Get a Mac
It’s nice to see Apple advertising the Mac again, but I’m not thrilled with the TV ads. Sure, they’re fun for people who already have Macs, but I don’t see them doing much convincing. The humor is mean-spirited, and they reinforce the old stereotypes: PC guys are uncool suits who do real work, and Mac guys are unshaven youths who play with digital media. (And, once again, the Mac spokesman was previously on the big screen using his computer to fend off aliens, but that’s neither here nor there.)
Windows and PCs have all sorts of problems, but I don’t think that, for most users, frequent restarting and trouble talking to digital cameras are among them. How is this supposed to appeal to the millions of PC users who already work with digital photos? By insulting them? I’d rather the ads showed what people can do with Macs.
I like the Web site much better, except for this part:
Of course, should you happen to experience the occasional hiccup with your Mac, you won’t get the runaround. Because Apple makes the whole enchilada, one phone call—or better yet, one visit to the friendly Genius Bar at your local Apple Store—can solve both hardware and software problems in one fell swoop.
Based on my limited experience, this is a bad joke.
4 PM update: John Siracusa gets at something else that was bothering me:
It’s like an airline advertising that it has fewer fatal crashes than its competitors. This just isn’t done—and for good reasons. Putting aside the moral and ethical aspects, which arguably don’t apply to Apple, there are important practical considerations as well. The new “Viruses” TV ad pulls back a slingshot and holds it to Apple’s face. The backlash is inevitable.
11 Comments RSS · Twitter
Sorry, wrong link, here's the right one: James Duval.
I was thinking of Jeff Goldbum in Independence Day. He used his PowerBook to save the world before there was no Step 3.
Sorry, I misunderstood.
I think we're pretty much on the same wavelength here.
Seth Stevenson agrees.
Here's the inevitable parody.
Hello. While I do enjoy your opinion and am glad you expressed it, I believe that in the cutthroat way of our society (which is far from ideal) the advertising is completely legitimate and effective. There is a bit of sarcasm to the ads as well. For example, the annoying but effective "GET A DELL" guy! That was particularily annoying, so annoying to the point that my family bought one so they could scream at the television (after a week) WE GOT ONE, AND WE HATE IT. (Mind you, they were not Mac users, and never will be.)
I say, allow them to have their company pride, and if this "slingshot" that they're asking for in their face comes true (i.e viruses begin to be created for Apple computers) then it's time to go to Linux or BSD or whatever else is much more secure and and doesn't have faulty code and allows the intelligent user to avoid such hassles. I personally love to laugh at people who complain that their PC isn't running well and they just found out they have 32 viruses on their computer. Don't get me wrong. I run a tight ship with my PC, constantly updating and virus scanning, etc, and I have had no problems for the most part. I just prefer the unix core of OSX. Previous OSs were wretched.
As for the "friendly" genius bar, screw that. There are plenty of people who can help at your local mac certified reseller who are much nicer, and a plethora of websites.
Apple, in my humble but expressed opinion, is the best to have come so far as far as intelligent technology goes.
alleüber
Yeah, I do find the Apple ads fairly condescending... and I still think most
people don't quite "get" the fact these characters are supposed to be actual computer OS(s) by separate manufacturers, not just a dude and an uptight office guy. The ads seem to be more in-jokes for Apple fans... so maybe little susie who has an iPod might pester her dad to get her an iMac after seeing said ad, I doubt the average schlub with a PC is going to see that and be jazzed to go out and get a Mac. I'm a Mac diehard for years, and really only like the "fields of wheat" ad... which was priceless. And uh, yeah, the "genius" bar... that's fairly insulting and pretentious. There is some aggressive "all white" marketing by Apple I don't like... I still like the product, whoever Jobs hired to push this L.A. style crap is fairly annoying... despite iPod dominating the market. They're keeping the prices down... still very lame selection of games despite being easy to port over to mac side... how's that for holding a slingshot to game programmers faces?
Screw the viruses.
I stumbled across this site while looking for a place to watch the apple commercials because (ironically enough) my pc crashes whenever I try to access the apple site.
I used a mac for 2 years, and then not so much by own choice but by situational necessity, I've been a pc user for the last 10 years. For a while now, I've cringed whenever I've had to use my pc, and I'm saving to buy a mac in the near future. The pc has suited my needs, but in a way similar to how stagnant water and stale bread would suite one's needs of survival.
I believe that while one can challenge the morality of apple's commercials, it is in very poor taste and completely inaccurate to say the following:
"It’s like an airline advertising that it has fewer fatal crashes than its competitors. This just isn’t done—and for good reasons. Putting aside the moral and ethical aspects, which arguably don’t apply to Apple..."
I missed the part where there was any reasonable connection between the "ethical aspects" of people dying and computers crashing.
I think the only thing apple did not take into account when filming their commercials were their viewers without a sense of humor.
Hey slappy I'm quoting from you: "so maybe little susie who has an iPod might pester her dad to get her an iMac after seeing said ad". Just wait until little Susie finds out she can't play any of the games her friends keep talking about. NO sims, no nothing.
She will be so happy about her Mac.
Actually, Justin Long wasn't in Independence Day, you're thinking of James Duval.