You may call it that, but Apple has actually been comparing products, not just berating Windows. That's the point you and most PC owners seem to miss.
Not sure PC users ever really will get it until they get or use a Mac. Apple trys to one up the competition true but the competition is their previous model. When your 4 year old product is still better than "Average" who do you compete against?
So when Apple designs, builds, a new model or software product they are comparing to their own offering.
It's been 3 years since the Intel switch and $600 PC laptops are still running Pentium Dual Core CPU's, which if you ACTUALLY check the specs is just a Dual Core Celeron M with speedstep on 2007's design.
Dell's little "slim" designer laptop runs what cpu at what speed and has a brick hanging off the back for better battery life. [someone please post the review that compared it to the OLD macbook air] It still gets dismal battery life, heat issues, looks like a thin slice of swiss cheese with all the cooling vents and is DE-CLOCKED to 1.4ghz on a 533bus. Get real.
The ads however are funny! 1299 is "Expensive" but 1029 is cheap? Now add A/V software, decent web and movie software, good backup software... Well I guess Mac users already got the picture.
Name one part in your Mac that can't be purchased on the internet or even better that is in my current PC's.
Okay:
The tiny custom designed Apple motherboards that enable them to make such small laptops for the functions.
Apple's proprietary battery technology that allows them to perform adaptive charging of individual cells on a 40% larger battery. That allows the battery to last 1000 charge cycles and have 2-3 years longer life than your generic laptop battery packs.
Mag-safe power connectors (the number of times these have saved me I forget).
The nice multi-touch glass trackpads (that are capable of tracking upto four-finger gestures).
The mini-display port connector.
I know you only asked for one, but is that enough for you. I'm sure there are more I just can't be bothered to spend the time to think of them.
Really! You look at these banner ads and there's no clear message. Ads are about first impressions and feeling, and rarely is these a successful campaign based on facts.
The problem for MS is that all the good ad agencies are Mac users.
The tiny custom designed Apple motherboards that enable them to make such small laptops for the functions.
Apple's proprietary battery technology that allows them to perform adaptive charging of individual cells on a 40% larger battery. That allows the battery to last 1000 charge cycles and have 2-3 years longer life than your generic laptop battery packs.
Mag-safe power connectors (the number of times these have saved me I forget).
The nice multi-touch glass trackpads (that are capable of tracking upto four-finger gestures).
The mini-display port connector.
I know you only asked for one, but is that enough for you. I'm sure there are more I just can't be bothered to spend the time to think of them.
*Not since they started using intel buddy they are using the same parts as, you guessed it, PC's. It's a strange and frightening realization isn't it? Macbooks aren't much better than your average 600 dollar laptop. And Sony's all-one-desktop outperformed apples, even with the bloatware sony installs.
*I seriously doubt this. My brothers battery that came with his HP that was made back in 1999 still performs just as good.
*I will give apple that. Those are pretty nice.
*Synaptic updated their trackpads to do the same function with chiral motion. Was pretty awesome being able to do the same things you we're doing with a nice free update and not, well having to buy a whole new laptop.
I hear your argument here, and I only hope Apple will bring the price down on Mac Pros for folks with your needs (or buy used).
Or the MacBook Pro, which at least has an ExpressCard slot to give a bit of future-proof-ness. Unfortunately, the MBPs seem to like to sit where they are price-wise, and the Mac Pro's base price keeps going up.
It's just frustrating to have to pay $2000 (MBP) or $2500 (MP) for something that's standard equipment on most $500 Dells. It wouldn't hurt Apple that much to include an ExpressCard slot on the MacBook, and on the iMac it should be a cinch.
Quote:
In contrast I have 2 HP workstations each with oodles of slots, and I use them for USB 2, Ethernet, and Video- features which are built-in to most Macs and PCs today.
Yeah, I know - it's just nice to know that your computer isn't going to be instantly relegated to the scrap heap of obsolescence as soon as something new comes out.
Quote:
Some folks still run Adobe Photoshop 7 in Classic within Mac OS X. Many other apps too.
Sure they do - I was referring more to people who are natively booting OS 9 on ancient machines. Those aren't even going to be able to do basic web browsing very well anymore, because all the available browsers will be horribly out of date regarding current web standards, to say nothing of the ancient versions of plug-ins such as Flash.
Quote:
Originally Posted by xwiredtva
You are from earth right? Looking at the same units? How LONG a computer lasts is based on how LONG it's considered usable by the user.
Um, yeah...
Quote:
USB 3.0 PCMCIA or Express Card slot... THAT'S A LAUGH! Your still stuck to the 66mhz bus, Which (drumroll please) is SLOWER than USB 2.0! Also, USB 3.0 is backwards compatible to 1.1 and 2.0.
Uh, what? ExpressCard is 2 Gb/second, and PCI Express is 5 Gb/s. Even PCMCIA (which no one uses anymore, for years) is faster than USB 2.0.
Quote:
Darwin Award nominee!
I think one has to get oneself killed for that. Is this a threat? What the hell?
*Not since they started using intel buddy they are using the same parts as, you guessed it, PC's.
The CPU has absolutely nothing to do with the parts. It's the device firmware and the coding that communicates with the OS and BIOS. And even when Apple used motorolas, any hard drive and memory was compatible off the shelf
*Not since they started using intel buddy they are using the same parts as, you guessed it, PC's.
No, Apple custom designs the motherboards. You can say otherwise all you like, but the FACT remains.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ronthemonster
I seriously doubt this. My brothers battery that came with his HP that was made back in 1999 still performs just as good.
STFU, the is plain BS. Any Ni-Mh (it won't be Li-Ion from 1999) battery would have packed up. It's just a simple case of chemistry which cannot be changed.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ronthemonster
Synaptic updated their trackpads to do the same function with chiral motion. Was pretty awesome being able to do the same things you we're doing with a nice free update and not, well having to buy a whole new laptop.
Not quite the same thing as the multi-touch stuff is tied up in patents Apple has from around 2001.
STFU, the is plain BS. Any Ni-Mh (it won't be Li-Ion from 1999) battery would have packed up. It's just a simple case of chemistry which cannot be changed.
Actually, Li-Ion batteries have been used in computers well before 1999. The PowerBook 3400c had a Li-Ion battery when it was shipped in 1997, and before that the infamous exploding PowerBook 5300 batteries were Li-Ion (although they were recalled and replaced by NiMH batteries due to the fire hazard).
You are correct, though, that a rechargeable battery from 1999 would not still be working today.
I would pay thousands just so it isn't windows/microsoft/dell. I have 2 dell laptops and they are the worst POS I have ever owned, and that includes my 286 12 mhz gateway, which of course was also a piece of shit.
I like the idea of Apple countering with an ad campaign using the theme "You Get What You Pay For!"
However, I do think this ad campaign may be effective for Microsoft in today's times. Most people don't analyze all the details...they just look at the product and the price, and these days price is looming very important.
Let's face it: people like cheap. Walmart is not the most glamorous shopping environment, nor does it have the best customer service. But it does offer low prices, or at least is perceived so. They've been able to ride that to number 1 in retail in spite of all of the tradeoffs.
So I really do think that MSFT may have finally hit upon a good ad campaign for them, much as I might hate to admit it.
I like the idea of Apple countering with an ad campaign using the theme "You Get What You Pay For!"
However, I do think this ad campaign may be effective for Microsoft in today's times. Most people don't analyze all the details...they just look at the product and the price, and these days price is looming very important.
Let's face it: people like cheap. Walmart is not the most glamorous shopping environment, nor does it have the best customer service. But it does offer low prices, or at least is perceived so. They've been able to ride that to number 1 in retail in spite of all of the tradeoffs.
So I really do think that MSFT may have finally hit upon a good ad campaign for them, much as I might hate to admit it.
IMHO, best thing for Apple to do is to simply ignore it and continue as per usual until their numbers over the long-term dictate otherwise.
Not sure PC users ever really will get it until they get or use a Mac. Apple trys to one up the competition true but the competition is their previous model. When your 4 year old product is still better than "Average" who do you compete against?
So when Apple designs, builds, a new model or software product they are comparing to their own offering.
It's been 3 years since the Intel switch and $600 PC laptops are still running Pentium Dual Core CPU's, which if you ACTUALLY check the specs is just a Dual Core Celeron M with speedstep on 2007's design.
Dell's little "slim" designer laptop runs what cpu at what speed and has a brick hanging off the back for better battery life. [someone please post the review that compared it to the OLD macbook air] It still gets dismal battery life, heat issues, looks like a thin slice of swiss cheese with all the cooling vents and is DE-CLOCKED to 1.4ghz on a 533bus. Get real.
The ads however are funny! 1299 is "Expensive" but 1029 is cheap? Now add A/V software, decent web and movie software, good backup software... Well I guess Mac users already got the picture.
Actually, the current Pentium dual-cores, like the T3400 are C2Ds, with half of the L2 cache either disabled/defective, but other than that, they are still 64-bit capable, which the older dual-core Pentiums were not, circa 2007 or so. The T3000-series only has a 667 MHz FSB, but the T4000-series is 800.
I think this ad is largely preaching to the choir. The argument in this ad essentially pits all $1000+ notebooks against sub-$1000 notebooks. Which sucks for PC makers because they make more money on $1000+ machines.
Those who understand the difference and know what they want from a $1000+ notebook won't be swayed by these ads. It will largely reaffirm those who already intended to purchase a sub-$1000 machine.
Plus I seriously doubt many consumers shop for notebooks with the simple requirement of them being 17" and below $1000.
Congrats, Lauren. You just bought a P(iece of) C(rap). Oh, and by the way, you are definitely not cool enough to own a Mac, especially with those geeky glasses and that scarf. Enjoy your crappy HP...
Isn't the definition of insanity doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results? In which case Balmer can add Insane to Idiot and Gasbag on his list of personality traits. I mean, if Microsoft really wants to promote their junk (product) as low cost, shouldn't they sell it in KMart and Wallmart? And maybe Dollar Store? I suspect they will be that desperate soon.
Gordon
I doubt they will be that desperate, love it or hate it windows 7 is going to boost PC, laptop, and netbook sales. Not only that but not to sound like a MS fanboy but in this arti me it compares mac by saying the software it comes with that pcs lack makes a difference. Pfft. The software iscrap and pcs do come with software and you can choose if you want it or not. Even if i Comeswith it it's still cheaper. I don't know if apple is going to care about the ad. Well apple fan boys, let's gather together and hope the newest leopard is going to be amazing enough to steal windows 7 thunder.... It's bad enough more homes have vista... The OS everyone hates.
I don't subscribe to the notion that the newest Windows OS competes directly with the newest Apple OS. Windows 7 will have a much tougher battle against XP for acceptance than it will have with OS X for acceptance. Windows 7 will easily outsell OS X, its not so assured to outsell XP.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Daniel0418
I doubt they will be that desperate, love it or hate it windows 7 is going to boost PC, laptop, and netbook sales. Well apple fan boys, let's gather together and hope the newest leopard is going to be amazing enough to steal windows 7 thunder....
I don't subscribe to the notion that the newest Windows OS competes directly with the newest Apple OS. Windows 7 will have a much tougher battle against XP for acceptance than it will have with OS X for acceptance. Windows 7 will easily outsell OS X, its not so assured to outsell XP.
I agree, mostly. Win7 will mainly compete against WinXP sales on netbooks,WinXP users sill not wanting to upgrade to from XP, and, of course, Vista. Competing against OS X to save a a very small percent of marketshare will be the smallest aspect of the potential financial gain, at least in the short term.
I like the idea of Apple countering with an ad campaign using the theme "You Get What You Pay For!"
However, I do think this ad campaign may be effective for Microsoft in today's times. Most people don't analyze all the details...they just look at the product and the price, and these days price is looming very important.
Let's face it: people like cheap. Walmart is not the most glamorous shopping environment, nor does it have the best customer service. But it does offer low prices, or at least is perceived so. They've been able to ride that to number 1 in retail in spite of all of the tradeoffs.
So I really do think that MSFT may have finally hit upon a good ad campaign for them, much as I might hate to admit it.
Yes, people like cheap but I don't think people who buy Apple computers are unaware that they can buy much cheaper PC's. People choose Apple computers for other reasons than price alone. Personally I think the MS ads that depict people performing simple tasks (iLife type tasks) effortlessly will be much more successful than the ads depicting Pc's as cheaper. These are clever and effective ads that focus on tasks without being technical. They also build on the 'I'm a PC' theme, which is well shrewd. I always thought Apple should focus more on iLife and iWorks in their campaigns. The I'm a Mac / PC campaign has run its course and could soon begin to back fire. Come to think of it I haven't seen one for ages so maybe they have stopped. The one thing Apple needs to move away from in their campaigns is the smugness.
Yes, people like cheap but I don't think people who buy Apple computers are unaware that they can buy much cheaper PC's. People choose Apple computers for other reasons than price alone. Personally I think the MS ads that depict people performing simple tasks (iLife type tasks) effortlessly will be much more successful than the ads depicting Pc's as cheaper. These are clever and effective ads that focus on tasks without being technical. They also build on the 'I'm a PC' theme, which is well shrewd.
I agree, the recent MS PC ad shows a four year old girl showing how to take pictures, connect to the computer and adjust and email the picture. They could continue with this, I think that's a lot more effective than hiring Seinfeld. I think showing the product, particularly in use, is preferable than just showing people like Gates/Seinfeld or Justin Long/John Hodgman metaphors for the product.
Quote:
I always thought Apple should focus more on iLife and iWorks in their campaigns. The I'm a Mac / PC campaign has run its course and could soon begin to back fire. Come to think of it I haven't seen one for ages so maybe they have stopped. The one thing Apple needs to move away from in their campaigns is the smugness.
I'm A Mac hasn't run for quite a while that I remember, but they didn't seem to be so terribly smug. Some of them did mention the iApps, but didn't show them in action. The only Apple ads I've seen in maybe the past year are the iPhone ads. Those are nice, though I think the music in those ads is overly loud, simplistic, over used, and as such, grating. But the ads are positive ones, they're showing how the product operates, why it's interesting and useful, and don't denigrate or mock the competition.
Comments
You may call it that, but Apple has actually been comparing products, not just berating Windows. That's the point you and most PC owners seem to miss.
Not sure PC users ever really will get it until they get or use a Mac. Apple trys to one up the competition true but the competition is their previous model. When your 4 year old product is still better than "Average" who do you compete against?
So when Apple designs, builds, a new model or software product they are comparing to their own offering.
It's been 3 years since the Intel switch and $600 PC laptops are still running Pentium Dual Core CPU's, which if you ACTUALLY check the specs is just a Dual Core Celeron M with speedstep on 2007's design.
Dell's little "slim" designer laptop runs what cpu at what speed and has a brick hanging off the back for better battery life. [someone please post the review that compared it to the OLD macbook air] It still gets dismal battery life, heat issues, looks like a thin slice of swiss cheese with all the cooling vents and is DE-CLOCKED to 1.4ghz on a 533bus. Get real.
The ads however are funny! 1299 is "Expensive" but 1029 is cheap? Now add A/V software, decent web and movie software, good backup software... Well I guess Mac users already got the picture.
Name one part in your Mac that can't be purchased on the internet or even better that is in my current PC's.
Okay:
- The tiny custom designed Apple motherboards that enable them to make such small laptops for the functions.
- Apple's proprietary battery technology that allows them to perform adaptive charging of individual cells on a 40% larger battery. That allows the battery to last 1000 charge cycles and have 2-3 years longer life than your generic laptop battery packs.
- Mag-safe power connectors (the number of times these have saved me I forget).
- The nice multi-touch glass trackpads (that are capable of tracking upto four-finger gestures).
- The mini-display port connector.
I know you only asked for one, but is that enough for you. I'm sure there are more I just can't be bothered to spend the time to think of them.The problem for MS is that all the good ad agencies are Mac users.
G1
Okay:
- The tiny custom designed Apple motherboards that enable them to make such small laptops for the functions.
- Apple's proprietary battery technology that allows them to perform adaptive charging of individual cells on a 40% larger battery. That allows the battery to last 1000 charge cycles and have 2-3 years longer life than your generic laptop battery packs.
- Mag-safe power connectors (the number of times these have saved me I forget).
- The nice multi-touch glass trackpads (that are capable of tracking upto four-finger gestures).
- The mini-display port connector.
I know you only asked for one, but is that enough for you. I'm sure there are more I just can't be bothered to spend the time to think of them.*Not since they started using intel buddy they are using the same parts as, you guessed it, PC's. It's a strange and frightening realization isn't it? Macbooks aren't much better than your average 600 dollar laptop. And Sony's all-one-desktop outperformed apples, even with the bloatware sony installs.
*I seriously doubt this. My brothers battery that came with his HP that was made back in 1999 still performs just as good.
*I will give apple that. Those are pretty nice.
*Synaptic updated their trackpads to do the same function with chiral motion. Was pretty awesome being able to do the same things you we're doing with a nice free update and not, well having to buy a whole new laptop.
*HDMI > That bullshit
I hear your argument here, and I only hope Apple will bring the price down on Mac Pros for folks with your needs (or buy used).
Or the MacBook Pro, which at least has an ExpressCard slot to give a bit of future-proof-ness. Unfortunately, the MBPs seem to like to sit where they are price-wise, and the Mac Pro's base price keeps going up.
It's just frustrating to have to pay $2000 (MBP) or $2500 (MP) for something that's standard equipment on most $500 Dells. It wouldn't hurt Apple that much to include an ExpressCard slot on the MacBook, and on the iMac it should be a cinch.
In contrast I have 2 HP workstations each with oodles of slots, and I use them for USB 2, Ethernet, and Video- features which are built-in to most Macs and PCs today.
Yeah, I know - it's just nice to know that your computer isn't going to be instantly relegated to the scrap heap of obsolescence as soon as something new comes out.
Some folks still run Adobe Photoshop 7 in Classic within Mac OS X. Many other apps too.
Sure they do - I was referring more to people who are natively booting OS 9 on ancient machines. Those aren't even going to be able to do basic web browsing very well anymore, because all the available browsers will be horribly out of date regarding current web standards, to say nothing of the ancient versions of plug-ins such as Flash.
You are from earth right? Looking at the same units? How LONG a computer lasts is based on how LONG it's considered usable by the user.
Um, yeah...
USB 3.0 PCMCIA or Express Card slot... THAT'S A LAUGH! Your still stuck to the 66mhz bus, Which (drumroll please) is SLOWER than USB 2.0! Also, USB 3.0 is backwards compatible to 1.1 and 2.0.
Uh, what? ExpressCard is 2 Gb/second, and PCI Express is 5 Gb/s. Even PCMCIA (which no one uses anymore, for years) is faster than USB 2.0.
Darwin Award nominee!
I think one has to get oneself killed for that. Is this a threat? What the hell?
*Not since they started using intel buddy they are using the same parts as, you guessed it, PC's.
The CPU has absolutely nothing to do with the parts. It's the device firmware and the coding that communicates with the OS and BIOS. And even when Apple used motorolas, any hard drive and memory was compatible off the shelf
*Not since they started using intel buddy they are using the same parts as, you guessed it, PC's.
No, Apple custom designs the motherboards. You can say otherwise all you like, but the FACT remains.
I seriously doubt this. My brothers battery that came with his HP that was made back in 1999 still performs just as good.
STFU, the is plain BS. Any Ni-Mh (it won't be Li-Ion from 1999) battery would have packed up. It's just a simple case of chemistry which cannot be changed.
Synaptic updated their trackpads to do the same function with chiral motion. Was pretty awesome being able to do the same things you we're doing with a nice free update and not, well having to buy a whole new laptop.
Not quite the same thing as the multi-touch stuff is tied up in patents Apple has from around 2001.
HDMI > That bullshit
You of course me "That bullshit > HDMI".
STFU, the is plain BS. Any Ni-Mh (it won't be Li-Ion from 1999) battery would have packed up. It's just a simple case of chemistry which cannot be changed.
Actually, Li-Ion batteries have been used in computers well before 1999. The PowerBook 3400c had a Li-Ion battery when it was shipped in 1997, and before that the infamous exploding PowerBook 5300 batteries were Li-Ion (although they were recalled and replaced by NiMH batteries due to the fire hazard).
You are correct, though, that a rechargeable battery from 1999 would not still be working today.
However, I do think this ad campaign may be effective for Microsoft in today's times. Most people don't analyze all the details...they just look at the product and the price, and these days price is looming very important.
Let's face it: people like cheap. Walmart is not the most glamorous shopping environment, nor does it have the best customer service. But it does offer low prices, or at least is perceived so. They've been able to ride that to number 1 in retail in spite of all of the tradeoffs.
So I really do think that MSFT may have finally hit upon a good ad campaign for them, much as I might hate to admit it.
I like the idea of Apple countering with an ad campaign using the theme "You Get What You Pay For!"
However, I do think this ad campaign may be effective for Microsoft in today's times. Most people don't analyze all the details...they just look at the product and the price, and these days price is looming very important.
Let's face it: people like cheap. Walmart is not the most glamorous shopping environment, nor does it have the best customer service. But it does offer low prices, or at least is perceived so. They've been able to ride that to number 1 in retail in spite of all of the tradeoffs.
So I really do think that MSFT may have finally hit upon a good ad campaign for them, much as I might hate to admit it.
IMHO, best thing for Apple to do is to simply ignore it and continue as per usual until their numbers over the long-term dictate otherwise.
I would pay thousands just so it isn't windows/microsoft/dell.
Isn't that the truth. Amen.
Not sure PC users ever really will get it until they get or use a Mac. Apple trys to one up the competition true but the competition is their previous model. When your 4 year old product is still better than "Average" who do you compete against?
So when Apple designs, builds, a new model or software product they are comparing to their own offering.
It's been 3 years since the Intel switch and $600 PC laptops are still running Pentium Dual Core CPU's, which if you ACTUALLY check the specs is just a Dual Core Celeron M with speedstep on 2007's design.
Dell's little "slim" designer laptop runs what cpu at what speed and has a brick hanging off the back for better battery life. [someone please post the review that compared it to the OLD macbook air] It still gets dismal battery life, heat issues, looks like a thin slice of swiss cheese with all the cooling vents and is DE-CLOCKED to 1.4ghz on a 533bus. Get real.
The ads however are funny! 1299 is "Expensive" but 1029 is cheap? Now add A/V software, decent web and movie software, good backup software... Well I guess Mac users already got the picture.
Actually, the current Pentium dual-cores, like the T3400 are C2Ds, with half of the L2 cache either disabled/defective, but other than that, they are still 64-bit capable, which the older dual-core Pentiums were not, circa 2007 or so. The T3000-series only has a 667 MHz FSB, but the T4000-series is 800.
They are not dual-core Celerons.
Those who understand the difference and know what they want from a $1000+ notebook won't be swayed by these ads. It will largely reaffirm those who already intended to purchase a sub-$1000 machine.
Plus I seriously doubt many consumers shop for notebooks with the simple requirement of them being 17" and below $1000.
Isn't the definition of insanity doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results? In which case Balmer can add Insane to Idiot and Gasbag on his list of personality traits. I mean, if Microsoft really wants to promote their junk (product) as low cost, shouldn't they sell it in KMart and Wallmart? And maybe Dollar Store? I suspect they will be that desperate soon.
Gordon
I doubt they will be that desperate, love it or hate it windows 7 is going to boost PC, laptop, and netbook sales. Not only that but not to sound like a MS fanboy but in this arti me it compares mac by saying the software it comes with that pcs lack makes a difference. Pfft. The software iscrap and pcs do come with software and you can choose if you want it or not. Even if i Comeswith it it's still cheaper. I don't know if apple is going to care about the ad. Well apple fan boys, let's gather together and hope the newest leopard is going to be amazing enough to steal windows 7 thunder.... It's bad enough more homes have vista... The OS everyone hates.
I doubt they will be that desperate, love it or hate it windows 7 is going to boost PC, laptop, and netbook sales. Well apple fan boys, let's gather together and hope the newest leopard is going to be amazing enough to steal windows 7 thunder....
I don't subscribe to the notion that the newest Windows OS competes directly with the newest Apple OS. Windows 7 will have a much tougher battle against XP for acceptance than it will have with OS X for acceptance. Windows 7 will easily outsell OS X, its not so assured to outsell XP.
I agree, mostly. Win7 will mainly compete against WinXP sales on netbooks,WinXP users sill not wanting to upgrade to from XP, and, of course, Vista. Competing against OS X to save a a very small percent of marketshare will be the smallest aspect of the potential financial gain, at least in the short term.
I like the idea of Apple countering with an ad campaign using the theme "You Get What You Pay For!"
However, I do think this ad campaign may be effective for Microsoft in today's times. Most people don't analyze all the details...they just look at the product and the price, and these days price is looming very important.
Let's face it: people like cheap. Walmart is not the most glamorous shopping environment, nor does it have the best customer service. But it does offer low prices, or at least is perceived so. They've been able to ride that to number 1 in retail in spite of all of the tradeoffs.
So I really do think that MSFT may have finally hit upon a good ad campaign for them, much as I might hate to admit it.
Yes, people like cheap but I don't think people who buy Apple computers are unaware that they can buy much cheaper PC's. People choose Apple computers for other reasons than price alone. Personally I think the MS ads that depict people performing simple tasks (iLife type tasks) effortlessly will be much more successful than the ads depicting Pc's as cheaper. These are clever and effective ads that focus on tasks without being technical. They also build on the 'I'm a PC' theme, which is well shrewd. I always thought Apple should focus more on iLife and iWorks in their campaigns. The I'm a Mac / PC campaign has run its course and could soon begin to back fire. Come to think of it I haven't seen one for ages so maybe they have stopped. The one thing Apple needs to move away from in their campaigns is the smugness.
Yes, people like cheap but I don't think people who buy Apple computers are unaware that they can buy much cheaper PC's. People choose Apple computers for other reasons than price alone. Personally I think the MS ads that depict people performing simple tasks (iLife type tasks) effortlessly will be much more successful than the ads depicting Pc's as cheaper. These are clever and effective ads that focus on tasks without being technical. They also build on the 'I'm a PC' theme, which is well shrewd.
I agree, the recent MS PC ad shows a four year old girl showing how to take pictures, connect to the computer and adjust and email the picture. They could continue with this, I think that's a lot more effective than hiring Seinfeld. I think showing the product, particularly in use, is preferable than just showing people like Gates/Seinfeld or Justin Long/John Hodgman metaphors for the product.
I always thought Apple should focus more on iLife and iWorks in their campaigns. The I'm a Mac / PC campaign has run its course and could soon begin to back fire. Come to think of it I haven't seen one for ages so maybe they have stopped. The one thing Apple needs to move away from in their campaigns is the smugness.
I'm A Mac hasn't run for quite a while that I remember, but they didn't seem to be so terribly smug. Some of them did mention the iApps, but didn't show them in action. The only Apple ads I've seen in maybe the past year are the iPhone ads. Those are nice, though I think the music in those ads is overly loud, simplistic, over used, and as such, grating. But the ads are positive ones, they're showing how the product operates, why it's interesting and useful, and don't denigrate or mock the competition.