While I usually like the Apple Macintosh ads, the most recent ad campaign really rubs me the wrong way. They're just so misleading it's hard to really believe that people would actually fall for this.

Take "Restarting" for one. The "mac" and "pc" are talking when the PC restarts. He boots back up and the dialogue goes as such:

PC: "Hi, I'm a PC."
Mac: "We're past that, we moved beyond that."
PC: "Yeah, I had to restart there, you know how it is."
Mac: "No, actually I don't."
PC: "What, macs don't have to..." [PC Crashes again]
Mac: "Had him and we lost him."

Notice how they never get to the part where the mac should say, "No, we don't ever restart." Which would be false. Or even trying to assert that they never crash - which is also patently false. Nor do they even mention that it's usually user error that causes PC's to crash. Since I built this last computer and have been running Windows XP, it has crashed a grand total of one time. Why? Not sure, but the error was caused by a graphics driver and it has never surfaced again. If you watch what you are downloading and follow instructions while installing programs, your computer should not crash under Windows XP. I guess macs never crash either...suuuure...

Next on to the other one that irks me entitled "iLife."

Basically, it has the PC enjoying the iPod which works with iTunes. The mac tells him that he should get a mac so he can have all this bundled software such as iMovie, iPhoto, and iWeb. iLife comes with ever mac don't ya know. The PC only comes bundled with a "calculator" and "clock."

Let's see now. Microsoft wanted to include PDF capabilities in the next version of Windows. Adobe sued them. What if Microsoft wanted to bundle their own iLife crap with every Windows PC? Well, every company that makes a competing product would sue them claiming they're abusing their powers and they're a monopoly.

So, it's ok, and even advertised that macs come bundled with software. But Microsoft tries to bundle software of their own with Windows and they're sued. That whole commercial is completely ridiculous.

What else? Viruses...yes, there are more for PCs because there are more PCs. Why write a virus for an operating system that only has 2-3% of market share? Doesn't make much sense to me. There are viruses for macs. They are not immune. There's just more for PCs because there are more PCs and a larger target audience to try and infect.

Oh yeah, some guy in the Wall Street Journal said that a mac is the "finest desktop PC on the market at any price." Good thing they found one article to base a whole commercial around.

Yes, Apple makes fine computers, but don't blatantly mislead the public with falsehoods and downright stupid advertisements...leave that to the car companies.

URL: Apple - Get a Mac - Watch The TV Ads