Current Mac adverts

I'm assuming you have all seen the current Apple Mac adverts that are still circulating the cinemas. The ones with the two guys who announce themselves as a "Mac" and a "PC".

I was just wondering what your thoughts were regarding them? And did anyone else wince as I did at some of the dire forms of mis-information Apple have used.

I especially loved have they represented the Mac as being fun to use as it could handle your holiday videos and pictures, and then showed the PC only being able to show data from a spreadsheet. It makes you wonder when Apple actually last saw a PC running? They do realise that DOS isn't the main OS any longer, don't they? :unsure:

They are hoping so, because that's what they are using to run theirs....

Personally I can't see it getting many people to switch. A regular person is gonna go "So what, my PC already shows my digicam photos. Why do I need a Mac?"

The virus one is pure scaremongering - if people use regularly updated Anti-Virus, it's unlikely you'll ever be on the wrong end of a virus. Far more of a threat IMO are phishing attacks which affect PC's, Mac and anything else with a webbrowser.

When a Mac user tries to use the virus argument against me to prove why a Mac is better than a PC I always love explaining to them why no one bothers writing virus infections for platforms that are not popular ;) The response I normally get is one of confusion. :D

I always find it so amusing that the one argument Mac users have against PC's is the virus one. What about actually using the system? Why is the Mac OS better than XP or Vista? I think we know the answer to that, and why they avoid the question. ;)

Has anyone else noticed how Mac users seem to act as if they are in a cult? Believing everything their beloved leader (Steve Jobs) says, regardless of how unfounded it is. They will then walk away "armed" with the words he gave them to "fight" against the even encroaching PC world.

Who remembers when the G5 was the main Mac CPU and Apple "claimed" it was more efficient and faster than any Intel compatible CPU? But now, in a complete turn around Apple claim that they switched to Intel CPUs because the Gx range of Risc processors could not offer the same performance! Slight contradiction!

This month's PCPro is nicely picking up on these Apple adverts with a big article on "Why the PC is better than a Mac". :)

Linux has spoofed them as well:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVOnFdMf0RU

There are some other great ones there too:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rjpn3L3bSJ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQECwm3erEs

I think the new Macintosh adverts are mosty crap.

I think it might be good if they promoted the Macintosh as being a good computer. Not as a computer that is better than PCs.

And they could get better publicity on the internet by making reliable products which don't melt and explode etc.

Which of Apple's products melt and explode?

There is no denying that Apple create some of the nicest hardware on the market. I doubt you would find anyone who would argue with that. But I think they have lost their way a bit with the Mac and its position in the marketplace. It's just too expansive and you still cannot upgrade them easily or inexpensively.

http://www.appledefects.com/ says it all really.

Those batteries swelling up is quite worrying and definitely a fire risk, as is that nano that melted. And those cracks on the laptop cases is something I've thought might happen with the type of plastic Apple have been using on their more recent laptops. It might look cleaner and designed but it is nowhere near as strong as the older style cases they used to use.

True. My PowerBook 1400's plastics are much better than any newer apple laptops that I have used (or heard about).

Apple's way of thinking,

"Make it look cool, and people will buy it....don't worry if it works or not..."

Since Apple moved from their older style Mac designs, ending with the original beige G3, I haven't been a fan of them at all. The only case designs I've taken a liking too have been the all metal G5 ones, and even then I didn't like the grill like front as it looked more like an electric heater than a computer. I'

I've not liked any of the coloured plastic cases right from the first blue G3's to the grey G4's and the multi coloured iMacs. None of them have looked that strong or well constructed, and I hated the old iMacs where you could see the insides of the CRT monitor. Horrible design! That is a complete contrast to the older Macs that while a more boring Mac cream/beige could withstand anything and would go on for many years.

I think those coloured cases look nice. I think the appeal of the imacs is for people who want a simple small and stylish computer, rather than a big beige box.

I always liked them since we got one in the classroom in 1999. Well, I'd say it was an improvement over the LCII anyway.

As for the B&W and Graphite G3s/G4s, I think those case designs are really good, because you can just pull the side down and access the motherboard . Much better than most of the PCs I have used, but I suppose it depends on how often you need to swap cables around.

I still like beige computers. Most of my computers are beige and they all match. And they don't really stand out or anything. They're just computers really. Nothing special. And at the end of the day, a box is just a box. It's what's on the circuit boards that really matters.

Very well said Steve. A lot of enphasis is placed on how a computer physically looks these days, but how often do most people actually look at their computer case?

When they press the on button, and when the use the drive to insert or remove a disc. Other than that they don't. Any most cases are under the desk out of sight anyway.

I must admit that my main PC does have a nice looking case and it is visible to anyone sitting in the room unless you are sitting at the actual desk, but I didn't actually purchase the case based on it's asthetic qualities. I picked it due to its layout, build quality and design.