The Apple Ads - Love 'em or Hate 'em?

[moviemirth]

Those ads are annoying as heck, but the more people buy Macs, the more viruses and spyware will start shifting in their direction and away from us PC users:)

Also if you Mac breaks, you can't do much about it unless you are an expert at removing the hard drive from inside your monitor.

[Teaflax]

Those ads are annoying as heck, but the more people buy Macs, the more viruses and spyware will start shifting in their direction and away from us PC users:)

Actually, the reason Macs have been relatively virus-free is not just a smaller user base, they are intrinsically safer, and always have been.

[BBQ Platypus]

Stupid, Incomprehensible Script Making Fun of Incomprehensibly Stupid Ad

Stupid Unfunny Guy: "I'm a Mac..."
Me: "No, you're not!  You're just annoying!"
SUG: "Okay, I'm not a Mac.  I just play one on TV."
Me: Yeah, but I'm willing to bet you're just as annoying in real life.  Judging from how full of shit you are, you're clearly talking out of your ass.  You probably don't even know what UNIX really is, do you?  Tell me, MAC, if you're a Mac, does that mean that you look like the effeminate, pearly-white creation of homosexual interior decorators with no knowledge of how to make durable hardware?  Does it mean that you don't think market share matters worth a shit unless you're talking about the iPod?  Does it mean that you're immune to viruses, yet absurdly vulnerable to hacking because you're based on UNIX? 
SUG: "Um...uh...you can't, uh...do graphics...with a PC...
Me: Of course you don't.   You know what money is, though.  You're getting lots of it for these turdvertisements.  And I know what shitty advertising is.  I also know what an annoying, smarmy, overpaid douchebag spouting total bullshit looks like.  And guess what?  It looks a lot like these ads!

(SUG gets hacked because he's too lazy to do basic computer maintenance)

SUG: (sings) Daisy, daisy...

Me: You see, kids, we can all learn some important lessons from these ads you can't change personal preference.  In the end, it's not much different than Pepsi and Coke - there are tradeoffs and benefits on both ends.  The second lesson we can learn is that these ads SUCK BIG TIME.
Kids: Now we know!
Me: And knowing is half the battle!

[Trufire]

I unfortunitly own a crapintosh. In fact, I am writing this post on my powerbook as it is right now. Mind you it really isn't by choice though since my major calls for me to have an apple. I really don't like them (except I do like itunes...) but I digress. While I don't like apples in particular, I do like the commercials simply because they are orginal and have a spark of humor in them.

[kodiakthejuggler]

Stupid, Incomprehensible Script Making Fun of Incomprehensibly Stupid Ad

Stupid Unfunny Guy: "I'm a Mac..."
Me: "No, you're not!  You're just annoying!"
SUG: "Okay, I'm not a Mac.  I just play one on TV."
Me: Yeah, but I'm willing to bet you're just as annoying in real life.  Judging from how full of shit you are, you're clearly talking out of your ass.  You probably don't even know what UNIX really is, do you?  Tell me, MAC, if you're a Mac, does that mean that you look like the effeminate, pearly-white creation of homosexual interior decorators with no knowledge of how to make durable hardware?  Does it mean that you don't think market share matters worth a shit unless you're talking about the iPod?  Does it mean that you're immune to viruses, yet absurdly vulnerable to hacking because you're based on UNIX? 
SUG: "Um...uh...you can't, uh...do graphics...with a PC...
Me: Of course you don't.   You know what money is, though.  You're getting lots of it for these turdvertisements.  And I know what shitty advertising is.  I also know what an annoying, smarmy, overpaid douchebag spouting total bullshit looks like.  And guess what?  It looks a lot like these ads!

(SUG gets hacked because he's too lazy to do basic computer maintenance)

SUG: (sings) Daisy, daisy...

Me: You see, kids, we can all learn some important lessons from these ads you can't change personal preference.  In the end, it's not much different than Pepsi and Coke - there are tradeoffs and benefits on both ends.  The second lesson we can learn is that these ads SUCK BIG TIME.
Kids: Now we know!
Me: And knowing is half the battle!

I bet you typed that using Microsoft Word.

Tool.


 

[Teaflax]

You knwo when anyone tries to underline a point made with a McFarlane image, it really undermines their credibility to the Nth degree.

So the ads must be awesome, on a purely empirical level.

[BBQ Platypus]

You knwo when anyone tries to underline a point made with a McFarlane image, it really undermines their credibility to the Nth degree.

So the ads must be awesome, on a purely empirical level.

I completely disagree with everything in this post.  When I was on the debate team in high school, I cited Seth McFarlane in every single round.  I won every single round I was in.  Ever.  (What - you don't believe me?  Prove I didn't.  Yeah, that's what I thought, beeyatch).

Second, those ads are at least as irritating as Pauly Shore, who is not even remotely awesome.

Furthermore, I never criticized Macs.  Only their ads, as well as the condescenscion shown by some of their users toward people who own a PC.

[kodiakthejuggler]

Here's a thought:

I'd love to see some of these ads made using Rainn Wilson as PC and John Krasinski as Mac.

What do you think, sirs?

 

When I was on the debate team in high school, I cited Seth McFarlane in every single round.  I won every single round I was in.  Ever. 

I think Comedian Ron White said it best:

"I was kicked off the debate team for saying 'Yeah, well F**K YOU!!!'"

 

[Teaflax]

Second, those ads are at least as irritating as Pauly Shore, who is not even remotely awesome.

Furthermore, I never criticized Macs.  Only their ads, as well as the condescenscion shown by some of their users toward people who own a PC.

While I salute you for your even-handed stance, I would like remind you that MacFarlane's irritation coefficient is still higher by a factor of ten compared to that of the massively undertalented Pauly Shore simply because no one actually praises, quotes or defends said Shore.

That said, condescension is not absent from the PC side of the fence (and, as noted, I straddle said fence, uncomfortable though that may be).

[BBQ Platypus]

While I salute you for your even-handed stance, I would like remind you that MacFarlane's irritation coefficient is still higher by a factor of ten compared to that of the massively undertalented Pauly Shore simply because no one actually praises, quotes or defends said Shore.

Clearly, you have never seen Biodome.

Well, I think that random cutaways are a better signature joke than the word "weasel."  Weasel?  What in the holiest of holy craps is funny about the word "weasel?"

Thus, while I find South Park funnier (as its humor has more intrinsic wit behind it), I find Pauly Shore to be infinitely more irritating than any other comedian, real or alleged.  Yes, even Tony Danza.

[Joey the Lemur]

I'm not usually a fan of this comic, but I think they summed up this issue perfectly.

http://ctrlaltdel-online.com/comics/20060513.jpg

The reason Macs have less viruses?  More people use PCs and a malicious hacker out to cause damage just for the sake of damage is going to do what will reach the most people.

[Teaflax]

The reason Macs have less viruses?  More people use PCs and a malicious hacker out to cause damage just for the sake of damage is going to do what will reach the most people.

Not true. I'm sure it's a factor, although a minor one (although lack of market share is probably more an issue when it comes to programmer familiarity rather than choosing a target). The security of the system architecture and forced compliance for third-party software makers are likely to be much bigger factors. No Outlook, no ActiveX and no ports and services wide-open by default. This, coupled with a very quick response time when it comes to security updates really makes it difficult to exploit any general weaknesses.

And if you think about it, the fact that no major viruses have shown up for OS X since release five years ago would make it a huge achievement for whoever did come through with one, so the motivation for that should cancel out many of the other mitigating factors.

And that cartoon was just childish partisan sniping.

[Teaflax]

What in the holiest of holy craps is funny about the word "weasel?"

Obviously you've never seen Eddie Izzard talking about his clarinet teacher.

[kodiakthejuggler]

I'm not usually a fan of this comic, but I think they summed up this issue perfectly.

http://ctrlaltdel-online.com/comics/20060513.jpg

Y'know, I have a sense of humor, and am not at all above laughing at something even if it sets out to paint a negative picture of something I like, such as Apple computers. However, this comic fails to be funny. It started off right, and then just became mean. The "thinly-coated subliminal imagery" line was funny, but the final panel nails the coffin shut.

[PJD]

Yeah Macs never crash and they're not as prone to catch viruses, but to me, a computer should be judged on what it can do, not how stable it is.
Also, can anyone really put some credence on the claim that Macs are better for art? It doesn't seem like they can do anything art-wise that a well-built PC can't do.

I have crashed a few Mac's. I don't know why they have this reputation as never crashing, I know plenty of people who have had them crash and destroy files in the proccess. I can't speak for artists but I work in a recording studio. The standard has been DigiDesign Protools hardware which for a long time was Mac only. I've used it and hated it. There were a ton of companys coming out with killer hardware and software for PC and whatta ya know, Digi Design buys out M-Audio, one of the leading makers of PC recording hardware and comes out with ProTools for PC. They had versions before but they worked like shit. They got smart, musicians were tired of paying more and getting less.
   Also, I can't wrap my head around the lack of a right click on a Mac. Sure they have it now but I haven't used an audio program on a Mac where it had right click functions.
  As far as the art thing  My girlfriend is the typical artist/Mac user. I asked her why she was paying twice as much for hardware/software she could get on a PC and her exact answer was "The Mac looks better, it's beautiful"  I have a theory on why Macs were so strong in the artist/musician area. Artists and musicians are for the most part flakey morons. They need it to be super easy otherwise they couldn't funtion. Who cares that you can't add a hard drive when you can barely handle email? I've never found anything to be difficult to do on a PC, so I don't understand what people mean when they say Mac's are easier. Apple gives/sells-at-a-steep-discount computers to colleges everywhere to indoctrinate future generations of users. They know if you learn on it and your comftorble with it, you'll buy it. Thats especially true if your a flakey musician or artist.
  I've also never had a problem with virus's. As a matter of fact the only people I know that talk about virus' (sp?) are Mac people talking about how they never get them. Shit, I've never had crabs but i don't walk around talking about it.
 

I think the ads make you feel sorry for the poor PC.  Maybe it is because I was always the "PC" in school to the cool kids "Mac."  After watching the commercials, I would never buy a mean, show off Mac.  He's like the cool kid in school who tries so hard to make everyone think he's superior than they are when he really knows deep down he has nothing to offer past his looks.  AT least PC is secure in what he is.
  I hate the whole "I'm better than you because I use a Mac" attitude that some macphiles have (way before the Mac commercials ever came out) so I've always taken up for PCs.

I think the ad is designed not to convert PC users directly but to make Mac users even more smug and obnoxious and then make PC users feel the social pressure to confrom to the group of 'cool' kids.

Add to that the fact that most TV shows/Movies like to sport Macs. Much of it has to do with style. They're just cool. When the public sees their favorite TV/Movie Star using a product, they gots to get their hands on one! Myself very much included.

As far as price goes, I like to use this little comparison: Mac vs. PC = Mercedes Benz vs. Honda    

Apple is spending big bucks for that product placement, don't get suckered in!
As far as Mercedes vs Honda? I use a PC and drive a Toyota and am proud of both.