Your verdicts are in: The new Microsoft
"I'm
a PC" commercials
aren't exactly worse than the Seinfeld ones...but
that's not saying a whole lot:
I too have seen the "I'm a PC" commercial (at least the first
one). I don't know if it's defensive or not, but it's not persuasive. For
one thing, even though I use a PC, I am NOT a PC. Nor am I "PC,"
although that's a whole other discussion. For another, "PC" is a
generic enough term that it's arbitrary to imply that if it's a PC, the thing
is automatically a Windows computer. Finally, even though the commercial I
saw showed different people using their PCs for different activities, it largely
showed someone simply making a claim.
What I'd like to see instead is something along the lines of this: "My
PC is me." HP has the tagline "The computer is personal again."
Why shouldn't Microsoft make use of something similar? I'd prefer to see a
real profile of someone using their PC for interesting activities, rather
than just a talking head saying, "I'm a PC, too." Microsoft has
partnerships with enough major PC vendors that it could do tie-ins if it wanted.
Microsoft just needs to do something different than what it's doing (and has
done) so far in its massive ad campaign. I, for one, don't think they're getting
their $300 million's worth.
-Dennis
I read your review of the "I'm a PC" commercials and thought
it was a bit harsh. The new ad is leaps and bounds better than the Seinfeld
ad (mostly because Bill is not in it). Actually, Bill is so goofy that any
ad he would be in would ruin it. That said, the new ad has integrity and shows
real people doing amazing things with the technology. I am happy Microsoft
is finally responding with any kind of ad, actually. It has been tread on
by Apple for for too long. I will admit the marketing machine at M$ needs
a lot of polish.
-Charles
Really incredibly poor ad. It says nothing. (Are you sure that Apple didn't
pay for it?) More and more, it seems like Microsoft is really out of touch.
-Howard
I think the main point of the ads is that while a Mac can SAY how great
it is, the fact is that the majority of the world uses a PC!
-Anonymous
The "I'm a PC" ads do a good job of overcoming the myth that
only Macs work well. I would like them to go further and say exactly what
users like about the PCs. For instance, a Mac ad states that Macs can run
Microsoft Office. If I were Microsoft, I would want a PC ad to compare the
amount of third-party compatible software and hardware for Macs with PCs.
I want to see comparisons of the quantity of qualified support people for
Mac vs. the PC.
Given the necessary resources and accepting the limitations of each operating
systems, all computers can work well and I am happy for the diversity. Many
of my clients only call me after hours of unsuccessful phone OEM support.
My PC clients are frustrated by their phone support. My Mac clients accept
that phone support didn't help without complaint. Can anyone tell me why the
perception is different?
-Earl
I myself find the "I am a PC" commercials confusing and contradictory.
If you think about it, the PCs are still a market leader and they perform
all the functions that we need them to in one form or another. The commercials
are not explaining or saying anything to me other than, "We are all different
and we all have our own weaknesses." And what I mean by weakness is the
inconsistency of hardware quality. As unique and different as we all are,
we are also frail and easy to break if we try to be the cheapest thing out
there.
This is exactly why Apple is of such a high quality, including in price.
The design is wonderful, performance is amazing, and it is gaining ground
because of the opinion that it has a stable OS that is easy to learn and master,
and owning one means a sense of longevity.
-Albert
The Gates-Sienfeld ads were STUPID! In fact, they were beyond stupid and
rank in stupidity next to the "brilliant minds" who gave us the
current financial meltdown.
The current ads are better, but why not try the simple approach? Something
like what Sprint did with its CEO talking about how they can personalize the
handheld telecommunication box to your needs, rather than spending $300 million
on a STUPID Sienfeld ad. Microsoft could've used the money to pay some American
developers to test the Chinese-developed Vista OS for bugs and trap doors.
That way, MS could've blunted Apple's so-called superiority, as far as system
security goes.
-Anonymous
I have to agree with your assessment. How about an ad that directly refutes
the so-called "myths"? These ads just make it seem like they are
in fact true. It will fail to convince those that need to be.
The "Mojave experiment" is even sillier -- nobody ever said
Vista didn't LOOK good.
-Anonymous
More
Posted by Doug Barney on September 25, 20080 comments
Earlier
this week
, I talked about Microsoft's new HPC 2008, a supercomputer-style
version of the OS based on clusters aimed at scientists, engineers and massive
data-mining/massaging apps.
I lamented the fact these high-end OSes and hardware don't mean much to mainstream
IT -- that we're missing out on all that power. In fact, most of our cores,
especially on the desktop, go unused (I wrote about that problem in this
cover story).
More
Posted by Doug Barney on September 25, 20080 comments
I'm doing two articles that I may want to quote you on. The first is about Chrome,
which we've talked about quite a bit. I'm writing a Reader Review, which means
you and your peers are the actual reviewers. Share your Chrome thoughts by writing
me at
[email protected]
. Over
a dozen already have.
The second article is about VMware and its plans for a datacenter operating
system, one that promises to turn all your x86 servers, network connections
and storage into a single utility. The company claims 70 percent of this functionality
is already in place. VMware users and others can contact me at [email protected]
and I'll shoot you a bunch of questions.
More
Posted by Doug Barney on September 25, 20080 comments
I've had a lot of questions about Windows 7 lately, such as whether it has a
brand-new microkernel or is instead a rehashed version of Vista. Some of the
questions will be
answered
late next month
at Microsoft's Professional Developers Conference (PDC),
where attendees will get a pre-beta version (didn't this used to be called an
alpha?) on a handy USB drive.
More
Posted by Doug Barney on September 25, 20080 comments
The Google phone is
nearly
ready to rock
. And while it has nowhere near the fanfare of the iPhone,
this is clearly a significant product. The idea is the phone will tie closely
to Google search and apps, making it easy to find information, get maps and
perhaps feed Google all your personal information.
More
Posted by Doug Barney on September 25, 20080 comments
We in the U.S. love to point fingers at overseas hackers, phishers and Internet
vagabonds. To many of us, the threats are in Bulgaria, China and Russia. The
reality, apparently, is much closer to home --
the
problem is us
.
According to research from SecureWorks, most botnet attacks (those nasties
where a hacker uses your computer to attack others) start right here in the
good, old USA.
Posted by Doug Barney on September 24, 20080 comments
Unlike Doug, readers don't seem too sad to see the Seinfeld ads go. But at least
one of you thinks the new ads are a vast improvement:
The Seinfeld commercials were an abomination (I can't say what I said
when I first saw them aired). I'm neither a PC apologist nor a MacManiac;
I'm a user of the Wintel consortium products. Those commercials should never
have made it off the storyboard, and the agency who created them should be
immediately cuffed and tossed in jail for abuse of our sensibilities.
-Benjamin
To heck with the Jerry Seinfeld TV spots. I think that Microsoft is onto
something with its new 'I'm a PC' campaign that gives us quick cuts to some
pretty cool people, both famous and un-famous, that all claim, "I'm a
PC." This is a subtle yet powerful way to steer consumers away from the
attitude that PC users are "squares," which was brilliantly depicted
in the original Mac spots.
I saw this 'I'm a PC' spot a couple of times over the weekend, and was
more impressed the second time I saw it than I was at first look. I think
Microsoft is right to have a campaign that, unlike the Seinfeld spots and
the "Seinfeld" show itself, is actually about something.
-Ken
More
Posted by Doug Barney on September 24, 20080 comments
On Monday, I
lamented
the loss
of the Seinfeld Microsoft ads, which have been replaced by the
"I'm a PC" commercials.
Here's my review: First, the commercials, by taking on Apple's characters,
are overly defensive. Last time I checked, Windows was still the market leader.
The commercials sound like a high school student who was stood up at the prom.
And while they point out that Windows is effective for many, many people, they
don't articulate what's so great about it.
More
Posted by Doug Barney on September 24, 20080 comments
While there are smart tech people all over the world and all over the U.S.,
it's clear there are pockets where these types tend to congregate: Silicon Valley;
Redmond, Wash.; Austin, Texas; Raleigh, N.C.
But do you know where the spreadsheet was invented (by VisiCalc) and then reinvented
(by Lotus)? Where the minicomputer was born (remember Data General, Wang and
DEC?). Good, old Massachusetts, my home state.
More
Posted by Doug Barney on September 24, 20080 comments
Microsoft's play in the world of high-performance computing doesn't get the
same attention as Vista, Bill Gates' wealth or attempts to buy Yahoo. And that's
a shame because Microsoft has been doing some rather exceptional work in this
area, with much of the innovation coming directly from the geniuses at Microsoft
Research.
The core product here is Windows High Performance Computing (HPC) Server 2008,
which was just
completed.
More
Posted by Doug Barney on September 23, 20080 comments
Microsoft's stock is not the high-flier it was throughout the late '80s and
early '90s. Many investors earned their yachts, Porsches and retirement homes
on the backs of this baby. And thousands of employees became Microsoft millionaires,
driving the prices of homes in Redmond to near-Silicon Valley heights.
Since the tech crash of 2001, the stock has been stuck. Like a rocking chair,
it's going nowhere. But Microsoft thinks its own company is a pretty good deal
and is buying
back $40 billion in shares. That's like buying a Yahoo's worth of stock.
And that's on top of the $40 billion buyback already completed.
More
Posted by Doug Barney on September 23, 20080 comments
To make its products safer, Microsoft programmers have
designed
a Software Development Lifecycle (SDL) process
that makes security a part
of every stage of development. Microsoft wants ISVs and corporate developers
to be equally safe and is packaging up its internal tools for outside use.
More
Posted by Doug Barney on September 22, 20080 comments