Comments | ambientguise: Because, apparently, I really felt like posting.

ambientguise

Because, apparently, I really felt like posting.

Sep 08, 2008 12:55

...whether or not I had anything to say.

I just saw an adorable "Mac ad" online, where Mac guy in the banner at the top of the page talked to PC guy in a newspaper-style article in the banner at the side of the page. Admittedly I had the sound off, but PC talking from the photo box was cute.

So, thoughts.
1. Are geepgal and I really the only ones who hate ( Read more... )

Comments 21

smarriveurr September 8 2008, 17:11:08 UTC

There's been articles on how the Mac guy is actively turning off users, before. One said that their biggest problem is that they targeted their original market too perfectly - Mac Guy is that Mac guy with the unjustified sense of superiority, the oversimplistic approach, the Starbucks cup in his hand and the unwashed indie look. And the thing is, even that guy hates that guy. Meanwhile, John Hodgman, who plays PC, is the actual devout Mac user of the two... that's why he went out for the advert.

So, yeah, they're annoying customers. I rage at some of the commercials - which is why it's kinda nice to not have TV at the moment. No more Mac ads. Also, I've gotten pissed at a lot of Apple campaigns. iPhone ads, for example, have been banned in Britain for being false advertising.

I have nothing against Mac, I think they're decent machines. But it's kinda like religion. I grew up in a PC house. I know PCs and MS products. It'd take something big to make me switch.

ambientguise September 8 2008, 17:23:22 UTC

Then John Hodgman should stop being so cutely pathetic, because he's undermining his point.

I've also seen stuff here and there about the social currents aspect of people being annoyed...but they keep making the darn things. I want to know who they're supposed to convince, and whether/how it's working.

smarriveurr September 8 2008, 18:04:18 UTC

Well, I'd blame the writers and the director for making the character so cutely pathetic. It's not Hodgman's fault he's acting well... Also, if you haven't yet, you should look him up, as he is hilarious when he's doing his own material.

Perhaps someone at the ad agency is secretly getting money from Microsoft under the table.

paperkingdoms September 8 2008, 17:39:02 UTC

Well, they do seem to be converting non-users, here and there. I've known a few not-really-user families to go entirely Mac in the past year or so.

But yeah. They're kinda shiny, and we use them at school, so I *can* use them. But I'm very happy with Eevie, and it'll be a while before the cost of a Mac seems like a good idea to me.

I don't actually see any real tv very often at all, so I'm mostly insulated from the ads. But what I've seen of them is irksome, not appealing.

poindextrous September 8 2008, 17:49:09 UTC

I never watch the commercials, but I'm thinking about turning back away from the Mac side just because they're pissing me off in general. Both He-E and I still use them at work, so we have them at home, but I don't know if I want a Mac for my next computer. We had a couple of pretty horrible customer service experiences, two new machines with video cards that don't play nice, and their customer service/build quality just don't seem to justify the extra cost anymore.

I *really* like OSX, but Apple's beginning to make me annoyed at continuing to give them money (6 years and 4 laptops + 2 desktops later).

I say that, and I *am* that guy, except female and with a fat ass and a completely justified sense of superiority. :-P

kakofonous September 8 2008, 18:02:17 UTC

Preexisting opinion on macs:
Love OS X and I'm using the unix integration more and more.
Totally neutral on the hardware. Well, not neutral. More completely bimodal and it's a wash.
Wouldn't've purchased a mac if it didn't run windows.
Just spent a couple emails convincing Kevin's dad that mac is NOT the solution for his current computer complaints.

I do think that a big draw is that there are fewer choices to be made when getting a mac. For some people, it facilitates remaining an uninformed consumer and being sheeplike. For others, it's part of a calculation of what to spend mental energy on. Shopping for a mac is scads easier than shopping for a PC, and we all chose the easy way out on something. That might make me part of the mac-cult.

Opinion on the ads:
Hate the ads. I think they come really /really/ close to lies, the smugness is annoying, and they've been going on for too long now.

smarriveurr September 8 2008, 18:08:28 UTC

Close nothin'. The iPhone ads have been ruled to be false by the British Government (God, I love me them brits). I suppose the "I'm a Mac" ads are mainly lies of omission, but, damn...

One of these days, I'd like to see a real "I'm a Mac/I'm a PC" ad, where you've got two nearly identical guys, nearly identical build. One wears glasses, one doesn't, one has a slightly nicer suit and much more impractical shoes... that kind of thing.

poindextrous September 8 2008, 18:30:29 UTC

I do still like that the macs are cuter.

smarriveurr September 8 2008, 19:11:31 UTC

Don't let your other half hear you say that - he'll want to build some sort of cute rig to prove you wrong.

Though, admittedly, with Macs running on a *nix kernel these days, he's probably more of a fan...

Thread 14

femmetofarad September 8 2008, 21:35:03 UTC

For starters, I hate both the I'm a Mac! ads, but I really did not like the new Windows one either. I just think Seinfeld is so weird, and I didn't get it at all. It was trying to be too artsy. Their "Windows Mojave" ones seem to be better to me. ("Surprise, you thought Vista sucked, but it doesn't! Win!" makes more sense to me.) I don't hate the Mac ads as much ( ... )