New Mac Ads: V Word and Bean Counter

[Clayne]

It is kinda ironic, that Apple is attacking Microsofts ad campaign with their OWN ad campaign.

but then again..apple already has a smooth runnin OS, unlike Vista.

 

[afrowq]

There can also be differences in how the money is spent. For example, I see a lot of MS advertisements in print (Magazines, etc) for Microsoft. Also, they might be also spending some of their money by subsidizing Dell, HP, etc, hardware ads (similar to how Automakers help pay for local dealership ads).




Since you wanted a hijacking...

Most beef sold is hamburger rather than steak, so obviously burgers taste better?

In any event, the crux of the FW debate is partially that some portion of existing Apple customers have built up a not-insignificant installed base of Firewire peripherals in the post-SCSI era, and the interface was supported across the entire product line. However, the key is that for Apple to get rid of FW before something demonstrably better is available is a clear step backwards, and a dangerous precidence.

I have no qualms with Apple offering a 'Switcher' product, but the underlying disconcerting issue is that Apple appears to be willing to sacrifice their relationship to existing customers in order to cater to expansion through new, unproven consumers ... historially, this is a bad business decision in a down economy.




Perhaps that's because you're only 23 years old, and you still consider the task of resolving various computer glitches to be "interesting" instead of frustrating.



The eye-opener is to be exposed to a different OS after you've been eating the MS dogfood for years. It isn't until then that you realize: "Hey, I've been eating freaking DOG FOOD!"

The truism is that you're happy until you realize that there's something better, and you don't have to be content eating dog food.

YMMV. Personally, I've also been using both OS's for decades and its not that I can't jump through the hoops but rather that I find the need to do so far more frequently on Windows to be banal.

In general, what has happened is that my personal tolerance for "stupid stuff" is lower, because I know that there's better alternatives. Sure, sometimes they cost more, but that's mostly because dog food is cheap.




I used to do that myself, back before you were born. Don't presume that you're somehow smarter or more special than all the other readers.

Some ... perhaps many? ... of us came through our early 20s with the same approach and attitude that you're manifesting. This included DIY building PCs because we could make "better" systems that cost "less" and so forth.

The bottom line? We were simply willing to spend our free time doing something that we gained entertainment from, even though in many cases, the form of "entertainment" was the glee to be saving money. The fallacy is that we considered our free time to be free, whereas it really is not.

Perhaps as your free time becomes more limited, you'll choose to change the way that you spend it. And for part of that, perhaps you'll decide choose to "throw money at" various challenges so that they consume less of your time. Doesn't matter if it is DIY building a PC, or paying someone to pull an oil change in your car instead of doing it yourself...life is full of trade-offs.

I no longer consider the care & feeding of a PC to be an interesting, "fun" to do hobby, so I no longer DIY build my own PCs, and I choose PCs that I have learned are of demonstrably lower maintenance. Ultimately, its my time and I'll choose to spend it as I wish.


-hh

post of the year

 

[jwett]

pretty funny but apple probably spends more money on advertising than MS does (but what do I know?). I have never seen an MS ad on TV but I've seen plenty of Mac ads.

If apple spent less $ on advertising maybe they could use the money they saved to put a DVD burner in the Mac mini...lol.

This is very true, in the past and present. I'm pretty sure Apple's ad budget is more than MS' current venture. Before the recent MS ads that are out now, it was nearly impossible to find an ad for MS anything besides a sporadic MSN event sponsorship.

the ad kind of reminded me of recent McCain smear ads that leaned more toward falsehoods than any truth. As a daily Mac and Vista user, I can honestly say that I've seen more app crashes in OSX than in Vista in the past 2 years. And as a iPhone 3G and Motorola Q user, they both equally suck, but at least my Q doesn't feel like it's over heating.

 

[Yarg]

So you are comparing Apple's advertisement budget for 25 years with a _single_ advertising campaign for Microsoft, which was shut down after airing two commercials?

Not at all. However, I bet the 2007 Apple advertising budget far exceeds the 2007 Windows budget. In fact, I know it does. For Apple to poke at Windows because they spend so much on advertising is hypocritical.

 

[Fuchal]

Not at all. However, I bet the 2007 Apple advertising budget far exceeds the 2007 Windows budget. In fact, I know it does. For Apple to poke at Windows because they spend so much on advertising is hypocritical.

Except that Apple also spends the money to make sure their OS works. Especially with Snow Leopard.

 

[skwoytek]

Not at all. However, I bet the 2007 Apple advertising budget far exceeds the 2007 Windows budget. In fact, I know it does. For Apple to poke at Windows because they spend so much on advertising is hypocritical.

In fact, you know it does? Unless you work for Microsoft, YDKS. Since the beginning of the "Get a Mac" ad campaign... The companies don't break the dollar amounts down per product.

Microsoft 2006 - Sales and Marketing: $9,818,000,000 (22% of net sales).

Apple 2006 - Selling, general, and administrative expenses: $2,433,000,000 (13% of net sales)


Microsoft 2007 Sales and Marketing: $11,455,000,000 (22% of net sales).

Apple 2007 Selling, general, and administrative expenses: $2,963,000,000 (12% of net sales)


Microsoft 2008 Sales and Marketing: $13,039,000,000 (22% of net sales).

Apple 2007 Selling, general, and administrative expenses: Fiscal year ended Sept 30, 2008. Earnings announcement Oct 22, 2008 (tomorrow).


Microsoft is spending almost twice as much of their net sales on advertising compared to Apple.

 

[pizzach]

Not at all. However, I bet the 2007 Apple advertising budget far exceeds the 2007 Windows budget. In fact, I know it does. For Apple to poke at Windows because they spend so much on advertising is hypocritical.

Some numbers/sources would give your post some teeth. Apple was just making fun of something that most people stammered. $10 million for getting Jerry Seinfeld to play in a commercial. Nothing more, nothing less. You're going out of your way to get indignant.

I'm going to nitpick at your post for a second. Are you seriously trying to compare Apples total marketing budget for all of it's products against only Microsoft's Windows budget?

 

[glassmen07]

Not at all. However, I bet the 2007 Apple advertising budget far exceeds the 2007 Windows budget. In fact, I know it does. For Apple to poke at Windows because they spend so much on advertising is hypocritical.

If that be true, Apple at least spent it on more than 2-4 ads.

 

[ptjh]

YES! quality US 'trash talkin' at its best I took it as ironic though seen as apple are one of the kings of advertising

 

[whatever]

Lame, the Microsoft ads are not about an operating system...so why bring Vista into this. This is Apple just being smartasses.

Microsoft could hit back with the same ad, big pile on advertising and small pile fixing iphone bugs.....my iphone crashed all the way thoguh the keynote last tuesday....not happy about it...and frankly after so many so called patches to fixe issues, this is complete BS for a company that prides itself on "it just works"

If I was in Microsoft, my next ad would be, "I'm a PC and I have firewire"

I'm sure others have mentioned this, but you of the five different laptops that Apple sells only two do not have Firewire. The cheapest MacBook has one and all the MacBook Pros have one.

I have never seen a Microsoft computer with Firewire or USB or with a video card or ....oh wait Microsoft doesn't make PCs now do they.

Now one of MS's big new ads is the Mojave Experiment. And basically they're saying that if they re-market Vista as Mojave people would like it.

 

[ptjh]

I'm sure others have mentioned this, but you of the five different laptops that Apple sells only two do not have Firewire. The cheapest MacBook has one and all the MacBook Pros have one.

I have never seen a Microsoft computer with Firewire or USB or with a video card or ....oh wait Microsoft doesn't make PCs now do they.

Now one of MS's big new ads is the Mojave Experiment. And basically they're saying that if they re-market Vista as Mojave people would like it.

Almost all Pc that microsoft run on have at leat one FW port.

 

[whatever]

Funny, I was thinking maybe Apple should keep their advertising money and lower the insane margins on their computers so more people would buy them instead of getting a similair PC for around 30-40% less. The only company that seems to rip you off more when buying a computer is Sony, Apple must like 2nd place or something.

The thing is that Apple shouldn't lower the price on their computers because people are buying them. In fact consumers are buying more Macs now then they have ever done before.

So if people are willing to pay for Mac, which they are, why the hell would Apple lower their prices.

People always bring up how cheap Dells are, but guess what sales of Macs are on a upturn and sales of the lower priced Dell are on a severe downturn. Can Dell raise their prices to increase their margins...Nope! That ship as sailed!

 

[whatever]

Almost all Pc that microsoft run on have at leat one FW port.

Really almost all....

Let's go to Dell's website and look at some laptops:

Their featured laptop is the Inspiron 13, three models and none of them have firewire.

The Dell Inspiron Mini 9...no Firewire.

It appears the trend at Dell is that you don't get Firewire with anything with a display under 15".

So almost all really is very accurate now is it.

 

[synth3tik]

Microsoft will not mention Vista

Apple will not mention FireWire or matte screens.

 

[flounder021]

Sorry, but what a pathetic post.

I hope you were joking



amazing - really? They're just the same crap Apple have been doing for years, it stopped being funny a while back, and no one in the world cares anymore.

just another bitter PC user... Apple anything is the best around. These ad's were hilarious. whoever the ad people are they are amazing.

 

[flounder021]

Not at all. However, I bet the 2007 Apple advertising budget far exceeds the 2007 Windows budget. In fact, I know it does. For Apple to poke at Windows because they spend so much on advertising is hypocritical.

But the fact is MS never had an AD campaign like apple's tv commercials, then they try and bring a washed up comedian in to try and compete with steve jobs and apple.. that can never happen for MS. ever. no competition.

 

[doctoree]

I got an idea for a spot Apple can launch when they will launch Snow Leopard next year:

Mac and PC are on the stage and each of them has one good friend standing next to them: Their graphics cards.

There is a huge pile of boxes on the ground infront of mac and pc. Mac and pc start to carry away these boxes.(They look slightly different so you can tell which box belongs to whom) Mac's Graphics Card guy helps mac and also carries away these boxes. Which is why they are quickly finished. While pc is still working on his boxes his Graphics Card guy got himself a beach chair and a cool drink and relaxes watching his frined pc.
Doc

 

[tssfulk]

Apple's Get a Mac ads crash Safari

Anyone else out there with ancient hardware try to watch the ads on Apple's site?

I have a G3 iBook with maxed ram and Tiger. I went to watch the ads, but Safari hanged and crashed. Firefox? Hanged and crashed. Reboot and Safari? Hanged and crashed.

I had to watch the ads at YouTube. Lame. I can play all kinds of movies in VLC. I should be able to watch a streamed video of a 30-sec ad.

 

[stainlessliquid]

In fact, you know it does? Unless you work for Microsoft, YDKS. Since the beginning of the "Get a Mac" ad campaign... The companies don't break the dollar amounts down per product.

Microsoft 2006 - Sales and Marketing: $9,818,000,000 (22% of net sales).

Apple 2006 - Selling, general, and administrative expenses: $2,433,000,000 (13% of net sales)


Microsoft 2007 Sales and Marketing: $11,455,000,000 (22% of net sales).

Apple 2007 Selling, general, and administrative expenses: $2,963,000,000 (12% of net sales)


Microsoft 2008 Sales and Marketing: $13,039,000,000 (22% of net sales).

Apple 2007 Selling, general, and administrative expenses: Fiscal year ended Sept 30, 2008. Earnings announcement Oct 22, 2008 (tomorrow).


Microsoft is spending almost twice as much of their net sales on advertising compared to Apple.

Now if only there were actual Windows ads to support this!

How much of that advertising was for the Xbox 360 and how much of it was for Windows?

 

[knightlie]

Sure. That's why 95% of the world's computer users still choose Windows ahead of OSX or Linux.

The majority of corporate users don't choose Windows, they use it because it's put in front of them and they have no choice. So not only is your 95% figure wrong in terms of actual market share, it's wrong in terms of general accuracy. And regardless of what figures you pull out of your ass, the OP is correct in that a great many Windows users have a frustrating experience using Windows, whether they chose it or not.

 

[knightlie]

Not at all. However, I bet the 2007 Apple advertising budget far exceeds the 2007 Windows budget. In fact, I know it does. For Apple to poke at Windows because they spend so much on advertising is hypocritical.

You KNOW it does? Evidence....? And we're talking about Microsoft's current $300mil campaign, not previous years.

 

[djellison]

The Dell Inspiron Mini 9...no Firewire.

That's a web-book. Typical Apple fanboy behaviour - to not compare like with like. 50% of the people here are dying for Apple to make a machine like that. 50% of the people here think it's a toy. It's a smaller machine than the Air.

Let's look at actual 13" laptops.

]It appears the trend at Dell is that you don't get Firewire with anything with a display under 15".

Really?

Let's compare a machine that is analogous to the new MacBook, The Inspiron 13, or the XPSM1330

Both have firewire
Both have memory card readers
Both have external video ports that don't require adaptors (the XPS has HDMI as well as VGA)
Both have express-card slots

Even their cheap as hell Inspiron 1420 has firewire (and a Bluray option)

So, infact, ALL their laptops have firewire, and their tiny solid state web-book (like the EEE PC, MSI Wind etc) does not.

Please, if you're going to defend Apple's decision to remove Firewire from their new MacBook - do so with a HINT of reality. Don't be a totally blinkered fanboy devoid of all fact. Be honest. Stand up and say

"Yes - Apple took Firewire out of the new Macbook to force those who want to use Firewire to buy the Mac Book Pro - and an expensive FW800 to 400 cable). It's nothing but a marketing ploy. "

Doug

 

[MacTraveller]

A very splendid Apple attempt to.... to get Ballmer to go into a frenzy. Ballmer will go absolutely ballistic.

 

[Erwin-Br]

Funny thread. I bet some of the fanboys would even defend Apple when they decided to downgrade their macBooks with black and white screens.

"You guys are a bunch of whiners. Who needs colors anyways? Go buy a PC if you don't like it!"

 

[haravikk]

While the points made are excellent ones, and the ads pretty good, I feel this is the wrong direction to be taking. Apple shouldn't really get bogged down into a negative advertising "war", especially when lots of casual computer users are unlikely to really get the reference. It'd be better to just concentrate on extolling the virtues of the Mac and OS X.