What's with Apple's commercials?

[artdutra04]

Why do people get so touchy about their computer operating system, to the point of flame wars?

Really, whether you use Mac OS X, Windows, Linux, or whatever doesn't make that much difference to anyone else except you.

Who cares if someone else spends $2000 on a computer that you think you can build for $600. Why is it that this causes flame wars, but you'll never see flame wars for people who buy a BMW or Audi instead of a Toyota or Ford? If your only measure of a car is its cost, then BMW or Audi are obviously a lot more expensive for something that gets you from point A to B (and would therefore be "dumb" or "too expensive" or earn comments like "my $500 car can do that").

But obviously different people look for different things from their cars, just as different people look for different things from their OS. Some people like reliability. Some like cheap cost. Some like gaming. Some like video editing. Some like running servers. For different reasons, they will choose different OSes; whether its OSX or Windows or whatever. Sometimes they use multiple OSes, to get the best benefits of all of them, while trying to avoid their shortcomings.

That being said, right now post is being written from my iMac in OSX. It could also have come from my iMac in Vista, or my laptop in XP. There's no way you can tell. But the post came through, right?


Getting back to the topic of this thread, which was Apple's advertising, I'd say that it honestly doesn't matter. Who cares what Apple puts in their commercials? If you don't like it, change the channel. But at the end of the day, those ads get stuck in everyone's heads. Whether you like Macs or not, you remember those commercials. Like the Geico ones with the cavemen, or the animated Esurance ones, or the Bud-Wei-Ser frogs from back in the day, you don't forget a good commercial. And that's the point of effective marketing.

If you really want my two cents on marketing, here it is:

• Apple - While their "I'm a Mac..." ads have done great in the branding department, I don't think they do OSX justice. And its getting kind of old. Really, just take a screen capture of average people using the computer for normal things (like some mom sending photos of her kids to the grandparents, or someone else taking their video from their digital camera, editing it, and posting to Youtube), and film the people's reactions and the product would sell like hot cakes. For bonus points, first show people who would typically be the ones to call Geek Squad and show them how easy it is to use Macs, as that's the most likely target audience that would switch. Remember: Apple is a company dedicated to average people and creative professionals.
• Microsoft - Has usually had a lot of dumb commercials over the years, with the exception of their most recent "I'm a PC" one. Great counter to Apple's ads, though it does nothing to prove anything about the actual OS. Then again, Microsoft is by far the dominate market share leader, and its OS sells itself. The only Microsoft marketing that I see as useful is for things like Exchange, Sharepoint, or Server 2008, or similar things. Remember: Microsoft is usually a lot more dedicated to companies and professional corporate users, and is traditionally at its best with working with software for those priorities (read: Office, Exchange, Sharepoint, etc).

My Mac:
Congrats on buying a Mac. Would you please type in your personal information so I can send it to the Jobs mothership in orbit? Please? No? I won't let you use your computer until you do. Oh, and you want a .Mac account right? It'll only be another $60 a year for some trivial services. Oh, but they're integrated into your operating system, so they're exciting! Didn't want that with your OS? Well, I'll just plop little menu entries in various places to remind you. But you are going to sign up with iTunes, right? No? But you're missing out on all the great features, like the way I lock up---erm, liberate---your music! You can even get album art if you sign up! Just choose Visa, Mastercard, or Discover.

Windows isn't any different; they still ask for your name at install, they still bundle Live Services, Internet Explorer, and Windows Media Player so far deep into the OS that its practically impossible to extricate, they still siphon off personal info whenever they can, and they still try to sell you things like 60 trials of MS Office. (Ever notice how Office seems to know your personal info when being inserted into documents?)

For that matter, Google isn't much different either. Have Gmail? Use Google Search a lot? Watch a lot of YouTube videos? I bet they have gigabytes of information on you.

[Koko Ed]

Advertising isn't supposed to tell you the truth. It's there to sell you a perception so you'll buy their product because if they were actually selling the truth then they'd have to admit to their warts too.
Tell people what they want to hear and hope that is enough to get them to buy what you're selling. Perception fuels reality.

[Mazin]

Originally Posted by artdutra04

Windows isn't any different; they still ask for your name at install, they still bundle Live Services, Internet Explorer, and Windows Media Player so far deep into the OS that its practically impossible to extricate, they still siphon off personal info whenever they can, and they still try to sell you things like 60 trials of MS Office. (Ever notice how Office seems to know your personal info when being inserted into documents?)

For that matter, Google isn't much different either. Have Gmail? Use Google Search a lot? Watch a lot of YouTube videos? I bet they have gigabytes of information on you.

I didn't say Windows was any better. It's sad that the assumption is, if not a Mac, Windows. It leads to a race to the bottom. Even still, Windows force you to type in your personal information when you first use your computer, nor does it nag you to pay for Live.

For that matter, Google is different. What information they do have is from the course of using their services, and it's information that they're probably legally bound to keep for a while too. They did not force me to put in my name, nor did they nag me to upgrade to the paid version of Gmail.

[Kyle]

Originally Posted by Mazin

I didn't say Windows was any better. It's sad that the assumption is, if not a Mac, Windows. It leads to a race to the bottom. Even still, Windows force you to type in your personal information when you first use your computer, nor does it nag you to pay for Live.

For that matter, Google is different. What information they do have is from the course of using their services, and it's information that they're probably legally bound to keep for a while too. They did not force me to put in my name, nor did they nag me to upgrade to the paid version of Gmail.

I just bought a new Macbook Pro, it came with 2gig of RAM, I went online, bought 4 gig's for less then $80, Apple really over prices extras on their online store but who wouldn't? Its easy money for them and simple business.
This is my first Mac and I love it. The easy of using it, the speed and how seamless everything feels. Yes Mac asked for my info but I have not been forced or even asked to upgrade to anything other then mobile me which I would pay much, much more for because it is so great. I have been asked for more personal info while setting up windows systems then with the Mac.

[Joe Matt]

To quote Gruber again...

Microsoft’s panicked reaction to these Seinfeld ads, yanking them from the air and severing ties with Seinfeld, isn’t because the ads were poorly received. And dropping these ads is a panicked reaction. Let’s not pretend it makes any sense that the Seinfeld spots were planned as a two-episode teaser all along. No one signs Jerry Seinfeld for $10 million in a much-heralded deal to make just two spots that only run for a grand total of two weeks. The most telling fact is that the firm that reached out to the media yesterday to explain that this sudden shift was supposedly the plan all along was not Crispin Porter, the advertising agency producing the campaign, but Waggener Edstrom, Microsoft’s PR firm. Advertising campaigns which are going according to plan do not need PR firms to assert such.

The reaction to the ads wasn’t bad, it was mixed (and/or baffled). But the spots were undeniably successful in one important regard: they were noticed and discussed. I suspect what sparked the panic is that the Seinfeld ads were too good, too accurate at capturing just what it is that Microsoft, as a company and brand, stands for: nothing.

Fun note: people who still start the Mac vs. Windows complaints are Windows users.

[Koko Ed]

It was bound to happen...

[Mazin]

Originally Posted by Joe Matt

Fun note: people who still start the Mac vs. Windows complaints are Windows users.

Absolute rubbish.

[Michael Hill]

Originally Posted by Mazin

Absolute rubbish.

Agreed. Mazin and I both use Linux

[Joe Matt]

Originally Posted by Mazin

Absolute rubbish.

Question still though, you're the only ones throwing a hissy fit over it. This thread, nor similar drifts in other threads, were not started by Mac users.

Here's another one, while we're making blanket, unbaised statements Mazin, why don't you have any real profile information? 1337 was once a registered team, in I believe Germany, that never competed. Yet you living in Indiana. You lack of personal information also pushes the idea you are willing to let the magic of internet annonimity prevail.

Lets also play with with this bit of information too. I have a 4 year old mac that can transfer over 20 gigs of information to an external drive in 30 minutes. Yet you, someone who has not put a face, name, team number, or anything behind your posts, brings up such head scratchers like the 20 minute 17 meg transfer.

I accept the input of those who don't provide information just as much as Billfred and others who have a face, team number, information, and I've met in person; but the point is my points can be refuted by you, just as we are refuting yours. You offer not much background information and just a lot of hoopla (HOOPLA!) to stir up muck. In my above 20 gigs in 30 minutes test I forgot to mention that it was from my HD to an external hooked up using FireWire 800 with nothing else running. And I can assume you post wasn't done under the same circumstances. My files weren't that many, and just a few large ones. You might have had a ton of 1kb files that added up to 17mb.

I have a machine that's 4 years old, runs faster, better, and is in better physical shape than anyone else in my class in college, and I paid slightly more than they did. I got MY value out of it. You get your value out of Linux or whatever the you're using. Don't argue about the machine characteristics vs. value when others don't share it with you.

Now, how about we get it back onto the path of the commercials again?

[Schnabel]

[RANT]OK HERE IS THE DEAL. Vista Sucks. OS X Sucks. Linux Sucks. Now how is it that I came to this realization? Simple, they all do the same thing, but none of them do it perfectly. Also a feature that two of the three may have, the third does not. The thing is that if any of the operating systems were perfect, then we would not have wars over what is better, we would not have problems at all. Sadly though, we don't live in "Physics World" (the world where everything happens as planned according to my teacher), so nothing will work right. Why is it that everyone always focuses on the computers anyways? Has anyone seen the way some other technologies that are younger than computers in general don't work right? For example, we got a new DVD recorder for our entertainment system, and it worked for an hour, then it froze. Why is it that something that is "simple" can't even run the way it's supposed to? What about picture frames? Has anyone noticed that sometimes the most expensive ones end up failing (falling, cracking, discoloring) faster than others? [/RANT]

P.S. I am a Mac user, not a mac, and I see the flaws in both popular operating systems.

[Herodotus]

I've used Windows all my life, and have never had any major issues at all. I see no reason to switch, and no commercial would ever convince me one way or another anyways, as said commercial is produced by the company trying to sell me a product. I prefer to just look at the stats on the computer, read reviews, and try things out for myself.

As for the OS's themselves, the main problem with any Apple computer is that they are just so expensive it's ridiculous. Main problem with Windows is that any prebuilt computer that has a Windows OS on it will be loaded down in bloatware, and will run ALOT slower than it has the potential to. Luckily, I built my last computer from scratch so it generally runs perfectly (unless I do something stupid like, let's say, not insert the RAM in all the way ) and it was MUCH cheaper.

[mrbob1000]

Originally Posted by Michael Hill

Agreed. Mazin and I both use Linux

dont forget about me! i use linux too. (except at school)

apple makes the commercials because they are embarassed by there small user base.

[artdutra04]

Originally Posted by mrbob1000

apple makes the commercials because they are embarassed by there small user base.

By that logic, then obviously Mozilla is embarrassed by their small market share if they have to advertise Firefox through Google.

[Boydean]

I have a mac...I use it and like it. I have a linux server, it works very well. I also have a windows comp, although I hardly boot it up it works fine for the things that I do use it for.

As said before, why do people freak out just because others aren't using the same OS as them. Who cares if they paid double the price for it, it all comes down to what the person prefers using and how productive they are with it.

If your owned a business and the comp OS had nothing to do with what you have to do, would you stop person x from using a different OS if they are more productive on it, then on another OS?

The way I see it, my time is valuable, and if spending twice as much on a computer to be able to do more with my time, then its worth it. As the words of Dr. Pausch -- "You come into my office wanting to talk about if you feel like your money is good here then ill kick you out. But if you want to want to talk about whether your time is good here, then I will talk to you for hours on end."

[Michael Hill]

Originally Posted by Boydean

If your owned a business and the comp OS had nothing to do with what you have to do, would you stop person x from using a different OS if they are more productive on it, then on another OS?

Actually...I would. Volume licenses bro. lol