Comments on: Microsoft’s New Marketing Tactic: Let People Know That You Are “The PC Guy”

By: dmangstar564

dmangstar564 — Tue, 26 May 2009 20:19:35 +0000

Joe

keep in mind, Program shortcuts are not the same as OS shortcuts…

the mac is and has always been lacking in OS shortcuts that windows has.

There is no shortcut to pull up a run dialogue, there is not shortcut to minimize all windows, there is no short cut to access the “dock”

now yes…the expose solves alot of these issues, but it is more keypresses then needed to accomplish the same thing in windows.

Also the keyboard command to access the menus w/o shortcut is weird and clunky (control-f2 vs just pressing alt) and some dialouge boxes require you to use the mouse and won’t accept a keyboard at all.

IMO you should be able to use a OS quickly and fully out of the box without a mouse…this is totally possible windows with little or no training. However the mac it is nearly impossible to do without 3rd party software.

By: Joe

Joe — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 19:53:31 +0000

Dan, how long did you actually “try” using Mac for? OS X has quite a few keyboard shortcuts, at least as many as Windows ifnot more. Obviously you should use whatever you’re comfortable with, but let’s not pretend that OS X is deficient because you don’t prefer it.

By: Dan

Dan — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 04:04:12 +0000

I tried mac, and I went back. I hated the slow clunky interface that i couldn’t use half the keyboard shortcuts i have for windows for. I installed quicksliver, and was like, hey! i can do this with the run command, but twice as fast. As they say people who can use windows love it, everyone else, enjoy having to use your MOUSE for everything (on my PC my hands rarely leave the keyboard).

when i want to use UNIX i pull out an only 486 (because thats all you Need to run it) and use that.

keyboard FTW, screw mac and it’s mouse dependency.

By: Afist

Afist — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 21:51:39 +0000

Everyone need a PC. And we can live without it. All ATM machines in this world use windows. Without windows, we cant get our money. LOL. I have mac for school work, and a pc for games.

By: Spyneyes

Spyneyes — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 23:48:41 +0000

Sheggria wrote: “… Apple’s marketers were careful to indicate that the character is indeed the computer, not the user.”

I agree! I never interpreted the PC Guy as nothing other than portraying a PC. I never looked at it as referring to the user.

Nevertheless, as someone who sold PC’s (as well as the first Mac when they came out) and owned PCs for 20 years, I’ve been a happy Mac user for the past five years and have never looked back.

By: Kontra

Kontra — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 09:10:24 +0000

The ad agency behind “Windows. Life Without Walls” is Crispin Porter + Bogusky. Their principal tactic in a number of recent ad campaigns has been the notion of perception reversing.
[...]
Therein lies Microsoft’s problem. Perception reversing by appropriating your enemy’s words can work only if your insurgency has an identifiable goal. Witness Apple which effectively used its insurgent status to barge into the consumer desktop, digital music and cellphone businesses and changed them in alignment with users’ shared aspirations.

Microsoft, one of the most lucrative monopolies ever, however, is no insurgent. Its enemy is smaller, cooler, better liked, more nimble, more creative and more aligned with users. So Microsoft has to not only show “it’s OK to use Windows” but tell us why it’s better and show us a goal that we can all identify with that the enemy cannot provide.

Microsoft “I’m a PC” ads are channeling Apple’s “Crazy Ones”
http://counternotions.com/2008/09/19/crazy-ones/

By: Bob Light

Bob Light — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 03:34:11 +0000

I am amazed that some people still keep seeing “Mac” and “PC” as users of the respective systems, and not as the systems themselves, which the ads make quite plain.

By: Bobbyrae

Bobbyrae — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 03:27:13 +0000

No one has commented on the Bill Gates/Jerry Seinfeld ads. I simply don’t get these at all. Not funny, nothing about the operating system. Are these ads supposed to let us feel more comfortable with Gates as being a real guy? No, this approach doesn’t do anything for me at all.

I say they should show users who are frustrated over some weakness the Mac has compared to PC’s, for instance, “this printer works with Windows! Do I really have to buy a whole new printer just to get my Mac to print?” Or “What, you mean my business software isn’t available for the Mac? How can THAT be?”

By: What's the frequency, Kenneth?

What's the frequency, Kenneth? — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 03:12:18 +0000

Don’t you think an “Apple blog” should look decent in Safari? How about you mix in some page margins?

By: Klip

Klip — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 01:16:23 +0000

‘eh, not the worst idea in the world.

Somewhat related note: I “made the switch” October 2007. Before then, I HATED the “I’m a Mac / I’m a PC” commercials. I thought Justin Long came off as a smarmy, annoying prick.

Fast forward to today – the commercials are dead on.