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Mar 29, 09 - 01:41 pm Comment from: Latin69

But it's cheap!..........

Mar 29, 09 - 01:53 pm Comment from: ericdano

Did you expect anything more from Microsoft?

The bit 9to5Mac caught with the guy walking by epitomizes Microsoft. How hard would it have been to wait 10 seconds so different passersby were in frame?

Wow, the slip-up with the guy in the striped shirt really is awful!
Didn't notice it myself before. Thank God for the internet...

I wonder what's going on at Microsoft right now, as they realize that yet another ad-campaign has been torn apart by the web-community before it could even start to unfold...

Mar 29, 09 - 02:17 pm Comment from: Swordmaker

Of course she did not... Apple would not participate in making a Windows commercial. The sweater guy walking by the Apple Store is an extra... he is paid to be there. Everyone who appears in any commercial has to be paid and sign a release otherwise the production company could be sued for using someone's image without their permission.

Lauren could have made her approach and departure from the store for numerous takes and still have sweater guy walking somewhere in the frame... This is more an indication of cheap production values (they didn't hire more extras or have them change clothes) than it is that she didn't go into the store.

Micro$oft seems to think that Volkswagen drivers are poor, not cool and rather stuped ... Indeed she did not even enter the Apple Store !

Wow, what a great catch on the guy in front of the Apple store. Obviously it's a commerical so it's all fake, but to make a mistake like that is like pouring gas on the fire of Microsoft's ad campaign.

Mar 29, 09 - 02:23 pm Comment from: Zune Tang®

What is it with you MAC sheep? $699 is better than the thousands of dollars you pretentious MAC lemmings shell out to just to be elitist. You MAC sissies probably all have passports too.

Regular folks know cost is the most important criteria when shopping for computers. The second most important thing is whether or not the computer runs Windows. Lauren did a terrific job based on this simple formula: low cost + runs Windows = ☺. The IT guys where I work would agree 100%.

Your potential. Our passion.™

you guys are missing the point. The ad doesn't target anyone 'in the know'. This is strictly a continuation of the stereotype that macs are expensive, limited in every way, and part of an outside of the mainstream culture. The same message that's been used for the last 15+ years to alienate apple from the regular buying public.

zune tang, most of the IT guys where you "work" would lose their jobs if there was anything else used BUT windows.

My favorite part is where the camera LOOKS UP to get a shot of the Apple logo. Nice. Microsoft looks up to see Apple, but then looks down to their customer. How perfect is that?

Mar 29, 09 - 02:33 pm Comment from: Jubei

The sad part is that the difference between the Mac and PC/Windows will never be mentioned on this ad. Thats why Mac commercials using actors is the best way to communicate the difference. Apple needs to continue that series and this time focus on what's really missing from this bogus Microsoft turd of an ad.

@ Zune Tang

Really? The $699 buys her a piece of crap and then there's all the extras she is going to have to buy:
- virus software that works
- an OS that lets her do something
- quite a few of hours of tech help installing said OS and then getting some apps that will let her do something useful installed and working

Where are the savings now? I'm pretty sure at the end of 1 year it will have cost her a LOT more than a Mac.

Mar 29, 09 - 02:37 pm Comment from: Spudly

MDN: Good catch on baldy. I hadn't noticed that before. Though we all knew this already you managed to prove this is yet another load of M$ B.S.

Isn't it possible that the guy outside the Apple Store was hanging around for more than a few minutes, ogling the Apple Store offerings in the window? Either way, it's a pathetic ad. Only geeks that lust for Lauren will be swayed. Like she would give a PC geek a second look.

Mar 29, 09 - 02:51 pm Comment from: Wingsy

The baldy guy carrying the camera isn't the only one caught on tape. If you look closely (better yet, copy the movie and play it frame by frame) there is another guy approaching the store from the street. You can see him in the reflection in the window. He's wearing a jean jacket, white T-shirt poking out from the jacket, and an envelope in his left hand. He's in the reflection as Lauren walks up to the store and he's just getting to the door as she leaves.

They paid 2 "extras" to do this? I think not.

Mar 29, 09 - 02:53 pm Comment from: jjjj

funny, the youtube link doesn't work. After 100,000 plays, WHO would possibly get upset that their ADVERT be taken down? Bwaaaahhahahah... poor MSFT. And stick to printers, HP.

Mar 29, 09 - 02:53 pm Comment from: auramac

So it's come to this: paid actresses portraying bimbos, innocent little children directed to pretend they're technology experts and calling themselves "PC's" while disclosing their ages...

Microsoft is doing a lot for its credibility! Even a Mac is a "PC!"

>MacDailyNews Take: No, she's not. She's going to take her >residual checks and use them to buy a brand new MacBook Pro >like every other working actress on the planet.

This is exactly what one of the guys in Spinal Tap did when they were hired to do an ad for them. He bought a Powerbook with the ad money.

Mar 29, 09 - 02:59 pm Comment from: Cubert

I find it ironic on Micro$ucks web ads that came out this week on the New York Times website use the old brushed metal motif and the iPhone slot machine UI.

Ignore Zune Tang. I do. I just scroll down, and let my eyes roll over his comments like I do all the other crappy (M$) adds.

Mar 29, 09 - 03:02 pm Comment from: Cubert

Also, does anyone else find it unusual that the price register reads exactly the sticker price. Was this filmed in Delaware?

apple fan boys here? don't blame for AD. it just shows that PC is more affordable than mac. mac is still expensive than most PC anyway. don't deny the true. I use both, love them. it depends on what you use for. when people are happy with product, that's all.

Doesn't anyone save up for anything these days? There is no unboxing experience like when you've set a goal to buy something and saved up for it and made your goal.

This "must have right now" thinking is exactly what exacerbated the collapse of credit.

The stupid bitch is too stupid to think about other ways of getting a Mac, like 2nd hand or an Apple refurb. I'm not too proud to own secondhand but I am too proud to walk around with a steaming pile of crap like Lauren is so eager to do.

Never underestimate the power of "Good Enough".

Mar 29, 09 - 03:20 pm Comment from: brewmattster

This is great! I had to watch the ad again just to see Baldy!! LOL C'mon zune tang, even you have to admit that a $699.00 laptop has to have underpowered cheap components in it!!! What ever happened to "You get what you PAY for"?!?!? Poor "Lauren" is going to have fun spending her "savings" on a geek to fix her laptop when she should have brought said "geek" with her in the first place to get her a real machine, a Mac! Hookup a 17" monitor to that $999 Macbook, and your in business Lauren!

Mar 29, 09 - 03:23 pm Comment from: Hm...

I found a much better configured HP laptop for $699.99. It's the Woot of the day™ today. Oh, for that price, it's a refurbished unit. Poor 'Lauren.'

ZuneTang -- you're back! Welcome!

Spouting the same old s*** as ever!

Just like old times! Love it!

Check out the screenshos of her "trip" to the Apple Store i made in my mac:

in:
http://img239.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=50263_lauren.001_122_62lo.jpg

Out:
http://img28.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=50266_lauren.002_122_1024lo.jpg

Mar 29, 09 - 03:38 pm Comment from: madgunde

If there's one thing that I hope this campaign makes Apple do it make their MacBook available in 15 and 17" models. Same specs, just bigger screens at fair prices to what the 13" MacBook sells for. Not everyone who wants a big 17" screen can afford or needs all the extra features/power of the MacBook Pro.

Pro users will still pay a premium for the additional features/performance of the MacBook Pro.

Mar 29, 09 - 03:54 pm Comment from: ken1w

It's just a commercial. She's an actor. There was a script and clever editing. The $699 laptop is crappy. Next news story, please. Why are people in the media still talking about it?

SHE WAS ONLY $300 AWAY FROM A MACBOOK?????

Mar 29, 09 - 04:13 pm Comment from: HolyMackerel

I find all this arguing misses the point: Microsoft doesn't sell PCs, it sells an OS that runs on a clone PC. Apple advertised the Mac since Apple sells the Mac. Is MS embarrassed of selling 'Windows' or 'Vista'?

That is the 3rd Street Promenade Store in Santa Monica. A great store. Great people there.

Mar 29, 09 - 04:27 pm Comment from: Andy

I love the message -- it conforms to the representation of PC users on Apple's own 'I'm a Mac' ads! And just because something is cheap doesn't mean it's value for money, duh.

Microsoft confirms day by day how it clearly exists in an alternate reality, I'll say. How could a company with so much resources and so much cash get it wrong so consistently (and hilariously)?

I did like Bill's appearance in that earlier ad campaign, though. He's a natural born comedian; shame he passed that over for MS...

Mar 29, 09 - 04:32 pm Comment from: macisunamerican

Most of the posts here are really concerned with the way that commercials are made? She didn't really walk into the store during the shoot? Oh my! You might also be surprised hear that movies are not filmed from start to finish. Shocker huh?
Several years ago, apple was close to going out of business. They were an afterthought in the computer world. Then suddenly, like a phoenix they rose from the ashes! What brought about this rebirth for apple? Was it dependability? Was its powerful graphics ability the factor? No, it was because apple started making their computers with COLORED MONITORS! Yes, it was the IMAGE of an apple that brought them back to life. It was a very smart move by them, but most people that said they wanted an apple did so because they were cooler or prettier looking. Today you see apple product placement in tv and movies everywhere. Nothing about the computers working better, just the cool CSI detective or doctor using the Mac to check his/her email, kind of like a nike swoosh on your shoes, the apple icon on the outside is there to sell an image. And hey, it is working for them. I would dare say that over half the mac users on this forum bought their first mac for the same lame reason. Same for the Ipod. Is an Ipod really better than a MP3 player of half the price? No, but a Creative Labs MP3 player is just not as cool now is it? But for people to come out and get pompous about their macs working better, I call bs.
This commercial is smart. Think about how many companies are being advertised here and probably helped pay for the spot. Windows, HP, Bestbuy, possibly even VW. And btw, the girl in the spot is cute. I am glad to hear she is an actress, maybe I will see her in something else someday.

dumb WH*RE

Mar 29, 09 - 04:48 pm Comment from: Anonymous©

I've pointed out before, that the kiddie ads are just as fake. Watch the one with the 7 yr old girl who makes a panorama. The camera she takes pictures with, is using its FLASH! When she stitches the images together, it's clear the images are NOT taken with flash, as there is no light falloff in the corners. Because of that you should see the seams in a panorama as the light is not consistent across the frame. Sure, more sophisticated panorama programs can correct for this, but she's not using one.

Shouldn't adverts display a little text on the bottom of the screen, saying something like, "THIS IS A DRAMATIZATION, your results may vary!"

Mar 29, 09 - 04:48 pm Comment from: macisunamerican

dumb wh*re? LOL, well thought out comment. Worthy of a Mac user.

Mar 29, 09 - 04:53 pm Comment from: Arnold Ziffel

@4:32 pm poster,

Uh huh, all of us Mac users bought one because of "colored monitors"...whatever that means.

Apple's "image" didn't bring about a resurgence...designing and building great computers running Unix-based Mac OS X did.

Why the fsck is someone like you reading/posting on a Mac-centric site anyway?

Mar 29, 09 - 04:59 pm Comment from: Bread

It's possible she just walked in, saw the MacBook, and came right out. She DID get the price wrong on the 17 inch. But it still seems unlikely

Am I the only one who knows Zune Tang is joking????

Check out this Fortune spew: http://apple20.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2009/03/28/how-microsoft-put-apple-on-the-defensive/

I have to laugh when I read these disingenuous article titles: “How Microsoft Put Apple on The Defensive.” That immediately turns the article into a parody of journalism, and I totally skipped it because of this. If crap like this were on paper, I'd bring it into the bathroom, but not as reading material.

But I’ll bite. I see ZERO proof of this "defensive" posture anywhere. The only defensive posture I see is by Microsoft. $300 million bucks worth of defensive posture, in fact. And the following is where you see it in ALL of their recent Crispin-puked ads:

The first rule of advertising: When you are number 1, NEVER MENTION your closest competitor. All you’re doing is giving them free advertising. Plus, the line that “I’m not cool enough for a Mac” just gave Apple another few million in sales by actually making them LOOK cool in the eyes of the drooling, brand-brainwashed public. Good job, MS!

A total failure. But hey… MS has the money to blow, I guess.

I can’t wait to see Apple’s ad response to this one. Every response thus far has been simple, succinct, and shuts their message down in one 30 second Chiat/Day masterpiece.

Mar 29, 09 - 05:17 pm Comment from: Crabs

Oy people, stop arguing with ZT. He's a satirist. If you feel some need to argue with him, you obviously haven't read many posts on here…

Mar 29, 09 - 05:21 pm Comment from: Connor MacBook

Windows ... when you can't afford better

Mar 29, 09 - 05:30 pm Comment from: nanisani

It's entirely possible that they wanted the guy in the striped shirt (Where's Waldo?) to be strolling by in both shots for 'comedic' effect. In other words, the makers of this ad thought it would be funny if it actually looked like she only had to be in the store a second or two to find out that she was in the wrong place.

There's no way that they 'overlooked' the guy in the striped shirt. Commercials aren't made that hastily. They edited the shots just the way they wanted to. Weather or not it 'works' is another question.

BTW, anyone else think the announcer sounds like Ronald Reagan? And isn't he also the same voice-over guy who does David Letterman's spoof CBS promos?

This is like saying that you are going to buy a Ford Focus because it is cheap and runs on regular unleaded gas, when you can spend a little more and get a Toyota Camry that is more reliable, holds its value and also runs on regular unleaded gas...but runs so much faster on Premium!

Not the real Zune Tang, the real one is much funnier.

Micro$oft seems to think that Volkswagen drivers are poor, not cool and rather stuped

MS could've at least placed a car that offered their own SYNC system....

Yeah, we're all having fun with this one. But would any of us rather watch Gates and Seinfeld making like they pal around in a shoe store? I didn't think so.

Were Lauren real, I'd advise her to save just a little more money so she can buy that Mac - after chastising her for blowing money on a drop-top Bug.

I think if I had just lost my job, had a nice VW Beetle to pay off, and didn't need my computer for anything too important and hadn't discovered Mac, and had poor eye sight - I would have bought the same as her!