Apple's Latest Ad Takes Aim at Microsoft's 'Laptop Hunters' Campaign

[Mrbill317]

What!!!

No one yelling BLLLLLUUUUU-RAYYYY

lol

That one laptop hunter ad smelled plant so bad.

 

[twitt3r]

Both companies are pathetic in this regard. The plebs who approve of the ads are also pathetic for encouraging it.

 

[gkarris]

"Rep - pre - sent - ta - tive...."

LOL - been there, done that...

They left out "Do you speak ENGLISH???"

Looks like Apple has the enginuity to keep these ads going.....

Customer Care one of the best...

 

[314631]

Seamless. My wife's PC is falling apart at the seams. I already had it warranty repaired due to a failed processor. The whole time, I thought HP was a dependable brand. Now, I need to send it in again because the fan is just falling apart and making tons of noise...I told her: "Oh well I've already made you a user account on my Mac. It's easy to anticipate these kinds of problems"

I'll have her switched eventually

Computers and parts fail. It doesn't matter whose logo is on the front of your machine. Even Apple machines fail.

For example:

I had the vertical line of depth on a Macbook Pro after just 13 months a couple years ago. The same exact thing affected one of our Dell notebooks too. Apple got its flat panel parts from the same manufacturer as Dell.

I paid a huge premium for the Apple MBP but it turned out the 17" flat panel was practically the same as the one Dell was shipping in a notebook costing 300% less.

Just google this issue and you'll see it affected a good number of Apple users and the company mostly refused to address the manufacturing defect. Dell eventually (after months of fighting in the community) agreed to replace all the faulty flat panel parts free of charge regardless of warranty status.

 

[Psychmike]

Is it just me that finds it creepy when the woman says, "I'm a Megan"?

For a company that communicates individuality, it sure is working hard to brand people. I've seen so many "I'm a Mac" signatures here and on Apple Insider. I wonder if these people would ever consider saying, "I'm a Sony" or "I'm a Toyota." Shudder.

 

[Lershac]

I was thinking the same thing. Hodgeman probably gets a bigger paycheck though

No Haven't you heard? PCs are cheaper.

 

[*LTD*]

There are currently no known OS X viruses in the wild.

OS X cannot be infected remotely, either.

On the other hand . . . .


Windows data-stealing ‘Tigger’ trojan infects stock trading firms; Macintosh users unaffected - March 10, 2009
French navy fighter planes grounded by Windows worm; Mac-based naval systems unaffected - February 25, 2009
Houston courts shut down due to Windows virus; Macs unaffected - February 10, 2009
Windows virus knocks out Vancouver school computers for three weeks and counting; Macs unaffected - January 31, 2009
Massive Windows virus with mystery payload continues to spread rapidly; Macintosh unaffected - January 26, 2009
Massive Windows virus continues rapid spread, also affects Vista, Windows 7; Macintosh unaffected - January 21, 2009
Windows PC worm infection numbers skyrocket; Macintosh unaffected - January 19, 2009
Dangerous new sleeper virus exposes millions of Windows PCs to hijack; Macintosh unaffected - January 16, 2009
Zero-day attack targets all versions of Internet Explorer; Mac users unaffected - December 12, 2008
Windows worm loose on International Space Station; Mac-using astronauts unaffected - August 27, 2008
Microsoft inflicts Internet Explorer 8 Beta; Mac users unaffected - March 05, 2008
Gathering ‘Storm’ superworm poses grave threat to Windows PCs; Apple Macs unaffected - October 19, 2007
Windows virus cripples Florida newspaper; Mac-based publishers unaffected - March 02, 2007
Insidious Windows virus threatens business networks worldwide; Macintosh unaffected - March 01, 2007
Windows ‘Storm Worm’ rages across globe; Apple Macintosh unaffected - January 19, 2007
Sony, Gracenote sound alarm over Microsoft flaw; Macintosh unaffected - September 19, 2006
PowerPoint zero-day attack compromises data in infected Windows PCs; Mac OS X unaffected - July 21, 2006
Windows PC users infected with worm face loss of all Microsoft, Adobe files; Mac users unaffected - January 31, 2006
Microsoft Windows’ Zero-Day WMF flaw threats widespread; Macintosh unaffected - December 29, 2005
Microsoft Windows virus spreads rapidly; Apple Macintosh unaffected - November 28, 2005
Windows users fall victim to huge ID theft ring, 50 banks in danger; Apple Mac users unaffected - August 25, 2005
Quickly spreading Microsoft Windows worm affects CNN, ABC, NY Times; Apple Macintosh unaffected - August 16, 2005
‘Zotob’ worm rapidly infects Microsoft Windows; Macintosh unaffected - August 15, 2005
16-percent of computer users are unaffected by viruses, malware because they use Apple Macs - June 15, 2005
Microsoft warns of critical Windows flaws; unaffected Mac users just continue working - June 15, 2005
Michael Jackson suicide spam hides Windows virus; Macintosh unaffected - June 10, 2005
Windows Sober.p poised to attack this Monday; Macintosh unaffected - May 21, 2005
Microsoft Windows Sober.P worm shows ‘epidemic’ spread; Macintosh unaffected - May 03, 2005
Anzae/Inzae worm affects all Windows versions after 3.1; Macintosh unaffected - December 28, 2004
Windows Mydoom worm variant spreading in the wild; Macintosh unaffected - November 09, 2004
Windows XP worm speaks to users as it deletes their files; Macintosh unaffected - September 13, 2004
Millions of Windows PC’s hijacked by hackers, turned into zombies; Macintosh unaffected - September 08, 2004
Windows ‘Zindos’ virus spreads, attacks Microsoft.com; Macintosh unaffected - July 29, 2004
New Windows Bagle virus variants spread; Macintosh unaffected - July 16, 2004
Windows Lovegate worm variant renders computers useless; Macintosh unaffected - July 08, 2004
Windows Scob virus collects passwords, financial data; Macintosh unaffected - July 05, 2004
Windows ‘Scob’ virus designed to steal financial data, passwords; Macintosh unaffected - June 26, 2004
Windows users warned of infectious Web sites that take over computers; Mac users unaffected - June 25, 2004
Windows Korgo virus ‘aggressively stealing’ credit card numbers; Macintosh unaffected - June 04, 2004
First Windows 64-bit virus appears; Macintosh unaffected - May 27, 2004
Windows Wallon virus wipes out Microsoft Media Player on infected PCs; Macintosh unaffected - May 12, 2004
Windows Sasser worm mutates, knocks out banks, EC; Macintosh unaffected - May 04, 2004
Windows Sasser worm severely disrupts UK coastguard; Mac users remain unaffected - May 04, 2004
Windows Sasser net worm spreading rapidly; Macintosh unaffected - May 03, 2004
Sen. Edward Kennedy’s Apple Mac-based office totally unaffected by viruses - March 22, 2004
Five new Windows Bagle virus variants break nasty new ground; Macintosh unaffected - March 19, 2004
Windows worm, virus outbreaks intensify; Macintosh unaffected - March 03, 2004
Destructive MyDoom.F virus deletes Windows users’ files; Macintosh unaffected - March 01, 2004
Netsky-D Windows worm spreading; Macintosh unaffected - March 01, 2004
Windows users suffer five new Bagle worm variants; Macintosh unaffected - March 01, 2004
New MyDoom Windows worm deletes random files; Macintosh unaffected - February 25, 2004
Windows NetSky e-mail worm spreading; Macintosh unaffected - February 18, 2004
Windows virus ‘Bagle.B’ spreading; Macintosh unaffected - February 17, 2004
‘Doomjuice’ worm emerges, targets Microsoft; Macintosh unaffected - February 10, 2004
New version of Mydoom Windows virus appears, attacks Microsoft; Macintosh unaffected - January 28, 2004
Latest Windows virus ‘MyDoom’ sets new infection records worldwide; Macintosh unaffected - January 27, 2004
‘MyDoom’ Windows virus spreads rapidly; Macintosh unaffected - January 26, 2004
New Windows worm spreading ‘hard and fast’ worldwide; Macintosh unaffected - January 19, 2004
Florida students patch 360 PCs in marathon session due to Blaster virus; their Macs unaffected - October 01, 2003
Pennsylvania school district’s PCs infected with virus; their Macs unaffected - October 01, 2003
New ‘Swen worm’ masquerades as Windows Security Update; Macintosh unaffected - September 19, 2003
University of Illinois still patching all Windows machines; Macintosh unaffected - September 05, 2003
Montana school district’s Windows computers offline due to worm; Macintosh computers unaffected - September 03, 2003
A tale of two school systems: Windows schools crippled while Mac schools unaffected - August 21, 2003
SoBig virus variant rapidly inflecting Windows machines; Macintosh unaffected - August 19, 2003
Windows Blaster worm to attack Microsoft on Saturday; Macintosh unaffected - August 13, 2003
MBlast Worm spreads through flaw in Windows; Macintosh unaffected - August 11, 2003
Hackers hijack Windows PCs for porn serving; Macintosh unaffected - July 11, 2003
Palyh Worm strikes Windows users worldwide; Macintosh unaffected - May 19, 2003
Microsoft bug exposes millions to attack; Macintosh unaffected - November 20, 2002

And that's just a partial list. Windows viruses number over 100,000.

So who really has the virus problem here? Easy, the OS that's ALWAYS had the virus problem, and continues to have it.

What are the chances of a Mac user being infected? Just about Zero. Even after nearly 9 years of OS X.

She says needs something "without viruses." OS X doesn't have any viruses. And the beauty is that we already know this. It's in the public consciousness. Gotta love reinforcement. So much easier than the job of having to convince the consumer.

The ad is bang-on. As are most Mac ads.

 

[DonSqueak]

Funny how in two years of owning an HP it never crashed.

I think the "I'm a megan" ad sucks, its just a repackaged im a mac about pc viruses

Should switch it on once in a while...

Maybe you'll see the beloved "You've got unused icons on the desktop" bubble which after getting closed will happily return to spread even more merriment.

 

[3282868]

Yeah because Macs never cra

Not that it hasn't been addressed dozens of times already, but...

I have seen that screen 1-2 times in my 10 years of Apple ownership, and I have NEVER seen it with any of my IT clients.

It's not like Windows ever had a BSOD during a live presentation... oh, wait, it did -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgriTO8UHvs

Could you imagine the humiliation a CEO must face when presenting a new OS to the public and it ---

 

[crossifixio]

Gr8

Very nice comeback! Simple short and effective. Very smart Add. No fake acting and cheesy lines, just simple effective marketing. I love it

 

[Roessnakhan]

There are currently no known OS X viruses in the wild.

OS X cannot be infected remotely, either.

On the other hand . . . .


[...]

And that's just a partial list.

Have Windows and Mac market shares switch and see how long that lasts. Safari is rife with security holes that can compromise one's system. One of which was demonstrated by a hacker last year, and it only took a minute or two to exploit.

 

[sd2009]

Have Windows and Mac market shares switch and see how long that lasts.

AFAIK there were viruses in the wild for the old Mac OS. OS X is much less vulnerable to viruses, whereas Windows has had terrible, terrible security for years.

Safari is rife with security holes that can compromise one's system.

Can you cite a source for this?

 

[DonSqueak]

So your Mac has fallen victim to viruses and malware?

Yes.

Ahh, the nastiness that is Boot Camp

 

[3282868]

Have Windows and Mac market shares switch and see how long that lasts. Safari is rife with security holes that can compromise one's system. One of which was demonstrated by a hacker last year, and it only took a minute or two to exploit.

Thank god Apple does not have the majority share, and thank god most businesses/banks/etc don't run Apple OS/Server, and thank god OS X utilizes a permission based unix environment. As long as Windows maintains the majority market share, OS X users have very little (if any) worrying to do.

 

[Roessnakhan]

Can you cite a source for this?

http://blogs.zdnet.com/security/?p=2917

 

[sd2009]

http://blogs.zdnet.com/security/?p=2917

No no...you said that Safari was "rife" with "security holes". This article is about a single exploit.

 

[Sonicjay]

Awesome! All three were great!

 

[DonSqueak]

Zero. And I'm talking about a Windows-based office network. I saw my Macs at home crash with the gray screen of death more often than I saw a Windows bluescreen of death in the last 8 years.

In all honesty, sometimes I think a blue screen on Windows is a well deserved pause from having to deal with the actual working operating system.

 

[Lershac]

Mac Vs PC

Folks, its a trade off.

I am an IT Consultant. Most businesses run PCs because thats what the software they need runs on.

For my clients who make the Mac choice, they have limited applications. For the businesses that are really only doing correspondence and bookkeeping (and media work of course) I recommend Macs as their first choice if they can afford the upfront higher purchase costs. Most of my Mac offices are "set and forget" with very very little ongoing maintenance needed, with the exceptions of hardware failures, which happen at a very low rate, about the same as the rate for PCs.

For my customers who must run some line-of-business application that requires PC, or they cannot afford the much larger up-front costs of implementing a Mac solution, they get PCs. They experience about the same rate of hardware failures as Mac customers.

On an ongoing basis (once the office system is implemented) the PC networks require much more ongoing maintenance. This is mostly the fault of malware and trojans and end users doing something other than work while at work. I make much more money in the long run off of a PC implementation simply due to malware, and I tell my prospective customers this UP FRONT. It usually raises quite a few eyebrows to admit something like this, but it drives home the point that its either money now or money down the road. Most businesses choose the PC route. They seem to like the gamble.

The Mac clients sometimes get very upset that they cannot try out alot of the software they see without putting a PC in the office. But that seems to be the price of stability. OSX is relatively more stable, but as I see it, only because the configuration in a working office of Macs is just as stable. I know when I see an office user with (pc) all those games and web content downloads that I will see them soon for a service call. Contrarily, when the office listens to me, and keeps all that crap off and simply works on their pc, not downloading crap all the time, their stability is relatively equal to the mac.

 

[deputy_doofy]

No no...you said that Safari was "rife" with "security holes". This article is about a single exploit.

Don't be silly. Hole is plural, like deer or fish.

 

[Roessnakhan]

No no...you said that Safari was "rife" with "security holes". This article is about a single exploit.

http://www.betanews.com/article/Apple-Plugs-Windows-Safari-Security-Holes/1181845181

http://www.betanews.com/article/Day-One-for-Safari-for-Windows-Becomes-ZeroDay-Nightmare/1181661606

http://mooseyard.com/Jens/2009/01/security-hole-in-safari-rss/

Google is your friend. Just because they've since been patched doesn't mean they're a non-issue.

 

[*LTD*]

Have Windows and Mac market shares switch and see how long that lasts. Safari is rife with security holes that can compromise one's system. One of which was demonstrated by a hacker last year, and it only took a minute or two to exploit.

You can use the market share argument until you're blue in the face. It'll never happen. OS X will never be as cheap and common as Windows. Apple locks out a portion of the market. Deliberately, for reasons of exclusivity and as a part of wanting to sell a "premium" product.

Just enough users to make a statement and achieve incredible brand recognition - and even if you buy into the "security through obscurity" argument - still nowhere enough attract attention. Works fine for me . . . and for about 35-40 million other Mac users. Not bad. This is, after all, the premium end of the market. It's smaller and narrower at the top.

As long as MS exists Apple and its users will be just fine. Or maybe it'll take another 8 or 9 years. Whichever. Even if Macs gain even more momentum in the market, and achieve say, another 3-4% - which would be HUGE for Apple, it still won't be anywhere near Windows' share.

But hey, lay all this on MS' doorstep. What idiot would, in 2001 (the age of the internet), ship Windows XP with FIVE open ports? The same idiots who are now falling all over themselves to raise money to buy Yahoo in order to unseat . . . Google. LOL.

 

[bytethese]

Yes.

Then you did something wrong.

Just because there are very few virus's or such for Mac at this point in time does not mean there wont be, OSX can be exploited if someone really wants to, although it is a lot harder.

LINK

It's an old article but its true.

Good link, shows that it's not market share, but that OS X is based on a BSD platform which is inherently more secure than a DOS based system. Not only is it a user based answer for the question at hand, it's almost 5yrs old. You might want to check the source before actually using it to support an argument.

 

[rtheb]

You're lucky if you see that screen. Being forced to hard reboot and having nothing logged about it is much more common.

Even more common...

 

[DonSqueak]

Windows 7 is definitely shaping up to be the best version of Windows ever. It's so good I am actually considering switching back to the Microsoft platform. Like a lot of Mac users, I spend the majority of my time in bootcamp anyway running a Windows OS just so I can run the best software.

I could sell my old Macs, buy brand new PCs with the money and have still have change.

But I will wait for the final version of Windows 7 to hit retail before I make a decision. Microsoft has a history of messing things up in the final stages of the development process.

Coming from you, this sounds like Apple is surely gonna lose all their loyal customers.