Apple Running Out Of Macintosh Users For "Switch" Commercials

The OnlineNewspaper Gazette ^

[Sir Gawain]

Apple Running Out Of Macintosh Users For "Switch" Commercials

In a surprise announcement, Apple CEO Steve Jobs said Friday that Kansas resident Carmen Inez is the only Macintosh user that hasn't starred in one of the new Mac "switch" commercials.

The "switch" commercials were designed to encourage Windows users to abandon Microsoft's proprietary operating systems in favor of Apple's proprietary operating system by showing actual Macintosh users talking about how easy "the switch" was.

Despite the high cuteness factor of the iMac and the opensource appeal of OS-X's Darwin, Macintosh's userbase has steadily declined over the years, and recently fell to a total of 10 users, a fact which wasn't discovered until the commercials were already underway.

"It's really quite embarrassing," says Apple CEO Steve Jobs, "we started the new ad campaign thinking it'd be nice to showcase our diverse userbase, but we ran out of users in very short order."

Macintosh user Carmen Inez declined to be in the commercials, saying "I've just got a bunch of old Mac Word Perfect files that I keep on there. It's really nothing to get excited about."

The fate of Apple's next line of commercials, which were to feature programmers pretending to like Macintosh's FreeBSD spin-off, Darwin, instead of actually getting FreeBSD, has not been decided.

[Sir Gawain]

-

[Constitution Day]

ROFL! Those "users" are smarmy as hell, aren't they?

[2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten]

You're right, CD, they look like they have trouble putting one Birkenstock in front of another. LOL.

[egarvue]

Actually, I don't get Apple's marketing strategy. On the surface, these ads look pretty generic. If you look again, there a hidden message: that these people are too stupid to use a Windows computer. There's one that's pretty obnoxious, some young woman going on about how she was so confused with Windows...she was trying to sell Apple's simplicity, but it came off as she was dumb as a box of rocks, and "I'm just a silly girl, I don't know anything about computers". No consumer wants to feel like they're buying a product becase they are too stupid to use another one (we've all bought and read the "For Dummies" series of books, but how many of us brag about the fact and display them proudly on our coffee tables?). I think these ads are a very bad marketing strategy for Apple; there are other ways to sell your product without saying to the customers "hey, idiots - use our product, it won't hurt your brain."

[Constitution Day]

Yep, they do.

I don't know exactly why, but those commercials just annoy me terribly!

[Ol' Sox]

Not many people I know would take their technical lead from this guy...

[Clara Lou]

Hahaha! Very funny! I can't believe Apple puts total yutzes like those in their switch commercials and actually expects people to be impressed. Way too funny!!

[Technoman]

ROFL! Those "users" are smarmy as hell, aren't they?

It's almost a religion with the Mac crowd. When I worked for the Mac manufacturing division in Fremont, CA (1985-1986), I noticed a certain arrogance there. Even though Windows was making its début, these people thought the Mac would always be king.

Sixteen year later, I ran into an old co-worker who never left Apple. She has had years to be indoctrinated by Macintosh and their resurrected messiah, Steve Jobs. As I was effortlessly enjoying my Compaq Presario in a local cafe, using software that would cost double or unavailable for Mac OS, she made a snide remark: "My, you've moved to the dark side!"

[narby]

In all those commercials, the professions of these people are almost always "writer", or some other lefty job. None of them are "Truck driver".

[perez24]

I thought the same thing. It sounds like "I had this computer for years but I never quite understood all of the buttons. Thank God an idiot-proof system came along" And the two I've seen feature writers for crying out loud. How hard is it to open a word processing application?????

The dude who does the Dell commmercials is more believable.

[mattdono]

The dude who does the Dell commmercials is more believable

And, he isn't an arrogant, smarmy, little A-hole...His goofiness is somewhat endearing and his catch line ("Dude, you're gettin' a Dell!) has been much more successful.

I have a Mac and a PC. I know how to use both, quite well thank you. Does that make me some kind of computer god? No, so why would "switching" to just use a Mac be so cool.

That girl that someone was talking about in the post was DJ. [Chris Farley voice] Well, LADI-FRICKIN'-DA!

Hey, it isn't our fault that Steve Jobs is a stuck up, little pr*ck who can't deal with reality (like, taking years to finally take care of your kid...what a little punk).

[willgetsome]

Rush Limbaugh is right. His slavish support for Macs remains unexploited by Jobs, et al. for political reasons. I would venture to say that a Mac Ad at his website and on his show might do Apple some good. But what am I thinking, my impression of Apple is that it's a snooty Bay Area company with fancy cars in the parking lot, latte and sushi kiosks in the lunchroom, NPR on the radio, and the UK Guardian newspaper adorning every desk (ref. Lexus Liberals).

I'll take Dell's Stuart anyday!

[Gorzaloon]

It's almost a religion with the Mac crowd. When I worked for the Mac manufacturing division in Fremont, CA (1985-1986), I noticed a certain arrogance there. Even though Windows was making its début, these people thought the Mac would always be king.

Glad someone brought that up. I used to have to use Macs at work, years ago.

People who (Rightly!) condemn Gates and Microsoft for arrogance and hubris need to spend some time talking to Apple's Customer Service, or remember what it was like.

It is an occupational hazard for the "Computer Guru" no matter what platform or OS someone is using. You can be certain if Red Hat Linux occupied a significant percentage of the installed base, they likewise would strut and swagger just as unbearably.

But the evangalistic fervor of some Mac users is difficult to ignore...And this is a symptom of "Faith" replacing "Success". We saw the same thing years ago with the True Believers of OS-2 Warp...And the more trouble it ran into in the marketplace, the louder the True Believers became.

Till one day...

[Gandalf_The_Gray]

snooty Bay Area company with fancy cars in the parking lot, latte and sushi kiosks in the lunchroom, NPR on the radio, and the UK Guardian newspaper adorning every desk

Thanks! Now I've gotta clean my keyboard! But what a picture that brings to mind. (Albeit all too true.)

Regards,
GtG

[andy_card]

In all those commercials, the professions of these people are almost always "writer", or some other lefty job. None of them are "Truck driver".

Huh? Truck drivers, roofers, and migrant farm laborers don't typically need to use computers as part of their jobs.

[Technoman]

Huh? Truck drivers, roofers, and migrant farm laborers don't typically need to use computers as part of their jobs.

Why would a writer need to go out and a buy an overpriced Mac for word processing when a low cost PC does the trick? That said, if you're using Adobe Photoshop (image editing), Mac offers some nice features, such as a wide screen to get your tools out of the way.

[ArrogantBustard]

The dude who does the Dell commmercials is more believable.

He's as obnoxious as all get-out, but at least he's funny. And those commercials do make a worthwile point about knowing for what you (the consumer) are getting the machine.

AB

[Technoman]

But what am I thinking, my impression of Apple is that it's a snooty Bay Area company with fancy cars in the parking lot, latte and sushi kiosks in the lunchroom, NPR on the radio, and the UK Guardian newspaper adorning every desk (ref. Lexus Liberals).

You have it right! At least that's the way I remember it from the eighties when they thought their s%$& didn't stink.

[Psycho_Bunny]

The best Apple ad yet....

The Apple Gamer

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!