Join Andrew and Morgan as they take a look at Monsters vs. Aliens, Adventureland, and more.
MC #42: Monsters vs. Aliens; Adventureland
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The tables are turned on Sayid in this most recent episode, "He's Our You." Likewise, the tables are turned on Joe and his hatred of season five, as we get an episode that's much closer to the storytelling of the early seasons.
LC #19: We're Your Us
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Welcome back to TechChatter!
This week on the show: A new Facebook, deep packet inspection, and stupid people shouldn't real EULA's.
TC #27: So Say We All
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Regardless of who's winning in market share, Apple has been solidly kicking Microsoft's butt when it comes to advertising.
Attempt #1: The Mojave Experiment
First there was the Mojave experiment, where Microsoft showed off a new operating system to people only to later reveal with was Vista. A little gimicky, but not too bad. Well, up until it was revealed that these people weren't actually using the operating system — they were just being shown video of it. And after all, we should know better than to trust a video provided by a salesperson.
Attempt #2: The Stand-Up Comedian
Next up we had the $14,000,000,000,000,000 Jerry Seinfeld ad campaign. Apparently shopping for shoes with Bill Gates and aggravating a family in their own home is a convincing way to sell an operating system. Or not. Shortly thereafter, Jerry was nowhere to be seen. And you've gotta love the "Mac vs. PC" commercial where PC is splitting up the money between the advertising campaign and fixing Vista.
Attempt #3: The Counterattack
And that's been part of Microsoft's biggest obstacle — Apple's "Mac vs. PC" campaign. Apple's ads are simple, clever, and funny. So Microsoft finally started fighting back directly at Apple's commercials. However, Microsoft's "I'm a PC" counterattack seemed silly and insignificant. And a bit whiny.
But now, finally, Microsoft has it right.
Attempt #4: Lauren
Enter Lauren. She's given $1,000 to buy a 17" laptop.
So what can we learn from this commercial?
1. Apple Sucks.
She goes into an Apple store, but the only thing they have for under $1,000 is a 13". "I'm not cool enough to be a Mac person." Ouch. One point for Microsoft.
2. Dizzying Selection of Windows Laptops.
She goes to Best Buy. "Wow," she says, as she spins around a multitude of laptops. Then she starts spitting out all sorts of impressive-sounding specs. "Let's look over there." "Here's an HP over here." Wow. Here, there, and everywhere are laptops. A dizzying selection (complete with quick camera edits) — obviously more exciting than the Apple store. Two points for Microsoft.
3. Personalization
She then finds one that meets all of her qualifications, and that looks really cool too. You'd think the smile is about to break her face. She squeals as she's given money to buy the laptop. What a joyful, exciting experience. Three points for Microsoft.
4. Joy
"Yay!" She gets the computer. Her jumping up and down. Her computer box. The checkout. What's all this mean? A sense of accomplishment — it's not merely enough to have fun shopping for the computer; it's only a success if you walk out with it. Four points for Microsoft.
5. Massive Savings
Final price: $699.99. "Under a thousand dollars." Right now, given the economy, nothing speaks louder than the price tag. Five points for Microsoft.
Sure, there are some big holes in this commercial — most notably the implication that a Mac is just an overpriced laptop. The reality is that you get what you pay for. Macs have repeatedly been shown to be just as much bang-for-the-buck (if not more) than an equally-featured Windows machine. I'm not saying HP sucks. I'm just saying that when you match the computers component-by-component, an Apple is as good (sometimes better) a deal.
And, of course, who's ever had that much fun buying something from Best Buy? I've had all kinds of good experiences at any of the local Apple stores around here, but with one exception, anything dealing with Best Buy's salespeople has been... well, look at the blank stares of the employee ringing her up. 'Nuff said.
But that's not the point. People aren't going to focus on any of that while they're watching this commercial. They're going to see two things — the large selection of Windows laptops and how incredibly happy Lauren is.
And let's not forget some of the psychological plays. You have $1,000 to spend. You spend $700. That means you walk out with a laptop and almost half again as much cash! How awesome is that? But the $1,000 was an arbitrary number. It could have just as easily been $800 or $1,200. Still, as imaginary as it might be, that extra $300 sure looks attractive, doesn't it?
So to recap: (1) Apple has only one item, and it doesn't qualify. (2) There's a massive selection of Windows 17" laptops. (3) You can find one that suits all your needs and your personal style. (4) Getting one makes you incredibly happy. (5) You have money left over. Like, a third of your money.
Those are some pretty big points. And Microsoft got them all out in one very effective commercial. But of all the things accomplished here, the most important is that Microsoft has tapped into consumers' biggest fear — their financial situation. And they've done so masterfully.
Good job.
While many of us loved Watchmen, it didn't do all that great at the box office. Sure, it was R-rated, non-mainstream, and very long. Still, a 67% drop-off in its second week isn't exactly anything to brag about. Warner Bros. has already stated they won't do any more R-rated superhero films, nor any R-rated tentpole blockbusters. Will other studios follow suit? Did Watchmen do more harm than good?
One of the biggest sci-fi television shows in recent years has finally come to a close. While it had its ups and downs, Battlestar Galactica was a powerful show on many levels. Did its finale do the show justice? Nathan (LostChatter) and Morgan (MovieChatter) join Erik and Andrew this week to discuss the finale, and surprisingly, Ned sticks around to decide whether to continue catching up with the show, basing his final decision on our finale discussion. And don't worry, we provide plenty of warning before we start spoiling anything.
RC #32: BSG Finale; Did Watchmen kill comic films?
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Is Knowing just another Nicolas Cage popcorn film, or does director Alex Proyas save the day? Do Andrew & Morgan love I Love You, Man? Does Erik manage to edit out any cursing or references to mango butter? (spoiler: yes, thankfully!) Learn all this and more in this week's MovieChatter!
MC #41: Knowing, I Love You Man
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Joe's starting to get burned out on all the easter eggs (e.g. do we really need to know who Amy's baby is?), and that starts us down a long road of looking at how the show's holding up.
LC #18: Easter Egg Overload
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In addition to discussing Transporter, Lakeview Terrace, JCVD and other films, Andrew and Morgan take a look at the new horror remake The Last House on the Left.
MC #40: Last House on the Left
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Less a full-blown review and more a general discussion, Nathan and Joe from LostChatter join Erik and Ned to take a look at Watchmen.
RC #031: Watchmen Discussion
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