Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Hi! I'm a PC.....& I wish I Weren't
The jury seems to be out about the new Apple commercials. My vote is a resounding and enthusiastic(coupled with a hand across my grinning mouth) Yes! (Ads visible here) The only thing that bothers me about the ads is the way Apple seems to be deliberately trying to eliminate the placement of Macs in any business function requiring heavy numbers usage or Excle uesage. I think this is a big mistake. But hey, it won't change my perception that the Mac is a viable tool for Microsoft Office use.
I was a PC guy back in the days when Compaq was around and they made their 25 lb. "portable". My back's o.k. now. Thanks for asking. The little screen, based on a U-boat's sonar I believe, was quaint and blinding. Then, the first Macintosh came out and I was sold. Quite a few years spent on the various permutations and the ever larger sizes and I was still happy. Then, a turn to the dark side. The Dell side. Corporate went that way and I had no choice but to veer and drive over that cliff with them. What used to be easy. What used to be understandable. What used to be...natural computing. Well, all those whats disappeared and I was (still am) stuck with a hunk of plastic and command keys and "////"'s.
But a distant light is glowing. A MacBook Pro came into my life. Well, not necessarily into my hands, but somewhere realtively close to them. It is a thing of beauty. It is as advertised.
Remove it from the box. (Apple has a genius who heads up the packaging and presentation department)
Connect the ethernet wire.
Turn it on.
There you are. You're doing.
It was getting close to dusk, the sunlight was dying. Darkness was settling into the room. The MacBook Pro's keyboard lighted up. An unexpected whistle.
Wow. Fill that glass with wine; I'll be here a spell.
It's in my own future...hopefully close to where my own present is now.
I was a PC guy back in the days when Compaq was around and they made their 25 lb. "portable". My back's o.k. now. Thanks for asking. The little screen, based on a U-boat's sonar I believe, was quaint and blinding. Then, the first Macintosh came out and I was sold. Quite a few years spent on the various permutations and the ever larger sizes and I was still happy. Then, a turn to the dark side. The Dell side. Corporate went that way and I had no choice but to veer and drive over that cliff with them. What used to be easy. What used to be understandable. What used to be...natural computing. Well, all those whats disappeared and I was (still am) stuck with a hunk of plastic and command keys and "////"'s.
But a distant light is glowing. A MacBook Pro came into my life. Well, not necessarily into my hands, but somewhere realtively close to them. It is a thing of beauty. It is as advertised.
Remove it from the box. (Apple has a genius who heads up the packaging and presentation department)
Connect the ethernet wire.
Turn it on.
There you are. You're doing.
It was getting close to dusk, the sunlight was dying. Darkness was settling into the room. The MacBook Pro's keyboard lighted up. An unexpected whistle.
Wow. Fill that glass with wine; I'll be here a spell.
It's in my own future...hopefully close to where my own present is now.
Comments:
<< Home Verging on Pertinence Just some more disposable thoughts clogging up the hinterlands
Clothing "Mac" in jeans and T is a bit disingenuous, unless "Mac's" duds are those fancy hundred-dollar jeans and eighty-dollar T-shirts I hear about. Or maybe I'm just sour grapes after passing over the Mini-Mac in favour of a cheap-as-borscht Dell desktop. Wup - looks like I have to reboot again.
The thing about those "I'm a PC-Mac" commercials is that the PC guy comes off being more loveable (despite all of the inherent PC inadequacies) and approachable than the Mac guy. It's not that the Mac guy is stuck-up..it's just that the PC-guy wins the beer prize, as in "Which of the tow would you prefer to have a beer with?"
It most certainly doesn't hurt PC Guy's likeability that he is protrayed by John Hodgman, who's a hoot when I've seen him on The Daily Show.
Have you heard of his book, Areas of My Expertise?
Anyway, though I believe I have the flibberty-gibbit soul of PC Guy, I know I'd rather be toying with the Mac.
It most certainly doesn't hurt PC Guy's likeability that he is protrayed by John Hodgman, who's a hoot when I've seen him on The Daily Show.
Have you heard of his book, Areas of My Expertise?
Anyway, though I believe I have the flibberty-gibbit soul of PC Guy, I know I'd rather be toying with the Mac.
Love to wipe the smile off that smug idiot's face.
I've decided I hate Apple more than microsoft now; and that's saying something.
They're Betamax, through and through.
I've decided I hate Apple more than microsoft now; and that's saying something.
They're Betamax, through and through.
Next to Stewart himself, I'd say Hodgman gets me laughing the hardest - you're right: I'd take pub conversation with him in a heartbeat over the supercilious "Mac" dude. I'm with FCB, and will cheerfully clean up what's left off Bearded's shoe.
But given Hodgman's character, I'm wondering if this isn't a thinly-veiled, subversive ad campaign on behalf of Open Source users?
But given Hodgman's character, I'm wondering if this isn't a thinly-veiled, subversive ad campaign on behalf of Open Source users?
I want my computer to be faithful, able and willing. Other than that, I am not particular about how its dressed...
There's also this, a fairly nice discussion of how the ads work (or don't).
# opined by 
: 4:19 AM, June 21, 2006
: 4:19 AM, June 21, 2006
Mr. Sgazzetti,
Thanks for the link. I'd have to agree with most of what is stated in that article....and then I'd turn around and buy a MacBook Pro. Apple's still way ahead of the PC group, IMHO, on making work (and play) easier on a computer. I'd also, as I mentioned in one of the other comments, love to treat Mr. Hodgman to a round of beers; PC Guy is a lot more interesting than ex-"Dodgeball" Guy.
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Thanks for the link. I'd have to agree with most of what is stated in that article....and then I'd turn around and buy a MacBook Pro. Apple's still way ahead of the PC group, IMHO, on making work (and play) easier on a computer. I'd also, as I mentioned in one of the other comments, love to treat Mr. Hodgman to a round of beers; PC Guy is a lot more interesting than ex-"Dodgeball" Guy.
<< Home Verging on Pertinence Just some more disposable thoughts clogging up the hinterlands
