Filed under: Switchers, Video, Apple
Three new "Get a Mac" ads premiere, aimed at Win 7
While these ads are pretty funny (Broken Promises, in particular, features some excellent work by the wardrobe department), it's not clear if the message of upgrade challenges from XP to Win7 is going to resonate. Apple's marketing team may describe Windows 7 as 'antiquated tech,' but the big M clearly is expecting plenty of PC users to buy brand new machines to run Win7 rather than upgrading their old gear. Will they consider a Mac as part of the mix? We can certainly hope so -- but by all indications, Windows 7 is no Vista, and it's quite a bit harder to sell against an operating system that doesn't actively shoot itself in the foot. Heck, it's possible that there may even be a few Mac diehards in the opening day lines to buy Win7.
Thanks to everyone who sent this in.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
nickux said 10:33PM on 10-22-2009
Definitely not the best of the Get a Mac ads but still ok. I wish Apple would focus more on the good things about Mac OS X and less on trying to derail Windows. These commercials actually seem to clue people into the launch of 7 rather than anything from Apple. I didn't even hear the words "Snow Leopard" in these.
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Rob said 11:29PM on 10-22-2009
I sort of disagree. They seem so rushed as to almost be annoying; the "why not move to the computer rated number one in customer satisfaction" sounds completely artificial and contrived. I'd expect that from Microsoft's ad department (Windows 7 party, anyone?), but not from the company that launched the think different ad campaign.
KSB said 5:48AM on 10-23-2009
Agree with Rob, Apple seems almost desperate with these new commercials. Only one I did like though was the one poking fun at the old Windows version, But I wish MS all the luck with Win7.
gib said 10:08AM on 10-23-2009
This campaign has run its course... At first it was promoting things Apple was innovating (iLife, Magsafe, iPhoto book printing, easy setup). Now they are just overgeneralized attacks on Microsoft. Why have they not made a "Get a Mac" commercial promoting SL? Or the new iMac? Or Expose/Spaces? Or, at the very least, their environmental stuff they love to promote in their product launches?
Let's call this campaign done. Come up with something else. As repetitively annoying as the "There's an App for that..." series is, at least those are promoting some of the iPhone's features. If Apple knows what is good for them, they would let John Hodgman go back to working with John Stewart and let Justin Long go back to ... ummm ... well, make him go away.
Alan Strangis said 1:39PM on 10-23-2009
These are some of the weakest yet. The most effective ones were the simplest (ie: just Hodgman and Long).
Kind of funny that the same time these, highlighting how many people are switching, come out, Apple announced official Boot Camp support for Windows 7 by the end of the year.
Dragngt said 10:38PM on 10-22-2009
They aren't the best but they'll be simple for the 'moms and dads' out there that kinda sorta get it. The ones with kids screaming "I want a mac". These are simple and make a good point. "If you're gonna make a move...why not move to a Mac. We're rated the best and you know you want one."
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Jeff said 10:44PM on 10-22-2009
"Will they consider a Mac as part of the mix? We can certainly hope so -- . . ."
Are you kidding me TUAW? You guys hope people choose Mac's over PC's? What happened to objectivity? Do you guys get kickbacks from Apple?
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Michael Rose said 11:11PM on 10-22-2009
ROFL. Very funny Jeff.
David said 11:29PM on 10-22-2009
Um...TUAW stands for The Unofficial Apple Weblog...not really a secret which way they lean buddy.
Joanna D said 5:07AM on 10-23-2009
Jeff is right though. Just because the site is about Apple doesn't mean that the writers should be universally in support of Macs and the company. The "journalism" here has really gone downhill in recent months, I used to come here because I thought I got a balanced presentation of a topic I'm interested in.
Should TUAW side with Apple on the rejection of various great applications from the App Store, just because it is Apple?
Should TUAW side with Apple on their proposals for an ad-supported computer operating system, just because it is Apple?
Should TUAW side with Apple on the issue of Time Capsules failing after 18 months, just because it is Apple?
Michael Rose said 11:08AM on 10-23-2009
"Joanna D," Jeff is JOKING. And you're throwing up so many strawmen that it's hard to breathe.
"You guys hope people choose Mac's over PC's?"
Yes, yes we do. Anyone who doesn't realize that is deeply confused.
That doesn't mean we're blind to Apple's flaws as a company or ignoring issues with the products -- we report on those, sometimes with quite a bit of righteous indignation (you can only really be hurt by the ones you love, you know). We can still root for Apple to be the best Apple it can be, and we can still be excited when new users come to the platform.
Your hypotheticals are kind of... well, they're kind of wacky.
"Should TUAW side with Apple on the rejection of various great applications from the App Store, just because it is Apple?"
Strawman! Show me where we did that. We were one of the first sites to report on the Google Voice imbroglio, and we've consistently championed indie developers that have been rejected for silly reasons.
"Should TUAW side with Apple on their proposals for an ad-supported computer operating system, just because it is Apple?"
As far as I know we haven't said anything about that rumor.
"Should TUAW side with Apple on the issue of Time Capsules failing after 18 months, just because it is Apple?"
Strawman #3! Again, we have run multiple stories about the TC failures and helped bring attention to the service issue.
All of your arguments seem to be with some other idealized version of TUAW that exists only in your head. We're news and advocacy, tips and complaints, the good and the bad -- that's what we do, it's what we've always done, and frankly I don't understand why you expect anything different.
Jeff said 12:58PM on 10-23-2009
I was not joking at all actually, I think that even though it is an apple weblog, the merits of Mac vs PC should shine themselves and not be emotionally intertwined with the hopes of the bloggers. I have a mac because even though the hardware is overpriced, it is rock solid and the operating system is wonderful and I enjoy using it. Without your wish to propagate more Mac throughout the world, the operating system and hardware can speak for itself, IMHO.
Bloobie said 5:21PM on 10-23-2009
@Jeff: Then you're on the wrong site. That's like saying the editors of crackberry.com should not be saying they hope someone goes out and buys a Blackberry (over an iPhone or Android device).
Jeff said 11:01PM on 10-23-2009
@bloobie: I just did a google search for the phrases "hope" or "hope so" on crackberry, and nothing was found. Crackberry lets blackberry tech speak for themselves. Im going to stop beating a dead horse, but i think my point was made.
Michael Rose said 11:21PM on 10-23-2009
Jeff, I apologize for assuming you were joking. Apparently I gave you undue credit for a sense of humor.
Your original comment:
"Are you kidding me TUAW? You guys hope people choose Mac's over PC's? What happened to objectivity? Do you guys get kickbacks from Apple?"
First of all, it's Macs, not Mac's.
I refer you to my earlier response, and I feel compelled to add:
NO, we don't get kickbacks from Apple. If you really believe that we do, and that wasn't just hyperbolic nastiness, you're a dummy. Your point, as you so adorably call it, is pretty blunt.
If you're looking for objectivity over the "which is better, a Mac or a PC" from a site called THE UNOFFICIAL APPLE WEBLOG... I just don't know what to tell you. Most blogs aren't objective, and we don't feign objectivity when it comes to our core interest. For me, Macs ARE better. That's why I'm here. If I didn't believe that, I'd write somewhere else instead of spending my time on a site for Apple enthusiasts who like to read about Apple products and obsess about Apple rumors. I don't know whether the crackberry.com folks think Blackberries are better than iPhones, but I have a hunch that they do -- otherwise they would find something else to discuss.
I'm sure there are plenty of blogs about Windows technologies and Microsoft products. This ain't one of them.
Jeff said 9:05PM on 10-24-2009
@MR: I apologize for my one grammatical error. The gist of my comment was not a joke. The one line about kickbacks was. I apologize for making a comment that had many facets and apparently only dummies like me can understand the complexities of.
smak said 10:57PM on 10-22-2009
Every time I see one of these commercials, I feel like an asshole for buying a Macbook Pro. Ugh. Buyers remorse shouldn't be hitting me in this fashion...
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216 said 8:23AM on 10-23-2009
yea they dont help the "Mac Cult" vibe one bit
Kane said 11:07PM on 10-22-2009
I've had an early 07 Core2Duo iMac, and before Snow Leopard came out, I actually preferred the Win7 RC running on BootCamp over Leopard. Everything was just much more responsive and did not lag as much as it did with leopard. However, I do prefer 10.6 over Win7 but not by much. I've told all of my friends running Vista to absolutely get Win7 because it makes that much of a difference. I'm grateful that I do have a Mac, as it allows me to run two solid OS's on one powerful machine.
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ErnieP said 2:10AM on 10-23-2009
Lame spots. When's Apple going to fix the major user flaw in Snow Leopard?
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