Apple boosts anti-Windows ads
p2pnet.net News:- With the arrival of Vista, Apple has escalated its TV Mac attacks on Windows: the ones with two comedians dressed up to represent a Mac and a PC.
“In one ad, the character personifying the PC is dressed in hospital patient garb, talking about how he`s set to undergo major surgery to upgrade to Vista,” says Associated Press. “He then saunters off, telling the Mac character that if he doesn`t come back, Mac can have his peripherals.”
The story doesn’t say if the ads will also be embedded in some online mainstream media stories, as they under Apple’s current practice.
Hopefully, not.
It’s pretty tough to read something with a mindless Apple ad droning on, buried within the story. And it’s just as bad with the sound switched off.
You can’t read properly with a moving image stuck in your face —- which is, of course, exactly what Apple wants.
“It’s unclear if the ads have had a direct effect on Mac sales, but analysts say they have played a role in raising the public’s awareness of Apple,” says AP.
Also See:
Associated Press – Apple Revs Up Ad Attacks on PCs, Vista, February 1, 2007
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February 2nd, 2007 at 1:37 am
Quite frankly, these ads really make me sick. And the sad thing is, I think the only reson that Apple hasn’t been sued for Libal, is that there isn’t “just one PC” brand.
Take the ad metioned in this article for example. How many times has apple “upgraded”, only to shove it’s users out into the cold?
I personally remember when I saw several computer shops that were closed down, when Apple decided to stop supporting the Apple II gs, and ended up being sued to selling a product that wasn’t going to be supported!
I live in Japan, and we get our own version of Apple’s “defamation” ads, and have considered, in amny instaces, to report the ads as false advertizing, with ads like:
PC “I feel like I am going to crash, I think I will reboot”
Mac “Will that help?”
PC “I don’t know… but…”
and
Mac”I have a lot of aplications like video editing, games, etc…”
PC”I only have solitare”
and so on…
I mean really give me a break! A crashed Mac is far more difficult to restore, especially if you use OSX (Which BTW was already a registered OS name here in Japan from before the Mac even existed). It’s just bad practice, in any situation, whether it be consumer products, politics, or even *PAA tactics.
just my two cents…
Nazo
February 2nd, 2007 at 12:22 pm
“It’s pretty tough to read something with a mindless Apple ad droning on”, take out “Apple” and that’s how I feel about most of todays advertising. It’s the most complete abuse of your system.
It distracts you. It annoys you. It uses up your bandwidth and your computer resources.
I know that advertising is a core revenue provider of many websites, but their thirst for my attention is unbearable.
If you haven’t found ways to kill this crap, please let me share my secrets.
First of you should be using Firefox. There are add-ons that make it the most complete browser in the market.
2nd: A HOSTS manager: HOSTS is a file in windows (sorry, don’t know about other OSes) that redirects the domain names you enter anywhere in your system to a specified IP. If you redirect it to 127.0.0.1 (localhost), the request for that particular link never leaves your computer, showing a “connection reset” on your browser. A HOSTS manager like HostsMan ( http://hostsman.abelhadigital.com/ ) lets you enable and disable this protection easily and also can update a list of know nasty sites, to keep your browsing more safe. This trick works with any web application (anything that connects to internet using a domain name, not a IP address).
3rd: killing gif animations. Firefox only. I know there are some really funny animations out there, those cranky smileys etc etc, but some banners just simply flash you into epilepsy. To make them steady (banning .gif not a very good idea) install the Web Developer add-on on Firefox. On the new bar select Images > Disable Images > Image Animations. Now those pesky gifs are frozen to death
You can hide the bar if you want. The setting will prevail.
4rd: flash ads no more. Firefox only. This one is quite radical because it kills all flash. But you can also use it not so restrictively. Install the FF add-on Ad-block. Enter a filter *.swf and flash will vanish from your browsing experience. You can block a particular address too, or simply and isolated item by left-click on it > Adblock xxxxxx … You can use this to block background sound with *.mp3 or *.mid. You can disable the filtering without removing the setting too, useful for you you want actually see something that was blocked. No restarting needed for this
If you are one of those who simply stick with MS IE then though luck. You deserve what you got… Kidding
You can still fight back gifs and flash with a filtering local proxy like Privoxy . ( http://www.privoxy.org/ ) This works with any application that allows you to set it up to go through a proxy server. It filters the content and blocks out any annoyance at your will. It can even kill tracking cookies or block images based on size.
Hope these tricks helped you into a better browsing experience. The way it should be.
February 2nd, 2007 at 6:40 pm
Let’s see… Mess around with your host files, turn off Animation, and stop flash. Oh and while yo are at it, use Firefox because all other brousers are noobs.
Why you are at it, why don’t you also suggest that you turn off all background images, and use only text. And for that matter, let’s use the internet with a 28.8 bps modem.
I am in no way anti- Firefox, nor am I anti-MS. But I have heard this type of misguided information since the Netscape/IE wars, and it’s getting old. Use whatever brouser you like to access the web, and if things like ads are bugging you, take a short look around, and you will find tools that filter only the ads, without destroying your internet experience.
If you use IE 6.x -, there are many good FREE adfilter software, but the easyest may be doing a search on google for Peerguardian + Blacklist manager. This has a really good updated list of ad site, that is updated on a regular basis, and not only helps get rid of ads, but can help block phishing sites as well as *PAA spoof sites.
If you use IE 7, then you might want to take a look at IE7 pro (http://www.ie7pro.com/). This will filter out most ads, and you can easily add non filtered ads to the list. This has helped me filter out most of these bandwidth hugging ads, and if you want to see any of the ads, you can easily turn off the filtering with a click of a button.
Simple freeware like this can help keep the experience of the web, and not destroy it with obnoxious popup ads.
And in all cases, don’t forget that these ads are what allow for many sites to stay online for free (not to say that you shouldn’t block ads that reduce the site’s “user experience”; blocking these types of ads can help tell the site owner that you do not apove of this sort of advertizing).
just my two cents…
Nazo
February 2nd, 2007 at 9:15 pm
Please get off your high horse and read my post thorougly instead of skeeming through it. I provided solutions to any browser.
Where in my post does it say all other browsers users are noobs? I kid about IE users. If you can’t take a joke, well, sorry you.
Turn off background images? Sometimes I even turn them ALL off to get quicker browsing and less bandwidth usage.
I decide what is allowed into my browser/computer. Not anyone else. I say NO ONE plays sounds on my system unless I authorize it. If something is distracting me them goes in the bin.
Thanks for your suggestions. I didn’t remember Peerguardian because I think I didn’t manage to correctly work with it once… But seems to be a good App specially to secure P2P.
By the way, if something in any website really pisses you off, there’s an add-on called GreaseMonkey that let’s you inject Javascript in a web page. You have to know a little of Javascript but then you can make wonders
February 20th, 2007 at 8:25 pm
As everyone knows Microsoft steals everything new and innovative from “Mac”, and then presents a watered down less functional version of “Mac’s” innovations, as their own.
But what baffels me, is that the PC cronies cheer over the copy, and hails it as a major innovation. Go figure.
I hope you protest as vigorosly over ALL the other TV commercials, and not just Apples. At least Apples ads reflect the truth, which is far from true when it comes to other ads.
The Foreigner
March 16th, 2007 at 2:35 pm
Goddamn, you’re RIGHT! Using XP I have been totally unable to work with digital images, edit video and audio for professional authoring, or do any other multi-media work! The holy Apple speaks TRUTH! Oh, no, wait…I’m sorry, my mistake. I actually do all of that in XP at work, and in 2000pro at home. But why would I do that if it’s all better on a Mac? Wait, I remember – it’s because of the hideous lack of third party software and hardware developers which left me unable to run most of my key software on a Mac until very recently, and the subsequent enormous cost of doing ANYTHING on a Mac. Hmmm..well, at least I’ve never seen a Mac crash, or lock-up, or have stuck characters, or have the OS do anything odd like disable drag and drop. NO, wait, again, my mistake – I’ve seen ALL of that shit. Granted, it seems to be getting better as the guts of a Mac have gotten steadily more like a PCs, but still…
What baffles ME is why the loudest cheers from the Mac zombies of late is always about how their Macs will now run MS software and multiple OSs in addition to whatever overpriced shit Apple is currenty squatting over and cramming down their throats?