Apple: Back in Mac

On Monday night, May 1, two new Apple commercials debuted on prime time network television. The big surprise? They weren't iPod or iTunes ads, they were Mac ads. And they were actually pretty good.

Both ads feature two actors: one is the "stuffy" type -- clean-shaven, bespectacled, in a business suit -- playing the part of a PC, and one is more casual -- unshaven in t-shirt and jeans -- playing the part of a Mac (I believe the actor portraying the Mac is Justin Long; it was pointed out that the actor playing the PC is John Hodgman*).

The first ad focuses on viruses and touts the Mac's "resistance" to the thousands of viruses plaguing "PCs" (the word "Windows" is never used in either ad). The PC is sneezing uncontrollably, lamenting his viral infection, when the Mac offers the PC a handkerchief (nice touch), which the PC then uses to wipe and blow his nose repeatedly in between whining about viruses. He warns the Mac to stay away, but Mac says, "I'll be fine." PC then rattles off big-number statistics about viruses affecting PCs, and Mac says, "...PCs, not Macs." He assists with the handkerchief to demonstrate his resistance, then puts it back in his pocket, while the PC "crashes" (falls down backward out of frame).


The second ad is a bit more reserved, and starts off with Mac reading a paper, when PC asks him what he's reading. When Mac states it's the Wall Street Journal, PC snatches it from his hands and starts reading a Walt Mossberg review of the Mac, proclaiming it to be the "finest desktop PC on the market at any price." PC smirks in envy as he hands the paper back to Mac, and snaps, "very nice," to which Mac modestly responds, "It's just one man's opinion" (as if to cushion the blow). PC then proceeds to crow about his own glowing reviews, and when Mac asks for the source, PC unconvincingly makes up a name on the fly.

There is no direct mention of operating system (either Windows or Mac OS X) in either ad, and in the WSJ ad, the review implies the Mac is the finest PC available anywhere, suggesting the Mac is just as capable as a PC, if not more so. Nearly a month ago, Apple released Boot Camp, which as you know (unless you've been in a vacuum for the past month) allows Intel-based Macs to install and boot Windows XP with Service Pack 2. While I don't think Apple would go as far as to advertise a beta product like Boot Camp, I can certainly see this campaign continuing into the fall and winter, with a future ad featuring either dual booting or a virtualized solution for running Windows XP inside Mac OS X, and touting it as the "safe way to run Windows."

I didn't think Apple would have been so bold as to drop the gauntlet on the virus issue. They have to know that touting virus invulnerability is essentially a challenge to malware coders everywhere to start their engines and aim for Mac OS X, so Apple must be very confident in their system security at this point. The only other reason I could see Apple playing the virus card would be in an act of desperation, but today's Apple is the strongest ever (well, strongest in about fifteen years, anyhow), so I don't see grasping for straws as the game plan here. I'm surprised to see this bold move by Apple, but at the same time, I'm quite relieved they did it; it's time to stop playing it safe in their advertising.

By not mentioning Windows specifically, Apple is essentially baiting Microsoft to go on the defensive...but as soon as Microsoft does that, they tacitly acknowledge their own OS's security nightmares. By referring to the Mac as "the finest PC," Apple is also suggesting that a Mac is the smart choice for the consumer. When this message blends with the viral buzz surrounding Boot Camp, it's sure to attract a notable number of first-time Mac buyers eager to see what Macs are all about, since they know they'll have their Windows "safety net" available (although we all know in short order it'll be more of a chore than a safety net).

Another notable issue Apple is tackling in these ads is the perception of the typical Mac user. We are stereotyped as being the weird cult-like followers or snooty prima donnas of the computing world. We're typically smug about security and snobby about interface design. The Mac in the ad is a modest, helpful, concerned acquaintance. A friend, even. He looks on the PC with pity and compassion, not arrogance or self-righteousness.

I think Apple has come up with a good mix in these ads. It's certainly refreshing to see Apple pushing the Mac again, and I'm looking forward to seeing this campaign develop.

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UPDATE: Well, I didn't have to wait very long...there are currently six commercials, and they can be found on Apple's website. I'll post my thoughts on the remaining four ads in my next entry.

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UPDATE 2: * thanks to "Surfungus" on MacAddict Forums for identifying the PC actor.

ZOT! goes the world...

Okay, okay...I haven't posted here in a while. I'll get around to it, I promise!

However, today I must pay homage to two truly cool things:

1. SubEthaEdit from CodingMonkeys, and
2. BLOGZOT 2.0 on MacZOT.com.

Yes, this is a shameless plug on my part to get really cool software really cheap. But the cool thing is: you can, too!

What is SubEthaEdit?
It's a really cool collaborative text editor. I'm no coder, and I probably don't have a really good use for it, but I've used it in earlier incarnations, and it's just kick-butt cool.

What is MacZOT?
It's a relatively new Mac shareware outlet that mixes things up a bit to bring the Mac community great shareware at great prices. Each day, MacZOT! features one shareware title and offers it at a great discount (some better than others). Sometimes, they'll offer a MyzteryZOT, which is a grab bag of shareware (which is how I discovered MacZOT), and sometimes they'll do these BlogZOTs, like I'm pimping right now. The way this works is, the more feedback they get from blog comments, the cheaper the price of the software goes (it could go down to $0!) -- so effectively, MacZOT and TheCodingMonkeys are giving away about $105,000 worth of software! GIVING! As in FREE! As in "w00t!"

So, check out both SubEthaEdit and MacZOT and let me hear what you think!

Will Apple Boldly Go...?

This is a momentous year for anniversaries for geeks like me. In less than a month, on April 1, Apple Computer will turn 30. Like many thousands of other Mac geeks worldwide, I'm expecting something big to be announced by Apple...maybe something having to do with the mysterious touch screen iPod-like device that was conspicuously missing from the "Fun New Products" event last week (if it does indeed exist). That would be enough in and of itself -- I believe that such a device would be the next step in the evolution of consumer media technology, and could revolutionize the way we interact with our digital content (purchased or otherwise).

But, as fate would have it, 2006 marks another anniversary: it's the 40th year of Star Trek. Although there are no current Star Trek series in production, there is an archive of over 700 television episodes syndicated in some form or another in seeming perpetuity. But aside from some conventions and some standard self-promotional (low key) campaigns, the Star Trek people seem to be keeping below the radar. Unusually so, considering the occasion.

Why would this be? 40 years of any TV brand is a big deal. And given the fact that Star Trek's new owner is one of the oldest TV broadcast networks, this seems just a bit odd. CBS, you ask? Why, yes...Star Trek was under the Paramount Television banner for its entire modern existence until early 2006, when Paramount Television was folded into CBS (out from under the Viacom family of brands).

Now, these two anniversaries, separately, are cause enough for the geek in all of us to celebrate. But what if something -- somehow -- tied these two cultural icons together?

Something like, say, the iTunes Music Store.

This seems a natural fit: if the full-screen iPod is indeed a reality, it would very much resemble Star Trek-like technology. CBS is rumored to be in negotiations with Apple for an iTunes Music Store distribution deal. With one of the largest episodic television libraries ever, and a cultural fan base of millions, Star Trek on iTunes would be the ultimate foray into portable content distribution. At a few episodes a time, purchasing the entire Trek library would ensure a steady stream of revenue to the iTMS (and CBS) at a higher return than the DVD box sets (note: this is purely a guess on my part).

A combined launch of a full-screen iPod and a CBS content distribution deal (featuring the Star Trek license, initially) would virtually guarantee the top position for Apple, at least in the short term, in the digital video content distribution wars that are just ramping up.


[note: edited to correct the typo in the title, as pointed out by the first commentator below...(thanks!)]

The revolution has already started...

[note: I originally wrote most of this on March 2 (last Thursday), but I thought I had lost it...it was, in fact, in the Drafts folder, so I finished it up and posted it today. Sorry for any confusion.]


OK, so maybe my knee-jerk reaction to Apple's "Fun New Products" event was a bit negative.

Apple is going exactly the route I was expecting. Not that I'm any sort of prophet; everyone seemed to be expecting some sort of media center Mac mini and an "iPod boombox." I think it's just that most folks (me included) were expecting a more radical change for the mini.

And I think that's why we don't run Apple, and Steve Jobs does.

Where anyone of the "Fun New Product" event's critics would have taken a bold new direction, Steve has made a slight alteration in course. Steady as she goes, so to speak.

The Mac mini is the most important product Apple has at the moment. Before you ask me to pass the crack pipe, let me explain: yes, the iPod is a juggernaut, and it shows no signs of slowing. The iPod has shown the world that people actually care about their portable media, and they're not afraid to spend more money on a good product to help them transport and enjoy that media. However, the iPod as it currently exists (in its various incarnations) is approaching the top of its arc in popularity. The iPod is about to undergo a fundamental shift in architecture, and when it does, the world will once again have to adjust its perceptions on how to interact with personal information and media.

More than any other product currently in Apple's portfolio, the Mac mini has the potential to change the way we experience the wealth of digital information we are so quickly collecting. It is poised as the progenitor (along with the iPod) of a new class of computing and portable media device. Along with the infrastructure of iTunes and AirPort Extreme, the Mac mini is set to partner with the iPod to provide a home digital content management system that will take consumers by storm. The iPod HiFi is testament to this.

Remember, the Mac mini is essentially just a reconfigured laptop. Imagine having a portable power source for it...like, say...a car? Imagine a standard docking solution integrated in an automobile -- heck, people have already started integrating minis into vehicles.

When I first heard of that phenomenon, I was a bit taken aback...I mean, how can you drive and use your Mac at the same time? But let's go to the land of imagination once more:

You're getting set for a family trip. You make sure to pack the digital camera, the DV camcorder, and your Mac Media mini (mobileMe, anyone?). Since the mini is so small, you just grab it from its power base on the entertainment center, carry it to the minivan, and plug it into its dock in the console. You know you have plenty of music and video for the trip, because your iTunes library is on the HD. The fold-down displays and headphone jacks in the back seats for the kids (and optionally, for the front passenger) are already integrated into the digital content management system. If the kids don't want to watch the same movie or listen to the same music, that's OK...you're bringing the iPod along, too...little Johnny or Suzie can just plug the iPod into the dock next to his or her headphones and enjoy something else.

Additionally, you've already planned the trip, and you've saved some reference files for various stops along the trip. Part of the digital system in the car allows you to toggle a heads-up display on the windshield in front of you to view quick reference visuals (thankfully, rich media content is filtered from that display to prevent distractions from driving).

You also remembered to pack your iBook, since you or your spouse (whoever is sitting in the passenger's seat), may want to pass the travel time putting together the family photos and videos while the vacation is still a fresh memory. By the time you get home, you'll have a complete (or near-complete) home video of the trip; all you'll need to do is burn the DVD (if you didn't already do so in the van).

I can see that scenario playing out within the next 24 - 36 months. And the thing is, the foundation has already been poured with the iPod / iTunes combo. Airport Express is another key element in this strategy, and the Mac mini is evolving into one of the last key pieces of this infrastructure.

Steve Jobs is reigniting the platform wars. He has been for the past five years; it's only just now becoming clear. Apple has already claimed our personal space and our vehicles with the iPod. It's now taking our homes with the current iPod / Mac mini combo. In appealing to our passions and our intellects, Apple is harvesting the consumer's mindshare in scores. This, in turn, will raise consumer awareness of Apple branding and quality, which will eventually spill over into the office.

Are we having "Fun" yet?

Mac minis with Intel processors and a slightly revamped version of Front Row. For $100 and $300 more than the previous base model.

A $350 boom box that you can plug an iPod into.

This is "fun"?

Maybe I'm missing something, but these seem quite overpriced. I thought the whole idea of a Mac mini was that it was supposed to be the cheapest Mac ever. It's starting to resemble the Power Mac Cube more and more, from a marketing standpoint. Apple needs to remember that it's fighting for the dollars of people who are used to walking home with an entire system (keyboard, mouse, display and all) for less than what the Mac mini now costs.

And who thought that a $350 add-on to a $300 - $400 product would be at all appealing? It's portable...great. For $350, it had better be the best sounding boom box EVER. I'm glad they made it portable, because at that price, I certainly won't be buying one for each room of the house.

I'm fairly disappointed that we didn't see more. I was certainly expecting more from the revamped Mac mini. Maybe Apple's saving the good stuff for their 30th anniversary on April 1.

I sure hope so.