Does anyone expect Apple's ads to be truthful?

I'll be honest with you, I find most of Apple's ads to be funny. However, I don't expect them to be truthful.

For example, take Bean Counter, one of Apple's latest 30 second TV/web ads which pokes fun at Microsoft's ad spending (kinda ironic, don't you think, bringing out an ad to criticize another company's ad spending).

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It turns out that the premise of this ad (that Microsoft spends more money on ads than it does on R&D) is totally bogus. In fact, it's a lie. The truth is that Apple spends far less on R&D than Microsoft does, and for the 2007 financial year Apple was only spending 0.7 cents less on advertising that Microsoft was:

For each $1 of sales Apple spends:

- 1.9 cents on Advertising - 3.3 cents on R&D

For each $1 of sales Microsoft spends:

- 2.6 cents on Advertising - 13.9 cents on R&D

Apple ads are an example of what Apple does best - create a reality distortion field that relies on twisting the facts to fit in with what the Mac crowd (and now the anti-Vista crowd) want to hear. The latest ads prove this by not featuring or even mentioning any Apple products throughout the course of the ad.

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Apple ads are successful because they manage to get people to drop their guard. It's just like going on a tour of a haunted house because you're willing to suspend belief and let all the garbage and drivel wash over you just for a little entertainment.

Compare Apple's negative spin ads to Microsoft's ads, which are vague and overall unfunny, and chooses to push "Windows" and "I'm a PC" rather than the Vista brand. Maybe Microsoft could spice up its ads with a few lies ...

Thoughts?