At The Commercials: Oh, Apple.

I'm not really much of an Apple fan boy. Once upon a time, about a year ago, I bought a refurbished iPod, and it was awesome for the three months that it worked. I don't blame Apple for this development, but having tinkered around on some eMacs and iBooks over the years, I find their computers to be very overpriced for the alleged stability they provide over PCs. Yes, Macs don't crash as much, which is what happens when use what is essentially a specialized computer with little outside development. Saabs and Volkswagons also probably don't break down as much, but they cost more to repair and initially buy as well, and at the end of the day, it's still a car.

All that being said, I must say that their advertising and hype department consistently hit it out of the park, hearkening back to their classic 1984 spot for the 1984 Super Bowl. Heck, I don't even think PCs were in the picture at this point - Apple's ad was just a general statement about the societal structure at the time, if I recall correctly. It is vivid and effective for me to this day.

Along similar lines, while Apple's current ads are easy for their competitors to spoof, they are simple and effective still. And at the very worst, they do provide me with plenty of music that I want to download.