That really was a poor advert, what did you get from it?

Like what Michael Arrington said:

Those Microsoft commercials aren’t particularly engaging, and they don’t make me want to go out and buy a copy of Vista. But what they do is show lots of fascinating people saying that they use PCs. They highlight the fact that many people may be somewhat offended by the idea that they can’t be interesting or cool if they don’t use a Mac.

Suddenly, Apple looks a little elitist. I mean, they were elitist before, but in a way that made you want to be a part of the club. Now, they just seem a little snobby.

If that’s what Microsoft and their pushing clients to the edge advertising agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky were aiming for, it’s brilliant.

I’ve been a “PC” for over 20 years now since my Dad bought us a 286 machine that ran Windows. I must have had 20+ PCs since then but last year I lapsed. I actually spent my own money on a Macbook Pro. Why? A few reasons – it could run Vista (very well in fact) and I quite fancied the sleek hardware as my new machine. I just thought it was time I tried a Mac and maybe with the ability to run the great looking OSX and Vista I could have my cake and eat it – sleek hardware and the OS I needed plus the ability to dabble in the Mac world.

I actually used it for a few days as my work machine switching between OSX at home and Vista at work. After a week I went back to my Sony Vaio TZ. The reasons at the time were that the TZ has way better battery life, runs much cooler and is a lot lighter. You’ll notice they’re all hardware things – not Vista drawing me back. In reality it’s both. The Mac still sits on my coffee table and I use it regularly for one thing – web browsing. It must be the worlds most expensive web browser.

This post isn’t designed to say that the Windows is better than OSX or that my Vaio is better than the MBP. It’s a statement of realisation that I’m a PC – I always will be. Through 20 years of familiarity and of course the company. The realisation just hit me. I grew up with the PC and whilst the Mac has a cool, elite allure and maybe I longed to be part of that “club” it’s just not me. It’s like putting on a Commes de Garcons suit every day. Sure it may make me feel good and even look a bit cooler but I’m not comfortable in it. It’s not who I am.

This post may not make any sense to anyone but me but this advertising campaign I think is genius. It liberates the the PC users who were maybe wondering if they were the odd ones out and encourages them to celebrate their differences and their connections. You may say it’s sad that we need an ad campaign to help us do that but to be honest, I don’t care.

Who was I kidding? I’m comfortable being a PC.