FIVE YEAR OLD DELL!

Seriously, there's a lot of bias in this fandom....

And the Mac vs. PC ads got boring a long time ago.

Yeah but Microsoft's lame "I'm a PC'' ain't boring right.
 
I've never really found the Mac ads really tasteful. I thought the recent PC ads were a lot better. I almost didn't get a Mac because of the comercials. It really is tiring to hear the same repetitive FUD. I've always felt the Mac commercials were good at saying nothing.

It doesn't matter. Microsoft doesn't like them;)
 
Yeah but Microsoft's lame "I'm a PC'' ain't boring right.

It was new. It was new people on each ad. And it was a great campaign. Apple made "PC" into the fat, nerdy, bonehead. Microsoft was separating itself from that characterization. Made perfect sense.
 
You know what's funny. I bought a MacBook less than a month ago, and yes, it out performs my PC. Only on certain tasks though. And that's not saying much because my PC is a FIVE YEAR OLD DELL!

Seriously, there's a lot of bias in this fandom....

Wow, that's such a scientific study of one laptop and one desktop.
 
I think these ads have run their course.

Sure they are fun, but I think they should be more informative, their are many features that non-mac users still have no idea about.
 
So what?

Microsoft make boring ads, so Apple can as well?

What sort of argument is that?

Maybe they're agreeing. Most commercials are just disruptions from what you really want to see anyways right?

How funny is it that the only time I watch commercials is when I follow links to them on youtube?
 
Aww, come on! I wanted them to destroy Microsoft's ad campaign, they all they deliver is some beating around the bush....

I thought the fact that Apple is willing to mention Microsoft's product in their ads (but Microsoft isn't willing to mention it in their own) is pretty aggressive and direct.
 
They're not great ads, but they're not nearly as boring as Apple's ads have become.

actually the laptop hunters are horrible. but they can´t get their ad strategy right either way. with this being the 4th different attempt (including the boygroup win7 viral) and they just can´t make their product desireable. the mac vs pc ads go the humorous way and do just what they intend. tell alot of people out there that there is competition to the normal ms way. since many don´t even know there is an alternative. if anyone really buys stuff based on ads... then this discussion really makes sense. all the others get informed that there is something out there. which makes you go to a shop and try it.
 
At least Apple's ad campaign has been consistent for the past few years. Microsoft on the other hand is a confused wreck, they seem to change their strategy every week. They started with Bill Gates and Seinfield, then try to copy Apple with their I'm a PC commercial and the Hodgeman lookalike, then they started showing little kids using PC's, and now they want to advertise cheap laptops, what a bunch of joker. What will we have next week? Idiots.
 
actually the laptop hunters are horrible. but they can´t get their ad strategy right either way. with this being the 4th different attempt (including the boygroup win7 viral) and they just can´t make their product desireable. the mac vs pc ads go the humorous way and do just what they intend. tell alot of people out there that there is competition to the normal ms way. since many don´t even know there is an alternative. if anyone really buys stuff based on ads... then this discussion really makes sense. all the others get informed that there is something out there. which makes you go to a shop and try it.

The problem is that the Apple ads do nothing for promoting the features of os x, they just take the piss out of PCs.

The M$ ads are good, because they timed them at the perfect time, during a recession.
 
At least Apple's ad campaign has been consistent for the past few years. Microsoft on the other hand is a confused wreck, they seem to change their strategy every week. They started with Bill Gates and Seinfield, then try to copy Apple with their I'm a PC commercial and the Hodgeman lookalike, then they started showing little kids using PC's, and now they want to advertise cheap laptops, what a bunch of joker. What will we have next week? Idiots.

Yeah cause everyone can afford a MB or MBP. You must feel so much better then all those poor people that can only afford a cheap laptop, relate to the smug Apple guy from the ad by chance?
 
The problem is that the Apple ads do nothing for promoting the features of os x, they just take the piss out of PCs.

The M$ ads are good, because they timed them at the perfect time, during a recession.

actually the world works a bit more complicated than that. the apple ads do promote the old credo "it just works" in an abstract form. while the ms hunter ad just promotes the thought that you can get the pc´s for little money. which might or might not make an impact in our dwindling economy (from an advertising morale point of view that approach is though questionable since they try to make cash out of many peoples problems, which actually is the bad rich mans approach). but the point is. people already knew that macs are expensive. they only fostered apple´s it just works claim by doing that. since the average person always thinks it pays premium for premium. what you think about that doesn´t matter i didn´t want to start another this is true no that is true thing. since there is little point to do so anyway. most of the people writing and reading here are sort of educated users. we know what we have and why we've got it. it´s not about me or you but about the masses out there. that´s advertising.

edit: besides the ms ad agency not noticing that as well. did you see that the mac vs. pc ads have personified machines talking ? not persons ?
 
I disagree. This is exactly how Apple needs to address the Microsoft ads -- with the same tactic that been getting people to make the switch. If Apple were to respond to the accusation that Macs are "more expensive", it would work against Apple. Just as every time Microsoft mentions a Mac in their ads, it works for Apple. I think more of these ads are what is needed to keep going in the right direction.

Besides, I'm sure it just angers Ballmer even more knowing that Apple just isn't budging!

Absolutely! I could not agree more. Apple needs to remain resolute and ultimately focussed. The MS ads came about as a result of the impact of the Apple ads and although not everyone will agree (and certainly you're entitled not to!) the Apple ads have made an impact. Apple need not respond to the MS ads directly or indirectly, to do so would be a serious flaw in the marketing strategy.
 
I've never really found the Mac ads really tasteful. I thought the recent PC ads were a lot better. I almost didn't get a Mac because of the comercials. It really is tiring to hear the same repetitive FUD. I've always felt the Mac commercials were good at saying nothing.

What they fail to mention is that Windows has facial recognition, macs have trojans, about 50% of all new iMacs with the ATI card in them freeze (per MR stats), and that Apple computers have legal text too.

All in all, I hope Microsoft BASHES Apple with Windows 7, because, frankly, Apple deserves it for such underhanded tactics.
 
I think these ads should have focused on the high quality of Apple computers, rather than the fallibility of other PCs.

Does this "fallibility of other PCs" explain why my Macs freeze so much more often than my Windows machines (which actually never freeze)?

The marketing department at Apple is still comparing their FreeBSD-based operating system with Microsoft's Windows 3.x/95. The folks in Cupertino should catch up with reality.

And if you really want to compare the "high quality" of Apple computers with PCs, you should be willing to also compare the high quality of the business and on-site service of various PC manufacturers with Apple's service (which must be purchased separately and does NOT include on-site service).

And on a related note, when people compare the prices of a Mac Pro with a Dell Precision Workstation and claim that the Macs are cheaper, they usually forget that the Dell comes with a three-year warranty AND a workstation-class graphics card. Add that to your Mac Pro and then compare the price again.

Anyway and whatever. Those ads are getting old and they're no longer as funny as they were. Especially because their message is simply not true at all and far from reality.

Besides that, the PC guy is still much cooler than the Mac guy. After watching those ads, most people will buy a PC just because the PC guy is the friendlier and funnier character.
 
As advertising goes, Apple really makes its mark by heavy branding practices, meaning that while its advertisements get old they are still recognizable, and that might be enough for now. Think of how almost all of their commercials for each product line has stayed relatively the same for a long time, especially the iPod commercials. Tiring, yes, but well branded. Plus, the market they are targeting is probably people who aren't always on the pc vs. mac battle front, so using stereotypical arguments won't seem quite as tiring.

Microsoft is having quite a bit of trouble maintaining their branding, especially as they've needed to downplay the Vista style, and they've spent too much money on short lived campaigns. While their campaigns may seem more fresh, they're definitely not as easily recognizable. This practice alone has made the amazing HP "Hands" ads and especially the beautifully crafted Zune ads much less effective. Now, considering Microsoft's market-share, this isn't as much of a problem, but even Microsoft has admitted that the Mac vs. PC ads have taken their toll.

And as far as not being honest in their ads (Microsoft using actors in a documentary-like presentation, and Apple claiming to be the first to have a certain feature), unfortunately, like politics, that's the game you play. I hate it, but it's true.



As far as Macs vs. PCs, I grew up with PCs but now work almost exclusively with Macs. I run XP on my current Mac Pro. Even though that's not a balanced experience, I can say that from that experience that I've learned quite a bit:

It seems both systems run pretty darn well when you first buy them. Both systems get more clunky and crashy as time passes, unless well maintained. Both systems require quite a bit of updating when you first buy them, too. Neither come with anti-virus software, but only Windows requires it because of its proportionate market share. On both systems, I've had to use my savvy search abilities to find fixes for the most unexpected problems. Apple runs a tight ship by limiting it's options, while Microsoft tries to accommodate almost everything and becomes somewhat messy and complicated as a result.

By now you're saying: "Duh." Obviously the two companies are based on two different paradigms. But the paradigms don't stop there. I believe Apple's premium could be to pay people what they believe they are worth and not simply catering to the fastest and the cheapest. If that's true, I respect them for that, and am happy to pay what people believe they are worth, as long as it's reasonable and I'm happy enough with a good product that's up to date with today's standards. However, I believe that if market shares were reversed, we'd hate Steve Jobs' iron fist (think iPhone limitations) as much as we hate Bill Gates' disorder. I don't care if crappy video will make your iPhone look bad, I want crappy video, okay?



I don't want to just be the guy who says: "can't we all just get along?" Competition is healthy. I do think, however, that it's a good idea to leave the fanaticism to the commercials and instead bring real discussions of pros and cons to these forums. That way, neither Apple nor Microsoft could think they could dupe us just by being disingenuous in their ads.
 
I disagree. This is exactly how Apple needs to address the Microsoft ads -- with the same tactic that been getting people to make the switch. If Apple were to respond to the accusation that Macs are "more expensive", it would work against Apple. Just as every time Microsoft mentions a Mac in their ads, it works for Apple. I think more of these ads are what is needed to keep going in the right direction.

Besides, I'm sure it just angers Ballmer even more knowing that Apple just isn't budging!

I'm sure they could spin it well... I'd really like to see them directly combat the pricing myth: sure you can get a cheaper PC, but it's missing a lot of stuff that comes free with the Mac. Add up the extras (the most useful ones at least), anti-virus software, etc., and it's more neutral.

You could end with the two of them bumping into each other, and the PC guy falling into pieces and/or going up in smoke. You get what you pay for!

MadCow.
 
Very very tired. Same crap they've been saying for years that still isn't true. They make it sound like every single PC gets a virus the instant you turn it on, when in reality I don't know very many people at all who've gotten a virus on a PC, even when they weren't running AV software (outside of a corporate setting, where you're always going to have to deal with idiots infecting an entire network). Macs aren't magical, they're just as vulnerable and actually easier to hack, but no one bothers messing with 7% of the market. Sure there are more stories of people having trouble with PCs, but that's because there's 20 times as many people using them.

And what is this "maintenance" cost that they always talk about? Doesn't almost everyone in the world know at least one PC geek who will fix your computer for free if you actually do have a problem? Maybe if you live in backwoods Idaho or something.

Faces is a gimmick that doesn't work very well. It's something I guess, but a real highlight? If they hype it, people are just going to be disappointed. Bottom line, after being on the rise for a while, their market share is falling because overpriced merchandise + bad economy = lower sales. I always see a lot of people in Apple stores because they look so hip and trendy, but very few walk out with Macs -- if they have anything it's almost always an iPod or iPhone, or something small like a case. They play with the Macs, but one look at the price tag and they walk away.

LOL at the PC fanboys crying because Apple hurt their feelings, want a tissue.

Who's crying? I'm just pointing out that Apple's ads are plain inaccurate. The laptop hunter ads were not great, but at least they're true -- a PC that does everything you need it to will cost half as much as a Mac. I'm no fanboy; a fanboy tries to justify spending 1000 extra dollars on their laptop because it *might* recognize someone's face in a picture.
 
The problem is that the Apple ads do nothing for promoting the features of os x, they just take the piss out of PCs.

The M$ ads are good, because they timed them at the perfect time, during a recession.

And these Microsoft ads are promoting the features of Vista their operating system right? :rolleyes:
 
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