“It’s a PC problem; your Macs are secure”: Apple takes a lethal jab at Microsoft — subtly referencing the CrowdStrike debacle that plunged millions of Windows PCs into hours of blue-screen chaos

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Apple recently released an 8-minute advertisement, “The Underdogs: BSOD | Apple at Work,” which highlights the strengths of macOS over Microsoft Windows. The ad focuses on macOS’s greater security features as a key advantage.

Two startups, The Underdogs and Seaweed Packaging Solutions, will compete at a trade show called Container Con. Their mission is straightforward: locate Trev Smith, the key buyer for Daily Organic Grocery, and convince him to purchase 2 million bags of their product, a deal that could be worth a significant amount (according to Windows Latest).

Apple always promotes all its products together in its commercials, highlighting how well they work as a connected system. But the focus shifts when Apple participates in trade shows.

Even though The Underdogs prefer using Macs, they’re falling behind Seaweed Packaging in a major deal. A sudden computer crash on their PC – the dreaded Blue Screen of Death – puts their attempt to win the 2 million eco-friendly bag contract at risk.

This sudden turn of events gives The Underdogs an advantage, because the outage doesn’t impact their Macs. The ad then shifts its focus, essentially becoming a campaign highlighting the security and reliability of Macs. It emphasizes that Macs are less prone to crashes and major problems like the dreaded ‘Blue Screen of Death’.

It’s not surprising to see a PC crash like this – it happens all too often. Fortunately, your Macs were protected by the security software, which keeps an eye out for harmful activity. This software works at a deep level of the operating system, but doesn’t give outside programs full control. This prevents malicious software from making changes to critical system files – which is exactly what caused the problem with those PCs. Essentially, this is a PC issue, and your Macs are safe.

Apple.

The Underdogs are on a winning streak, with sales skyrocketing. Meanwhile, Seaweed Packaging is struggling to fix a critical technical problem. In a surprising suggestion, the company jokingly advised users, “Have you tried unplugging it, or even yelling at it?”

In the end, The Underdogs won the competition and landed the $2 million deal with Trev Smith. Surprisingly, Smith revealed his decision was entirely because they rescued Seaweed Packaging from a problem by suggesting they switch to Macs, which are more reliable and less prone to those kinds of issues.

According to Trev Smith:

I noticed you were in a strong position to win, but you chose to help your competitors instead. Some might see that as generous, supportive, or confident, but I think it was a mistake. It showed a lack of strength and good judgment, and honestly, that’s exactly what I look for in business partners – someone who doesn’t always go for the easy win.

The Crowdstrike saga continues to haunt Microsoft

Microsoft recently updated its famous blue error screen, replacing it with a simpler black screen. This change is meant to help security software work better and prevent faulty updates or drivers from crashing the operating system.

A flawed update to CrowdStrike software caused widespread problems last year, crashing over 8.5 million Windows computers with the dreaded Blue Screen of Death for several hours. While many initially blamed Microsoft, the issue actually stemmed from CrowdStrike.

This led the company to take steps to fix the problem, such as limiting how programs like CrowdStrike’s Falcon can deeply access the core of Windows 11.

Honestly, even with all the cool stuff they do, this tech giant is still getting slammed. I even heard the CEO of Delta, Ed Bastian, call their platform “the most fragile” – and it sounded like they might be considering moving their business to someone else! He made a great point too, asking when was the last time anyone heard about a major outage with Apple? It really highlights how reliability is becoming a huge factor for big companies choosing their tech partners.

Okay, so Microsoft wasn’t to blame for that messed-up CrowdStrike update, but it’s pretty obvious Apple is using it as a chance to get Windows people to switch to Macs and iPhones. They’re definitely taking advantage of the situation!

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2025-10-08 16:40