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Last post Author Topic: Latest Apple Mac vs PC Commercial: PCs suck because of all the software choices  (Read 25015 times)

mouser

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The latest mac vs. pc commercial touches on something that i really think distinguishes the mac culture from windows/pc culture, and may touch a nerve with some of us real software lovers.

Screenshot - 4_19_2007 , 1_04_40 AM_thumb.png

Here's the video: http://www.youtube.c.../watch?v=1EbCyibkNB0

Basically the pc is "bloated from all the trial software he has installed", while the mac "comes with all the software you need".

Am i the only one who gets a real and satisfying enjoyment out of trying new software?  for some of us, it's this vast world of independent small software development and all the experimentation we can do trying new software that makes the pc/windows platform so fun.
« Last Edit: April 19, 2007, 01:33 AM by mouser »

Darwin

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You are not alone, mouser. This is one of the reasons I find my Macs kind of boring - there's less potential for finding and playing with new software!

Gothi[c]

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for some of us, it's this vast world of independent small software development and all the experimentation we can do trying new software that makes the pc/windows platform so fun.
<obligatory>
  pc / GNU/Linux too ;)
</obligatory>

lanux128

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while the mac "comes with all the software you need"
with all this hype, Apple portrays Mac users come across as someone who can't even tie their own shoelaces but even in the MacWorld, there are plenty of options in the 3rd-party software section.. on another note, Apple still relies on Microsoft to produce Office suites for the Mac..  ;)

ws-macoffice-1.png

http://www.apple.com/getamac/office.html
http://www.microsoft.com/mac/


mouser

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Don't get me wrong, i do appreciate the value of having a stable system with a core line of polished "official" programs, or appreciate that there is a lot of crap out there, or appreciate that osx with its *nix base gives you access to a ton of software.  It's more that i notice how much mac's seem  to be marketed to people who don't want to get involved in installing software, configuring, etc.  to each his own i guess.

Gothi[c]

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It's more that i notice how much mac's seem  to be marketed to people who don't want to get involved in installing software, configuring, etc.  to each his own i guess.

in other words, Steve Jobs wants his users to be smug n00bs,... no news there ;)

tomos

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It's more that i notice how much mac's seem  to be marketed to people who don't want to get involved in installing software, configuring, etc.  to each his own i guess.

in other words, Steve Jobs wants his users to be smug n00bs,... no news there ;)

I guess that makes me a bit of a n00b - but not a smug one at least  :)

I mean:-
I dont mind installing (it the uninstalling that bothers me..)
- dont mind configuring (long as its not too complicated to figure out - e.g. I nearly always change shortcuts if I can..)
but
I love software thats "ready to go" so-to-say, software that works well out of the box, and in a logical way
(cant help of thinking about Opera vs. FireFox..)

On the other hand
it can be very rewarding to be involved (as a user I mean) in the development of a piece of software wher the author/s listen to what people want e.g. lots of stuff here, Surfulater, (hopefully Agenda at Once!)

_______________________________________
Finally I think its only fair to thank Microsoft
for inspiring a lot of creativity in a community of frustrated users
(and absolutely no sexual connotations there :P )
Tom

app103

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The reason why Microsoft bought out Virtual PC was so they could sell software to Mac users...copies of Windows, Office, Visual Studio, games, etc.

And most of the Mac users I know have a big complaint: There isn't enough good software for Mac...it's all for Windows. And the software that is available for both, usually it's a much older, feature lacking version for the Mac.


Basically the pc is "bloated from all the trial software he has installed", while the mac "comes with all the software you need".

Maybe it comes with all the basics that you would need, but does it come with all the toys and goodies that you want?

It's more that i notice how much mac's seem  to be marketed to people who don't want to get involved in installing software, configuring, etc. 

with all this hype, Apple portrays Mac users come across as someone who can't even tie their own shoelaces ...

AOL is 'blamed' for opening the internet up to the common user by making it 'so easy'.
They started out as an ISP for Mac users...originally their software was only for Mac.

Mac users have had the stereotype of not being all that 'bright' for a long time.

And while you and I might love tinkering with things, trying new software, etc...the majority of common computer users only want a computer for web browsing, email, listening to music, watching videos, instant messaging, and storing photos of their kids & pets.

So what do they want/need?

  • a browser
  • an email client (or their browser with webmail)
  • a media player
  • an IM client
  • and the software that came with their camera, if it needs any

Last time I checked, Windows came with all this. Also, wasn't the last heavy Apple ad campaign targeted at people that wanted a pretty computer that came in all kinds of funky colors?

It seems like they should just come out with an ad that asks "Are you an idiot that doesn't care what is inside the computer as long as it is pretty and performs all the basics?" and get it over with.

Even their current ads show what could be 'the common person' dressed like a slob, and the pc user is in business attire, which is more commonly associated with power, success, wealth, intelligence, etc.

You can see who their target is....it's always been very obvious.



I was just discussing this entire topic with my daughter...and we came to the conclusion that at one time, back when neither of us had ever had a computer and knew very little about them, we both would have fallen for the Apple ads...her wanting the easy to use computer...and me wanting the funky purple one.   :-[

Boy, am I glad my dad gave us a Windows pc as our first computer, otherwise we both might have become unhappy Mac users. As we learned more about computers, in general, we would have outgrown that Mac rather quickly. It wouldn't have been a good value considering the higher price for a Mac, compared to the price of a PC.

mouser

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Before this thread gets off too much in anti-mac territory, i have to say i think there are great things about the stuff apple has done regarding OSX, and i think i agree with a lot of what tomos said.  apple should feel good about their focus on making things work smoothly and making working with the computer a smoother experience.  and i think OSX has brought a lot of serious people to the apple platform and was a great idea.  make no mistake there are some serious power users working with macs.  i'm just not thrilled with these commercials.

lanux128

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yes, let me state that i not an anti-Mac person (i've used Apple machines before).. i think given Apple's accomplishments in the desktop publishing, printing, movie & other various industries, shouldn't they focus on their strength instead of being a gadfly, by picking on Microsoft.. are they secretly jealous that Microsoft not Apple is the dominant force in desktop computers? they should shed this "i'm a small guy against big bad microsoft but i'm happy as a lark having more fun than a PC user" image.. :)

Gothi[c]

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I am definitively not an anti-mac person either,...
I am however, an anti-marketing-anti-commercials-anti-corporate-person
It seems the more market share any given IT company gains, it aims it's arrows always at either the new computer users, or other cooperations. I yet have to see an OS ad on tv aimed towards programmers, ubergeeks, power users, etc,...
Probably because they are too smart to blindly give away their money or something.

f0dder

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The reason why Microsoft bought out Virtual PC was so they could sell software to Mac users...copies of Windows, Office, Visual Studio, games, etc.
-app103
I don't think so - I find it more plausible it's for running XBOX games on the XBOX360... macs have been running on x86 processors for quite a while now.

Macs are cute enough, I just hate their commercials and the smug part of the userbase. There's a couple of people at work I'd like to give a friendly little nudge with a sledgehammer ^_^
- carpe noctem

JeffK

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I am a member of the regional committee of the church I attend made up of half clergy and half lay people.  In amongst them (there is about 70 altogether of which about a dozen could be described as gadget freaks) there are several Mac evangelists.  Setting up the computers for a talk, a presentation of clever ads or cartoons or some music becomes a competition between the Windows laptops and the Macs.  Quite often the mealtime conversation centres around the "which is best" perennial question.  Last meeting their was even a debate about whether a meember going to minister in remote North Western Australia should keep her Mac or get a Windows based machine.  (Only computer discussion I have ever heard where the ability of a machine to withstand dust ingress was debated).

Getting back to mouser's OT, I love mucking around with software and computer setup so a get it amd forget it machine is no good to me.  In fact I am embarrassed to say that of all the time I spend on computers probably only 2/3 is spent actually producing something and the rest on fiddling with software.

Jeff

Darwin

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In fact I am embarrassed to say that of all the time I spend on computers probably only 2/3 is spent actually producing something and the rest on fiddling with software.

I recognise, and smile ruefully to myself when I do, this exact same behviour in myself! I'm *supposed* to be more productive when I'm sitting in front of a computer but instead I wile away hours and days of my time "tweaking" it to address perceived deficiencies that have nothing to do with its ability to allow me to manipulate data in Excel or write down an idea in Word.

I should probably use my iBook for work as presumably it "just works" and will thus allow me to "just work". However, whenever I have tried to do this two divergent issues arise: on the one hand I am suffocatinlgy bored by the experience of being on the Mac and on the other most of what I need to do requires software that I can only run on a PC...
« Last Edit: April 19, 2007, 07:06 PM by Darwin »

superboyac

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I love pc's, but those commercial are pretty funny.

I used to be a belligerent mac hater, but I've come to realize that macs have a very nice purpose in the world.  To use a PC well and to do things right, you need to know a lot about computers and be sort of a geek.  If you don't, your pc will inevitibatly be overrun by spam and spyware, virus, etc.  So, for people who want to use computers, but aren't going to get all into it, a mac is a great choice.  Most of us are powerusers, so we can't stand macs, but they do have their place.  I would wholeheartedly recommend macs to non-techie people because that means they will not bug me later about problems, issues, and stuff.

Deozaan

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Those Apple commercials have always been lame.

However, I do hate all the bloat and crapware that comes with brand-name PCs. If I ever buy a brand-name PC/laptop, the first thing I'm going to do is format the drive and do a nice, clean install. And that's with my own discs. Not the ones that come with the bloat that's automatically installed.

I'm not necessarily anti-mac, but in its current state I would never buy one. Not enough software. Especially in the games department.

Apple is all about proprietary software/hardware. I have to admit I don't know what the significance is for Macs starting to use Intel based processors, so this might be outdated information. I just don't like the idea of buying a computer and HAVING to use Apple software. Just like I don't like the idea of using a iPod and being FORCED to use iTunes and DRM, without the ability to play MP3 or WMA or anything I want. Apple bums me out.

I would wholeheartedly recommend macs to non-techie people because that means they will not bug me later about problems, issues, and stuff.

I don't think I would, because then they would ask me how to get the latest game on it or some Windows only software, and I'd have to say "No can-do, sucks to be you!"

Darwin

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I wouldn't say that I can't stand Macs, in fact, I quite like mine - I just can't stand the zealotry of the Mac-faithful (no doubt they find zealotry among the PC, well, M$, faithful repugnant as well) and the hype that surrounds all things APPLE. To whit: all things Mac good, glorious, brilliant, reflective of the refined taste and brilliance of their owners vs. all things PC backward, boorish, and evil. It's too black and white for me. The reality is shades of grey...

zridling

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I loaded and used OS X and even used it for a couple of weeks. Apparently I was the only PC person on the planet distinctly NOT impressed. Oh well. My gripe with the commercials is that they lump all PC users in the same box. HELLO! Not everyone buys their PC off the shelf or from Dell/HP/Sony, who do install a buttload of crapware on them. I've either built or had the guy on the corner custom build my PCs since the early 90s.

So by lumping "PCs" all in the same group is like saying, "Conservatives all believe....." Apple is doing nothing more than making a straw man argument.

Lashiec

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Zaine summarizes my feelings about the ads extremely well. The ads are not directed (they could think they are, but they're wrong) towards hardware and/or software enthusiasts, but to all name-brand PC buyers who, although they're the majority, would probably pass on the ads.

I didn't touch a Mac too many times, let alone tinkering with it, but this is exactly the public towards they're directed. That, and enterprises, since they also buy pre-assembled PCs in bulk, they never assemble one directly. Why? Because they exactly suit their needs, all the preloaded software you really use, and without the hassle of normal PCs, including the increased security due to the low market impact.

That's not saying they couldn't be used by enthusiasts, but you'd had to be more of a DIY type than a power user to really alter something at hardware level. Things change with software, it's true the number of good programs is significantly lower, but they have some great things, like a file manager I once came across, but I forgot the name of it. Or Quicksilver, the FARR killer ;). Or the Aqua version of VideoLAN, much better than its wxWidgets counterpart (yeech) in terms of interface design.

Have in mind that the great problem with many Mac users is they're great fanboys, and those ads are also directed to them, as a token of appreciation (or as a another medium of brainwashing...) from their beloved leaders ;D. Sure they giggle with them, and comment 'til the end of time, just as it happened with the famous pot smoker girl of the 1999 ads (I think), which became almost a legend, just because she didn't catch much sleep... Every public statement on big companies is always something "political" directed to their hardcore supporters, even if the majority of the company's working force doesn't adhere to these ideas. Microsoft's "open source communism" is just the same. Sometimes I wonder if those big guys are directed by lawyers and zealots, instead of people...

Yet another field in which the Mac could have a great advantage are notebooks. Notebooks, despite the struggle to replace normal computers, are notebooks after all, designed to go everywhere (almost) and give you most of the functionality of a big PC. After all, I don't care if I could play Crysis in a notebook or not, I probably can't do it on the desktop anyway... And since almost every notebook sold is a pre-assembled type, I yet have to see a Franken-one, the Mac is perfect for this task. If I really need a notebook someday, I would probably buy a PowerBook or similar, some of my friends at the university have one, and they're really cool, much better than the Dells and Vaios used by the teachers :)

on another note, Apple still relies on Microsoft to produce Office suites for the Mac..

I've been told that Mac Office is way better than Windows version. And what happened to Apple's "Office" offering?

It seems like they should just come out with an ad that asks "Are you an idiot that doesn't care what is inside the computer as long as it is pretty and performs all the basics?" and get it over with.

Well, it can't be denied that Apple products are pretty and some of them have a great design. I'm not saying that PCs are ugly (well, mine sure it is :)), but we have to give some credit to the guys. Also, the quality of the components is at least decent, and some of the high-end Macs have some interesting technology (water cooling and almost no noise)

Last meeting their was even a debate about whether a meember going to minister in remote North Western Australia should keep her Mac or get a Windows based machine.  (Only computer discussion I have ever heard where the ability of a machine to withstand dust ingress was debated).

Heh, I didn't know that these "PC vs. Mac" talks reached the church. In Spain I think they're still discussing the possible "evil" nature of the Internet.

P.S.: Any machine, even those with no air intake, will get lots of dust. Except, of course, a Linux based one, probably a bright mind already coded an add-on for Emacs to automatically clean it ;)

I recognise, and smile ruefully to myself when I do, this exact same behviour in myself! I'm *supposed* to be more productive when I'm sitting in front of a computer but instead I wile away hours and days of my time "tweaking" it to address perceived deficiencies (...)

Who was the member who said his computer was using him for something, and not the other way around? LOL

superboyac

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Am I a traitor for thinking these commercials are hilarious?  That little mac guy is such a smug bastard!  I love it!  He reminds me of Dr. Evil's son.  The one where PC needed to have permission from the secret service to talk to the Mac guy was classic.

By the way, Macs suck in general.  I shouldn't say that, they have their place in society.  But for me, they suck.

Darwin

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Am I a traitor for thinking these commercials are hilarious?  That little mac guy is such a smug bastard!  I love it!  He reminds me of Dr. Evil's son.  The one where PC needed to have permission from the secret service to talk to the Mac guy was classic.

By the way, Macs suck in general.  I shouldn't say that, they have their place in society.  But for me, they suck.

No, I think they're funny too - even as I'm throwing my cookies at the tv!

Also, Zaine - I'm a PC guy with OS 9.2 on a geriatric iMac and OS 10.2 on a slightly newer iBook and I am distinctly unimpressed by either OS. Funny how if I gripe about 9.2 MacHeads scream at me about how it was an unmitigated pile of pooh (so comparing it to Windows is unfair), yet six years ago all I heard was what a superior OS it was compared to either Win 98 or Win2k. At the time I had machines running both Windows OS's and thought that I was a complete idiot or something because I simply could not see how OS 9.2 compared in any way to Win2k. On balance, it was probably on par with 98 (but at the time I found 98 to be much more robust and versatile) but I feel right at home on a 98 machine if I have to use it and beat my head against a wall trying to do anything on the OS 9.2 machine. Yes, I admit that this probably reflects the fact that I spend 95% of my time on Windows machines and things seem intuitive because it's all learned behaviour. I don't care.

OS X in general leaves me a bit cold, too. I recognise that it's lightweight and visually pleasant (though I actually quickly tire of the interface, but that's just me) but I really don't find using it to be much more intuitive than OS 9.2. I really have to dig (admittedly less so than in 9.2) for information, and that pisses me off. Also, despite claims to the contrary, I've had far more networking issues with Mac OS's than with Windows...

mwb1100

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Am I a traitor for thinking these commercials are hilarious?  That little mac guy is such a smug bastard!  I love it!  He reminds me of Dr. Evil's son.  The one where PC needed to have permission from the secret service to talk to the Mac guy was classic.
I'm with you 100% - though the one that makes me laugh every time (even now when I'm just thinking of it) is the "How 'bout I calculate how much time we just wasted?" line.

Darwin

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I'm with you 100% - though the one that makes me laugh every time (even now when I'm just thinking of it) is the "How 'bout I calculate how much time we just wasted?" line.

Yeah, that's the one that kills me as well... especially when it occurs in the flashback.

Fred Nerd

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Macs are ok; its the people who come with them that are the problem. Does anyone know how I can write a small 'virus' for a mac, just to tell my friend "click on this button labeled 'I will never again tell you that Macs are that much better than PCs' or I won't go away?

zridling

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I saw this commercial last night and was surprised at how fast they put it out, given that the same topic was blogged just a week ago. The original article was from that mac-loving jackass Walt Mossberg of the WSJ, titled Using Even New PCs Is Ruined by a Tangle of Trial Programs, Ads. The primary slam was against Sony Vaio computers.