We've been oddly silent on Microsoft's new "I'm a PC" ads by Crispin Porter + Bogusky. Probably this is because they're good, and saying Microsoft ads are good is like asking for a smackdown with a folding chair. The three spots are a long-overdue rallying cry for Microsoft fans. I've whined before about how Microsoft is sadly unable to connect with its followers. These spots stand up for PC users against the slings and arrows of a monkey-faced Justin Long. Granted, they're two years late, and I still don't get how the Jerry Seinfeld ads functioned as a "first phase" of the campaign. But these are small gripes now that MS has finally woken up and realized it needs to build some community pride around its brand. Adland thinks it's a mistake for a software company like Microsoft to take direct aim at a software and hardware company like Apple. But people don't really distinguish. When their Dell motherboard melts down, they say they hate Microsoft. (The very term "PC" no longer means "personal computer" but "device running Windows.") And Apple keeps ranking on Vista, so why not respond, particularly if you focus not on Apple bashing but on PC cheerleading? I agree with Adrants, which says the ads are charming compared to Apple's "If you're not with us, you're against us" attitude. PC fanatics who've been silently loathing the Apple message for the past two years may soon be able to rise up, in their suits or their glasses or maybe even their headbands, and shout, "I'm a PC! And Bill Gates is my wobbly-assed homeboy!"

—Posted by Rebecca Cullers