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The Microsoft Propaganda Machine
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Sheila's very un-enthused about 2 gigs of RAM.
In case you were on the fence about buying a Mac or a PC, Microsoft churned out another ad replete with shoddy camera work and unrealistic actors. Our 'Laptop Hunter' this time is 'Sheila' and she's looking for a computer under $2K that can do video editing. She's a "film-maker" and she wants a big screen, but not too big of a screen. And she says she's open to any brand.
After the obligatory walk through of PC's in a Fry's Electronics store, we come across the Macs. She's touching a MacBook Pro. She says "For under two grand, this is the best Apple. It only has two gigabytes of RAM."
Then she shrugs and sighs at the camera with an attitude that seems to say "What the hell, Apple? Two gigs, that's totally not enough for me."
The simple idea that 2GB is an insufficient amount of RAM for Mac OS X is absurd. OS X, in every way possible, handles RAM way more efficiently than Windows Vista. But she walks away, ignorant, and opts for an HP HDX 16t. She says "having it be portable is super-important, Firewire, webcam, USB."
The MacBook Pro has all of those things, not to mention, portability down to a 'T'. When I think portability, I think weight and size. The MacBook Pro is 15 inches, and weighs 5.5 pounds. The HP HDX 16t is 16 inches and weighs 10.1 pounds. There is no contest.
If she was really into film making (not a terrible actor), she might care about picture quality, too. That might mean she would understand the screen she's working on should have a decent resolution. Sheila's HP has a screen resolution of 1366 x 768 while the MacBook Pro has 1440x900. A huge increase, making it a lot more comfortable for video editing.
But it's painfully obvious Sheila isn't too tech savvy, and what she doesn't realize is that the HP she wants is junk. Even though it has 4GB of RAM, she'll need 2GB of RAM just to run Vista properly. Essentially, this leaves her with 2GB of RAM again. Microsoft also neglected to mention that the HP has DDR2, while the MacBook Pro has DDR3. That boost of speed is going to be helpful for video editing.
And if you didn't know, the industry standard used is almost always Final Cut Studio 2, which runs exclusively on Mac. Yes, Adobe Premiere runs on both platforms, but you'll see more people using it on a Mac than a PC, I can guarantee it.
On top of that, if you're a real amateur film maker, you'd probably want to start putting stuff together on a Mac. iMovie, which comes free with every Mac, is a great jumping-off point for anyone who wants to cut their teeth in making movies. It's intuitive and simple to get started, and pretty robust for something right out of the box. Windows Movie Maker can't hold a candle to iMovie.
If a real person did any research on video editing, they might've learned just one of the many points I've made above. But naturally, Microsoft gives you misinformation.
The funniest response to all this Microsoft noise is a fake ad done by LandlineTV.com. It features Homeless Frank, a laptop hunter who's excited about getting his first computer. He walks into a shop, sees the Macs, comments on their beauty, but is upset about their price. "What can I get for a thousand?"
He walks over to a PC, "Windows Vista Home Premium....this is bull s**t, real bull s**t." He picks it up. "Is this plastic?"
"I'm poor, but I'm not retarded!"
And then, the statement of the year. "I'm poor, but I'm not retarded, alright? These computers suck...the whole line of motherboards---just second rate Korean components," and finally "I don't want this, just give me the money!"
Frustrated, Frank screams "What am I going to do with it!?" He shakes the PC laptop violently and walks out the store with a grimace, clutching the machine. The final scene is Frank using the laptop to cover his head as he sleeps in the street.
It's brilliant. It pokes fun of Microsoft's campaign, along with driving home the point that you're getting an inferior product. The smart viewer will notice that, yes, even a homeless man can recognize quality when he sees it.
As a result, a nagging question is why Apple hasn't responded to these ads directly. Since so many writers and bloggers like myself have pointed out these glaring issues, it would be easy for Apple to educate viewers on the truth. But realistically, it looks like Apple will truck along with the Mac vs. PC campaign, and Microsoft will dump millions more into unbelievably bad ads. Either way, don't buy the hype. Educate yourself on the tech specs.
You get what you pay for.
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