Intel and Microsoft are teaming with three leading PC makers on a new ad campaign designed to make potential computer buyers more aware of all the things a modern PC can do.
The campaign, with the slogan “PC Does What?” is set to be announced Thursday at a Webcast featuring the companies’ top marketing executives, according to sources familiar with the companies’ plans. It will feature TV, print and online advertisements, sources said.
I expect this to be really cringe-inducing. In other words, we’ll get some entertainment out of it.
“PC! It can compute! And it’s personal!”
PC does… exactly what it did fifteen years ago, but with a shiny new look.
With Lenovo involved in a title like that, my brain jumped immediately to the “oh shit, what new adware are they pushing on us now?” mode.
With MS involved, it can be something like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGvHNNOLnCk
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LOL. ‘PC – it can run 30 pieces of crapware at startup!’
I don’t think this campaign will really achieve much. Average Jane and Joe use mobile devices so much because of convenience, not because of some technically-cool features they have, and as such trying to woo people into coming back to PCs by pointing out all the cool features just seems like an entirely wrong approach to the whole situation.
I mean, tablets and phones are single devices where everything you need to make use of them is contained in a single package that can be used while lying down, sitting or standing up, they’re really easy to take with you everywhere, and generally the battery lasts for a whole day, too. Even very light ultrabook – laptops can’t comfortably be used in as many different positions and they still aren’t nearly as easy to take with you.
Can PCs do some feature that a phone or tablet can’t and an Average Jane or Joe would actually care about that feature enough to make them want a PC? I can’t really think of any such feature. Those people that need to do accounting or write long documents or stuff already have PCs, they won’t be affected by the campaign, and the more technically-inclined audience also most likely already has one or more PCs, but the people that just want easy communications and content-consumption? They’re already well-served!
You mean, the brainwashed part of the population? /s
( sorry… Very politically incorrect, I know, but I couldn’t resist >-D )
I think this is reminding people that Windows systems are actually very versatile. Its been to easy to ‘not bother’ upgrading the PC/laptop in the corner.
MS and the OEMs need to show people that their 2 hour laptop battery life can now be 12, Within budget.
Apple is proof that there is still a lot of life left in the PC market because people are still buying and upgrading but you have to actually offer something compelling other than gimmicky crap such as touch screens. The biggest boat anchor that OEM’s suffer from is Windows – Windows 10 being a giant disappointment, the UI is a train wreck of different UI kits resulting in crap scaling on high-dpi screens not to mention disjointedness, I was so hopeful about ‘Universal Windows Platform’ but it turns out to be yet another layer placed upon the rotting floor boards that is win32 with each passing day that Windows 10 hangs around with no move by Microsoft to come ups with a clear path to get a consistent UI – why would anyone be excited about buying a new computer when no one has ever actually said, “awesome! I can’t wait for the next version of Windows” other than the most devout fan and even then with Windows 10 there has been a backlash.
Microsoft need to go back to the drawing board and do something about Windows with a clean slate based and salvage what is worth salvaging from Windows. Until that happens the UI will continue looking like a dogs breakfast and consumers will continue buying PC reluctantly rather than enthusiastically going out to upgrade because Microsoft or some OEM has done something cool.
Don’t forget the amazingly shitty touch pads that still plague non-Apple laptops.
“Wow, look at all these great hardware features compared to a (reasonably priced) Mac laptop!”… but don’t try using the touch pad. Over-sensitive yet still somehow unreliable for clicking…
Some vendor needs to just license the Apple hardware design and actually put a little effort into the software. Keyboards have mostly gotten better, but touch pads… nope, still as terrible as they were 5+ years ago.
Most of that is a bad Windows driver issue. I’ve had great luck with touchpads under Linux, even if I do prefer clitmice.
Do you mean the nipple on ThinkPads? Something about my hands or how I type… I’ve always got to disable those completely or the pointer is flying all over the place.
Citation needed. I haven’t upgraded my Mac, because I haven’t found a compelling reason other than ” the next version of os x won’t work”. But the current version does, and works well enough for what I use it for. The next version will just add crap and slow it down. As long as it gets security updates, I’m good. Then? Not sure, maybe I’ll give linux a shot on it again.
Honestly, the improvements on macs have been little more than spec bumps. Not much different than the PC landscape.
In my opinion, one of the most amazing features of any computer is that, if it’s connected to the Internet, it can host it’s own website – easily, for free, no ads (especially considering services like duckdns.org). And that’s been the case since the invention of the Internet.
So much power available to every computer owner and almost no one knows of its existence.
Think the new ad campaign will highlight that feature?
Edited 2015-10-15 13:47 UTC
There are things that computers can do, and things that they should do.
Having the average windows user host a website open to the internet, is probably not a good idea for anyone who isn’t involved in the illicit trade for botnets.
This motto :
– “PC: A device to speed up and automate errors.”
Miserable state of the industry. Curious thing is that they look out searching for reasons. To me last exhalation went with UEFI.
Everything is ‘corraled’. Who cares? Programmers the least. Not fun, anymore.
Years now that I don’t assemble a new one. Big laptops -without batteries- killed the modular PC at the desktop space. Want to repair one? Send to factory service, and good luck.
You know is over when head lines go along Mahogani/Graphite issues.
30 years not delivering on the promise of enabling people do things they can’t. Things people want.
Was that task such a big one, fifteen years ago? Industry simply didn’t want to. Don’t want to.
It amazes me that in 2015 manufacturers are still trying to sell huge ugly ATX cases with 65W processors and noisy fans to hone users. I’d say a hell of a lot of us would rather buy a silent low-powered Atom/ARM device for $150.
They do. They’re called tablets.
I meant small form factor desktops that support large
monitors.
The best feature of a PC is that it can run Linux.
It’s painful. I’m still reeling from cringing to much.