I know the vid you’re talking about, and it’s a stitch. Mostly because it’s true. The musical piece is by Danny Elfman, from his first film score ever: Pee Wee’s Big Adventure. It was used in the opening montage of his Rube Goldberg breakfast-making machine. Second track on the album.
Apple wouldn’t be anything today without Microsoft’s money, so it’s fair enough that they should continue to thrive by smugly taking jabs at the hand that once fed them, right? I’m also particularly amused at how no one seems to ever mention the old spots featuring Intel engineers in neon-colored “clean room” jumpsuits being smoked by the power of Apple’s G3 PowerPC processors. There was also an advert featuring the Intel processor being carried on the back of a snail slowly making its way across Apple’s inspired white backdrop. What’s that, Apple? You’re not using PowerPC processors anymore? Oh, you switched to Intel cores? Interesting. Kinda like the athletes who thank Jesus whenever they win but never mention his name when they lose, anti-establishment Mactards love to poke fun at the 800 lb. Wintel gorilla despite Apple’s pattern of slowly succumbing to its market dominance over the years. Mac fans can argue it any way they want, but the truth is that Apple would be a dried up failure if not for Steve Jobs and his clever dealings with Microsoft and Intel over the years to ensure the Macintosh remains a viable alternative platform. How interesting, indeed. I think Apple should make an ad featuring Mac & PC over at Intel’s house for a party, but Mac is feeling awkward because PC is already friends with everyone. PC then, reluctantly, starts introducing him to everyone.
Even for all their arrogant smugness, I still think my favorite current advert is the one where they’re both sitting in their boxes, freshly unpacked, and PC is saying he’ll get right to work after he updates some drivers, removes some trial software, and reads some manuals while Mac hops right out of the box. Then PC quips “the rest of me is in some other boxes …”
The new advert with the Vista “secret service agent” is quite funny too. “Mac has issued a salutation, Cancel or Allow?” As a Microsoft devotee, even I know that this was the biggest bonehead security idea they’ve had in years. Possibly ever.
I also see it as a Mac vs. Microsoft instead of Mac vs. IBM. Maybe if this was 15 years ago, when PCs were still labeled IBM compatable, but not anymore.
IBM did sell their personal computer division to Lenovo, a chinese company. They’re still linked, kind of, you can find a lenovo link on IBM’s website, and IBM provides the services.
My personal favorite was the one about people tripping over power cables. The Mac, of course, has some uber-ninja power cable that prevents these horrible accidents. Because, yeah, I trip over my pc power cable all the time. :rolleyes:
I think that they make mac users look like the smug hipsters that they are; at this point, the usage of macs among 99% of the populace is about “cool” and nothing more.
Like many of the Apple vs PC ads, that presents a false dichotomy, since many millions of PC users aren’t corporate types. There are a lot of “cool, casual” types who use PCs, and even built their own PCs in something other than a white box, which isn’t even an option for a Mac user.
I went to the Apple UK site to see the ad, and I was prompted to download the latest version of Quicktime. I didn’t want to, so I tried to back out, but I kept getting redirected to the download site, until finally I got a Windows error message that my browser would have to close.
Hey VCO3, why don’t you go back into your pit thread and post the specs on that magical $1,000 PC that rivals the $7,000 uber-Mac you built on their website? We’re all still waiting to hear this, but I have a feeling we won’t because you enjoy talking out your ass so much. You do realize that everyone who read that thread of yours doesn’t give a damn what you think about Macs & PCs now, right?
The other problem with this ad is the implication that PCs come with thick manuals. When was the last time you received a manual with a PC? When was the last time you needed a manual for a PC?
I like the Mac vs. PC ads, but the biggest flaw is that the PC turns out to be a more likable guy than the Mac. Sure, he has problems, but he seems to be like a nicer guy to be around than the Mac. In a way, the ads almost reflect the stereotypes of the brands themselves- Apple users are smug and revel in the fact that their computers are better than PCs, whereas PC users are somewhat geeky, but able to live with the flaws that their computers have (most of which are exaggerated in the ads, of course). It doesn’t hurt that I’m a fan of Hodgman’s work on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and his book The Areas of My Expertise.
Around the time Nintendo’s Wii system came out, there was a parody of the Mac vs. PC ads which appeared on YouTube and the like featuring two women- the PS3 as a sensible woman and the Wii as a goofball who was willing to let you touch her and take her clothes off. The parody ad had the same flaw as the originals- the PS3 seemed like the person who would be more fun to be with.
And then there’s this parody from McSweeney’s Internet Tendencies, submitted without comment.
I’m (now mostly) a Mac user, but I get kind of irritated by the smugness of these commercials, so much so that I want to punch the contented smirk off the actor’s face.
And this attitude is just as irritating as the attitude in the Mac commercials. I sincerely doubt 99% of Apple users are about “cool.” Sure, there’s a certain percentage of it, but almost every single Mac user I know does so for professional reasons–the visual arts and music industries. We use our Macs because they’re simply the best tools for the jobs we have. I don’t think I’d be in any danger of being mistaken for a “smug hipster.” Others use it because they’re easy computers to use and they truly enjoy them. For me, the Mac has been the only computer I’ve ever had that was truly a joy to operate. It has nothing to do with trying to get some kind of stupid hipster street cred.
Count me with those who consider these commercials to be terrible strawman arguments. The certainly don’t make me want to buy a Mac. The Agent Smith one is kind of funny though…
The '90’s called and they want their complaints back. (and probably this overused cliche)
Walk into any given coffee shop here in the city and you’ll see nothing but white hipsters Livejournaling on their macs. Trust me, nobody’s sitting in Uncommon Grounds running Max/MSP or Maya while they’re sipping their latte. It’s a fashion accessory to go with the wire-rimmed glasses.
Well, it’s not completely 90s. I’ve never once had to run a virus scan on my Mac, and that’s one of the most pleasant things about this computer. With XP, I had to sweep my computer weekly.
The “Macs never crash” stuff is BS, though. I’ve gotten the spinning pinwheel plenty of times (and a couple of kernal panics) on my MacBook Pro. XP, for me, has been a very stable operating system and I think has probably crashed either as much or less than OS X.
Also, I’ve had better luck with peripheral set-up with Macs than PCs. PCs are pretty easy these days, but Macs are still slightly easier, IMHO.
Ok, I’ve been wanting to start a thread about one of the more recent of these Mac vs PC ads, but I’ll ask my question here instead.
It’s the commercial where PC is in the hospital gown and talking about getting the Vista upgrade and how it’s like major surgery. Mac is all sympathetic about it. Then PC says, “If anything happens to me, I’d like you to have my peripherals.” Then as PC walks away, Mac makes a face like a confused frown or something and then looks at the camera and says, “Speaking of peripherals…” and then the screen cuts to the standard still shot of a Mac just like the ending of all the ads in this series.
Is there some kind of joke there I’m not getting? I mean, I get the idea of PC being worrried about his upgrade and how he’s acting like he might die and he wants Mac to have his stuff, but I don’t get Mac’s last statement. It seems like it’s supposed to be a punchline or something.
