We like to talk about industry news a lot on the SMACKDOWN.  We speculate based on news/blogs from analysts and industry gurus and our own experience with tech.  One of the problems with speculating about the future of tech is that unless you are one of the executives at the corporate table, it’s all just guess work.  Another problem is that competition and human behavior are unpredictable.

That’s immediately what came to mind the other night when I was watching the SciFi channel.  Following the new HP add featuring Lauren from the “Laptop Hunters” and yet another “images on the screen are not what happens in real life” iPhone add, I saw for the first time the new U2 Blackberry ad.  In case you haven’t heard, U2 has ended their ‘partnership’ with Apple and have Blackberry sponsoring their upcoming tour.  The add ends with prominent, white, sans serif font reading, “Blackberry Loves U2.”

RIM already has the largest market share for cell phones, right?  Are marketing shifts like this game changers?

Only time and the buying power of the World’s population can tell.

Oh come one Rachel, you KNOW I have to post this.  People, just watch this for now.  We will discuss on the show tonight.

Pitiful, just pitiful.

Ok. Apple is now responding to the Windows marketing blitz with two new ads of their own. One titled “The V Word” where PC buzzes a buzzer everytime someone says Vista, and another entitled “Bean Counter”. In that one we we PC with two piles of cash on a table. One for marketing and one for fixing Vista’s problems.

What do you think of these ads? Leave us a comment and let us know.

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