Small is beautiful... is stupid

[rebhaf]

Am I the only one that thinks this Mac mini slogan is stupid? Of all the things you could say about the Mac mini, "beautiful" is a bit of an exaggeration. OK, it's not ugly, but it's not even close to being as attractive as the iMac. And even if it were true, isn't it a bit pretentious? I realize they probably mean "beautiful" in a more functionality way, not aesthetic, but it still seems weird.

Way back, the U.S. had a nice slogan for the iPod mini: "Small. The next big thing." And here in Europe, I've seen some nice Mac mini copy writing, like "Small has never been bigger" and "Small, but big where you need it to be."

Is Apple running out of ideas or do they just figure that music commercials are all they need to concentrate on now?

I know, who cares? I'm just bored. But every time I open the Internet in the morning, that's the first thing I read.

 

[jsw]

The alternate definition (on my Mac) for beautiful is:

of a very high standard; excellent

I think that definitely applies. Also, I consider the mini to be visually beautiful as well, certainly as a tiny addition to my home theater (where I very loosely define "theater" as "TV with a cable tuner box and DVD player connected to it").

 

[liketom]

Front Row : Media Never Looked This Good
Mac Mini : It's Not The Size That Matters, It's How You Use It

 

[exeterbohemian]

And even if it were true, isn't it a bit pretentious?

couldn't you say the same thing about most (if not all) of apple's products, ad campaigns, monikers, and etymologies?

 

[notjustjay]

couldn't you say the same thing about most (if not all) of apple's products, ad campaigns, monikers, and etymologies?

"The world's fastest, most powerful personal computer" comes to mind...

 

[rebhaf]

Front Row : Media Never Looked This Good
Mac Mini : It's Not The Size That Matters, It's How You Use It

Ha ha! Somehow I think that second one would have trouble getting through. Though it's nice.

Your Front Row slogan is similar to an Apple email ad I saw for speakers (Bose, I think): "Your playlist never sounded this good", or something like that.

 

[rebhaf]

couldn't you say the same thing about most (if not all) of apple's products, ad campaigns, monikers, and etymologies?

Fair point. This is true. But for some reason, it just sounds OVERLY pretentious to call your own product beautiful. That's what you want your customers to think, but without you having to say it. To say you're rip-roaring fast or loaded with great features -- this seems ok to me for some reason. I can't really explain why, because it's the same thing really. I guess it's just a personal style preference.

 

[celebrian23]

I think the mac minis are quite beautiful, and I personally am not an imac fan. They're just cute little boxes though mac minis!

 

[m-dogg]

My favorite is how everything Apple makes is "blazing fast."

 

[liketom]

My favorite is how everything Apple makes is "blazing fast."

LOL yeah but not on there deliverys

 

[GFLPraxis]

Interestingly, we had a Japanese guest in class a week ago who explained how an inherent philosophy in Japanese culture is "small is beautiful" (exact words). Which explains why huge consoles like the XBox failed in Japan and why Apple is so popular.

 

[Josh396]

I know, who cares? I'm just bored. But every time I open the Internet in the morning, that's the first thing I read.

Maybe you should change your home page then.

 

[AlexH]

I see where you are coming from, I really do, but after all, it's just advertising. I mean, would you rather them advertise the Mini as, "Slightly less beautiful than an iMac"?

 

[exeterbohemian]

Fair point. This is true. But for some reason, it just sounds OVERLY pretentious to call your own product beautiful. That's what you want your customers to think, but without you having to say it. To say you're rip-roaring fast or loaded with great features -- this seems ok to me for some reason. I can't really explain why, because it's the same thing really. I guess it's just a personal style preference.

yeah i see where you're coming from. performance, etc. is a more a matter of direct objectivity, whereas appearances tend to be wholly subjective.