Microsoft vs. Apple (Marketing)

Because I'm on another YouTube kick (and I'll be writing for the rest of the day), I thought I'd share this. This is from a series of comparisons between the companies that aren't the most illustrative of the differences (which are really not very important, honestly). I think it's the battle of the style vs. function. And the feeling that some people have about counterculture. But Apple is not a counterculture tool - I think that Mac users may tend to be more creative, but not in their computing - it's in everything else that they use the computer (as a tool) to accomplish. And heck, I think it's about the software that people use to create - so let's talk about Pro Tools or Final Cut. I probably already lost people there. But that's the big issue, isn't it? It's more the gap between avid users and people who just use the computer with the bare minimum understanding of how it works or how to change it from what comes out of the box. Mac is liked by people because they don't have to tinker - PCs because you can tinker more, I guess (which I believe more and more). But Windows vs. Mac OS X is a different story.

But to me, I have to return to the question of founders and CEOs. I think this MS commercial, which stars the now CEO of MS, Steve Ballmer, shows us what kind of an image he puts out there. Steve Jobs is more slick, the cool uncle, I suppose.

But when it comes to founders - Jobs may like the sexy and innovative, but Gates has had the vision for the company (evil as we think it is). He's one of the few real decendants from the robber barons like Rockefeller, Carnegie, and JP Morgan. He's giving it away.

What is Jobs doing? Where's his philanthropy? Why isn't Apple donating computers to schools? Why isn't Apple making more of a specific impact? Why do Apple's investors have to push for them to move closer to Dell in green programs? Hell, the linked article states that Apple is in last place on the relevant Greenpeace list. Gore is on their board. What gives?

Anyway, enjoy the video. Maybe I'll send up another before I'm done today.