Given that Microsoft’s new “Laptop Hunter” ads do little else but play up the fact that you can find PCs that are cheaper than Macs, it was only a matter of time before the parodies started rolling in. The first one, dubbed “Homeless Frank,” is a solid effort.
In 63 seconds of pure mockery, the video’s creators, LandlineTV.com, are actually able to show off some of the holes in Microsoft’s argument in these ads. “Windows Vista Home Premium? This is bullshit,” Frank notes while checking out a PC. Sure, it’s a crude way of putting it, but a lot of users are not happy with Vista, and Microsoft fails to mention its software at all in its ads.
Frank goes on to ask, “is this plastic?,” while picking up one of the PCs. He continues, “this whole line of motherboards are just second-rate Korean components.” Yes, one of the reasons some PCs are cheaper than Macs is that the parts and components they use are cheaper than their Mac counterparts.
“I’m poor, but I’m not retarded,” Frank notes at one point in the video. That speaks to the idea that while Microsoft is smart to play the cheapness card in a down economy, there are at least some reasons that shoppers have been buying Macs in recent years, raising their market share. And it’s not just to get the Apple logo.
Find one of the real Microsoft ads, featuring “Lauren,” below the Frank spoof. And CrunchGear has its own thoughts on the spoof.
I fail to grasp how this is news . But long live web 2.0. Need more youtube ..more videos more streaming media and higher valuations more eyeballs
As far as I can tell, TC is being paid by Apple to smear Microsoft and their new ad campaign. Every post on the campaign has been negative. It is either payola, or ignorance.
Or they’re just kind of silly. A smart play, but silly.
silly just like their Mac counterparts.
I side with the Apple sponsorship… Plus I have noticed that the anti-yahoo funds has stopped flowing since Jerry get fired.
I have $5, who do I talk to in order to get anti-monopoly propaganda started on this site?
Fuck off you motherfuckin Mactard
@anon… You obviously cant tell your head from your bung hole then. Microsoft’s attempt to justify the purchase of a PC solely on price is false and will lead many prospective buyers down the road to frustration. As a reader i expect TechCrunch, and any other blog for that matter, to bring this to the publics attention. It’s their duty. You don’t like it, simply skip the story… Your assumption of bias makes you sound small, stupid, and totally unaware of the facts behind why the video was produced in the first place. Every post on the campaign has been negative, cause the campaign is flawed in its argument. Put that in your pipe and smoke it buddy…
Microsoft is playing up their strong points in an ad? SCANDALOUS! HOW DARE THEY!!! Time for all the Mac fanboy\trolls to get to work!
The truth is I just bought a laptop which is in every way superior to the highest end macbook. Blu-ray, higher res screen, more ram, faster processor, and $1200 less then the macbook pro. I have had no issues with Vista whatsoever so I couldn’t care less if you like OSX more.
Your hardware is overpriced. Deal with it! While the price of computers drops, and every other company is lowering their prices Apple maintains a massive markup. The fact that you blindly accept that Apple is good and Microsoft is evil makes you sound small, stupid, and totally unaware of the facts behind why the ads were produced in the first place.
I can’t wait for the macbook wheel to come out so that people will have to think twice before writing long stupid posts… Viewers of The Onion know what I’m talking about.
Oh Snap!
@ dante
Your assumption of bias makes you sound small, stupid, and totally unaware of the facts behind why the video was produced in the first place. Every post on the campaign has been negative, cause the campaign is flawed in its argument. Put that in your pipe and smoke it buddy…
huh????
Price it out… In order to get “in line” with the rest of the corp world (sad but true) you need to have a win based machine. Thus, you can get a apple but you also have to add the win-for-apple software package which makes them more expensive. Last time I checked it was roughly $300+ addition to the machine’s price.
Preach bpierce!
Way to lay on a conspiracy theory ‘anon’
Yea but not everyone wants to spend 1500 on a new imac. For a $300 dollars a window PC is great
…a great blanket indeed.
Macs clearly aren’t even an option for many people. (Businesses, people without money to burn) If I were to switch from Windows to another OS, I can’t think of one reason why I would pick OSX over Ubuntu. So if money is in any way a factor, Apple is out.
To some people functionality and price are what matters. Macs are great toys, but Mac fanboys can’t seem to wrap their heads around the idea that they are a luxury item. I’m sure your hummer is fun to drive but that doesn’t mean it does a better job of transporting you from one place to another.
The last version of Windows to crash on me was Windows 98. I set up RAID in 5 minutes. The user experience of clicking an icon to launch the same software available to a Mac is just fine thanks.
Performance is great too.
Core2Quad OCd to 3.4, EVGA 750i, 8 GB DDR2 800, 9800GT 512MB, WD VelociRaptor 150GB 10,000 RPM, more drives, 800W psu, Antec case, other goodies, Samsung 245T.
Total cost: $1600 (less now).
My computer will eat any iMac ever made, and will smoke the low end Mac Pro ($2500). Yeah, I can’t run GarageBand, but I can melt your face.
I agree. This is certainly funny and interesting but definitely not newsworthy. I guess today is a slow news day.
that was worse than the “Jerry Seinfeld ” ads.
But still better than the mac adds.
Not even remotely funny. I want my 63 seconds back.
backfire like a …….
Ingenious. Great post MG… “I’m poor, but not retarded”… classic.
Great parody. That said, these latest Microsoft commercials are genuinely good, it’s refreshing to see after so many years of poor advertising.
I agree, they are MUCH better than the first ads that came out.
They’re genuinely awful. It’s come to this: the only way microsoft can honestly try and fight apple is by pointing out that pcs are cheap?
Unlike the guy in the ad, you ARE retarded.
Uh.. they’re cheaper AND you get hardware X, Y, and Z which are [at least in feature] “better”, and you have many more choices in components.
Say what you will about the software and quality, but your argument is flawed.
Also, I do development on both OSX and Vista, and Vista kicks ass over OSX in almost every way.
And the only way you can defend Macs is by name calling?
I guess Apple fanblogs don’t understand humor, either. humor fail.
“Yes, one of the reasons some PCs are cheaper than Macs is that the parts and components they use are cheaper than their Mac counterparts.”
Umm you mean those $400 motherboards or $300+ graphics cards are cheaper than their Mac counterparts?
Oh wait..
Ah! Another “apple fanboy” author! Mike sure knows how to pick his writers
Anyway, I’m not a Microsoft fanboy, and I still find the Microsoft ads relevant in terms of the cost advantage.
Next time, try finding an interesting parody of Apple’s “Just works!” tag line?
not funny + not newsworthy = waste of my time, tc.
Your readership refund is in the mail.
++
=)
are you saying that since tc is free reading, you have no responsibility to maintain some level of quality for your readership? immature.
I have a Mac and even I’m tired of the fanboys. Mac fans are kind of like the country-club set of the Internet: dismissive of anybody that would buy a Ford instead of their beloved BMW. Microsoft should do an ad with guys named Tad and Brad with sweaters around their neck in Connecticut. Mac is more Shooter McGavin than Justin Long.
I fully expect to see such an ad in the future.
Is this a website about technology or a big paid endorsement for Apple? I’m confused.
This is an example of when social advertising backfires
“Windows Vista Home Premium? This is bullshit,”
How is this pointing out a hole in the ad? Is he going to, even as a rude comment, say WHY Windows is bullshit?
That PC belongs in the sewer along with the rest of the pieces of crap that come out of everyone’s asses. The name fits it perfectly, “Piece O’ Crap”. My buddy recently asked me how many Macs laptops I have owned in the past 5 years. My response was one. “My PowerBook which is 5 years old that I use every day at work and home.” He replied with a, “geez I have had four PC’s in that time. I always wondered why you spent all of that money on those Macs, now I see it pays in the long run. Plug and play for years with no anti-virus to purchase and load on there every year. It sounds so easy and I love the style and platform of Macs too. I think it is time to change.” I responded with a, ” I have been wondering when you would snap back to reality and make the leap”.
Wow did you record that conversation to get such an accurate quote, or shorthand it out?
So after buying a Mac you had to save over 5 years to have enough money to buy something else?
Good god you win! That quote is fucking hilarious. Much better than the MS ad or the weaksauce parody. Sounds like your pal was born to astroturf!
Wow! What a great article!
Making fun of homeless people, awesome.
Trying to make a point against MS where there is no point. Great start MGSiegel, your techcrunchification is now complete.
Did you know? there are some apple ad parodies also, try these: http://www.yout...FF9&index=9 ; you need to cover these
Those have great production quality, but they don’t make enough fun of homeless people.
Now that’s funny.
http://icanhasc...bdd356e05_o.jpg
Once Apple started using Intel and WD hard drives they became nothing more than a stylish, albeit, more expensive solution. There will be bugs in MAC’s as well as PC’s.
Additionally, one of the major reasons why it “seems” like MAC is more secure and better than Windows Vista is because Apple still has a small market share when you compare the two.
http://gadgetwi...smaller-target/
Just give it time, and I’m sure you’ll find out that both OS’s are just as buggy and insecure. Apple just hides their bugs and insecurities better than MSFT.
And in reality, in this economic downturn, you really think people want to spend $$$ on a MAC when they can save a ton by getting a PC?
I think these ads are well timed, and Apple should come up with a response vs. coming out with a more expensive iPhone.
Did you guys used to refer to Macs as being made of “crappy plastic” before they figured out how to manufacture them even more expensively and add new buzzwords to your vocabulary?
I’m a PC and I run Linux.
I’m a fan of Macs and PC’s. I’ve owned both, and strangely enough, the only problems with hardware failure I’ve had are with my Mac. The thing fell apart on me. The power cable wore in two. The ethernet plugin broke, and the battery has been rendered completely useless. It doesn’t even keep enough of a charge to start the machine. Of course, my PC’s are computers that I built myself, and not the big name-brand machines.
Maybe I’m an oddity here, but based on my experiences, I’d have to choose the PC for value every time.
What I want to know is how many of TechCrunch’s staff uses macs versus pcs. Then take the ones that use pcs and find out what percentage use laptops. Once you have that number, lets see how much these laptops cost and compare it to the writers using mac laptops and then make the determination whether or not the writers using PCs should really be writing for TechCrunch because it is obvious that people who use PCs are too dumb to be able to buy a good laptop let along write for quality publication such as TechCrunch.
Seriously people, how much longer is this going to go on for? Macs have no chance in hell to make a dent in the PC laptop share and much of it is due to cost and the fact that 90% of the consumers out there do not require the “features” that a Mac laptop comes with. Windows Vista works well enough to be used by most of my friends and family and I would say that it most likely works well for most people.
The Microsoft ads have a lot of truth to them in that they state two things: 1 – Macs are out of the price range for many people, and 2 – A PC Laptop is good enough for the consumers that the ads represent.
Just my 2 cents.
they all use macs. that’s understandable – they ‘re bloggers. the rest of the world who want to be more productive keeps using “anything that does the work well even if it’s not really shiny”
Go Landline! Thanks for casting me in ur vid-e-o
2nd rate Korean components? that’s like 10-20 years ago… why afraid to piss off chinese communists that you can’t say 2nd rate chinese components?
I’ll buy anything if it’s shiny and made by Apple!