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Apple Officially Ends 'Get a Mac' Campaign, Revamps 'Why You'll Love a Mac' Feature
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a new plateau
One could see this as a sign that Apple has so much momentum that it can back off of ribbing Microsoft (which was really the target here not the PC hardware makers, all million of them) for its short comings and pushing the "look what we can do" ads of the iPhone and now the iPad. These mobile devices are where the whole industry will see growth from now on. The "halo" affect created with the iPod has expanded to these new mobile devices enticing an iPhone owner to consider buying a desktop or laptop from Apple when they are looking for a new computer.
One could see this as a sign that Apple has so much momentum that it can back off of ribbing Microsoft (which was really the target here not the PC hardware makers, all million of them) for its short comings and pushing the "look what we can do" ads of the iPhone and now the iPad. These mobile devices are where the whole industry will see growth from now on. The "halo" affect created with the iPod has expanded to these new mobile devices enticing an iPhone owner to consider buying a desktop or laptop from Apple when they are looking for a new computer.
I imagine that some of the decision to pull those ads was surrounding the cheeky Microsoft commercials that were trying to mimic and poke fun of Apple...
The "Im a PC, and Windows was my idea" campaign
What is funny is that anytime one of those commercials airs, no matter where I've been, there has been a collective groan. They are terribly uninformative and unimaginative. (altho not as bad as that commercial campaign 2 years ago with Bill Gates, that absolutely did nothing for the brand)
I can only imagine that Apple wants to distance themselves from that junk.
The "Im a PC, and Windows was my idea" campaign
What is funny is that anytime one of those commercials airs, no matter where I've been, there has been a collective groan. They are terribly uninformative and unimaginative. (altho not as bad as that commercial campaign 2 years ago with Bill Gates, that absolutely did nothing for the brand)
I can only imagine that Apple wants to distance themselves from that junk.
It's a matter of personal taste, isn't it?
I personally don't care either way, but people who are used to the way fonts render in IE often react negatively to the way it looks on my Macs, describing it as "smeared", "blurry" etc. Especially Verdana.
Retaliation?
Let me guess...
Justin Long was found with a PC in his possession, and going by Apple's new "Leader for life, fist of iron, rule book", they decided to break down his front door and cancel his acting contract?
Let me guess...
Justin Long was found with a PC in his possession, and going by Apple's new "Leader for life, fist of iron, rule book", they decided to break down his front door and cancel his acting contract?
I guess you didn't see the one about Time Machine.
Or the one about peripheral drivers.
Or the one about iPhoto books.
Or the one about mag-safe connectors.
Or the one about Microsoft Office.
Or the one about iMovie.
Or the one about iLife.
Hmmm...I think you mised a lot of them, come to think of it.
...or maybe they just learned from the election of 2008 that negative campaining helped McCain a whole lot less than positive campaigning helped Obama.
"Get a Mac" may have been effective, but I always thought it made Apple look small and bitter. If they can rise above that and start talking about their own products instead of smearing the competition, it's good karma for Apple IMO.
People always forget that Apple did try the approach of telling us what a Mac can do and those ads didn't work. Remember the one with the guy on the airplane showing off iMovie? Or the one with the musicians on stage and the guy burning them to a CD (the old rip-mix-burn campaign)? The Mac's market share barely budged back then. As soon as the Switcher ads started and then the Mac-PC ads, things took off. People carp about these ads being mean-spirited or negative, but the reality is that they worked.
If you talked to people prior to these ads, you'd have noticed that lots of casual users assumed wrong things about Macs. They assumed that they couldn't do things that Windows did. They assumed Macs had virus problems too. They assumed a lot of things about Macs based mainly on their experience with Windows. Apple needed a way to differentiate itself from all the negative things the public associates with Windows and what a better way than to put the two platforms on screen and highlight those differences.
I suspect now, after several years of these kinds of ads pointing out the differences, a more positive what-the-Mac-can-do approach will have better results.
The only thing that puzzles me about those ads to this day is how many PC users took them as personal insults. I mean, those were supposed to represent the computers, not the users, and yet, countless PC users took it as a personal thing. I've always found that ironic, given how frequently Windows fans like to remind Mac users that "it's a tool, not a lifestyle choice." Interesting then that you took an ad comparing these tools as a personal affront.
The Apple corporate website is not a museum.
I'm happy to see them moving along but those ads were classics and should have been archived somewhere on their website.
The site exists to market and sell the current product line, as well as provide support for recent hardware and software. It's not there to dish out commercials from 1993 or to teach you how to install System 7 on your Mac LC.
Apple doesn't want you to be perusing through a vast library of corporate communications that doesn't fit their current marketing strategy. They want you to look at their message right now and buy their current products.
They could build a separate museum website, but reminiscing on the past doesn't really sound like Steve Jobs' cup of tea, does it?
I liked the "Get a Mac" ads, but it was wearing a bit thin for an ad campaign. A recall a lot of people stating that Apple should focus on what Mac's can do instead of focusing too much on Windows and Microsoft. Perhaps this is the direction that Apple needs to take, focus on the features instead of attempting to slam the competition.
On another note, is Apple ramping up their product line refresh, or is it still once a year? I realize a lot of people take issue with Apple's lack of cutting edge Intel processors in some of their product lines, but how much is too much? The average computer user doesn't need a huge tower or 8 core systems, most just need a computer to surf the web, check email, do some creative and productivity work, etc., which maybe one of the reasons the iPad has been such a huge success. Simplicity of design and use.
...although it would be nice to see a product cycle for their hardware of 6 months or so... and don't get me started on Blu-Ray. At first I supported Apple's choice to not utilize Blu-Ray media as Apple seems focused on digital and wireless media (maybe for sales, maybe for environmental reasons as CD/DVD's aren't recyclable as Apple seems more focused on green technology). However, after installing a Blu-Ray drive in my Mac Pro, it's great for backing up large amounts of data that don't have a chance of crashing like a hard drive backup. Plus, nothing beats 1080P and full surround sound. Why not put blu-ray drives in their systems???
Lastly, WE NEED NEW LED CINEMA DISPLAYS! It's been too many years.
On another note, is Apple ramping up their product line refresh, or is it still once a year? I realize a lot of people take issue with Apple's lack of cutting edge Intel processors in some of their product lines, but how much is too much? The average computer user doesn't need a huge tower or 8 core systems, most just need a computer to surf the web, check email, do some creative and productivity work, etc., which maybe one of the reasons the iPad has been such a huge success. Simplicity of design and use.
...although it would be nice to see a product cycle for their hardware of 6 months or so... and don't get me started on Blu-Ray. At first I supported Apple's choice to not utilize Blu-Ray media as Apple seems focused on digital and wireless media (maybe for sales, maybe for environmental reasons as CD/DVD's aren't recyclable as Apple seems more focused on green technology). However, after installing a Blu-Ray drive in my Mac Pro, it's great for backing up large amounts of data that don't have a chance of crashing like a hard drive backup. Plus, nothing beats 1080P and full surround sound. Why not put blu-ray drives in their systems???
Lastly, WE NEED NEW LED CINEMA DISPLAYS! It's been too many years.
First, do you have some evidence to cite that Apple is "disinvesting" in the Mac? I don't see it.
Second, perhaps you should explore the App Store a bit more before criticizing it. There are >200K apps in there. The ones I've downloaded allow me to use my crippled dumbed down idevice to connect via remote desktop, VNC and SSH to admin servers at my workplace. But if all you're finding are fart apps, perhaps your search skills could use some honing.
Maybe they should have just changed the title of the old Mac campaign to "Get A Mac Before They Disappear."
Some of the GAM ads were amusing. But I agree that negative advertising, by accentuating the competition's failings rather than your own strengths, is pretty lame. And it just opens you up for counter-attack.
The real reason why Apple is pulling the plug on these ads is because they don't want to sell Macs.
Just some food for thought...
Just some food for thought...
Some of the later "Get a Mac" ads really seemed to be getting long in the tooth. The majority of them was just Apple harping on viruses for Windows. At the beginning they were clever, but the ad campaign has been going on since 2006.
This new ad campaign seems to focus on Apple's strengths and not their competitors weaknesses. I like it.
This new ad campaign seems to focus on Apple's strengths and not their competitors weaknesses. I like it.
I'll tell you what I'd love -- either an iMac or Mac Pro speed bump. Not sure which I'd love more, but I def. don't want the crusty current models of either. C'mon Intel.
That leaves me feeling starved. Care to elaborate? What I see in the ads is a calling off the war with M$. Apple is not a Mac-centric company anymore, but just the same it is 50% of revenue. Until they can replace the Macs w/o some other device to fill in for that revenue then Macs aren't going anywhere.
That leaves me feeling starved. Care to elaborate? What I see in the ads is a calling off the war with M$. Apple is not a Mac-centric company anymore, but just the same it is 50% of revenue. Until they can replace the Macs w/o some other device to fill in for that revenue then Macs aren't going anywhere.
My guess is:
1. You just search for Fart Apps, and have the mind of a 10 year old?
2. You DO have the mind of a 10 year old, and are upset that your non-iDevice doesn't have the Fart apps you want.
Either way, you don't seem to know much about any Apple devices, or products, otherwise you'd realize their benefits. If you don't like them, don't buy them; pretty simple really...
I hope this is true. What's on the Apple web site now looks like an uninspired rehash of old information.
"It's loaded with the latest technology."
Good joke
But it's true! Every new Mac comes with the newest version of OS X.