Microsoft Ads Made with a Mac?

As if those Mac ads featuring the bumbling PC (acted magnificently by John Hodgman) weren't embarrassing enough, according to some reports PC-favorite Microsoft may be in fact advertising for Apple with its new "I'm a PC" campaign.

Digital images posted to Microsoft's official website emblazoned with the "I'm a PC" ad appear to have been created not on PCs after all, but on Macs. At least, that's the word after scrupulous onlookers peered beyond the files' originating-software stamp.

According to PC World, at least four of the images Microsoft recently posted on its PressPass site display "Adobe Photoshop C3 Macintosh" when one examines the pictures' file properties. (Source: pcworld.com)

Hilariously, Microsoft is emulating Apple's Mac-PC ad campaign by using a real Microsoft engineer (who resembles Hodgman) in its own TV spots. It's still unclear how the ads will poke fun at Apple's popular spots; preliminary reports suggest Hodgman (or the actor who resembles Hodgman) will introduce himself by saying, "Hello, I'm a PC" -- with its engineer saying "Hello, I'm a PC, and I've been made into a stereotype."

We're guessing you'll just have to see it for yourself.

Not all of the images on display were made by Macs, but PC World's discovery is certainly ironic. Microsoft's advertising woes just don't want to come to an end; critics are still slamming the Vista Seinfeld ads, even after the famous comedian was taken out of the campaign last week.

As a huge fan of Seinfeld and one who admits he has been amused with Microsoft's recent Vista ads, it's a bit disappointing the Redmond-based company gave up on such a talent so readily.

Clearly, the problems for Vista go much deeper than its advertising, and not even a Bee-movie celebrity can save the operating system Newsweek recently called a "public-relations nightmare." (Source: newsweek.com)