just a few links
Mood: happy
Music: Firefly - "Main Title"
Posted on 2006-05-02 12:31:00
Tags: links
Words: 203

Apple has some new ads out comparing the Mac to a PC. I like these ads a lot - the tone seems to be just about right (except in "Better", which is the worst one IMO). I think I like "Network" the best, although the benefit they're showing in that one is probably the least impressive. I also find it amusing that in "iLife" they criticize the PC for not having more bundled apps - isn't that what the whole antitrust thing was about? Also, the Mac guy is quite cute :-)

They've found the gene that causes "stone man syndrome", a condition in which muscle is turned into bone. I wish the article had more information. Also, it ends with the mind-boggly dumb quote:

“The substitution of one genetic letter for another out of six billion genetic letters in the human genome is like a molecular terrorist that short-circuits a functioning set of muscles and connective tissues and transforms them into a second skeleton, in essence turning a light bulb into an atom bomb,” Dr Kaplan said.

7 comments

Comment from amorphousplasma:
2006-05-02T13:05:33+00:00
Apple ads are funny :)

If you are interested in FOP and other mutations, and want more info on the genetics behind them, I recommend "Mutants: On Genetic Variety and the Human Body" by Armand Marie Leroi.

Comment from fairydust1:
2006-05-02T13:24:52+00:00
Apple Ads, good, mmmkay? ;) I had to share the link with my hubby! As for the "bundled apps" bit, they were being specific about iLife, which is only aps such as iPhoto, iWeb, iMovieHD, iDVD, and GarageBand - all of which are multimedia driven. The antitrust cases (I believe) are about browsers/media players/et al, being bundled together by Microsoft, not leaving room for competition (a non-issue currently for Mac). Please don't count this comment as fact, because I don't have sources to cite, but that's what I understand the difference to be. (smile)

And I agree, Mac guy is cute!!

Comment from sanjeev87:
2006-05-02T21:02:22+00:00
I thought the Mac ads were pretty weak.
HAHA PCS HAVE VIRUSES!!!! Is it 2001? Macs have viruses now, and PCs are pretty well under control.
HEY I GOT A GOOD REVIEW!!! Yeah, for all my hi-tech news I turn to the Wall Street Journal. And of course "the PC" doesn't have a good review, because there's no such thing as "the PC".

Some of the Mac campaigns have been pretty clever, but this one is laughable. It's like they took whatever stereotypes people had about PCs in the 90s and filmed a couple guys talking about them.

Comment from gregstoll:
2006-05-03T08:47:34+00:00
Macs do have the occasional virus, but I don't know if I'd say PCs are "pretty well under control"...

The review one is a little weird, but I think it's supposed to be appealing to people who know less about computers than you or I :-) And, yes, when they say "PC" they mean "an x86-based computer running Windows"

I dunno. I liked them. Plus, did I mention the Mac guy is cute? :-P

Comment from sanjeev87:
2006-05-03T11:11:47+00:00
> I think it's supposed to be appealing to people
> who know less about computers than you or I
You're absolutely right, and I think that's the problem with all of them. They're playing off people's fears about computers instead of telling the truth. Almost every ad is deliberately misleading about PCs, but based on a stereotype from the past. If Macs actually have an advantage in any of the areas they mention (and I don't believe they do), it's definitely not as big as the ad makes it seem. I shouldn't really be surprised by misleading advertising, but this just seems worse than most for some reason.

And the Mac guy is cute, I guess, but not my type ;)

Comment from onefishclappin:
2006-05-04T14:51:30+00:00
I would prefer if this was "Mac" vs "Windows based machines" since my ubuntu box is a "pc" but has never had a virus...
And then we get into the new Mac runnings Windows thing... (I forgot what it's called) and we start running into more ambiguities.
I think it's kinda a cheap shot for Macs to fight against a enemy which can't defend itself since it's not really an enemy (think war on drugs or terrorism)
Woo - I just managed to turn a computer discussion political. Go me!

And yeah, the Mac guy is kinda cute, but not jaw dropping.

Comment from djedi:
2006-05-04T16:47:26+00:00
He's not jaw dropping; I agree. But I prefer hot guys that aren't so hot that you'd be intimidated by them (and they are probably all stuck up anyways from being hit on by everyone)...so to me he's hot.

This backup was done by LJBackup.