After the first Gates/Seinfeld commercial Leo Laporte predicted that the next Gates/Seinfeld commercial would be about them moving in together. It was said as a joke, but not long afterward Microsoft sent out a bizarre second Gates/Seinfeld commercial with the pair living with a family because, according to Seinfeld, “We’re out of touch.” Unfortunately most people who saw the commercial only saw the short TV version that had none of the charm of the longer YouTube version. And then, just like that Microsoft pulled the ad and replaced with the pathetic “I’m a PC” ad. Sad. I mean, none of the ads made me feel like jumping up and buying a copy of Vista. And if the intent was to make me feel better of Microsoft then they really failed. And pulling the second ad only added to my sense that they are clueless. Too bad, at least the second longer version was pretty funny.

What happened to the company that buried IBM and killed off Netscape? Apparently as they’ve aged they’ve lost that edge. As much as Apple often comes off smug and elitist, this Microsoft comes off whiny and pathetic. And while we’re at it, why the hell is Bill Gates in all the commercials? Didn’t he just retire from the company? jbb