Stupid Mac vs. PC Commercials

[flamesdyehard]

I cannot stand these terrible commercials anymore. That Mac guy is a complete loser, look at him. Just look at him. The stupid music, it's horrible. I can't stand it anymore. Does anyone like these?

[Jayems]

Its about 10,000,000 times better than having to listen to a dog eat food for 30 seconds

[Thunderball]

I'm sure some people like them, but I think they definitely jumped the shark with the average viewer.

The arrogant apple subculture just doesn't have widespread appeal, despite having some good product.

[Cactus Jack]

I'm not an Apple guy but there products are good. However, weren't Macs only 2% of the PC world? Have these commercials done anything to change that? They are fancy products but much more expensive and will likely never penetrate the market as it is currently if they haven't done so already.
________
Brunette Chubby (http://www.####tube.com/categories/418/chubby/videos/1)

[worth]

I think apple has done an absolute brilliant job of marketing their product. I won't ever buy a mac computer because I like to build my own PC's but I don't think microsoft ever or any computer manufacturers ever though apple could ever take the market share they have, build a following like they have, and made it cool to own a mac.

I really have to hand it to them as it seemed like an impossible task, and they’ve done well.

I think those commercials were a great catalyst for them and they have served them well. I’ve sure they’ve swayed many minds, and they’ve brought apple to the forefront with these commercials.

I find them mildly entertaining, but the time will come when they have run their course. Just like the “dude, you’re getting a dell” guy.

Market share:

http://apple20.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2008/04/01/analyst-apples-us-consumer-market-share-now-21-percent/

"In the consumer market, where Apple does compete, he estimates the Mac’s share is now 10% worldwide and an impressive 21% in the U.S.'

That's a huge number to me, and I don't think anyone thought that was possible 5 years ago.

[Sainters7]

I used to think they were funny, but its way overdone now. It's actually made me not want to get a Mac, because from these commercials I find they come off as arrogant and annoying.

[C_Rush]

I'm a hardcore Mac user and eschew anything to do with Microsoft. I still laugh my arse off at the commercials.

[BlackEleven]

They started out kind of funny with a couple good points. Now they've got smug and condescending. All that's going to achieve is preaching to the choir; I doubt it will convince many to make the switch from PC.

The worst one is where they are critizing Windows for spending a lot of money on an ad campaign instead of fixing bugs. Hmm... Mac meet irony...

[missdpuck]

The commercials are kind of annoying, but I don't think "loser" when I see the Mac guy...more like rich but scruffy graphic artist. Which could be just want they want me to think:bag:

[greyshep]

I wont likely ever own a mac myself. But I love these commercials.

Some are groaners, but more often than not I find myself laughing out loud at them.

They are right on the mark when it comes to poking fun at Vista. Maybe you need to have experienced some of the pain with this brutal OS before you can really find the humor in the ads.

[greyshep]

They started out kind of funny with a couple good points. Now they've got smug and condescending. All that's going to achieve is preaching to the choir; I doubt it will convince many to make the switch from PC.

The worst one is where they are critizing Windows for spending a lot of money on an ad campaign instead of fixing bugs. Hmm... Mac meet irony...

There is certainly some irony there, you are right.

However that particular ad is great. It is so true. That is why its funny, to me at least.

[devel]

Its about 10,000,000 times better than having to listen to a dog eat food for 30 seconds

Haha, my husband hates those dog food commercials so much that he'll pause it for 30s with the pvr and then fast forward past it.

On topic, I am also sick of the mac vs pc commercials. When they first started doing them there was some humor but now they've just gone overboard. Time to move on from the greasy mac guy.

[C_Rush]

I wont likely ever own a mac myself. But I love these commercials.

Some are groaners, but more often than not I find myself laughing out loud at them.

They are right on the mark when it comes to poking fun at Vista. Maybe you need to have experienced some of the pain with this brutal OS before you can really find the humor in the ads.

Had a laptop with Vista, sold it a month later it sucked so bad. Went back to my Macbook and will never stray again.

[MaxPower]

The worst one is where they are critizing Windows for spending a lot of money on an ad campaign instead of fixing bugs. Hmm... Mac meet irony...

I don't see any irony there...

Yeah the ads have run their course, but I thought it was an excellent campaign.

[troutman]

The PC guy is often on The Daily Show

[Flash]

I used to think they were hilarious, but the biggest reaction they get out of me is the occasional chuckle. I'll probably never buy a Mac, I'm actually quite a fan of Microsoft. I've had Vista for just over a year now and haven't experienced any problems with it.

[GirlySports]

They're everywhere!

http://prairiewrangler.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/obam.gif?w=500&h=379

[COGENT]

I cannot stand these terrible commercials anymore. That Mac guy is a complete loser, look at him. Just look at him. The stupid music, it's horrible. I can't stand it anymore. Does anyone like these?
Considering the sales apple has had over the last few years, I'm thinking the advertising is working pretty good.

I think the commercials are very smart. So smart that Microsoft had to try it for themselves.

[Robbob]

I can never look at the Mac guy the same after I found out he was in that Britney Spears movie crossroads.

For me some are amusing some are meh...

[COGENT]

I can never look at the Mac guy the same after I found out he was in that Britney Spears movie crossroads. Yah, but he was also in Dodgeball! So to be fair, he is back at even in my books.

[4X4]

I hate most commercials, but I hate this line of commercials more than most. It's just gotten so old. Yeah, yeah... We get it. The cool kids are using Macs and the stodgy evil businessmen use pcs. Give it up already.
I thought at first they were quite clever, but now they're just so recycled that it's annoying. The music has long been nails on a chalkboard and the mere image of either of those goofs makes me roll my eyes.

I'm surprised that some of you have laughed at (with) any of these commercials. I've never seen any humour in them any more than a Chevy vs Ford truck commercial.

[Sainters7]

Yah, but he was also in Dodgeball! So to be fair, he is back at even in my books.

...and he made out with Superman(Brandon Routh) in Zack and Miri Make a Porno. So where does that place him now?(though it was a funny cameo)

[czure32]

this thread made me think of this

some NSF language
clYOR8vLgE8

[BlackEleven]

I don't see any irony there...


Because there are no bugs on Mac that could be fixed ... ?

Don't get me wrong, I'm a bigger MS basher than most and haven't run an MS O/S (work or home) in years, but Mac could certainly be spending money on improving their own product rather than on an ad attacking MS for doing the exact same thing.

[Montana Moe]

Isn't he pretty hot and heavy with Drew Barrymore? That's cool.

[Phaneuf3]

Because there are no bugs on Mac that could be fixed ... ?

Don't get me wrong, I'm a bigger MS basher than most and haven't run an MS O/S (work or home) in years, but Mac could certainly be spending money on improving their own product rather than on an ad attacking MS for doing the exact same thing.
yea i heard the iphone is particularly bad for bugs and crashes. i've never owned one cause those things are ridiculous and over priced so everything i've got is hearsay but...

[Dan02]

Mac will never top the ad they put on the cnet windows vista review. Even as a person who has/will never buy one, that ad was bloody brilliant.

[The Yen Man]

I see these commericals gradually going the way of the Telus commericals if they don't quit while their ahead. That is, they'll milk one clever concept so much that all it does is annoy.

I mean, I don't know about you, but those Telus commericals make me hate Telus even more. Its like they don't even bother to do anything different anymore. Lets put a white background and have some animals run around. And then lets run this ad campaign for the next 10 years straight. Its brilliant!

[GirlySports]

Yah, but he was also in Dodgeball! So to be fair, he is back at even in my books.

I remember him in HERBIE with Lindsay Lohan.

[4X4]

I see these commericals gradually going the way of the Telus commericals if they don't quit while their ahead. That is, they'll milk one clever concept so much that all it does is annoy.

I mean, I don't know about you, but those Telus commericals make me hate Telus even more. Its like they don't even bother to do anything different anymore. Lets put a white background and have some animals run around. And then lets run this ad campaign for the next 10 years straight. Its brilliant!


Speaking of that, can anyone confirm that those were originally Clearnet commercials from before clearnet was bought by Telus? I seem to remember that, but I was talking about this to someone the other day and she was vehement that they were the brainchild of her beloved employer, Telus.

[The Yen Man]

Speaking of that, can anyone confirm that those were originally Clearnet commercials from before clearnet was bought by Telus? I seem to remember that, but I was talking about this to someone the other day and she was vehement that they were the brainchild of her beloved employer, Telus.

I also remember that they were originally Clearnet commercials, and it won an award for them. Then Telus bought them out, and used the commercials for themselves.

[Cactus Jack]

I see these commericals gradually going the way of the Telus commericals if they don't quit while their ahead. That is, they'll milk one clever concept so much that all it does is annoy.

I mean, I don't know about you, but those Telus commericals make me hate Telus even more. Its like they don't even bother to do anything different anymore. Lets put a white background and have some animals run around. And then lets run this ad campaign for the next 10 years straight. Its brilliant!

When Telus bought Clearnet, they kept their advertising backgrounds and themes and haven't altered them a bit since. That was well over 10 years ago. I agree, I hate the company and its commercials. I put them on the evil corporation list with Walmart, Disney, Nike, McDonalds, etc.
________
COLORADO MEDICAL MARIJUANA (http://colorado.dispensaries.org/)

[4X4]

I thought so.

And yeah, those commercials have jumped the shark many times over as well.

[Cowboy89]

I wont likely ever own a mac myself. But I love these commercials.

Some are groaners, but more often than not I find myself laughing out loud at them.

They are right on the mark when it comes to poking fun at Vista. Maybe you need to have experienced some of the pain with this brutal OS before you can really find the humor in the ads.

I bought a new laptop in late August with Vista. I ran into trouble with the DVD/CD drive disappearing in "My computer" and even on the device manager console. I was right pissed with Microsoft and ready to buy a mac book until I researched my problem further and discovered that the problem was actually the iTunes program. Now since I realize that it was Apple all along for the compatibility issue I won't reward them with a PC conversion.

[MaxPower]

Because there are no bugs on Mac that could be fixed ... ?

Don't get me wrong, I'm a bigger MS basher than most and haven't run an MS O/S (work or home) in years, but Mac could certainly be spending money on improving their own product rather than on an ad attacking MS for doing the exact same thing.

Well my point is, the Mac vs. PC ads cost a lot less than the Seinfeld... advertisements(?) that Microsoft used.

Then Windows, a company that makes Operating Systems as it primary function, builds a OS that's almost universally regarded as a buggy POS. No Macs aren't perfect, but they aren't that bad either.

I'm sure MS learned from Vista and Windows 7 will be a much better product, but in the meantime, Apple did an awesome job of capitalizing on the bad press generated by Vista.

[worth]

ohhh yeahh, i remember those clearnet commercials. I'm pretty sure they were clearnet first...

[worth]

I really don't think the problems with Vista are as bad as they are perceived. I think those mac commercials have swayed a lot of people sub consciously that Vista is a poor operating system. Vistas problems cam from no driver support in the early days.

I have run vista for over a year and it is the most stable operating system i've ever run hands down. There are annoying features with it, but they can all be turned off or customized. Once you've done that, the thing is a rock IMO.

Apple has done a great job of persuading people that vista is horrible.

[Russic]

I still find them funny, but then again I'll admit that I have a large mac bias. I was a big fan of PC when I first saw him on the daily show and I love dodgeball so I immediately enjoyed the actors.

I think the ad campaigns have made a big difference in sales. The products in my opinion have been strong enough to back up a lot of what they're saying. Of course it isn't perfect, no system is, but they market to a certain type of user and they do it well.

That all being said, I do wonder if the crowd on the fence is finding it too annoying. Mac fans seem to love them, but that isn't really the intention.

[MoneyGuy]

I love those ads. Some of you are saying that the content may be stretching the truth a bit, but think about their purpose. I think they're meeting their objective and they're entertaining. Would you rather see a commercial about some guy sitting at the breakfast table eating cereal or some person yelling at you to buy their cars? These are way better than 90% of the rest of the commercials we have to suffer through. People complain too much.

[FanIn80]

I tried to respond to this thread, but my Vista machine locked up and now I'm getting BSOD errors on boot.

...so I switched to my MacBook and posted from it instead.






Edit: The contents of this post may or may not contain trace amounts of accuracy.

[octothorp]

I think they've reached a point where they've really maxed out on what they can do as far as converting PC users to Mac, but they still have advertising value in terms of defining Apple's brand and helping to retain customers. In a lot of ways, they were as a diametric opposite to the ipod commericals, which have no dialogue, lots of colour and lots of up-tempo music, and the two play off one another really well for brand identity.

[Got Miikka?]

The problem with these Mac ads is the same one that the stupid Telus ads have - they're played out! How many times can you dredge the same well? It's like, guys, is this really all you've got? Really? After all these years, you don't have the creative wherewithal in your ad department to come up with something fresh? Which I suppose, for the Mac ads at least, is almost ironic, given that they seem to be hawking their product as this colorful, creative tool. But, something must be working- either that or the demographic is so built in and the revenue so foregone that the advertising slant doesn't even matter. Clearly Mac and Telus are doing OK for themselves, even if their commercials are nauseating, annoying, and soooo stupid.

Still, as bad as they are - and I really hate the Telus ads, with so much of my soul - nothing can annoy the piss out of me these days like that new truck commercial with the idiots singing Hi-Ho. Lord help me, if I am ever walking down the street and I hear a kid singing that song because he just saw Snow White, I am going to strangle that kid. Is this what Ford wants? They want to make murderers of gentle, peace-loving folk like me? I can't even watch that commercial anymore, it fills me with such rage. I have to mute it and avert my eyes, or I become uncontrollably filled with violent anger. I don't know what I might do. /derail

[MaxPower]

The problem with these Mac ads is the same one that the stupid Telus ads have - they're played out! How many times can you dredge the same well? It's like, guys, is this really all you've got? Really? After all these years, you don't have the creative wherewithal in your ad department to come up with something fresh? Which I suppose, for the Mac ads at least, is almost ironic, given that they seem to be hawking their product as this colorful, creative tool. But, something must be working- either that or the demographic is so built in and the revenue so foregone that the advertising slant doesn't even matter. Clearly Mac and Telus are doing OK for themselves, even if their commercials are nauseating, annoying, and soooo stupid.

Still, as bad as they are - and I really hate the Telus ads, with so much of my soul - nothing can annoy the piss out of me these days like that new truck commercial with the idiots singing Hi-Ho. Lord help me, if I am ever walking down the street and I hear a kid singing that song because he just saw Snow White, I am going to strangle that kid. Is this what Ford wants? They want to make murderers of gentle, peace-loving folk like me? I can't even watch that commercial anymore, it fills me with such rage. I have to mute it and avert my eyes, or I become uncontrollably filled with violent anger. I don't know what I might do. /derail

Seek help.

[4X4]

Still, as bad as they are - and I really hate the Telus ads, with so much of my soul - nothing can annoy the piss out of me these days like that new truck commercial with the idiots singing Hi-Ho. Lord help me, if I am ever walking down the street and I hear a kid singing that song because he just saw Snow White, I am going to strangle that kid. Is this what Ford wants? They want to make murderers of gentle, peace-loving folk like me? I can't even watch that commercial anymore, it fills me with such rage. I have to mute it and avert my eyes, or I become uncontrollably filled with violent anger. I don't know what I might do. /derail

LOL. That's me with the Wiskas commercials with the loser pretending to be a cat.

[FanIn80]

LOL. That's me with the Wiskas commercials with the loser pretending to be a cat.

No meat? No Hubert. :no:

[schnee]

I really don't think the problems with Vista are as bad as they are perceived. I think those mac commercials have swayed a lot of people sub consciously that Vista is a poor operating system. Vistas problems cam from no driver support in the early days.

I have run vista for over a year and it is the most stable operating system i've ever run hands down. There are annoying features with it, but they can all be turned off or customized. Once you've done that, the thing is a rock IMO.

Apple has done a great job of persuading people that vista is horrible.

I banished you. You are banished.
(I've never used Vista.. so have not clue.. but that commercial did make me laugh).

Wasn't the PC guy in the movie Jeepers Creepers?

[Got Miikka?]

Seek help.

Isn't it funny - this has all been after therapy. :confused:

[troutman]

I banished you. You are banished.
(I've never used Vista.. so have not clue.. but that commercial did make me laugh).

Wasn't the PC guy in the movie Jeepers Creepers?

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0519043/

A likable, boyish-looking actor with thick eyebrows and a friendly smile, Justin Long is a native of Connecticut.

[Bill Bumface]

I helped my parents set up their new computer this year (Vista SP1) and bought myself a MacBook a couple weeks ago to see what all the hype was.

Vista was WAY easier to get everything configured/running (getting my MacBook to print was a 4 hour exercise) and I've had more crashes already with my MacBook than they have with Vista in a few months.

The biggest problem with Vista is third party software/drivers. No one that programmed windows apps for years knows how to program for a system that has a locked down OS. They are use to everyone being an administrator and being able to change whatever system files they want (which caused a lot of instability in Windows). That's why you are inindated with those annoying security popups. OS X has them too, but they come up rarely because people that program on a Linux/Unix based system aren't used to being allowed to change system files.

The Mac is pretty cool and there are many things I really like about it, but also many that drive me nuts. It's not light years ahead of a windows machine like most mac users (who always seem to act like they invented the Mac or own a billion shares in the company and therefore defend them to the death) will tell you.

[FanIn80]

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0519043/

A likable, boyish-looking actor with thick eyebrows and a friendly smile, Justin Long is a native of Connecticut.

That's the Mac guy. :ph34r:

[Resolute 14]

The first round of these mac vs. pc commercials were very well done, and pretty smart.

The latest round is stupid beyond belief.

If I was considering buying a computer today, the latest batch of commercials would have been enough to turn me away from Apple.

[sclitheroe]

Vista was WAY easier to get everything configured/running (getting my MacBook to print was a 4 hour exercise) and I've had more crashes already with my MacBook than they have with Vista in a few months.

The biggest problem with Vista is third party software/drivers.

It's not light years ahead of a windows machine like most mac users (who always seem to act like they invented the Mac or own a billion shares in the company and therefore defend them to the death) will tell you.

1. If your Mac is crashing, as you put it, there is something wrong with the Mac, period. They are very stable. Most of the applications you find out there are pretty stable to. On the whole, I find that the Mac shareware scene has consistently higher quality apps for what you pay, although that's a landscape also littered with awful apps on both platforms too.

2. The biggest problem with Vista is not third party drivers, its a broken driver model that puts drivers in the kernel where failures (and failures happen, no matter how well written a driver is) can take down the whole system. This is actually getting better in Vista than it was in XP, with more driver code running in user space (print drivers, especially), but there is still a good chunk of driver code that runs in kernel space.

3. I agree, the Mac isn't light years ahead. Lots of features that people crow about, like Time Machine, are already in Windows. Microsoft calls it "Previous Versions" and "Volume Shadow Copies", and as a result, the average user has no idea what they do, where to find them, or how to use them effectively. The key value that the Mac platform brings is the integration and polish of these features. I can ship a USB hard drive to a computer newbie in another province, tell them to plug it in, flip the huge Time Machine switch in preferences (and its literally a huge visual toggle switch), and now they have backups, and I don't have to worry anymore.

Printing on the Mac does suck, its terrible. No argument there.

[iggypop]

(getting my MacBook to print was a 4 hour exercise)


Printing on the Mac does suck, its terrible. No argument there.

Really? Why?

All the printers I have used, I just plug them in (USB or Ethernet) and hit print. Bam, it prints. No software to load or anything. Just hit print, and it prints.

Maybe I've been lucky.

[Mike F]

The ads amused me for a while, mainly because of John Hodgman (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3406253575047533651), but they've grown stale and repetitive, and as someone who has run a Vista machine since April with no crashes or other problems, they're completely inaccurate insofar as my experience.

[ricosuave]

^ word. i've been running vista since its lognhorn beta days with nary an issue. I dont know what the fuss is all about...

also, I cant take the mac guy seriously because of his performance in die hard 4.

edit: although I do find the buzzer one amusing, the way the pc guy says 'oh' at the end when he misses a vista buzz.

[sclitheroe]

Really? Why?

All the printers I have used, I just plug them in (USB or Ethernet) and hit print. Bam, it prints. No software to load or anything. Just hit print, and it prints.

Maybe I've been lucky.

Try network printing...it can be a bear.

Edited for more detail - stupid stuff like trying to change the IP address or DNS name of a networked printer once you've defined the queue

[Burninator]

The ads were funny at first, but they have been running them for way too long. The ship has sailed on the humour of this shtick long ago.

Like others in this thread Vista has been great for me. Hardly any issues. It's been the best OS I've used. I have more problems with my iPhone than Vista.

[V]

also, I cant take the mac guy seriously because of his performance in die hard 4.


He was in the TV show Ed, so I will be a fan for life. No matter how bad he was in die hard 4.

[Buff]

1. If your Mac is crashing, as you put it, there is something wrong with the Mac, period. They are very stable. Most of the applications you find out there are pretty stable to. On the whole, I find that the Mac shareware scene has consistently higher quality apps for what you pay, although that's a landscape also littered with awful apps on both platforms too.

I'm a mac user at work. I was very resistant to introducing them to the work place but I'd have to say that I'm impressed. However, they aren't as stable as people make them out to be. They aren't perfect, they crash too. Right now we have 7 Macs deployed in our office and I know that 3 of them have crashed at least once, and 3 others have had a couple of minor bugs. Overall the Mac OS is more stable than windows though, but it ain't perfect.

[I-Hate-Hulse]

http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/3012/macpcom5.jpg

[Flamesguy_SJ]

I like that Windows is taking the "Mac vs PC" idea and going in their own direction.

I'm a PC!
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