daily show
01/30/2007
Mista Vista
It's hard to forget the ambitious ad campaign for Windows 95. The thumping disco-beat of The Stones' "Start Me Up" -- licensed for $8 million -- led to the biggest launch of an operating system ever. Thanks to this pitch-perfect spot, WIndows 95 had that ever-important element working for it: hype.
A dozen years later, Bill Gates is releasing Vista, a flashier OS that has been chasing after Mac OS X's ingenuity since rival Steve Jobs launched it more than five years ago. After a six-year development process, which even Gates admits to being long, I feel like Vista should be launching with the largest ad campaign we've ever endured, but instead, awareness seems minimal and there's no classic rock song to elicit Pavlovian response to buy and install.
Unlike Apple, who was smart enough to release the most minimal version of their new operating system so users could grow with their developments, Microsoft waited too long to release a convoluted product that will no doubt overwhelm their less advanced users. Comparing Steve Jobs excitement over the iPhone at Apple's Keynote, and this Bill Gates appearance on The Daily Show talking about Vista is like comparing a puppy with a new toy and a dead puppy. C'mon, Bill, ya friggin' dork... Where's the hype, the ambition, The Stones?
