Valleywag was one of the first to report that Microsoft will be officially moving away from the use of Jerry Seinfeld in "phase two" of their $300 million ad campaign, though there appears to be some debate about whether or not this was part of the original plan.
The two Seinfeld Microsoft ads, Shoe Circus and New Family, generated over 2000 comments on MacRumors alone.
The NYTimes confirms this plan but also reveals that Microsoft will be taking direct aim at Apple's "Get a Mac" ads in which John Hodgman who plays "PC" opposite Justin Long as "Mac".
One new Microsoft commercial even begins with a company engineer who resembles John Hodgman, the comedian portraying the loser PC character in the Apple campaign. Hello, Im a PC, the engineer says, echoing Mr. Hodgmans recurring line, and Ive been made into a stereotype.
The new ads will have some appearances from Bill Gates but will also show other celebrities as everyday PC users in "fast-paced, upbeat vignettes" about their use of Microsoft Windows based PCs.
The NYTimes cites a number of research companies who felt that the buzz surrounding the first two ads were sufficiently positive and accomplished their goal.
Wednesday July 29, 2026 11:39 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple is developing an all-new operating system that is essentially a mix of tvOS, watchOS, and iOS, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
In a report this week, he said the operating system will feature a grid of icons, widgets, and apps, along with customizable clock faces.
The new software platform is intended for Apple's long-rumored smart home hub. With built-in facial recognition,...
Wednesday July 29, 2026 12:03 pm PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple this year acquired Israeli startup Q.ai for close to $2 billion, according to the Financial Times. That would make this Apple's second-biggest acquisition ever, after it paid $3 billion for the popular headphone maker Beats in 2014.
This is also the largest known Apple acquisition since the company purchased Intel's smartphone modem business and patents for $1 billion in 2019.
Q.ai...
Thursday July 30, 2026 3:43 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
We're less than two months out from the launch of Apple's premium next-generation smartphone lineup, and while we're not expecting a dramatic change in terms of functionality, there are still several enhancements rumored to be coming to the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max.
One thing worth noting is that Apple is reportedly planning a major change to its iPhone release cycle this year,...
Apple's first foldable iPhone, with a book-style design featuring a ~5.5-inch outer display and a ~7.8-inch inner display with a minimal crease down the middle.
