The UK 'I'm a PC' Ads are even better

@maati: They use Windows Movie Maker in the Danni commercial. Unfortunately it's not Windows *Live* Movie Maker, but it's not out of beta yet either, so it wouldn't be adviseable to advertise someone using beta software on their main computer. They also use Windows Live Mail in the Lewis and Kylie (US) ads.

Ooh, I love it when you talk all sweet like that, T'Plakykins! Kissles and snuggles, baby! I'm gonna wear me my clean undies for our date!

"there is absolutely nothing that Apple or its crazy fanatic followers can do to counter these cute kids using Windows. Any retort would just look stupid and mean-spirited." I agree, these ads are positive and leverage emotion. There are no facts that are twisted, that are easily disputable. +1 for Microsoft. Compared to........ http://www.maclife.com/article/news/kay_says_microsoft_to_blame_too And Microsoft was adamant that Kay not give Apple or the Mac OS any credit for its influence over Windows, or dominance over Vista. “They didn’t want to use the word ‘copy’ because it made Apple look better, like they really were there first.... They kept undermining little places where I used words like “elegance,” and “simplicity,” because they were trying to make sure the point about lower cost took the foreground. “The only thing I was looking for were ways to mitigate the obvious unfairness of it. I kept pushing back at Microsoft during the editing process.” While Kay maintains that he didn’t know his “What Price Cool” report was planned as part of a larger-scale, “we-give-more-value-for-the-money” campaign, he readily admits that the study is inherently one-sided and shouldn’t be classified as a white paper. And despite doing his best to ignore the noisy Mac “brownshirts,” he understands their point. “If someone said to me, ‘Do the other version,’ where you advocate Apple instead, I would probably shave some more of those things off and then say, ‘Yes, there still remains a premium, but you get other things--simplicity, elegance, etc. The robustness of OS X means that the user will spend less time fiddling with their system, and if you take the value of their time and add that in, it goes back the other way.’ So, you could build a pretty good case on the other side as well.”

Paul, me thinks you doth protest too much.

" there is absolutely nothing that Apple or its crazy fanatic followers can do to counter these cute kids using Windows." Yes, there is. Just keep reminding people of all the problems they have with windows. A few kids with a working computer doesn't make everyone else's problems go away. That's MS's basic problem. Windows has caused people a lot of grief. They can't be wiped away. It will take years and years of putting out a quality product, which doesn't have problems. They didn't succeed with Vista on that score, they made their reputation even worse. And it simply doesn't matter if the geeks that populate this site have "no" problems with windows. Your no problems doesn't make the other people's problems go away. Sorry. Look, all apple has to do is point to all the surveys. Every survey from every reputable publication or research firm has shown customer satisfaction to be higher for the mac (and iPod, and iPhone). No amount of ads - which people know are biased, they are not stupid - can overcome the millions of people's own experiences. Which very often, in the case of windows, has been poor to terrible. Can you get something done with a PC? Of course, but it's kinda like a lottery and often you get zapped with a poor experience (for non-geeks)

Those are good ads. You can't go wrong with precocious kids and bunnies. "...every Mac fanatic site on earth are busy deconstructing the "Laptop Hunter" ads and "Apple Tax" stories with frenzied and increasing desperation" Not seeing the desperation part, but definitely lots of deconstruction. Which is a waste of time, but it seems to make people feel better. To me the Mac fanatics' reaction to the Laptop Hunters ads is exactly analogous to the Windows fanatics' reaction to the Get a Mac ads. Sam Ting. There is a deeply ingrained human tendency to accept and agree with data that reinforce one's world view, and to dismiss or disagree with data that do not. Psychologists have a name for it, which escapes me at the moment, cognitive something-or-other. There's a lot of it out there.

I've seen many ads like these here in America. With American kids, of course.

Some commenter here is pretending s/he has great knowledge and professional experience in marketing & ad industry etc. S/he is speaking like s/he has a degree from Harvard business school and is lecturing us what is good ad & what is not. S/he is even offering some "advice" to big companies free of charge. These companies must be very stupid in paying a lot of money to professional marketing consultants and doing expensive customer survey. They all need to do is looking for comment at site like this and implement these great advices. Or is it? Nothing/noboday can please everyone though.

@shark Please, tell me how Microsoft should attack them. I already mentioned some possibilities. Now it's your turn. And yes, I hate Apple's "Mac vs. PC" ads. At least as much as I hate MSFT's "Laptop Hunter" ads. Apple's ads are deceptive, arrogant... but I really don't know many possibilities for MSFT to respond there. Perhaps it's right to just ignore them and make more "Rookies" ads because those are excellent.

@heran You never know who's got a degree from Harvard Business School or London School of Economics. And yes, sometimes they should just listen to commenters on Paul Thurrott's Supersite for Windows :D

@slimshady Well, on the site Paul linked too, some comments from the iCrew: "I personally think that Microsoft is sick in its corporate head. These adverts lie. MS should be taken to the Advertising Standards Authority for customer deception. But then again it's nothing new, is it." And the 1st prize winner of the whack-job comments: "Isnt this just kiddie porn? Why hasnt microsoft been jailed for this yet?" Let's see if the home crew on this blog can top those.

Doesn't this: http://blogs.zdnet.com/security/?p=3157 negate the whole argument that with a Mac you save money by not needing anti-virus software?

Paul, get back to Windows. Please.

"Apple fires up it's marketing Department and creates ads that dont attack Windows" Don't hold your breath waiting for that. "Paul, get back to Windows." Is this not Windows being discussed?

"And yes, I hate Apple's "Mac vs. PC" ads. At least as much as I hate MSFT's "Laptop Hunter" ads. Apple's ads are deceptive, arrogant... but I really don't know many possibilities for MSFT to respond there." Apple has a strong contingent of tech reporters that go all out to defend the company. Most mainstream tech writers and bloggers are up in arms about Microsoft's new ads. Heck, Business Week carried a story about how much better OS X is compared to Windows. Apple is already attacking the ads - not directly, but through its loyal supporters. Microsoft never had that kind of a support base among the mainstream techies. Who cares if Apple's laptops are made out of aluminum and a lot of cheap PCs use plastic? Do I think Macs look good? Sure. Would that influence my decision? Not much. In the end, I haven't had problems with too many of my computers. In the end, if a PC satisfied my requirements, I wouldn't pay twice as much to get a Mac, just because a bunch of idiots tell me they're cooler.

"MovieMaker, Live Mail, Media Player, Windows Phones and so on... there's plenty of other good stuff from Microsoft" Perhaps, but you haven't mentioned any of it here. Moviemaker: Pales in comparison to iMovie Live Mail: gMail is much better Media Player: Phhhht. No competition for iTunes Windows Phones: Surely you jest If that's all you've got, bring it on.

Um, T'Plak? Did I offend you? I was totally serious. I can point you to my AdultFriendFinder profile. I'm cool with a lot of things.

Good stuff indeed. Thanks for sharing, Paul. BTW, have you seen the latest one of the Laptop Hunter Series? Is about a gaming PC... http://techhoje.blogspot.com/2009/04/im-pc-and-im-eleven-im-not.html

@scarper: one of the best posts I've seen here for a long time! Thanks for keeping it real. :-)

@bonch: unlike you, your comments have grown old.

Great ads, once again Mac weenies are getting hysterical, same old same old.

BEGINTRANSMIT @Waethorn, I know it must be difficult seeing your mother and I so happy, and knowing that she will bring into existence, with the aid of my genetic material, the Galactic Savior and the Era of Enlightenment. You probably feel like you will be a disappointment compared to your new little brother. You have a point there. Rest assured, you may continue to dwell in the underground chamber of your mother's earth home. We will begin charging you rent, or at least make you wash your own dishes. But this is for your own benefit- you must learn responsibility if you are ever to move out and sleep in a big boy's bed. In conclusion, um... There, there, "son." ENDTRANSMIT

meanwhile: http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/17/apple-tops-pc-customer-service-...

Live Mail is both a client and a web service. I like GMail, but I wouldn't say it is superior or inferior. Just different. I do like the Live Mail client, which is unique and similar to Cached Exchange Mode in Outlook in that I can keep several synchronized copies of my mailbox, including calendars, without having to log in to a web page. And since the MAILTO: tags assume a real client, I find it to be a better solution. Comparing the bloated and unreliable iTunes to the admittedly middling but still better Media Player is laughable. I agree scarper, great post. One of the more level headed on here lately. "field trips to the Apple store is "despicable"" Big difference between the two, showing you don't get the distinction. The field trips are paid for with our tax dollars to visit a quasi-educational event, while the MS ads just feature kids and are paid for with private ad dollars and whom are actors.

I have to say that I really don't get these "I'm a PC" ads. In the one's I've seen thus far, the prospective laptop buyer first checks out and salivates over the Apple laptops, noting how cool and nice they are. But then, oops! , they cost too much! So they then have to settle for a Windows laptop. So what is the point? That if you can't afford an Apple then you might as well lower your expectations and settle for a Windows Vista laptop?