“You’ve probably seen those commercials with the cool young guy standing next to the hopelessly nerdy old guy chatting about some way that Apple computers are just soooooo much better than PCs that run Windows,” Tony Briggs writes for The Daytona Beach News-Journal.
“This has been the mantra of the Apple cult for going on 20 years now: ‘We are smart and sophisticated and everyone else, especially those who use computers running Windows, are complete dopes.’ And perhaps even more important — ‘They cannot hope to be as cool as we are,'” Briggs writes.
“One would think that Apple would learn this is not the best way to win over Windows users. That’s pretty clear, since about 95 percent of the world still uses PCs running Windows and only 5 percent use Macs. But Apple thinks different, I guess,” Briggs writes. “Here’s a tip for Steve Jobs and company: Insulting the people you are trying to sell to probably isn’t the best strategy.”
Briggs writes, “The truth seems to be that the folks at Apple just can’t help themselves. That smug air of superiority has been part of their culture for so long, it’s built into their DNA now.”
“The irony of all this is that one of the big selling points for Apple PCs now is that they can run the dreaded Windows operating system. I still don’t get the point of that,” Briggs writes.
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: First of all, Apple Mac users are smarter than Windows users (See Those who surf the Web using a Mac tend to be better educated and make more money than their PC-using counterparts, according to a report from Nielsen/NetRatings.) Most Mac users have Windows experience (forced to suffer it at work and school) and have therefore made an informed choice while most Windows users have little or, most likely, no experience with the Mac. A “choice” made from ignorance is no choice. Using an insecure 5-year-old OS and waiting for a bad copy of Apple’s 5-year-old OS when the secure Apple Mac continually pushes ahead, leading by years, doesn’t strike us as smart.
Exactly how is Apple supposed to tell Windows user that the Mac is a better choice without offending them? The basic point is that most Windows users would be far better off with a Mac. Sorry to offend, but that’s a fact. No insult intended. Get a Mac and you’ll see it, too.
Macs run Windows so that Apple can get people to finally sample Mac OS X. As usual, the Mac will do the rest of the job itself as people realize they are booting into Windows less and less. Its an “embrace first, then extinguish” strategy. Since Mac market share and unit sales are growing, it’s difficult to say that Apple’s “Get a Mac” campaign isn’t working.
Throw in the Mac’s ability to run all the Windows, Linux and Mac software in the world, the very competitive prices of today’s critically-acclaimed Macs, Apple’s growing legion of retail stores, the iPod halo, the glowing reviews of Mac OS X and Mac-only software like iLife plus the critical pans of Windows Vista, and Windows’ constant security woes and the Mac’s iron-clad security, and you’ll see why Apple Mac is ascendent.
Related articles:
More evidence that Mac users are smarter than Windows users – July 16, 2004
Pirillo: Microsoft’s Windows Vista will double Apple’s market share – October 13, 2006
What if Microsoft held a Windows Vista party and nobody came? – October 13, 2006
CNET: Microsoft’s Windows Vista still not ready for prime time – October 12, 2006
Thurrott: ‘You don’t need Windows Vista’ – October 11, 2006
Microsoft’s Windows Vista spyware may prompt users to upgrade to Apple Mac – October 09, 2006
Windows Vista gaming will be 10-15 percent slower than XP – October 09, 2006
Analyst: Microsoft’s new activation scheme will give users another reason not to upgrade to Vista – October 05, 2006
IT Managers: Do you need Windows Vista or should you ‘Get a Mac?” – September 11, 2006
Infoworld: Microsoft’s WIndows Vista not so revolutionary after all – September 11, 2006
Pirillo: Windows Vista RC1 disappointing, schizophrenic, disordered, inconsistent, and sad – September 07, 2006
Key Microsoft exec exits as clock ticks down on oft-delayed, much pared-down Windows Vista release – September 06, 2006
$399 for Windows Vista Ultimate?! (Hint: Get a Mac) – August 29, 2006
Development approaches of Mac OS X Leopard vs. Windows Vista yield very different results – August 15, 2006
Analyst: Apple’s new Mac OS X Leopard sets new bar, leaves Microsoft’s Vista in the dust – August 08, 2006
Symantec researcher: At this time, there are no file-infecting viruses that can infect Mac OS X – July 13, 2006
Sophos: Apple Mac OS X’s security record unscathed; Windows Vista malware just a matter of time – July 07, 2006
Computerworld: Microsoft Windows Vista a distant second-best to Apple Mac OS X – June 02, 2006
Computerworld: Apple’s Mac OS X Leopard’s ‘Time Machine’ is truly remarkable – October 05, 2006
InfoWorld’s Yager: Apple will take computing to the next level with Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard – September 06, 2006
Apple’s Mac OS X Leopard is 64-bit done right, unlike Microsoft’s Windows Vista kludge – August 14, 2006
Mac OS X Leopard sneak peek highlights – August 09, 2006
Analyst: Apple’s new Mac OS X Leopard sets new bar, leaves Microsoft’s Vista in the dust – August 08, 2006
Inside Apple Mac OS X Leopard’s ‘Spaces’ – August 07, 2006
Take a ride in Apple Mac OS X Leopard’s ‘Time Machine’ – August 07, 2006
Apple previews Mac OS X Leopard featuring Time Machine, Spaces, enhanced Mail & iChat, and more – August 07, 2006
Apple previews Mac OS X Server Leopard; to ship in spring 2007 – August 07, 2006
Interesting take by the writer. I don’t see the ads as insulting Windows users. I see the ads insulting Windows and its (in)ability to get things done without crashing or getting viruses.
I may be wrong but the current ads don’t actually make any claims about windows users being stupid, they say windows pc’s are rubbish and their users don’t know any better.
Tony Briggs is not cool.
To prove the point of intelligence, he misunderstands the rather obvious symbolism that the “Mac” is cool, the “PC” is not cool. He sees himself as the PC, rather than a user of PC. Hmm, maybe he should seek counselling because this suggests that he might, in fact, feel uncool and is projecting that onto his PC. Just a thought.
There’s an old saw in marketing that 50% of your advertising dollars are wasted. You just don’t know which 50%.
Apple’s sales are increasing, and the message about viruses is finally getting out. Something’s going right.
“”This has been the mantra of the Apple cult for going on 20 years now: ‘We are smart and sophisticated and everyone else, especially those who use computers running Windows, are complete dopes.’ And perhaps even more important — ‘They cannot hope to be as cool as we are,'” Briggs writes.”
The people who would get offended by the commercial are the very ones who KNOW they fit into that mold. People desperately trying to convince themselves they made the right choice.
Sounds to me like these ads hit a little too close to home for him, and so he has to declare them ineffective.
Bottom line, we will see how much they ‘don’t work’ when APple give quarterly earnings this week.
OTOH I would like to see Apple use some different types of people in these ads to broaden the spectrum a bit. Perhaps in the second wave.
Not all Mac users are smarter than PC users.
See: MDN staff
You gotta just love those ‘commericals’.
I have to admit I absolutely hate the “Get a Mac” ads, and I find them kind of insulting to Mac users, if only because the guy who “plays the Mac” is annoying as hell and just a little too smug. I can see why THAT would bother a PC user. Now, when it comes down to it it’s not easy to sell computers via television commercials but I would think 30 seconds of OS X in action would be more effective then some bad sketch comedy…
“…even more important” should be “…importantly”. they aren’t dopes, but this guy is not helping his case.
Well now… you have to appreciate a story that boils down to “The Truth Hurts”
It’s a commercial.
Get over it….
If you are insulted by Get A Mac ads, you are an emotional cripple and should seek help immediately.
sadly, he’s right.
the ads would’ve been more effective if the roles were reversed, with john hodgeman (the “nerd”) as an everyman mac-user and the punk-ass kid as a mountain dew-swilling pc gamer.
At least they’re not getting the adverts wrong in the UK, there are no adverts!
Macca, it’s good that you don’t work for Apple marketing, because that idea is horrible. Apple will never change the minds of gamers and they are a small bunch anyway, so Apple could not care less about that. The dull PC business person is much more typical of a PC user.
Dr. Gecko–It’s a commercial.
Get over it….
No, it’s a commerical. Read the headline.
The problem is that whilst winblows users say we’re in a cult, they too are in a cult. It’s a battle of religions, at least with the fervent. There’s just more fervent mac users proportionally than winblows users. The rest (of winblows users) are just showing up for church on Christmas, Easter, and funerals. They don’t know there’s a better way. If it’s smug to imply PC’s are inferior so be it. Smugness is a matter of opinion. Personally I think the adds are too tame. An add the says PCs suck for thirty seconds wouldn’t hurt my feelings
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Anyway we’re not here to please the competition, we’re here to crush them! Do you think Ford would be happy with a Toyota commercial–No way! So go ahead don’t be ashamed of the superiority of your mac. Wear it loud and proud!
It’s all about belief. And we beleive we have the best!
He might just feast his eyes on the feedback to this little column and then wonder if what he said made sense…
http://switchtoamac.com/site/why-are-macs-becoming-more-popular.html
Man this guy should have taken a hard look at the new sales number that hit the street this week and then aks himself do I still wants to write this crap – Answer No!
Besides the message was written for the group it’stargeting! PC users! We’re just try to help. But you PC types have got to do a little of the work yourselves!
“Macs run Windows so that Apple can get people to finally sample Mac OS X.”
It also makes it one more point to get Apple hardware. And since Apple is a company that primarily sells hardware …
This weekend I spent some time in an informal setting with two gentlemen interested to hear why, as both a Mac and Windows software developer, I preferred the Mac in my personal computing.
One was MOST receptive to the explanation I gave and will be buying a 24″ iMac this week or next. The other gave me the old “there’s not enough software for Mac” whine, to which I answered, “You mean not as many GAMES, right?” When pressed to identify the missing software in question, he could not . . . other than a few in-house proprietary applications he was forced to use at work. When I reminded him of MS Office, and then added “iLife,” “iWork,” and all the benefits of truly SAFE, maintenance-free computing, he TOO was sold. (I had to throw in the “Parallels” and “Boot Camp” features first, of course, but that’s all it took to close the deal for good.)
A little personal evangelism is all it’s ever gonna’ take to make the Apple/Mac/Leopard/iPod/iTV combo a true long-term knockout punch, folks! Let’s keep it up!
You guys are missing the point. This is targeted marketing. Apple is not attempting to convert entrenched PC lovers. They are a lost cause. Sure a few may switch, but these ads are targeted at 18-35 year olds. They are the future and emerging work force. The adds play off of people’s desire to be crisp and cool.
As we have seen, Princton students choose Mac at about a 8 to 1 ratio over the average computer user.
Princton is the home of some of some of the smartest people, Albert Einstein for example. I like the smug ads. The PC guy is EXACTLY like a pc user. The ads tell the truth.
I think MDN is spot on, Never-the-less, I also think Mr. Briggs makes one or two good points, like: “Here’s a tip for Steve Jobs and company: Insulting the people you are trying to sell to probably isn’t the best strategy.” I have always believed, and still believe, that Apple should be educating the masses on WHY using a Mac at home AND at work IS an informed choice, rather than this persistant (and Burger King-like) head wagging and tongue displaying that it’s adds seem indelibly based on. Television adds can be both entertaining and educational nowdays, they’ve figured out how to do that.
Point number two, “The irony of all this is that one of the big selling points for Apple PCs now is that they can run the dreaded Windows operating system. I still don’t get the point of that,” Briggs writes.” I know well MDN’s stand on this, but like it or not, I see this fact as a kind of chink in the Apple armour, and it tends to have a hint of Custer’s Last Stand flavor to it. I have no doubt it will draw a few to Mac hardware and ultimately the OS, but up to now, it is also a fact that Intel based Macs have garnered a lot of head turns without any miraculous conversion numbers. I still have the uneasy feeling that Macs natively running Windows could turn around and bite Apple in the ass.
I’m still shocked that people continue to use the 95/5 market share numbers. As far as I know, the consumer vs. business marketshares have never been separated, so a huge chunk of the windows share is corporate boxes right? That would mean windows gets a double count, one pc for someone at work, and one at home. Macs generally don’t get that benefit because of the windows stranglehold on corporate IT folks.
I’ve no idea whether the ads are any good at shifting Macs, but boy are they smug.
KP: “Now, when it comes down to it it’s not easy to sell computers via television commercials but I would think 30 seconds of OS X in action would be more effective then [sic] some bad sketch comedy…”
I love it when people spout this tired mantra. The problem, KP, is that APPLE ALREADY TRIED THIS APPROACH!
There are numerous examples of them attempting this very type of campaign. Look here for several variations on a theme:
http://www.esm.psu.edu/Faculty/Gray/old-apple-ads.html
Or better yet, I’ll save you some time. Go straight to, say, THIS one:
http://pulsar.esm.psu.edu/Faculty/Gray/graphics/movies/macvsordinarypc.mov
And don’t go trying to tell me that now that Jobs has returned, well, things would be somehow “different”. That, in some significant way, such a campaign would now be “successful”. Bullsh-t.
It wouldn’t be successful because it was never successful before. The attention span of the average American simply won’t permit such a tactic to work. Instead, you need something to KEEP their asses in the seats when the commercials start to roll, and something that ALSO keeps their fat fingers from surfing during the breaks. And the way you do that is with either FLASH (iPod ads) or with SATIRE & HUMOR (Get a Mac ads).
Don’t underestimate Apple. The very fact that some people are “annoyed” with the Get a Mac ads is proof that, at the very least, people know they’re there.
Awww, the truth hurts, doesn’t it. Other than games, the only reason the PC has more “applications” than Mac is because those applications are in the form of malware. End of F$#$@ing story!
My daughter revealed a conversation between herself and a friend when discussing making music on their respective computers (they’re both musicians). The friend uses Windows and claimed she didn’t like Macs. Has she ever used a Mac, I asked – to which the reply was ‘no’.
This seems atypical response from some entrenched Windows users against sampling the Macintosh experience. How can you possibly criticise the Macintosh platform if you haven’t tried it?
My experience is that places such as PC World here in the UK consign their Apple products to the back of the store, unplugged, and without Mac savvy staff at hand. When I finally got my Windows user brother into the store, because they couldn’t find the ‘recovery disk’ they wouldn’t sell him the Macintosh on display. Rather than get a replacement copy of OSX from Apple, they were going to throw the computer in the dumpster. Instead, I got him to spend several thousand at the Apple Store. He hasn’t regretted the change. There’s nothing he can’t do on his Mac compared to Windows.
Perhaps Apple needs to proactively promote ‘roadshow’ type events, populated by knowledgeable Mac users, to show potential Windows migrants the unique selling proposition of the Macintosh platform. They shouldn’t rely on Apple Centres alone in spreading the word.
Now, if you want to read an article by someone with intelligence (refreshing change), read this recent article on the exact same topic…
http://www.macobserver.com/columns/hiddendimensions/2006/10/16.1.shtml
[MDN: It’d make a good post!]
Take a pill Tony.
Even if Windows users are insulted they aren’t the ones that is going to be the long term future for Apple. It’s the high school kids that are graduating, it’s the college kids, all of them need a new computer, they want one that is cool and works. They’re not all computer geeks that can put together a box themselves. They want something that does what they want to do, burn dvds, web cam, play with photos, manage and listen to music, watch movies. They don’t want to deal with viruses or updating security software.
The boomers and Xers in the windows world will not always be the dominant consumer force. Teens and college students has sizable buying power too, even if the money comes from the parents.
The Mac guy could’ve been WAY more smug. He’s holding back his smugness, bigtime. He wants to shout, “PC, you fscking goofball, why do you torture yourself.” But he doesn’t.
Part of me wishes he would just bitch-slap some sense into the PC.
They do work (at least helped)and I know…I’m gonna be a switcher!!
The average PC user, which comprises the vast majority of computer users, couldn’t care less about Mac. In fact, most of them do not even know Macs exist. All they know is that if they want a new computer they can go to a big box retailer and buy one complete for less than $500.
To anaknipedro,
BINGO. Right on. THe ads are fun, informative, and make a point. I agree that you will not convince most PC geeks to change. They love fixing their software / hardware. And if you insult them, well they were not going to buy or suggest a Mac anyway.
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If you want an education, go to a few PC / windows tech sites and read the articles but mostly the comments. EVERYTHING is techo – geek. “My 1.1 Ghz computer is better than your 1.0 Ghz computer cause its faster” or has a better graphics card etc. These people never talk about getting their work done quicker or easier or having an easy time using the system.
JMHO
We will find out Wednesday if the commercials are working when Apple publishes it quarterly financial report.
They don’t work?
Who the hell broke them?
These ads are just plain stupid. Show the damn products and enouph of the stupid ass Mac kid. OMG if I see another one of these unkempt Mac guy ads I swear I will look at other computing options. I am starting to really hate what Apple is doing.
Oxymoron -> Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Gee, I don’t find the Mac guy smug at all. He seems pretty friendly and honestly questoning. Not judgemental, condescending, or smug. Hodgeman is great, though. But “old”?… I get the feeling Tony Briggs is feeling helplessly nerdy and old and is projecting a bit.
Those Commercials are Funny. I have used both Pcs and Mac. These kinds of comedy make people Laugh. And Not offend people ok.
Both operating Systems are Good. Its just that One has Viruses and Spyware and less secure thats why it gets spyware and one Dont have viruses or spyware. Plus what do you expect from new users. Because they dont alot about Pcs. I heard 93% people call technicians just to remove spyware, virus or ask what is a virus to technicians. And 7% people call because there having issues with hardware issues.
I cant believe these people why cant they remove themselves by free programs like avg anti-virus or Ad-Aware, Spybot spyware programs. Oh well But there both good still including Linux. Bye
ZachCube, then you’ll love the recent one with Mac dressed smartly in a business suit…!
This thread just goes to show how subjective advertising is. Personally, I’ve never found the Mac character to be smug. In fact, he goes out of his way to pump up the PC’s self esteem. Watch them again, the Mac is never pointing out that the PC sucks, the PC does that himself. That this writer was so offended by the ads says more about him than it does about the ads.
Regardless, the proof is in the pudding. We’ll see how sales were this past quarter, and only then will we know if they were successful. There’s a common saying that an ad is a success if it gets people talking and they remember it. That’s not true. An ad is successful if, and only if, it accomplishes the company’s goal, which is, usually, generating sales.
ZachCube – you would change to a less-able computing system just because you don’t like the Apple ads? That is crazy! There is an old saying about “cutting off the nose to spite the face”. It ain’t a good idea.
To Bruce,
Thanks, when you said “They want something that does what they want to do, burn dvds, web cam, play with photos, manage and listen to music, watch movies. They don’t want to deal with viruses or updating security software.” you brought to mind the other half of the commercial issue.
Has anyone seen the HP commercials? I think that they are so much worse than the Apple commercials and so much more effective for selling to the “cheap computer” crowd.
Why do I dislike them? Hey, need a computer? Just buy HP and wave your hands like this and everything works. Photos, movies, files, all will flow seemlessly to where ever, however you want them to. NO BRAINS required. Just wave your hands. My friend bought one. What a piece of crap. You were not even allowed to empty the trash with out performing a 9 step effort (and that effort was hidden in the help files).
Hey they can surf the web, do e-mail, and write letters, what more is there?? LOL
Anyway, just my 2 cents worth and thanks Bruce.
N.
Think Different…something PC users in general fail to do.
Do the ads work? Who cares. But they have obviously worked well enough to get people’s attention; which is what an ad is supposed to do. Heck if the ads didn’t “work,” nobody would be talking about them.
Further, no ad, by any company, will get you to ‘buy’ their product. It may however get you to consider it, if you are in the market.
These ads have worked.
Tony Briggs thinks he knows more than Steve Jobs. Here’s a tip Tony: You don’t.
Also, saying that the ads don’t work is a pretty bold statement to make just before earnings announcements. Good ol’ Tony might find out that the ads have, in fact, been working rather well.
I don’t see how you can insult the “intelligence” of people who have so little of it to begin with?
MDN is right. A choice made through ignorance is no choice at all.
OK. Apple and Mac users are smug.
He says it like it’s a bad thing.
Mac users didn’t get suckered into buying a windows box. For that ANYONE gets to be smug.
I am reminded that a great many tech writers have no business calling themselves such. If he truly does not understand the inarguable fact that OS X is heads and shoulders above any form of WIndows, past, present, and future, then he has no business pretending he’s a “tech writer”. He’s just another sensitive Windows idiot. While I certainly don’t think every person that willingly uses Windows is stupid, I do think they are ignorant as regards computers and operating systems. And at this point, a lot of them are just trying to save face. Their arguments about PC’s being faster, cheaper, and having more software have ALL been obliterated. Now, they’re only excuse is, “Windows is what I know. I’m used to it, and when I tried my friends Mac everything worked differently than Windows and it sent me running back to Daddy Bill and Mommy Fester.”
I had an Apple II, and later used a Macintosh II as my workstation for four years, but I avoided Macs until 2005 because Mac users were so obnoxious.
In 2005, I bought an iMac as a backup computer. I wanted a different OS so I wouldn’t have the same problem on both computers at the same time. I got exposed to Apple’s customer service and, after a transition, really came to like the Mac. I liked it so much that I gave away my laptop and bought a MacBook Pro. Now I prefer Macs.
I like the commercials. I don’t think they call Windows users stupid, becuase the characters in the commericals are obviously friends and do not insult each other.
Quite a lot of Mac users are haughty and obnoxious, turning Apple into a religion and Jobs into a prophet. That, not the ads, is a major turn-off that kept me away from Macs for 15 years. Now I just ignore them. It was wrong for me to judge the product by its users.
One should use computers and love people, no the other way around.
If you want to increase Apple’s market share, lose the attitude.
Yes and of course none of us have ever met an arrogant Windows user, or indeed a repetitive journalist jumping on a bandwagon.
The Ads say:
“Hello, I’m a Mac”…”and I’m a PC.”
Not:
“Hello, I’m a Mac User”…”and I’m a PC User.”
I see the people in the Ads as the computer more than the people using the computer. And besides, most people find those Ads hilarious anyway. They really do work in grabbing people’s attention.
People here at work talk about them occassionally…isn’t that the point to advertisement anyway?
What is a “commerical”?
I am assuming that’s another word for a “comic commercial” …
When a whole generation of computer users has ignorantly chosen a poorly-functioning computer platform, what’s left but to insult them? Surely a small percentage of these users are intelligent enough to get the point when their noses are light-heartedly rubbed in it; and that’s all Apple needs to get out of the deal—a few percent of the army of dolts who currently use the crappiest excuse for a personal computer ever invented. The rest can be offended all they want; it makes no difference. Some will get the message and the rest can go to the Devil and take their crappy computers with them.
Here’s what I posted in response to a “smug” Windows fan boy. The site has an approval process for comments so I don’t know if it will be approved.
**********
Does the author notice that the majority of comments posted here are positive about the Mac and OS X? This should be a clue to the clueless.
A couple of notes for a comment posted by soup:
“The sad truth is the majority of Mac switchers I meet and greet are the ones too dopey to run Windows. Thank goodness you have an alternative.”
>> Microsoft has obviously convinced you that you need to be a computer engineer to be able to use a computer. Ever think that the reason you have to be a computer genius to run Windows is because the OS is poorly designed? Huh? No, because you’re too dopey. Computers should just work like an appliance. Seems like you, “Soup”, are bit smug about your Windows expertise.
“But the ones who make their PCs crash and then blame Windows deserve to have the shiny, simple Macintosh. Knock yourselves out of the park.”
>> I guess if your Car breaks down you shouldn’t blame the dealer or maker? It’s all your fault…..What a dope you are, “Soup”.
I just wish the ads had been funnier. The sequels aren’t as good as the originals.
Well, the guy’s partly right. He complains that the commercials don’t work because today 95% of the world still uses PCs and that the GetAMac commercials make PC users seem like old, un-hip people.
Gosh, well maybe it is true… is it offbase to realize that 95% of people in the world ARE un-hip? You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink. Same with some people.
Sheesh, if you need an example of people siding against their own best interest, look no further than the 2004 US Presidential elections. There was so much discontent, incompetence, mismanagement, and law-breaking, and yet people managed to reelect the same administration. Oh well, you get the leadership you deserve I suppose.
I think you all need to come in > “Twice A Week”
Chicks dig mac users.
I bought one.
He’s just written an article about the commercials. Many still might not even know what he’s talking about. This may, in turn, lead to users visiting Apple’s website to see what’s up and viewing the hardware and software available.
Writing about something to say that it’s advertising isn’t working just proves it is.
—————————
“I still don’t get the point of [running the dreaded Windows],” Briggs writes.
Neither do I, buddy, which is why I run OSX
A guy I know who has only owned PC’s told me he liked the ads, and that his next computer is going to be a Mac. So there.
Now which one of these emoticons is smug…?
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As I wrote in his blog, his argument is ridiculous.
Energizer made commercials a few years ago that critized Duracell as being inferior batteries. By this writer’s logic, Energizer was insulting the Duracell users it wanted to convert.
Bogus logic.
Hopefully, the Mac v. PC guy ads will stop soon now that everyone and their little sister has seen them. We are all familiar with the Mac v. PC idea, and that Apple wants switchers. But what Apple needs is a set of ads that show of three things:
1) Virtual Environments running Windows and Linux (Boot Camp, Parallels, VMWare)
2) OS X software elements
3) Mac hardware line
Enough with the introductions. Get the the heart of the matter already, Apple. Your product is simply better. Let the PC users see that and watch the switching band wagon continue in full effect.
“I still don’t get the point of that,” Briggs writes.”
We all get it, Tony Briggs doesn’t get THE most basic and common strategy of marketing.
—My product is better than yours.—
Maybe Briggs can take a class in the subject he’s writing about.
The writer wrote… “Another irony is that the Apple and Microsoft Windows operating system have grown increasingly similar over the years. Once Vista is released next year, they will be almost identical in terms of look and feel and, in many cases, functionality.
Once a fool, always a fool!
Tom Strong
Macca, it’s good that you don’t work for Apple marketing, because that idea is horrible. Apple will never change the minds of gamers and they are a small bunch anyway, so Apple could not care less about that. The dull PC business person is much more typical of a PC user.
Actually, I do write/produce for an ad agency. You missed my point. I know Apple will never win over the gamer. I’m saying, rather than insult your potential consumer (i.e. joe businessman), turn the tables and present him as the hero, rather than making him the butt of the joke. That would also serve to contradict two major Apple image problems: 1) that Mac users are smug and 2) that Macs don’t do mundane-but-necessary business tasks.
Perhaps it’s a good thing you don’t work for Apple!
the ads work in the sense that they get people talking about Apple. I don’t hear anyone talking about Dell these days.
Since I don’t own any Apple stock it’s not really important to me that Apple take over the world. Just as long as they stay profitable and contine to make greate stuff I can buy and enjoy.
My first Mac (other than the Apple IIe I had back in high school) was purchased 3 weeks ago. I had every intention on installing Parallels/BootCamp/Windows XP. I never got around to it, and am now in the process of instead looking to replace all the software I depended on in Windows. So yeah the Mac experience is pretty good. The tipping point was FrontRow.
PC’s are ok, but Macs go to ELEVEN!
Once an idiot, always an idiot. Pure flame bait.
This is the same Tony Briggs who was skewered by Tera nearly two years ago in this article.
Hmmm. Let’s see. Tony Briggs is a so-called journalist of modest means and lesser intellect. Apple is a highly successful and profitable technology company.
Barbara Marie Hambi
If sales of Macs increase as anticipated somethings working.
what a crock! I would bet I know more than 95 percent of the posters about computers. Let’s face it, Window user have to be SMARTER, right? Afterall, it’s just so much more complicated to use Windows.
Do you clowns really believe 10 percent of what this monkey-run site posts??
Jatt, I read your postings the other day and again today. In both, you seem to mock the people that have to take their computer to a technician to remove viruses, adware, etc. Do you also mock people that take their car to a technician when there’s a problem? The similarity is that both a computer and a car should be something that “just works”, and when something is wrong with it, unless you are trained to work on it, you take it to an expert.
Removing a virus or any other malware from a computer might seem easy to you. You’ve probably done it many times, although yesterday you claimed you’d only ever had one virus. I’d be willing to bet that most people would not know where to begin. Do I download a virus remover? Do I buy it at a store? Do I just drop the virus in the Recycle Bin? You see, these are easy questions to you, but not to the majority.
Although you claim to use both Macs and PCs, your postings yesterday show that you have an obvious preference towards PCs and Windows. How long have you used a Mac? Do you use it as a personal machine or at work? How old is the Mac? What version of OS X do you have? I ask these questions because I would bet you have not used them for long, and probably don’t have a nice new machine and a nice recent version. If you did, it would not take you long to figure out that there are no viruses (you alluded to some that just don’t exist yesterday), and you don’t have to clean up viruses, adware, malware, etc. on your Mac – EVER.
I have used both Mac OS and Windows nearly since their inceptions. To say that both are good operating systems is really generalizing, like saying that the guy that has $100 and the guy that has $1 billion are both rich. It’s not really true. Windows is really not very good. Sorry, but it’s true.
I hope that you continue to try the Mac OS. Stick around. These are fun discussions. Please let us know when you can consider yourself “switched” to the Mac platform. If you truly give it a chance, it won’t be “if” you switch, it’ll be “when”.
The commercials may not work, but something is defitively working. Even in Mexico, where Macs were just a curiousity a couple a years ago, now you see them everywhere. You know that something is changing when you can find pirated Mac software in almost every small street market.
Barbara Marie Hambi,
I thought the Briggs name was familiar! Thanks for the link to the article. Readership must be down, so let’s drag out another attention-grabbing Apple feud. This, he’ll stick to opinion, since facts are too hard to back up….
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I think the original article should be avoided at all costs. Why feed Tony’s troll?
Don’t pass the koolaid,
Some of us are smart enough to not deal with tools that require constant care when there’s one that just works. If your Windows PC gives you pleasure, than stick with it. Meanwhile, I’ll continue to use my Mac and get my work done more quickly so I can enjoy life more completely during my free time.
I find the Mac ads a bit too subtle in a way. They will certainly help some people to take the plunge.
I want to see something a bit more aggressive dealing with:
A focus on price and value for money.
Real visual imagery on the power of OS X and the bundled apps.
Other ads visually showing the ease of use, reliability, quality etc.
i think the OS bashing is mostly nonsense from both sides. Both Windows and Mac work very well — Other than security
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” /> Just that Mac OSX has more polish, and the interface makes me feel like they have more pride in their work. Give that they both work well, this extra on the Mac was enough to make me switch.
Then the fact that everything I’ve installed has required me to authenticate…well that’s a very good approach…something Windows needs to do asapo.
I know numerous window users who have switched AND have seen the ads. None were insulted and may have switched. Sure the sample size may be small in the great scheme of things but from where I am sitting….it is working.
This twit misses a BIG point in that you can buy a Mom and Pop-slapped together-no-name brand PC for a couple of dollars. Many people want a computer but cannot afford even Apple’s cheapest offereing. Also these people need to tap into that 95% Windows using population because they also cannot afford the software. I would think that maybe these people may represent a fair percentage of thiose that:
a) Are ignorant of the mac platform
b) justify their choice of windows although they know of the more ‘unaffordable’ mac alternative
I feel sorry for these people because I would like to see all people have access to a computer. ….especially a Mac
I think the new Mac ads are MUCH better than the old “look at how pretty Macs are” ads. They HAVE to tout easy of use, compatibility and security in Mac ads, to hell with how pretty they are. I like the new style ads and I think they DO help Apple MUCH better than any other Mac ad campaign to date.
MAC USERS ARE NOT SMARTER!
People who have more MONEY generally have more expensive education (read: higher education does not make you more intelligent… tradespeople are usually very intelligent but use their brain power in a different way).
Like it or not, Macs are more expensive, even now.
It’s not about bang for buck… it’s about how much it costs in the end. More expensive peripherals, more expensive 3rd party stuff…
It does NOT take a rocket scientist to figure out that statistics can be twisted in any way… and if a majority of people stupidly believe that and are mac users…
I think some of the ads are funny, some are lame, and some are fine, but do not really do much in terms of selling the Mac. That said, I think people are basically interpreting the Mac ads with their own bias.
I use Macs. I see the Mac guy as the nice, geeky kid that many of us used to be/are.
PC users that are convinced that Apple users are smug (really, there are a lot of them…but there are also smug Windows people) see the Mac guy as “smug” and “too cool”. I don’t really understand that. He does not sneer and he is not insulting. If you watch with a neutral eye, he is actually pretty nice. He’s “too cool” because he wears a t-shirt and jeans or something? What should he be wearing?
The PC guy does come off as a tool, true. Maybe the comparison is also part of the problem. However, most ads that compare products usually crack on the opposition. It’s been going on for years.
Personally, I think Briggs is worrying too much about being cool or not.
Objectively speaking, I DID NOT like the commercials at 1rst.
I was frustrated that they weren’t showcasing the OS (screenshots, etc.)
But, as has been said here before, most people are clueless regarding computers.
I think those ads fit the bill.
The ads are stupid, I totally agree. I hate them. Arrogance is not the way to do this.
The ads will not help sell Macs or MacOSX at all, and are annoying and self-indulgent.
This is not about selling sophisticated liquor brand or the likes. The fact that the ‘cool’ factor sells iPods does not mean it also sells Macs. A major mistake. (does not mean I think there is no halo effect, there is!)
The ads just confirms what Windoze users think already, that a Mac is fancy stuff they (average joe) don’t need, though admittedly looks sleek and iPods are cool. Most people think B&O stereo are nice but will never buy one.
It would be better to reverse the roles and pit a down-to-earth ‘normal’ next-door person against a big-talking-but-shortsighted and mind-locked IT profesional or something like that.
Even more : in ads, Apple should focus on showing off the superiority and simplicity and extreme useabilit of MacOSX. Show them that Windows is stuff from the previous decade/century, and things need to be as cumbersome at all when you get a Mac
Also show some cheesy ‘sweet family situations’ where examples of iPhoto, or other iLife apps are shown,
and show Ma typing stuff in Word. Just Word on a Mac, under OSX!
Most people are astounded there’s been Office for Mac for ages when I tell them.
I have had a Mac for about 10 years.I love MacOSX.
I also use Windoze boxes at work, and know what makes most Windoze users and ‘MS Certified Engineers’ tick.
sorry, that should read
“….and things need NOT be as cumbersome at all when you get a Mac.”
Steve and crew, I hope someone important in Apple’s advertising or management reads this.
Turn that advertising hip around guys. Sharp starboard with all you have.
Jos Nijhoff
I’m a long-time Apple/Mac user and think Mac OS is the best there is. However, I am tired of the “I’m a Mac” ads and they don’t seem like the best way to convince Windows users to seriously consider the Mac. Macs are very good for everyday work, but you wouldn’t know it from those ads. Time for something else.
I find them hilarious.
I don’t like all of them. Why is the working of OSX not symply shown in close-up?
“1) Virtual Environments running Windows and Linux (Boot Camp, Parallels, VMWare)
2) OS X software elements
3) Mac hardware line”
They can see all of that and more at Apple’s website. Why spend the money on a commercial? PC users are PC users and showing them “software elements” whatever the heck that is, isn’t going to make them buy a Mac.
Show something funny to those who are “thinking” along those lines already and you may have a sale.
Reaction from “Get a Mac” ads
“I didn’t know Macs ran Office”
Reaction from your proposed ads, same consumer
“Honey, what’s a Linux?”
“with john hodgeman (the “nerd”) as an everyman mac-user and the punk-ass kid as a mountain dew-swilling pc gamer”
Well, you miss the whole point of the commercials completely. They don’t start out by saying, “I’m a Mac User, I’m a PC User” it’s “I’m a Mac” as in personification of a Macintosh computer and “I’m a PC” as in personification of a Dell, or Sony, or Toshiba, whateverbox.
Even if someone DID mistake it as being the users, ask someone 20-something (ie, the future of the platform) whom they would identify positively with and you’ll see why “punk-ass” gets the nod.
“Real visual imagery on the power of OS X and the bundled apps.
Other ads visually showing the ease of use, reliability, quality etc.”
Any idea how to get across an idea such as “ease of use” in 30 seconds? How about application “power”? Extra points if it’s in a way that someone without a technical background can understand.
“I think people are basically interpreting the Mac ads with their own bias”
Agreed. And I wonder how many people who don’t like them are aging, balding, largeish, men who fear the younger generation?
“I don’t like all of them. Why is the working of OSX not symply shown in close-up?”
1) Because it makes for a boringly bad commercial.
2) The target market (Windows users) will be confused there’s no Start button.
3) Because if you want to see examples of OSX apps, go to the Apple website. There are TONS of examples there.
4) Because all of the above done close up would just be an in-depth look at a bad commercial.
Unless you can explain how, in 30 seconds, you’re going to show someone something that will drive them to purchase a Mac.
Poor take MDN. MDN’s arguments are equally elementary.
The best “Get a Mac” ads are the dozens of parodies that have been done.
http://tv.truenuff.com/mac/
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2282754844569110939&q=get+a+mac+parody
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3749986480915719134&q=get+a+mac+parody
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4942162778167603560&q=mac+parody&hl=en
http://www.thevideoawards.com/details/?id=f8fedf52-ba23-4b0c-9c2c-40a353c09b9b
As a Mac user since 1986, I love the ads but I agree they insult the very people Apple wants to switch. Apple ads need to show real people doing fun things and solving real problems—teachers, housewives, grandmas, doctors lawyers, small business owners, et al. Why not an ad where the PC guy has switched and tells all the things that are now better for him with a Mac?
“Why not an ad where the PC guy has switched and tells all the things that are now better for him with a Mac?”
You mean like the switcher commercials that people also said didn’t work?
“Apple ads need to show real people doing fun things and solving real problems”
Solving real 30 second problems, having 30 seconds of fun. How would you display something that couldn’t just as well be done on a PC? And if you’re saying how good the Mac is at doing it, aren’t you inferring that the person sitting there using a PC is wrong because they use a different program than iMovie? And, if you’re saying they’re wrong, you’re still giving a negative impression then, aren’t you?
As stated above, they’re not insulting the user — just the platform.
And the point of the commercials is to get the Apple name out there in a way that people will remember, so that when they’re considering a computer purchase, they’ll think “What about that company with that cute commercial?”
Windows users I work with think the ads are funny, not insulting. That’s because most people understand that Apple is trying to say how Macs are different than PCs. They understand that the actor playing PC is a Windows “PC,” not a PC user. The author of this article apparently identifies himself so closely with “PC” that he finds the ads insulting.
“What about that company with that cute commercial?””
I bet Apple would do better if they released the iPorn commercial linked to above. It’s better tailored to the demographic.
“They can see all of that and more at Apple’s website.” True, but they don’t go there. And when they do, they need to be told where to look, because it does not match their Dell-mindset expectancy. It dazzles them.
People need to be literally shown stuff in their faces, and more than once, of what MacOSX is about, and that there’s Office for Mac, and all the free software in the world, that it is very stable, that it ‘no fuss’ compared to Windoze. No spyware, adware, registry cleaning, adaware and whatnot.
The ads should be there so people then go to Apple.com with enough interest and bagage to not give up after a minute thinking : ‘this is not for me’. Because that’s what happens a lot
Well my iMac 24″ arrived yesterday, and I took the day off to set it up.
I have been a PC user since my Elonex SX25 with Windows 3.11 in 1992.
The factors for my switch are outlined below… in the order of which I had them
1)Macs are used more in the industry for video editing
2)Intel macs, therefore potential safety net
3) Bootcamp, & parallels, therefore real safety net.
4) No virus killer? You gotta be kidding me!
5) My XP machine gave up the ghost… and after having to install XP every 3-6 months. I thought F-it. I’m gunno get a Mac, and use Parallels…only when I need to.
My intention is to switch… Using more and more OS X, and less and less Windows.
As of yet… I’m extremely pleased.
Ohhhhh it’s soooo nice to see that RSS screensaver with the macdailynews headlines, on a hi-def 24″ screen
“True, but they don’t go there. And when they do, they need to be told where to look, because it does not match their Dell-mindset expectancy.”
And seeing an alien interface on a TV screen that they can’t interact with is going to match and be understandable to their Dell mindset??? The other part is just untrue as Apple has one of the most-traveled sites on the internet (and yes, many of those computers are running Windows). Not only that, the design has been touted as being one of the easiest to traverse making it simple for a novice user to get from place to place.
“The ads should be there so people then go to Apple.com with enough interest”
Don’t know if you’ve seen the ads, but Office for Mac, no ‘fuss’, no spyware-adware have been covered with the “Get a Mac” commercials, plus more. Your average person “gets” that with these commercials.
I use both Macs and PCs; in fact I have done desktop support for PCs. (I have just gotten an iMac in my office, and I am EXTREMELY HAPPY with it). I don’t feel insulted by the ads – I think any average person would see them as amusing. Get a life!
Not to insult Tony Briggs, but he’s an idiot. 😀 Well, we know he’s a troll.
As someone who has owned a computer of a different platform, that was never, or very seldom advertised on TV (remember the Amiga?), any advertising, even the elitist, put-down advertising that you say that Apple’s “Get a Mac” ads are, are better than nothing.
You’ve got to get your product out there. You have to show what it can do that the competition can’t. You’ve got to make buying your product cool. All of these things Apple has done.
We’ll see how much Microsoft advertises once they finally release Vista. And, even though Microsoft’s advertising won’t be as cool as Apple’s, it’s still better than nothing.
Based on the recent quarterly results sales of all Mac computers are up big time so it appears the commercials are working.
Sounds to me like these ads hit a little too close to home for him, and so he has to declare them ineffective – macromancer.
Spot on! You win the iPod – come over to my house and pick it up.
That’s understandable that cash makes people autonomous. But what to do when somebody has no money? The one way is to try to get the home loans or just car loan.