
Well, what goes around comes around. Just last week Microsoft honcho Bill Gates was caught lying about Apple, Mac OS X during interviews.
This week, the rebellion strikes back. Apple’s new TV commercials pound Vista with a delightfully barbed wit.
Here’s how it all began. Microsoft launched Vista near the end of January, weeks after Apple’s big news about the widescreen iPod, uh, the Internet Communictor, um, the iPhone.
To ensure a rousing sendoff of the long awaited new Windows, Microsoft’s heads, Chairman Bill Gates and CEO Steve Ballmer made the rounds of TV interviews.
In an unexpected show of chutzpah, nearly every interviewer asked Bill Gates questions about the Mac, the iPod, security, and the like. It had to be embarassing for Bill.
At every turn he was asked if Microsoft’s features were simply items already in Mac OS X. Finally, Bill Gates lost his cool to Steven Levy of Newsweek, and simply lied about Windows Vista’s performance compared to the Mac.
We captured a few of the blow by blow, phrase by phrase responses in this article from last week. Wait. There’s more.
This week, Steve Jobs and Apple’s ad agency pulled a nasty tasting rabbit out of the hat in the form of the most biting Mac TV commercial yet; not aimed at just generic PCs, but specifically mentioning Windows Vista.
You see, Vista has this new security technology called Nag. Many onscreen actions which previously required no user response, now receive a pop up “nag screen” which asks the Vista user to “Cancel or Allow.”
Again, and again, and again, the Vista Security Agent standing behind “I’m A PC” asks “Cancel or Allow” to every interchange of communication with the PC.
Frankly, it’s hilarious, and it’s a sweetly timed poke from Apple to Microsoft. Or, is it a poke back from Steve Jobs to Bill Gates, as a taste of revenge for Bill’s lies, as reported in Newsweek.
A QuickTime version of the “Security” TV commercial can be viewed here on the Apple web site.
Whatever the motivation, it looks as if Apple is ready to kick some buns, take some names, and point out a few Windows deficiencies here and there. Judge for yourself. Is Apple pushing the limit? Going too far? Spot on? Share your perspective in the Comments section below.
Post your own Comment.
By Kate MacKenzie | I'm a 15 year Mac user from Brooklyn, New York. I used Windows Vista for a whole year and lived to tell about it. My personal site, PixoBebo, is all about Apple. Follow me on Twitter.
• Email This Article
• Follow Mac360 on Twitter
• Posted in the YouTube Watch Section
• Future Shock: The iPad Will Replace Your Mac and PC
• Will The iPad Be A Big Hit Or A Big Mistake? Both
• Are Mac Users Afraid To Become More Productive?
• Pure Eye Candy For Mac Graphic Professionals
Mac360 posts daily Mac updates on Twitter, too. If you Twitter, give Alexis, Bambi, or Ron a tweet and follow Mac360 on Twitter to get daily Mac tips and tricks.
Off Topic Note: Help support Mac360 by visiting the Mac360 Store (it’s really Amazon). We get a small commission on every purchase you make through the Mac360 Store (it’s really Amazon). Plus, you get Amazon’s best discounts on Mac software such as Snow Leopard, iWork ‘09, iLife ‘09, Adobe Photoshop Elements, all MacBook and iMac models, and all iPod models. All it takes is a few clicks to order what you need direct from Amazon. As always, we appreciate your support when you visit Mac360’s advertisers.
Copyright © 2004 - 2010 Ron McElfresh, Honolulu, HI USA. All Rights Reserved.
Mac360 is best viewed in Safari 4.x or Firefox 3.x browsers. Microsoft Internet Explorer is not supported.
Mac360 is developed on a Mac and powered by an Apple Xserve at ServerLogistics.
This Mac360 page was created in 0.2717 seconds.