32 Comments

i'm not a pc
Sir Ian Blair
2008-10-01 11:26:43

me neither
Mighty Elk
2008-10-01 11:31:08

I think ad is brilliant (thanks for posting) because it exposes one of the great flaws in the apple ad's. But it's not going to persuade me away from my mac!
John Lumgair
2008-10-01 11:42:06

Microsoft strikes back yet I'm gonna stick with my mac.
Matthew Smith
2008-10-01 12:00:33

Well I guess I'm the only PC here ;)
Nikolay
2008-10-01 12:25:58

The PC stereotype, existed before the Apple ads, but at least the ads were original. This 'reply' smacks of trying too hard, and I'm still not left with any tangible reason that I should use a PC.
Jon Hicks
2008-10-01 12:26:49

Hitting back at Microsoft's smugness by out-smugging it. Endangered species. Schoolteachers. 'I'm a human being'. Please.
Bob Shell
2008-10-01 12:37:02

Whoops. Apple, not Microsoft.
Bob Shell
2008-10-01 12:42:34

I for one don't believe for a second that Pharrell Williams creates his music on a PC...
M
2008-10-01 13:16:32

I'm in general agreement.
Personally I thought the Mac ads were a bit pretentious and despite my lack of enthusiasm for PC's I'm glad Microsoft have patched up the holes in Apple's message.
Desert
2008-10-01 13:57:53

Making an ad campaign on the defensive in never a good thing. The thing is Microsoft is yet to make a campaign based on the merits of their products.

Plus, I'm willing to bet that CP&B's production team put the ad together on a Mac using final cut or premiere.
josh
2008-10-01 14:40:17

Agreed Josh.
Plus MS sort of missed the point - Apple's ads don't depict a Mac user and a PC user, but rather a Mac and a PC, personified. That's important because it makes the messaging less about stereotyping computer users and more about how the Mac is a hipper, more personable, more media-savvy machine. And that's something that appeals to all sorts of people.

By going defensive, MS creates much more of an "Us vs. Them" mentality than Apple ever intended. Maybe if there were more humans running MS, they would have also picked up on that distinction.
joel
2008-10-01 22:01:06

I tried 7 times to write my response, looking to give more constructive criticism towards this ad...

however im finding it very difficult, so ill go with my gut which at this point is over emotional and under informed.

Its terrible, and it still doesn't change the fact that PC's are shit.

please excuse the bluntness. I used to own one.
tom
2008-10-05 23:41:43

I think it's great - and historically accurate! Where Mac's lead, PC's follow. When was it ever any different? PC's are people, Mac's are people. It's just that Mac's are more sensible people. They own Mac's.

PC (I mean, PS) I'm a Mac.
Ian Williams
2008-10-06 12:21:24

"I'm a PC and I sell Fish "..sums it up really.
matt
2008-10-06 12:27:47

I can't believe that I am the only one who thinks this way, but here goes.

On behalf of all similar thinkers - PC or Mac? . . . who cares, I'll etch it in elephant shit if the client wants and is willing to pay! It might even win me the Turner prize.

Sorry, not the most technically driven of arguments I know, but just because we all work in advertising it doesn't mean we can't just say it as it is once in a while.

PS. It felt good too!
Michael
2008-10-06 12:30:42

I'd like to contribute to the debate, but my PC won't run the ad. Will try it on my Mac at home later and then hopefully I'll have something useful to say.
Andrew
2008-10-06 12:46:46

but if you live in south america for example, the prices on macs are absurd ! something like 5 X the prices in the first world.

down here, macs are for the (not so sensetive)rich.

pcs are for guerrilheiros.

great add.

ps. I love apple and its history, but turning pc ouners into freaks . . . not a good idea.
sobanski
2008-10-06 14:26:57

i'm a pc.
because i can't afford a mac.
josef
2008-10-06 15:34:02

i think they are trying to turn the current. every "creative" person (or every person who wants to be thought of as "creative") wants to own a mac because it is a symbol of creativity. yet, most creative people crave originality. so how "original" is it for a creative person to own a mac?

in other words, how original is it to want to be original if everyone wants to be original?

from http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com

"You see, a long time ago Apple’s were super popular among layout artists and graphic designers. Then Apple released Final Cut Pro and became the standard for film editors. As a result, lots of creative industries used Apple computers instead of PCs. Eventually, people started making the connection, and all of a sudden all white people need to have a Mac.

When you ask white people about Mac’s they will say “oh, it’s so much better than Windows,” “it’s just easier to use,” “they are so cutting edge,” and so forth. What’s amazing is that white people NEED to meet people who use Windows to justify themselves spending an extra $500 for a pretty looking machine.

It is also important that white people are reminded of their creativity, and remember you need a Mac to creatively check email, creatively check websites, and creatively watch DVDs on planes."
elmas
2008-10-06 15:45:43

Quoting Michael from earlier in the post:"On behalf of all similar thinkers - PC or Mac? . . . who cares, I’ll etch it in elephant shit if the client wants and is willing to pay! It might even win me the Turner prize."

And that sums up exactly what is wrong with the advertising industry. How can you do anything cutting edge and original and creative if your only ever doing exactly what the client wants? If they knew what they wanted and how they wanted it then they wouldn't need to hire someone to do it for them, Push the boat out and take a risk.
Jono
2008-10-06 17:54:12

I'm a... pengin? But I guess I could be either a PC or a mac.
C.J.
2008-10-06 23:41:41

I've used PCs in the past and still do at work, I guess just to remind me what other people have to slog through with no end in sight. I recently finished recording a 60 minute CD with GarageBand which I didn't even expect to come bundled with my new iMac. And it was comparatively cheap. If Macs are overpriced in South America I'm pretty sure that doesn't have much to do with Apple. There are still only two Apple stores here in South Korea as far as I know, and the one in Daegu looks like it might close shop at the drop of a hat. My daughter's in her second year of elementary school and she came home one day with a diskette. I hadn't seen one in years. She started looking around my computer for the box to put it in. I gave her my old second generation G3 iBook to play around with instead. Samsung and LG are PCs. So are SONY, TOSHIBA, DELL and HP. Go figure.
gordon foster
2008-10-07 08:47:33

I'm a creative web developer who works and tests on:

Mac 9.1
Mac OS 10.4
Windows 95
Windows 98 SE
Windows 2000 SP4
Windows XP SP2
Windows Vista
Windows Mobile 5
Windows Mobile 6
Apple iPod Touch
Ubuntu 8.04 Linux

...just to make sure that everyone can see my work!
Simons
2008-10-07 09:11:58

I think this whole 'mac vs pc' debate is extremely misguided and quite frankly, rather pathetic. It pits Bill Gates vs Steve Jobs as if they are two bickering playground politicians, both employing underhand tactics to show us their campaign is better than the others. Get over it and go and do something more useful with your billions. Apple could start by stop polluting the planet with their toxic components. I would dig a campaign about that.

And i want a house like Bill Gates just so i could tell my air-conditioning to f**k off and turn the temperature down.

It's a matter of preference at the end of the day. I use a mac at work and a pc at home, and i like both platforms. Yes macs are cool and shiny, but they are hugely over-priced (have you seen how much macbook pros go for these days compared to a similar spec pc laptop??? Good Lord, it's criminal) and the image of a pc as a lumping grey box is greatly outdated anyway.
Stiggless
2008-10-07 10:17:06

Re: Jono's response to ”On behalf of all similar thinkers - PC or Mac? . . . who cares, I’ll etch it in elephant shit if the client wants and is willing to pay! It might even win me the Turner prize.”

Not sure if Jono fully understood where I was coming from and therefore maybe others missed the point too. My point wasn't to question the level of creativity as Chris Ofili did in fact win the Turner prize using elephant dung in his paintings.

So to clarify, the point I was making was that if the limitations of your creativity can only be expressed with a Mac, then you are missing the point of design. Surely design is not only about creativity, but about creatively providing a solution that works within the limitations of the media that it is required in. I have clients who require their work to be produced in both PC and Mac and in a range of software. I don't feel that the design is compromised in anyway when working on a PC. I have been often requested to provide a template for internal communications in Microsoft Office on a PC and still applied creativity working within the limitations of the media. If a client wants the project to be completed on a PC and they are the ones who are paying at the end of the day, then I am only to pleased to provide a creative solution within the media that they require it in.

The end result achieved is never judged by the process and production tool used, only be the end media. Mac is my tool of choice but not my creative limitation!
Michael
2008-10-14 14:34:31

All I can say is that I am a graphic artist...and I work on the beach...at home...at the club...in the museum...in the park...and many other places.

And I'm a PC...wouldn't trade it for a MAC...been there and done that but never strayed.

And for the record...Apple did stereotype the PC...and the odd thing is only until the "new" format of Apple stores starting popping up and of course the "i-pod"...MAC was as relevant as....ummmm....exactly.

Great marketing though...especially with the use of silhouettes as their icons.

PC.
Image
2008-10-21 21:50:08

- I'm a PC because I can't use a Mac.

- I'm a PC because I have shit advertising to sell a shit product.

- I'm a PC because i'm incapable of making up my own mind about what to buy.

- I'm a PC because I need to be told what I can do.

- I'm a PC and if you buy me I'll make your life, that much more difficult not to mention introduce uglyness into your home and office.
Noir
2008-10-22 11:35:54

I'm not a PC. But someone tried to pay me a lot of money to say that I am.
jpcarey
2008-10-22 18:27:39

hahahaha great comments by all! Loving the fact that MS has made themselves look worse by having a dig back at Apple, when as joel said on 01/Oct/08, 10:01 pm "By going defensive, MS creates much more of an “Us vs. Them” mentality than Apple ever intended. Maybe if there were more humans running MS, they would have also picked up on that distinction".
Couldn't have said it better!!
MACS Rule!
MACS Rule!
MACS Rule!
MACS Rule!
MACS Rule!
:)
rp
2008-10-23 15:53:37

clever idea, but some people sound like they're saying "I'm a pussy.."
elliot
2008-10-30 15:52:18

This may be me just being pedantic, but doesn't this actually advertise both just as the mac advert theoretically knocked both: PC = "Personal Computer" and both are personal computers, just running different OSs! Me, I'm a Sony, just because I just love the look of shock on people's faces when I say that I don't use a mac for design, and I will happily use whatever OS happens to be on what I'm using. Sometimes I'm even pencil and paper, or maybe a whiteboard! I just like to design with the right tool or with whatever's to hand.
Now lets just stop saying my Dads better than your Dad and create something fantastic.
Ian
2008-11-01 16:10:03

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