Apple’s Brilliant Anti-PC Ad During CrowdStrike BSOD Crisis
▼ Summary
– Apple released an eight-minute ad mocking Windows security by referencing the CrowdStrike Blue Screen of Death incident that disrupted millions of PCs last year.
– The commercial features a fictional company, The Underdogs, whose trade show plans are disrupted by a PC outage and Blue Screen of Death at the convention.
– An IT expert in the ad explains that Apple’s security protects the kernel level from third-party software, contrasting it with the CrowdStrike issue that affected Windows systems.
– Apple’s solution promoted in the ad is for users to switch to Macs, showing how The Underdogs continued working and made sales while others adopted Mac Minis.
– This ad continues Apple’s long history of mocking Windows security, reminiscent of the “Get a Mac” campaign that started nearly 20 years ago.
Apple has reignited its classic marketing rivalry with a new commercial that cleverly capitalizes on last year’s widespread Windows outage. The eight-minute advertisement humorously depicts a fictional company, The Underdogs, navigating a trade show disaster after a PC collapse triggers the infamous Blue Screen of Death. This scenario directly references the CrowdStrike Falcon software incident that disrupted global operations for airlines, financial institutions, and media outlets.
In the ad, just as chaos erupts at the convention, an IT specialist steps in to explain the technical cause. He discusses kernel-level access, the part of an operating system with complete control over memory and hardware. CrowdStrike’s security tool functions at this deep level, and a flawed update is what generated the widespread system failures. A character named Sam, portrayed as an Apple security authority, states, “The endpoint security API manages kernel-level functionality by default; it doesn’t provide kernel-level access. The most fundamental parts of the operating system are shielded from alteration by outside software or malicious code, which is clearly what affected those PCs. It’s a PC issue, your Macs remain secure.”
The proposed resolution in the commercial is straightforward: adopt Mac computers. The narrative shows The Underdogs smoothly continuing their work and securing deals on Macs, while other exhibitors hurriedly swap their failed PCs for Mac Minis. This isn’t Apple’s first foray into poking fun at Windows vulnerabilities. Their famous “Get a Mac” television series launched almost two decades ago, featuring a sketch where the “I’m a PC” character succumbs to a virus-induced sneeze. Justin Long, the original “I’m a Mac” actor, recently made a comeback, first appearing in an Intel ad endorsing PCs, and later in a Qualcomm skit criticizing macOS for excessive notifications and pop-ups.
(Source: The Verge)
