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New "Get a Mac" web ad
You'd think the "Get a Mac" series of ads would be played out by now. But you'd be wrong.They're still funny, snide and -- if sales figures are any indication -- effective. This week, Apple launched another clever web ad featuring Mac and PC. This time, PC has written an Op-Ed piece describing why people ought to stop switching to the Mac. It's cute, and the visual of PC pulling the text of the article out from "behind" the webpage is pretty cool.While we're on the topic, what's your opinion? Are the "Get a Mac" ads yesterday's news or still good stuff?[Via MacDailyNews]
Microsoft: We're not "cool enough" for Mac OS X
If you thought the new Get a Mac ads were spot-on or funny, then you will definitely get a kick out of this. On Microsoft's Photosynth website, they admit something that we've known for years: They're not cool enough to run on Macs. "Unfortunately, we're not cool enough to run on your OS yet. We really wish we had a version of Photosynth that worked cross platform, but for now it only runs on Windows. Trust us, as soon as we have a Mac version ready, it will be up and available on our site," reads the website. Photosynth is a technology Microsoft has designed to create 3-D "worlds" with your photos. This technology is definitely cool, and we actually would like to see it come to the Mac, but the way they worded the install page just makes us laugh. Meanwhile, VMware Fusion's Pete Kazanjy told us that the warning about Photosynth not working in a virtual machine isn't quite right; he got it running just fine in Fusion 2 Beta 2, and has the video to prove it. Thanks for the tip, Nate!
New get a Mac ad: Off the Air
Tonight, Apple released a new "Get a Mac" ad. "Off the Air" shows PC, Mac, and a Mac Genius. Mac tries to win people over on the fact that the Geniuses will transfer your files from your old PC to your new Mac. A mad PC then announces that his "frustrated" customers don't need to hear about that and that "fear of switching is the foundation of customer loyalty for PCs." PC proceeds to shut off the commercial by pulling a curtain down.This commercial isn't as funny, in my opinion, as the last set that came out earlier this week. You can watch all of the Get a Mac ads by visiting the Get a Mac website.
New Get a Mac ads: Pizza Box, Throne, Calming Teas
Tonight, Apple posted three new "Get a Mac" ads: Pizza Box, Throne and Calming Teas. In the Pizza Box ad, PC tries to lure college students into buying a PC by advertising as free pizza. PC notes that Mac is the number one selling computer on college campuses. In Throne, PC notes that he is "still the king" of the OS world and then goes on to banish Mac. In Calming Teas, PC markets a new tea that calms Vista users instead of fixing the many problems with Windows. These Get a Mac ads seem to be geared towards back to school buyers and are amusing to watch (especially the Pizza Box ad). Thanks to everyone who sent this in!
Microsoft's Mojave Experiment "promotes" Vista -- Ashton Kutcher-style
You may have heard that Microsoft is "like, totally serious, guys" about patching up Vista's good name, and, well, so far they're off to a rocky start. After pushing up a few lackluster web ads, they've decided to trick users en masse to prove a point. They've termed the Punk'ing the "Mojave Experiment," which placed 120 regular computer users of all different OS persuasions in front of a Vista box, except they were told they were getting to look at the next Microsoft OS, codenamed "Mojave." Results of the test will be unveiled tomorrow in what are sure to be glowing customer reports. Scientific validity of this test aside, we're not exactly sure testimonials from a blind taste test are going to turn the tide of Vista ill-will, but now we're starting to sound like Demi Moore our parents. [Via Techdirt]
Apple posts long version of "Sad Song" ad
Because Apple thought that you just couldn't get enough of that "Vista blues" song that was in the latest Get a Mac ad, they posted an extended version of it that runs 1 minute, 34 seconds. PC just keeps singing, despite Mac's look of amazement that PC could sing that long. At the end, PC finishes the song by singing "... there's nothing left to do, except control. alt. delete." You can watch this and other Get a Mac ads by visiting the Apple Get a Mac site. Thanks to Steve and Ton for the tip!
New Get a Mac ad: Sad Song
Apple just released a new "Get a Mac" ad entitled "Sad Song." In this commercial, PC is singing a country inspired song about how Vista saddens him. This commercial was released and played during the American Idol show tonight on the FOX network. You may remember that Apple also released 2 new Get a Mac ads last night. You can watch this and other Get a Mac ads on the Apple website.
New Get a Mac ads: Pep Rally / Group
Apple just released two new "Get a Mac" ads -- Pep Rally and Group. In Pep Rally, PC tries to pep himself up despite the fact that the Mac is the "number one notebook on college campuses." Just when PC finishes his rant, the cheerleader squad starts cheering for Mac. In Group, PC is in a support group with fellow PCs. "You've just taken the biggest step, and that's accepting that our operating system just isn't working like it should," are some words uttered by the PCs. The comedy comes at the end of this one as a PC stands up and says "I am pleased to say that I've been error free for over a week" in a constant loop. You can view these new ads on Apple's Get a Mac website. Apple has also redesigned their Get a Mac site for viewing these Mac commercials, you can now view them by year going all the way back to 2006.Thanks to everyone who sent this in!
New "Get a Mac" ad: Office Stress
Last night Apple released a new Get a Mac ad showcasing Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac. Apple seems to keep releasing new ads during the American Idol shows on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. You can watch this new ad by going to the Get a Mac page on Apple's website and clicking "Office Stress." Thanks to everyone who sent this in!
New "Get a Mac" ads: Yoga and Breakthrough
Tonight, Apple premiered two new "Get a Mac" ads: Yoga and Breakthrough. These ads where shown during tonights episode of American Idol. You can look at these and other "Get a Mac" ads on Apple's website.These weren't the only new Apple ads to appear lately, Apple also released some new iPhone ads. Thanks Bob!
Clever Get a Mac sidebar ads
Apple has some clever new Get a Mac sidebar ads running on various sites around the net, including ZDNet. In them, PC repeatedly hits an emergency reset lever (attempting to clear negative banners about Vista) to less than good effect. The humorless sort are quick to point out that the quotes PC resets don't come from actual reviews, but instead from op-eds and the like. Personally, this seems like a distinction without difference. The point is that Vista has not been that well-received in the tech world and Apple is right on target about that in this series of ads. (As to various problems with Leopard, well, that's for a another time). Thanks to everyone who sent this in. [via Gizmodo]
Why the Mac is better than the PC: Crapware
InsanelyGreatMac has an excellent article outlining another point in the ongoing battle of which is better: PC or Mac? The article gives the examples of computer companies such as Sony, which install "crapware" (or demo versions of software that you have to manual uninstall) on new machines. At the time of the IGM article, Sony was charging $150 to get your machine free of unwanted software -- a $50 fee for not installing the extras, and $100 for an upgrade to Microsoft Vista Business Edition (whoa, say that 5 times fast). Wired has since reported that said Sony has removed the $50 "Fresh Start" fee, making one only pay $100 to upgrade to Vista Business. IGM also made the point that Mac users may pay a premium, i.e.the "Apple tax", to get a better, crapware free product.
NYT: Obama is Mac, Clinton is PC
It's no doubt that most people vote on style rather than experience. Today the New York Times technology blog compared the two Democratic front-runners in the 2008 election to the "Get a Mac" ads. In the post, they said that Barack Obama was similar to the Mac (when they compared his website to Apple's style), while Hillary Clinton's website style was similar to that of the PC. The NYT interviewed several people, including Alice Twemlow, the chairwoman of the M.F.A. program at the School of Visual Arts and a Mac user. "With Obama's site, all the features and elements are seamlessly integrated, just like the experience of using a program on a Macintosh computer," said Twemlow. It is no doubt that the candidates in this year's elections are using technology to their advantage. As an additional and interesting note, the NYT endorsed Hillary Clinton as their pick in the 2008 election. What do you think? Be sure to sound off in the comments.
Dude, where's my UK 'Get a Mac' ads?
Have you seen this commercial? If you are in the US, probably not as it's a "Get a Mac" commercial from the UK. Chances are, you probably won't be seeing any more of them, either. On the UK Apple website, the Get a Mac ads have been taken down to reveal just a web page displaying reasons to switch. It's no secret that the Apple's UK ads have been under fire, and the ads haven't been showing as frequently on TV in the UK. What do you think, should Apple rethink their marketing plans in other countries? Be sure to sound off in the comments!
New Mac ad: Referee
Apple began airing a new "Get A Mac" ad during this weekend's NFL playoff games, and it was posted to Apple.com earlier this evening. This time around, PC has hired a referee to ensure that Mac's boasting about Leopard isn't unfounded.The ref peers into the replay booth, then declares:"After further review, the ruling stands. Leopard is better and faster than Vista."PC gets flustered and is eventually "ejected." It's not the funniest ad, but certainly timely. Check it out.Thanks to everyone who sent this in!
Apple posts Santa Claus Get A Mac ad
Apple has posted a special Christmas flavored Get A Mac ad. This ad, as you can see above, features a stop motion-esque (I'm going to assume that they are actually CGI) PC, Mac, and Santa singing a little Christmas carol for you. PC makes sure to let you know to never buy a Mac, or else Santa might not like you.Thanks, Matthew.
New Apple ad "Misprint" cites PC World on fastest Vista laptop
Back in early November, PC World magazine gave a wet, sloppy kiss to the MacBook Pro, noting that "[t]he fastest Windows Vista notebook we've tested this year--or for that matter, ever--is a Mac." Apparently this rousing endorsement of a laptop so freakishly powerful, so undeniably force-of-nature fast that it flat-out screams while running an OS that it happens to support only in 'bridesmaid mode'... well, that is the sort of thing that causes marketing executives to cock their heads and listen like extras in an E.F. Hutton ad.Apple's new "Misprint" ad, appearing online and on TV now, features an irate PC calling the editorial offices of PC World to complain about this obvious benchmarking error. It's a funny ad, but along with the recent Podium and PR Lady ads, this new spot provokes some fascinating cognitive dissonance. We're told that Vista is undesirable, that users are 'upgrading' back to XP -- but hey, if you're gonna run it, you could run it awful quick on a Mac. Is it just me, or is that somewhat weird?Thanks Alex
WoW Moviewatch: Roll a Horde - Elf Hunters
The Warcraft Movies site has always been a great source of WoW-based machinima. Recently, they held a video creation contest called the Fabled Few to find the best of the best among today's visual storytellers. The finalist were selected and the voting closed on Tuesday.The vid above is the runner up in the Comedy category. Inspired by the "Get A Mac" commercials, a Blood Elf and Night Elf argue superiority based on racial abilities. After you watch the film, I think we all can agree that we've grouped with someone like the Belf Hunter depicted. And immediately found a reason to /disband.Previously on Moviewatch...
Apple posts 3 new Get a Mac ads
Ever since the iPhone was released it seemed that Apple was funneling all of its advertising budget into iPhone advertising. This meant a lack of those fun Mac vs. PC commercials that we have all grown to love. Luckily for us, Apple has just started airing three new entries into their 'Get a Mac' ad campaign, and i must say that these are the best yet.All two of the three ads (Podium and PR Lady) focus on the general public's lackluster response to Vista, and the fact that some PC users are actually downgrading to XP. The Podium ad actually made me laugh out loud, which is high praise for a commercial.The remaining commercial (Boxer) focuses on people switching to the Mac for its ease of use.All of the ads have been updated with an iMac sporting Leopard's default desktop.What do you think of the new ads? Sound off in the comments.
New iPhone Ads: what Mac ads should be
Apple's seeming refusal to demonstrate actual features of the Mac in their advertising is a common lament amongst the Mac Faithful. Sure, the Mac v.s PC campaign is lots of fun, and it does at least draw attention to the differences between the two platforms, but where are the ads actually showing someone making a photo book with iPhoto (instead just mentioning that it is possible)? They are no where to be found, however, the new iPhone ads are all about showcasing what the iPhone can do and how it is done. The UI is the star of the show as we see two hands navigating from playing music to watching videos to answering a phone call with a tight shot on the iPhone's screen.The iPhone ads make me want to buy an iPhone, though I might be more in line with Apple's target market than most, and really isn't that the point of advertising? I wonder if this heralds a sea change in the way Apple advertises, or whether they are taking the more hands on approach with their consumer electronics (the Apple TV ad also shows the product in use) while keeping Mac advertising more high concept.Then again I might just be reading too much into this. What say you, TUAW readers? Are the new iPhone ads more effective than the Get a Mac ads, or am I comparing Apples to Apples?
