Apple has launched the first national ad campaign for Macs in more than a year, taking advantage of Microsoft's announced delay of its Vista operating system until early 2007 - possibly the second quarter, according to Gartner research - writes CNET. The TV spots began showing Monday night, poking fun at Microsoft's Windows weaknesses, including security and the need for frequent rebooting, and playing up Apple's user-friendliness.

"We're at a very convenient crossroads for them to say 'Check out the Mac for the first time…again,'" Richard Shim, a research analyst for IDC, is quoted as saying. "They have a new operating system coming soon, and they're going through a very public transition to the Intel platform. And the biggest player on the block (Windows Vista) is going to be delayed."

The Mac ads feature a buttoned-down businessman (a PC stand-in, who looks suspiciously like Bill Gates), debating with a young hipster (the Mac). In one, a sneezing PC tells the Mac not to get too close. "Last year there were more than 114,000 known viruses for PCs," he says. The Mac responds: "PCs… but not Macs."