Apple TV

Michael Nash · April 6, 2007

I really like the not-so-subtle implication that Apple is "hip" and "with it" by putting the PC guy in a suit. I'm a hell of a lot more entertaining than most of my jeans-wearing iPod toting classmates, and today is one day out of maybe a dozen a year that I am *not* wearing a suit or dress clothes.
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What copouts. Apple isn't fighting the monopoly anymore, it's PART OF IT. . . .

Please, let's not start another mac vs. PC war.

As for the ads, the concept is clear to me that they mean PC's are used substantially for business and Apple is agressively trageting the casual or home user, who has different needs from their computer. And the "suit" guy of course bears no small resemblance to Bill Gates.

Apple is a company. It's a business. It's not a matter of who's cooler, hipper, whatever -- that's just marketing. Apple is trying to capitalize on their strengths and minimize their weaknesses while expanding into lucrative markets, just like any savvy business tries to do.

Tenolian Bell · April 6, 2007

This is way off the topic at hand, but I do want to clear up some things.

OS 9 was an old antiquated OS with many problems, it was fundamentally the same OS from 1984. Disk fragmentation was a problem under OS 9, which required defragmentation software.

OS X is a huge improvement in this respect. OS X uses a sophisticated file allocation system that helps prevent fragmentation in the first place. OS X places the most used files on the inside of the spinning disk platter, this is where the disk spins the fastest, and data recovery is the fastest. It's been shown that OS X used over a year with no defragmentation there could be as little as 5% file fragmentation. Normally file fragmentation can be as high as 25%.

I have seen debates if defrag software should be used with OS X. Some people say its not necessary some people say you should defrag at least once a year. I've seen the cautionary warning that if you do use defrag software you should only use software that has been made specifically for the version of OS X you are using. Older defrag software won't understand the file allocation system of a newer version of OS X and can end up making matters worse.

It seems you are comparing the relationship of OS X and 9 to Windows NT and DOS. The current Windows OS is not built on DOS but it does still use DOS extension as legacy code, so that programs built for MS-DOS can still work on Windows today.

When Apple transitioned from 9 to X they used a virtualized OS 9 called Classic to help ease the transition into X. That gave time for software developers to build applications for X and people could still use their old apps built for 9.

After the transition was complete Apple ended all development of 9. Apple no longer supports Classic and there are no extensions built into X that will support software built for 9. No software developers currently make any software for 9. For Apple, Mac OS 9 is completely dead.

Microsoft never owned 51% of Apple. In 1997 MS was in trouble with the government for anti-competitive practices. MS invested $150 million dollars into Apple, at the time Apple was at least a $2 billion dollar company. MS invested the money as a political move to show that it does support competition and soften any punishment for its past anti-competitive practices.

K Borowski · April 7, 2007

Please, let's not start another mac vs. PC war.

As for the ads, the concept is clear to me that they mean PC's are used substantially for business and Apple is agressively trageting the casual or home user, who has different needs from their computer. And the "suit" guy of course bears no small resemblance to Bill Gates.

Apple is a company. It's a business. It's not a matter of who's cooler, hipper, whatever -- that's just marketing. Apple is trying to capitalize on their strengths and minimize their weaknesses while expanding into lucrative markets, just like any savvy business tries to do.

Another?

Mike, get me straight: I'm not trying to start a war, because they both suck. My favorite computer is an IBM Selectric Typewriter, or a Kodak Photographic Package printer that consists of a single oscillator. Of course, when I want to chat with a worldwide community of cinematographers, I tend to resort to some of my less-favorite computer types, like those running Windows XP.

I'm just saying the portrayal of "suits" as PCs rubs me the wrong way. I guess in a commercial targeting people that think "having" is the same thing as being independent, though, that'll score them kudos with Abercrombie and Fitch or whoever sells that poop. :rolleyes:

And does PC Guy look like Bill Gates? I didn't think Bill was that verbose. Maybe a cross between Gates and Shatner ;-)