The first Jerry Seinfeld/Bill Gates commercial that debuted last week got a reception about as warm as the one received by the product it was supposed to be promoting: Windows Vista. For those who missed the 2007 debut of Vista, the answer is not very.

Now there are two more commercials in the series and they are two more 90-second head-scratcher. The basic plot line: Bill and Jerry live with a family to get in touch with “real people.” High jinks ensue, leading to Gates doing the robot. The sequels are sure to draw as much criticism as the original, but they may also achieve their intended goal: get people talking about Microsoft again.

The ad campaign — created by agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky — is part of Microsoft’s $300 million effort to try to improve the image of Windows and hit back at Apple, which has effectively portrayed Windows as clunky and out-of-touch with its Mac vs. PC commercials.

Here are the ads.

Apple Inc has filed a patent application for a way to apply touchscreen technology to a computer.

In papers filed with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office on Thursday, the Cupertino, California-based company appears to be looking for a way to take the touchscreen technology showcased on its iPhone and give it new life on computers. (Note - your browser may need a plug-in available through the Patent Office site’s help section to see the drawings.)

AppleInsider reported on Apple’s patent filing in a story posted on its Web site.

Apple said in its filing that the computer mouse and the touch pad are limited in the kinds of gestures they allow users to perform, and that its invention for a multipoint sensing device will open up new possibilities.

The patent application details ways for a user to zoom in on an image on the screen and perform functions by touching one or another icon. The iPhone already uses finger gestures for navigation, a handy piece of technology because the device is too small for a keyboard.

Apple’s application also describes how users could touch a screen with gestures and make use of a simulated keyboard on the screen.

Of course, it remains to be seen if, having made this patent application, Apple develops it further.

(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis)