Apple UK: "I'm a Mac, I'm a PC." Smashing, isn't it?

Japanese isn't the only language barrier Apple's decided to cross with its "I'm a Mac, I'm a PC" ads. Those UKians love their "shenanigans and tomfoolery" just as much as the next guy, and Apple has hired the Peep Show's Mitchell and Webb to do the honors as PC and Mac, respectively. The casting is in keeping with Apple's penchant for casting total squares as the Mac, but the pair do a good job of spicing up the commercials with a bit of dry British humor and sexy good looks. Peep some YouTube versions after the break.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

[Bad Beaver Posted Jan 29th 2007 4:54PM]

GunForHire, Microsoft pays a whole lot of poeple for a whole lot of things, directly or indirectly. You wish to google for "Microsoft bribes bloggers". It can be assumed that a company with the given funds employs people to spin a certain opinion. Please beware that I am not saying that they actually do it, so I would not state it as a fact.

[(Unverified) Posted Jan 29th 2007 5:14PM]

#3, there should be SOME mac viruses out already, and besides all of the fun stuff I keep hearing about, macs are slow (based on experience).

[(Unverified) Posted Jan 29th 2007 9:00PM]

So what you are saying is that Intel CPUs are slow?? Please update your memory. There are NO viruses for Mac - concepts that show potential, without methods of delivery (except downloading a binary executable and RUNNING it).

[(Unverified) Posted Jan 29th 2007 5:52PM]

GunForHire,
Microsoft can and would pay people to comment and blog negatively about Apple across the internet. I suggest you do some research before called me the asshat. How about you start here:

http://www.roughlydrafted.com/RD/Q4.06/F6DC3D84-5B4D-43D4-B9ED-1F2033A895DA.html

I'm also interested in where you have this hatred for Steve Jobs? Have you ever met him? Have you even heard the guy speak more than 5 words? I'm sure you'll say you will but I think that's probably not the truth. Try watching this video (all of it):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1R-jKKp3NA

My problem is Windows people that bash Apple so viciously and publicly. How can you bash a company that just tries to make great products?

[el tony Posted Jan 29th 2007 5:58PM]

i was entertained by the ads, to be honest. i love mitchell and webb, they're consistently funny, and even though it's the same concept as the US ads, it still kind of fells like a sketch from "that mitchell and webb look"...

[(Unverified) Posted Jan 29th 2007 6:08PM]

Gunsforhire,

I've never had the urge to post here before but I'm going to. Just for you.
I know of a fake company set up in the UK by Microsoft for them to solely watch forums and post on them.

This is not rumour but fact.

Do I think other companies pay people to go onto forums and blogs and post information that benefit them? Course I do.
And do you know why? Because word of mouth campaigns are huge and because companies know how much people communicate on the web now.

I also know of a few companies who have hired people to badmouth rival companies. It does happen. Take your head out of the sand and then shove it in the pool of reality.

It's big business out there and every viable way of making more money.

Personally, I think these adverts are tongue in cheek and a little but funny but a bit too smug. I'm an Apple fan and have never bonded with PCs. Doesn't mean I hate PCs just means that I prefer the OS that Apple created which bonds well with their architecture.

I wouldn't buy a car from one company and the engine from another. So I don't buy a computer with an OS from someone else. I like them to be designed to work together and I like it to look nice and be simple to use.

It has the programs I want on it, and it doesn't crash on me. It's something I want. I'm not bothered if other people want PCs. I know what I like and I know what I'm going to keep using.

All the best,
Phelan

[Trevsweb Posted Jan 29th 2007 5:58PM]

Mitchell and Webb r0x0rs my s0x3rz indeedy!!! perfect! couldnt of picked a better duo :D as adverts go there are very well made.. pc fanboys are just jelious even tho im a pc user. as we cant be pinned down to single makes appart from those aweful mundane dell adverts. funny adverts capture my interest alot more than info-friendly boring adverts.

[aigarius Posted Jan 29th 2007 6:00PM]

Well, it is well known, that these ads are not intended to make people switch to Mac. They are intended to make people that already did the switch feel better about it and about themselves. Like injections of superiority.

[el tony Posted Jan 29th 2007 6:00PM]

oh, and in addition, ben holmes is definitely right: smashing? really?

[el tony Posted Jan 29th 2007 6:00PM]

oh, and in addition, ben holmes is definitely right: smashing? really? have you met and english person before?

[(Unverified) Posted Jan 29th 2007 6:28PM]

I appreciate the localization (or should I say "localisation") efforts, but anyone who's seen the show knows that the "Mac guy" is an irredeemable pervert loser - so, unless the Mac is supposed to be superior for surfing for "adult entertainment", I must say it is not the wisest casting coup.

http://off-centred.blogspot.com

[Wolfticket Posted Jan 29th 2007 7:08PM]

PC: "Hi, I'm a computer."
Mac: "Hey, I'm also a computer."
PC: "I'm used for work and entertainment."
Mac: "So am I."
PC: "But I'm more customisable and I can play loads of cool games"
Mac: "Ah, but I can do most of the things you want to out of the box, and I'm more reliable"
PC: "Fancy a pint?"
Mac: "Go on then"

...3hrs and several drinks later...

Mac: "yu kno wat man?..."
PC: "nah, wat?"
Mac: "I luv you man"
PC: "I luv you too man"
Mac: "I luv you mor' man, hell I even run your os"
Linux: "Oy lads, I think you've had enough, time to go home"

[Dragod Posted Jan 29th 2007 7:16PM]

Um.. yeah.. Apple bothers me... they're like Middle schoolers... "Teacher, Timmy took all the cookies, so I don't get any!" Apple just needs to make things to compete with Windows... rather than bashing Microsoft. There's a reason that Microsoft is dominating.. and Apple isn't. Microsoft has Windows, which is great as long as you have common sense, Zune still has yet to become a real competitor for the iPod (Although, I love my Zune), and Xbox 360 and Xbox, I love both my Xbox and my 360... Apple should spend it's money on improving Mac OS instead of bashing Microsoft..

[Zutty Posted Jan 29th 2007 8:10PM]

Awesome, but I'm not sure about it for two reasons...

1) Why have they just recycled the American ads :( Can't we have some new material?!

2) It doesn't really work, as the point behind Peep Show was that they were BOTH total losers! Its quite fitting that Robert Webb (who plays Jez in Peep Show) is the mac, since Jez was the totally deluded one who never did anything useful!! :P

I'm a mac fanboy BTW!

[macserv Posted Jan 29th 2007 9:07PM]

Damn it, some of those are a lot funnier with the British actors... "Restarting" and "Pie Chart" most definitely.

[(Unverified) Posted Jan 30th 2007 12:27AM]

I still think the Japanese versions are the funniest.

[(Unverified) Posted Jan 30th 2007 12:21AM]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kk15iIkKofc

[(Unverified) Posted Jan 30th 2007 7:57AM]

It's rather interresting.. I use both Windows and OSX on a regular basis and I actually have more software crashes in OSX than in Windows. Neither OSX nor Windows hardly ever crash nowadays due to the memory management of modern operating systems, so that ad is just odd.

[(Unverified) Posted Jan 30th 2007 7:58AM]

Hardly ever crash was refering to the actual system. Applications ocasionally crash in both operating systems.

[(Unverified) Posted Jan 30th 2007 5:32PM]

Hi! Sorry PC guys but I understand that you dislike this, at the end of the day is only making fun of you all! Yeah I have 2 macs, they crash sometimes, and I can't run some of your silliest stuff. Nevertheless I run more "useful software" than any of my friends.

My girlfriend uses my computer a lot. Her brother bought an acer laptop the same day that I did buy my macbook and guess what, he has already his system taken by viruses and he doesn't have a clue how to use the "features of his notebook, not even the webcam. She, my girlfriend, is been using the mac since the start, and know is able to connect my 2 computers wireless to share a folder and some other "tasks" that are not easy to do for mostly all the Windows users.

The last is that I'm studing computer software development and my mates at university are struggling to get their work done while I feel flying with the abilities of my macs...that were a lot cheaper than the same system characteristics is a PC!

So this is the summary, it costs cheaper, it is more powerful, it's easier to use, it's safer, it's funnier, it looks better, they provide you a better service...do I forget something!

ijoselito-iMac 24" and MBK

[(Unverified) Posted Jan 30th 2007 11:50AM]

What would you Brits think of having Ricky Jervais as the PC? I think it would be perfect to have the Mac guy say something about how Macs are great for having fun and listening to music; then Jervais as the PC says something he thinks is incredibly witty but really sounds idiotic. He then does that little half laugh and looks at Mac, then the camera with a smile that says, "I want you to believe that I knew what I was saying all along, but I'm really a moron."

[el tony Posted Jan 30th 2007 12:12PM]

David Mitchell trumps Gervais as the PC, purely because he's nerdier. plus, if Gervais played PC, then Steven Merchant would have to play Mac, and that would be oh so very wrong...

[(Unverified) Posted Jan 30th 2007 2:13PM]

As a relative neutral I have to ask the question - why are most Macheads (and Apple) complete c*cks about PC's? Frankly, most companies moved away from marketing their products by denigrating the competition in the 80's. Certainly I've never seen a Coke ad in the UK say "buy Coke because Pepsi is minging".

I'd love a Mac for home but the cost of buying it IS more expensive in the UK than an equivalent PC (£1169 vs £813 - with the Mac not actually matching the PC specs). Now I realise that the software can play a part in that but for most home users it isn't 300 quids worth. You know, I love my iPod, but I don't particularly like iTunes. And the fact is, it's years since XP crashed on me and because I'm sensible, I've never had a virus. So that ain't a selling point to me. So if any Mac evangelists want to send me 300 quid I'd be more than happy to buy a Mac - but only if I don't get assimilated...

[(Unverified) Posted Jan 30th 2007 2:41PM]

Funny... I switched from Apple to PC for the affordably fast user experience with Linux and Windows. There is no looking back: I love the software availability on Linux, I love Linux's stability, and I love Windows for all of its applications even if they just happen to run "directly on the hardware".

[(Unverified) Posted Jan 30th 2007 4:01PM]

Check out www.technologian.co.uk to see what a real Brit thinks about these particular remakes of the original Apple ads.

[(Unverified) Posted Jan 30th 2007 4:14PM]

I think you meant to add http:// as in http://www.technologian.co.uk to the address to make it a live link. But, yeah, this guy is pretty cool 'cause even I read his techy-blog-thingy and I don't read that many. :)

[(Unverified) Posted Jan 30th 2007 7:59PM]

finally i understand where greenpeace got their idea from (rhe last add)

i dislike these adds too, and curiously am now using my new mac mini for windows as osx was hanging all the time (512mb ram intel core solo) and picasa is only windows (iphoto is useless) plus finder a joke compared to explorer

just your 2c

aurin
finland

[(Unverified) Posted Jan 31st 2007 2:21PM]

i like that show on bbcamerica but i always thought that guy looks a bit like hitler :/

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 2nd 2007 5:14PM]

I think it's funny that people bitch and moan that an ad promoting one product does so at the expense of another. Welcome to TV children. Ever watch a car commercial, to have one car pass others on the highway to make them look like crap, and you couldve sworn you saw a debaged BMW, Mercedes or an Audi amongst the proclaimed losers? People can complain about the Mac ads all they like, but the simple truth is that this is how lots of companies run their ads. The aforementioned Coke ads promote what's supposed to be a great tasting drink, even though the reality is that Cokes of all varieties taste like crap compared to Pepsi.

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 4th 2007 8:15PM]

Here is my take on the Windows vs. the world strategy:

http://www.osxautomation.com/2006/12/10/the-microsoft-bubble-in-2006/

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 8th 2007 5:23AM]

Hi, I'm a Mac
And I'm a PC
I come with everything already set up how we want it in a nice shiny box
I can be built to your own specifications for about a third of the price
You can buy all the hardware you need for me from Apple
There are lots and lots of places that do hardware for me, so you can get some that's better and cheaper
When I get old you need to buy a whole new computer
You can very easily upgrade me (or get someone else to do it quite cheaply) with added RAM etc
I'm a smug wanker
I just get on with it