An exclusive gaming industry community targeted
to, and designed for Professionals, Businesses
and Students in the sectors and industries
of Gaming, New Media and the Web, all closely
related with it's Business and Industry.
A Rich content driven service including articles,
contributed discussion, news, reviews, networking, downloads,
and debate.
We strive to cater for cultural influencers,
technology decision makers, early adopters and business leaders in the gaming industry.
A medium to share your or contribute your ideas,
experiences, questions and point of view or network
with other colleagues here at iVirtua Community.
Hello. I'm a Mac.
And I’m a PC.
Is it me, or is Apple's latest ad campaign beginning to feel like a bad joke that just doesn't know when to quit?
When Apple first aired its new Get a Mac TV spots, I gushed over their ingenuity: A decade from now, these new TV spots will go down in history, alongside Jeff Goldblum's voiceovers and the "Think Different" series, I wrote. But now, I find myself cringing and/or rolling my eyes when I hear the all-too-familiar playful banter between John Hodgman and Justin Long:
Hello. I'm a Mac.
And I’m a PC.
It's even become irritating to write  and it's only been abut five months (for a total of 15 commercials). And on top of that, I think they're starting to miss the point.
In the latest trio of TV spots  entitled "Counselor," "Better Results" and "Self Pity"  the Mac seems to have gotten a little too smug for his own good while the PC has become increasingly depressed and inadequate, the latter by his own admission. I mean, there was always an undertone of superiority, but now the Mac is a little too self righteous for its own good, sympathizing and encouraging the PC with over-the-top humility and oh-so-subtle self-satisfaction:
I don't know why you're so hard on yourself. I don't get it. … You are a wizard with numbers and you dress like a gentleman.
And while we're at it, what's with portraying Macs as movie-making rebels:
PC (to Mac, who is wearing a suit): "What's with the big boy clothes?"
PC: "Mac, I guess you are a little better at creative stuff…"
Mac: "Thank you. That's so nice."
PC: "… even though it is completely juvenile and a waste of time."
The only thing that makes Macs "better at creative stuff" is iLife, but the commercial makes it seem that Macs are only worthwhile for designers and musicians. Aren't we passed all that?
Out-of-the-box superiority I get. But what makes PCs so much better at numbers? Macs have a calculator, right? We can run Mathematica.
And why is Apple reverting to old myths? For years, Mac were seen as trendy, overpriced boxes that were only good for running QuarkExpress and Photoshop, but hasn't all that changed with the introduction of Intel processors? Now, Macs have the same chips as their PC counterparts, and can even run Windows if they so desire.
So, what gives? Why can't Apple make a Mac commercial more along the lines of its iPod ads, with glitzy product angles, OS X and iLife screen shots, and a simple, straightforward message.
I mean, I can't imagine Microsoft running an ad campaign where a Zune personality chats it up with an iPod about its strengths and shortcomings.
Last edited by Editorial Team on Fri Oct 27, 2006 4:38 am; edited 1 time in total
I agree with you there. We've heard all this type of stuff before, so the old mac myths should dissapear and so shoudl the haters for that matter - as Windows can be run on a mac for people who like Windows, and for the people who like OS X can run that. So all the more reason to love Macs I'd say.
Digg Topic
Tag topic on On del.icio.us
Technorati Search
Post to Slashdot
