To Mac users, Microsoft is seen as an evil capitalist organization, "the man," and basically everything wrong with our country. PC users are uninformed and "uncool."

The idea of the opposition as a Big Brother character was first seen in the 1984 commercial when IBM was the biggest competitor for Apple, but by the mid-1990s, Microsoft had taken hold of the PC market, and the Think Different and Get a Mac campaigns show the resentment and distaste for Microsoft and its users.

 

Mac as underdog?

Throughout the 1990s, Apple was near extinction; perceived as the serious underdog. However, the market share for Mac computers is steadily growing and Apple's net worth has passed that of Microsoft. The question arises: is Mac still the "underdog"? The non-conformist? The revolutionary?
Apple dominates the mp3 and music downloading market with the iPod—which has almost become synonymous with mp3 player--and has a great share in the smart phone market with the iPhone. The imagery of white earbuds and the white Apple logo are seen as status symbols. The small, dedicated group of Mac users has become huge.
Yet the idea of Mac users as young revolutionaries remains. As time passes and the prototypical Apple user ages, will the Mac computer and Apple be seen as the "norm"? Will Apple continue to flourish in the future under this idea of non-conformity?