"Im a pc" ad's actually REALLY annoying!!!

[gilkisson]

I guess you completely missed the point. Many people had very bad first impressions of Windows Vista when it was first released, due to some program compatibility issues, UAC, and the biggest issue, driver problems. People who tried Vista then started to tell all their friends and people on blogs that Vista was horrible. There was a lot of bad press about Vista due to its initial problems.

So MS grabbed some people who had a bad impression of Vista and gave them a demo of it, and the didn't know it was Vista. There's nothing unethical about it. They're not lying in their commercial. They were just trying to make a point that Vista isn't as bad as you've heard, and that you should at least try it before passing judgment.

And the whole reason they misled the people was to get a true opinion of Vista. It's like this. If you go into something thinking it's going to be bad, then that biased opinion is going to impact your opinion. So, the people went into the experiment not knowing what to expect, instead of having a bias into what to expect.

And if you have a huge ethical dilemma over MS's "practice" in executing the "trickery," then I hope you hate Apple over them blatantly misleading the viewers of the commercial. It seems to me that you're trying to find any reason to bash MS, even if it requires some messed up logic.

Oh, I understood the point, all right. It is called "damage control", plain and simple. For whatever reasons (or rationalizations) you can come up with, Vista is a problem child.

I have 300+ desktop PCs to support. Currently, they all run XP Pro. And they will stay that way for the foreseeable future, too. I installed a few copies, ran evals in several different departments and business areas. I had enough problems getting Vista on our domain, with our software load, with our databases and networks, that I canned the project. There is no business need, no driving technology, no benefit to be gained, from installing Vista. The cost of the software, combined with the added hardware costs, made the idea ridiculous and the decision to skip Vista very easy.

"I want you to try my product, but I'm not going to tell you the name until later" isn't a method by which I will buy software. When my neighbors tried that approach with Amway, I told them to take a hike as well. Same thing.

So they cobbled up a version of Vista that didn't crash or bog the system. In other words, they have made a version of Vista that does what XP does already. Then what would I get for the additional $300?

You want me to purchase your software, be upfront with me. Tell me what it is, what it does, and how it will benefit the bottom line. If you cannot, well, there's the door.

 

[gilkisson]

How in the world is that offensive? That test demonstrated that lots of the bad public perception about Vista - much of it generated by Apple's stupid "I'm a Mac" ads - is simply wrong.

Sorry, no. Vista has problems. I tested it, I tried it. I failed it. The failure of Vista to be of any use to me, in my business, was not the fault of Apple. It was the fault of Microsoft.

I've used Vista, and while I prefer OSX for security and stability reasons, there's nothing at all wrong with Vista from a user-interface perspective. In fact, it's quite a pleasant operating system to use.

Microsoft is not "lying" to the world when they conduct a blind test. If anything, you should be "offended" by Apple for perpetuating the myth that Vista is a pile of crap, because it simply isn't.

It isn't Apple "perpetuating a myth". It is Vista failing to prove itself.

It's not just my company. Simple research shows business across the world have failed Vista and will not install it.

 

[Cyberius]

It's not just my company. Simple research shows business across the world have failed Vista and will not install it.

If you could go back in time to mid 2003 you would find many similar articles about Windows XP. Meanwhile, Vista is growing by about .5 - 1% marketshare every month.

 

[BigHungry04]

If you could go back in time to mid 2003 you would find many similar articles about Windows XP. Meanwhile, Vista is growing by about .5 - 1% marketshare every month.

No one remembers XP not working when it first came out. I remember it well. It wouldn't work with my printer, or my game pad. I just stuck with XP and after a few months HP came out with drivers for my printer, and Logitech came out with drivers for my game pad. When I installed Vista on my laptop in 2007, it wouldn't work with my printer, but that was because HP once again didn't have drivers for my printer for Vista. I like Vista, I have no problems with it. Everyone expects it to work just as well as XP, well it does. It works as well as XP did when it first came out. Give it a few years and it will be just as stable.

 

[The Flashing Fi]

Sorry, no. Vista has problems. I tested it, I tried it. I failed it. The failure of Vista to be of any use to me, in my business, was not the fault of Apple. It was the fault of Microsoft.



It isn't Apple "perpetuating a myth". It is Vista failing to prove itself.

It's not just my company. Simple research shows business across the world have failed Vista and will not install it.

I'm not going to tell you that you're wrong in your experience with Vista. I have no idea what you tried it with, what you installed it on, ect. I put Vista RC1 on my desktop and it was great. I put Vista RTV February 2 2007 and there were a lot of driver bugs with Nvidia. That's been fixed now and SP1 improved Vista a lot.

Many of Vista's problems are grossly exaggerated. Call it MS's "problem child," but businesses are really not a way to judge the success of Windows Vista. Businesses have generally been very slow to adopt the latest version of Windows. They wait until they absolutely have no choice. Many businesses 2-3 years after XP was released were still running Windows 2000, where they new all their software would work and where they knew all their computers could run it without problems.

Because of this, I suspect that many businesses will likely switch to Windows 7, based right off of Windows Vista. Windows XP computers won't be available then, and when businesses need to switch, they won't have a choice (and they won't have drivers either).

 

[gilkisson]

If you could go back in time to mid 2003 you would find many similar articles about Windows XP. Meanwhile, Vista is growing by about .5 - 1% marketshare every month.

Agreed. Because MS has made it very difficult (not impossible) to get XP, at least at retail. The marketshare growth you mention is coming from XP.

Again, I ask it: What driving reason is there, business or technology, to convert to Vista? What function can be done only on Vista, which cannot be done by staying on XP?

I submit there is but one: XP has already been paid for, whereas MS has not collected from everyone for Vista yet. Only reason I can see.

 

[gilkisson]

I'm not going to tell you that you're wrong in your experience with Vista. I have no idea what you tried it with, what you installed it on, ect. I put Vista RC1 on my desktop and it was great. I put Vista RTV February 2 2007 and there were a lot of driver bugs with Nvidia. That's been fixed now and SP1 improved Vista a lot.

Many of Vista's problems are grossly exaggerated. Call it MS's "problem child," but businesses are really not a way to judge the success of Windows Vista. Businesses have generally been very slow to adopt the latest version of Windows. They wait until they absolutely have no choice. Many businesses 2-3 years after XP was released were still running Windows 2000, where they new all their software would work and where they knew all their computers could run it without problems.

Because of this, I suspect that many businesses will likely switch to Windows 7, based right off of Windows Vista. Windows XP computers won't be available then, and when businesses need to switch, they won't have a choice (and they won't have drivers either).

Alas, you are probably correct. I do know that I won't support a company-wide switch to Vista without a good reason. "Good reason" being defined as that which helps the company improve the bottom line. I see no reason to convert, either a gain in technology or improved performance to the business.

The myriad of problems I had have probably been fixed, I admit. But I'm not in the mood, nor do I have the budget, to spend thousands just to end up with no improved capabilities. If MS wants me to buy Vista, they need to SELL Vista. And as Vista, not under a pseudonym.

 

[abijnk]

I guess what I find annoying about these ads is that I still haven't figured out what they are trying to sell me.

"I'm a PC," ok, cool. So I should go buy an HP and install Fedora on it? Sweet, thanks for the heads up!

Kinda reminds me of this skit from Lewis Black:
"You don’t even know what they’re selling, until the very end. Three rabbits are on a log, and one of them goes home and hangs himself- buy a bike!"

 

[belvdr]

I guess what I find annoying about these ads is that I still haven't figured out what they are trying to sell me.

That seems like a lot of the ads these days. You watch it, and think "What is this?" and then it's an advert for jeans or cologne. Weird stuff.

 

[Lancetx]

The PC adverts make me think "Yup - I'm one of them"

And they make me think "Yup - I was one of the PC sheep for years myself, but I finally wised up and I'm not any longer"

 

[belvdr]

And they make me think "Yup - I was one of the PC sheep for years myself, but I finally wised up and I'm not any longer"

Not me. I use whatever is best for the task at hand.

 

[Lancetx]

Not me. I use whatever is best for the task at hand.

As do I, when I have the choice. This coming from someone that has no choice but to use a PC for 8 hours a day.

 

[belvdr]

As do I. This coming from someone that has no choice but to use a PC for 8 hours a day.

Yep, same here.

 

[Lancetx]

Yep, same here.

That's the thing, most Mac owners are like you and I in that they also use Windows PCs on a daily basis as well. Many like myself also have Windows installed on their Macs via Boot Camp or virtualization like Parallels.

I'd venture that the overwhelming majority of those that primarily use a PC at home have rarely if ever used a Mac, much less done so on a daily basis. So they really can't make a valid comparison between the two based on hands on experience. I was that way for several years myself prior to buying my first Mac. The only exposure I ever really had to Macs before that was at the store.

 

[sangosimo]

^ Yup. I personally love to see the "new" "innovations" that Windows 7 has. Not to mention the tacky Aero interface. Microsoft has to trick every customer to buying it. In the Mojave project, they probably bought really expensive computers with cutting edge technology in order to make Vista seem useable. If I took a 1K computer, it still would have trouble loading Vista. Not to mention they probably used the best computer hardware out there + the Ultimate version of Vista. This is reminiscent of the days when PC was cheaper and Mac was more expensive. Today is quite the opposite.

the computer in my sig cost 1k ( I bought it with 8800gt). Are you telling me that my rig will struggle with vista? There are far too many mac users that know nothing about computers. I wonder how many macrumors users have built a rig before.

 

[liptonlover]

I don't find them annoying, I just think they're regular, boring, commercials. I can't believe anyone could find them funnier than the mac ads, unless they mean as in laughing AT the pc ones.

 

[kdawg]

Bleeding

I don't know if anyone else caught it but in one of those PC adds the last person to speak is a tattoo artist who says, "I am a PC and I make people bleed"

LOL I thought to myself, how true... I couldn't believe the add was even approved... but someone caught it cause it had a very short life.

 

[iObama]

I'm still baffled over the fact that they spent $300 million, and all they could come up with is Jerry Seinfeld and these "I'm a PC" ads.

I also think it's funny that when the PC says "and I've been made into a stereotype," he's wearing the suit that that are saying is stereotypical.

 

[The Flashing Fi]

Alas, you are probably correct. I do know that I won't support a company-wide switch to Vista without a good reason. "Good reason" being defined as that which helps the company improve the bottom line. I see no reason to convert, either a gain in technology or improved performance to the business.

And that's a great decision. Don't spend money unless you need to. That's generally the basis of any well run business.

 

[gilkisson]

And that's a great decision. Don't spend money unless you need to. That's generally the basis of any well run business.

Well, thanks... we try

Kinda makes one wonder, what *is* driving Vista's sales? If it doesn't do anything wow gee-whiz different/better/special, what's driving it? Hype, perhaps? Hype and Mojave?

 

[djellison]

"The “I’m a Mac and I’m a PC” commercials, the dancing silhouettes, and the catchy unknown music in iPod ads cost $486 million in 2008. Wow."

http://industry.bnet.com/technology/1000574/apples-advertising-budget-revealed/

Wow indeed. Makes the Seinfeld ads look cheap.

And yes - the guy in the 'I'm a PC' ads is wearing a suit to look stereotypical - BECAUSE THAT'S THE STEREOTYPE THE APPLE MARKETING DEPT HAVE SET UP.

 

[3247]

Kinda makes one wonder, what *is* driving Vista's sales? If it doesn't do anything wow gee-whiz different/better/special, what's driving it? Hype, perhaps? Hype and Mojave?

The fact that you can't get a new PC without Vista? Even if you buy a PC with a dual XP/Vista licence and run XP, it still counts as Vista.

 

[siz]

I'm a Pc store.

If you click on a link on http://www.windows.com/ it links you to the I'M A PC STORE! http://www.zazzle.com/imapc Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!

PC STORE FTW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Microsoft is getting desperate,
Another great reason to buy a Mac.

 

[MisterMe]

"The “I’m a Mac and I’m a PC” commercials, the dancing silhouettes, and the catchy unknown music in iPod ads cost $486 million in 2008. ...

The fact that you don't know the music does not mean that the music is unknown. To the contrary, the music is very well-known and sells a butt-load of iPods.

 

[appleindeed]

yes, they are lame and annoying making windows even more uncool.