Novell has made a series of ads parodying the iconic (can we call them "iconic" now?) "I'm a Mac" commercials. Like Apple's ads, they feature a dweeby PC and a "cool kid" Mac, although Novell's Mac looks less like a 2007-era hipster and more like a Freddie Prinze, Jr.-ish jock from a late '90s teen movie. (I mean, a Mac would at least be more inclined to resemble a slightly edgier character played by Ethan Embry.)
Then there's Novell's addition, Linux. In an obvious pander to male geeks, Linux is female, and she's cute. Unfortunately, her style of dress is a tad boring, she looks a little bit shy, and she could use a haircut to get rid of those overgrown bangs. But I suppose your average basement programmer won't care. Dude, Linux is like a whole new species!
Here at Crave, we love to deconstruct the "I'm a Mac" ads. See also the 1996 vintage, the Japanese version, and Candace's observation that it's a bit erroneous for the British ads to have a PC who looks like Al Gore.
P.S.: With regard to PC/Mac/Linux comparisons, I still prefer this graphic that somebody made:
(Credit:
fuhrerchan.be)
(Credit:
Scootinger.net)
Okay, this is officially the coolest thing I've seen all week. A blogger managed to dig up a 1996 issue of MacAddict magazine that features a Mac-PC personification from the day. If you're a fan of the Apple ads, you'll love this pseudo-predecessor. Click here for the big printable version. You know, for your cubicle.
The main difference here, at least to me, is that in the "vintage" Mac/PC ad, the "PC" is actually a good-looking, vaguely Jude Law-ish character (he's got that "sinister Wall Streeter" look, it's very American Psycho) while the "Mac" pretty much looks like a pre-bust dotcom dweeb who would've fit right into a sidekick role on one of the corny sitcoms of the day. So, yeah, if I had to go out to dinner with one of these young fellers, I'd have to choose the well-groomed PC over the sloppy Mac who thinks he can look swanky by tucking his T-shirt into his jeans. Let's hope the intended "nerd/cool guy" dynamic of John Hodgman and Justin Long has better lasting power than that of the guys in this predecessor. Do you think Justin's garage-band haircut will one day look just as ridiculous as the '96 Mac's?
Priceless bits:
--"The casual 'Seinfeld-cut' is in. Of course, Jerry would never use a PC."
--"The denim shirt is standard issue. Get one."
--"Power tie: all the color he requires."
Wow, was 1996 really that long ago?
(Digg via Cult of Mac.)
UPDATE: Crave reader EmmaFrost has alerted us to the fact that the original blog hosting the MacAddict image appears to be down. If you want to check out the full-size scan, Gizmodo has it.
No, the Japanese "I'm a Mac" ads do not include Hello Kitty, Pikachu, or anything with tentacles. But they're quite funny in their own right, if only because I have absolutely no idea what the actors are saying in them but can still pretty much grasp the message that they're trying to convey. It's interesting, too, to see how the Japanese ads are much more reliant on physical expressions and gags, whereas the British Mac ads that Candace blogged here a few days ago are all about the wit (not surprisingly).
Additionally, I am of the opinion that the Japanese "Mac," like the British one, is much cuter than Justin Long of the American ads (and Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story fame).
(Via Valleywag.)
P.S.: One member of our team, whom I will allow to remain anonymous, commented that he "can't wait till someone does one in Klingon."
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