While I am not sure of the wisdom of these ads in the long run, I found Khris's statement that MS is trying to form a "little PC club" to be interesting.

According to W3 Counter (http://www.w3counter.com/globalstats.php) as of August 2008, Windows held approximently 92 percent of the global OS market (based on monitoring unique visitors to 15K websites).

Apple OS X? 5 percent.

Little PC club? Sure, Microsoft has a massive PR problem. In the face of numbers like that, does it REALLY matter?

Saw this on MacUser.com; I thought it was pretty funny.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIAOWFb9z5E

LOVED IT!

As another thought, all the Windows fanboys have cried for years that Mac users have an inflated sense of self-worth, feeling that they belong to some special culture because they use a Mac.

Isn't that the exact same thing that MS is trying to do here? Make PC users feel better about their decision by artificially creating their own little "PC Club"?

@ JakeRich

I completely agree with your comments, wholeheartedly!

I switched from Windows to OSX and couldn't be happier. I've spent less time keeping my machine working, and actually WORKING on what I want to.

These new MS ads are simply an indication of how MS is trying to recover from their poor product track record, and the fact they've lost touch with the average consumer.

Just buy what you want, it is really that simple. I actually don't see how an ad(s) is going to make someone change their preference. We (most of us) know what we want from our computers, we know what our friends have or what we are comfortable with. So as long as the computer or the software does what you want it to do and you are not adjusting your life to suit the computer, just enjoy life.

The other difference between the Mac ads and the PC ads is that the Mac ads actually tout the fact that the Mac can run Microsoft software - both Office, and they tout the fact that the Macbook Pro was named the best Windows notebook last year.

Apple is a hardware company that happens to sell an operating system that run their computers (and a series of excellent consumer grade media apps that are bundled with them) as well. They are trying to convince people to buy their *computers* rather than another company's *computers*. I don't think that their primary intention is to insult Microsoft as it is to use Windows' reputation as an albatross around the neck of the PC companies.

Microsoft is a software company that sells to partners who may or may not make the experience excellent. That is the problem that Microsoft must address - Apple is trying to get people to buy their hardware; Microsoft, I guess, is trying to convince people not to switch?

Oops!

To make the ad copy, the ad agency apparently wasn't a PC.

See http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/08/09/19/m...

PC FTW!

I liked the ad. I also like the Mac ads. I have both types of computers in my home and I probably always will. IMHO those who only see the advantages of one system (or only see the negatives of the "other" system) are closed minded. Each system has advantages and disadvantages. Same things goes in the Zune/iPod war. I have to laugh at all of the anti-iPod rants on this site just as I shake my head at anti-MS rants on other sites. I guess most people aren't happy unless they have something to complain about.

@ctitanic, I stand by what I said. No correction is needed.

http://www.apple.com/getamac/ads/

Watch them all. Even your dreaded "pizza box" ad talked about the fact that college students were buying more Macs because they are easy to set up and they run Office. "Off the air" is about the genius bar and ease of transition from PC to Mac. "Sad song," "Group" and "Pep Rally" are all about the woes of Vista, none of which are problems for Mac.

The difference between the Mac ads and the MS ad is that the Mac ads have at the core a message about why Mac is better. The MS ad doesn't address why Windows is critical, or better, for those folks who are doing those things. Yes, the Mac ads poke fun at PC, but every time the poke has a basis--difficulty in setup, virus attacks, ease of use, no organized help, Vista woes, no native backup, etc, etc, etc.

Let's face it. PC-bigots and Mac-bigots have long standing disagreements that border on religious wars. As one who moved from PC to Mac, all I can say is that the move has worked very, very well for me and that the Mac ads have told the truth about why the Mac is better.

Jake, a little correction, that Apple campaign talks about what they think sucks on Microsoft software. I do not recall seen in there anything telling me what's so good in Mac to make me jump into that boat. All the campaign is based in making fun of the "PC guy". At least that's the way it's since a long time. Probably when it started it was more objective but now is not anymore.

IMHO it is nice. Like it

I liked it too.

I'm still baffled about how this ad campaign shows that Microsoft is somehow preferable to the alternatives. The fact that people can use computers to do stuff doesn't mean you should buy Microsoft. At least the Mac ads talk about WHY they think Mac is better--easy to install, easy to use, doesn't crash as often, no virus, easy to network, works out of the box, automated backup included, genius bar in the stores, etc. The MS ad misses the point, IMHO.

I have to agree! A lot better!

Now this MS commercial I like.