What happened to Apple's Commercials.

[0000757]

I was watching an older selection of the PowerPC Mac commercials and I have to say, these are some of the best commercials I've ever seen for computers! Like this iBook "Universe" ad, the really creative iMac G4 "Window Shopping", or the iMac G3 "Decor" ad. They really both capture the beauty but have a fun spin on them.

Even the more professional computers like this PowerBook 3400c Ad had a great quality to it.

Then I found the "Get a Mac" ads. I thought they were funny at first, but after growing up, and understanding computers more, I realized how "terrible" these ads were. They achieved nothing but making Windows users feel inferior and like idiots.

Of course, Apple has NO computer commercials on TV anymore, and keep their focus to their mobile products. I say we bring back the old ads. I even had great ideas for them. Apple needs to bring back these well-made commercials for their current computers. Does anyone else think so?

 

[Molecule]

Personally I loved the Get a Mac campaign, but I can see why some wouldn't like it. Anyhow I agree the old ads (especially Window Shopping) were awesome.

 

[roadbloc]

I agree that Apple's TV ads used to be pretty good. I even liked the Mac vs PC ones, despite their underlying elitist snobbery. As of recently they've just crawled up the arsehole of a pretentious creative and died. They're quite pathetic, especially the recent iPad one.

 

[vitzr]

As of recently they've just crawled up the arsehole of a pretentious creative and died. They're quite pathetic, especially the recent iPad one.

You've said it best

 

[0000757]

Personally I loved the Get a Mac campaign, but I can see why some wouldn't like it. Anyhow I agree the old ads (especially Window Shopping) were awesome.

The issue with the "Get a Mac" campaign is that they overplayed to the point of almost lying about Windows machines. After watching a few of them, while some points are true (Like the viruses and crashing), they were EXTREMELY exaggerated, and some of them were just down right ridiculous and insulting. I can tolerate some competition slandering, but there's a point where it's just not right, and the Get a Mac points went over that point several times. They were entertaining though.

 

[Tinyluph]

Those advertisements were all horrid in my opinion. Only the iBook one advertised the capability of the device and the way it was suspended mid-air with all that junk floating around it made it feel very lifeless.

I would love something like the current iPhone 4S commercials for macs, but I don't know how well it would translate. It's easy to advertise mobile devices because they're on the front end of changes and cool new things.

 

[0000757]

Those advertisements were all horrid in my opinion. Only the iBook one advertised the capability of the device and the way it was suspended mid-air with all that junk floating around it made it feel very lifeless.

Is it horrid because it's not describing the product? Or is it horrid because....

 

[boss.king]

Those advertisements were all horrid in my opinion. Only the iBook one advertised the capability of the device and the way it was suspended mid-air with all that junk floating around it made it feel very lifeless.

I would love something like the current iPhone 4S commercials for macs, but I don't know how well it would translate. It's easy to advertise mobile devices because they're on the front end of changes and cool new things.

I completely disagree. The current ads are atrocious. Old. Apple ads were amazing, but the current ones are an insult to creativity. The last decent add I saw was for the 3rd gen nano. I hope they can improve

 

[shazzam]

My opinion is that they stopped making ads to sell a single product of old and are more selling the "lifestyle" now. Every ad plays on a theme of showing people in a happy Universe brought to you by Apple. So the ads all feel kind of the same.

 

[Molecule]

I know I'm going to piss a lot of people off by saying this, but let's be honest here: Apple as a whole has been going somewhat downhill since they switched to Intel. The magic just isn't there anymore. For me, the products once had a certain charisma about them (if computers could have charisma, anyway). Apple was a rebel. A trouble maker. A round peg in a square hole. But now...I'm just not feeling it anymore. I feel like Apple has lost its soul.

Now, a lot of people are probably going to say "Ah yes, but when Apple switched to Intel, it meant Windows could run on the Mac. It brought in a whole new generation of users who would never have even looked at a Mac before that. It helped make the Mac go mainstream.". And you know what? They'd be right. Absolutely right. And that's the problem.

 

[AQUADock]

I know I'm going to piss a lot of people off by saying this, but let's be honest here: Apple as a whole has been going somewhat downhill since they switched to Intel. The magic just isn't there anymore. For me, the products once had a certain charisma about them (if computers could have charisma, anyway). Apple was a rebel. A trouble maker. A round peg in a square hole. But now...I'm just not feeling it anymore. I feel like Apple has lost its soul.

Now, a lot of people are probably going to say "Ah yes, but when Apple switched to Intel, it meant Windows could run on the Mac. It brought in a whole new generation of users who would never have even looked at a Mac before that. It helped make the Mac go mainstream.". And you know what? They'd be right. Absolutely right. And that's the problem.

I couldn't agree more, i mean there some thing different (in a good way) about the PPC macs than any other computer that doesn't appear in the new ones.

 

[*LTD*]

I know I'm going to piss a lot of people off by saying this, but let's be honest here: Apple as a whole has been going somewhat downhill since they switched to Intel. The magic just isn't there anymore. For me, the products once had a certain charisma about them (if computers could have charisma, anyway). Apple was a rebel. A trouble maker. A round peg in a square hole. But now...I'm just not feeling it anymore. I feel like Apple has lost its soul.

Now, a lot of people are probably going to say "Ah yes, but when Apple switched to Intel, it meant Windows could run on the Mac. It brought in a whole new generation of users who would never have even looked at a Mac before that. It helped make the Mac go mainstream.". And you know what? They'd be right. Absolutely right. And that's the problem.

Being a philosophical underdog - in terms of ideas, approach, method, differentiation, is always good. Nothing wrong with that. But being a financial underdog isn't. At some point Apple needs to grow. However, they are still not like the rest. Far different. They are the only ones who do any real vertical integration, and who do it successfully. Mad differentiation. Absolutely effective, conspicuous differentiation.

Same Apple. Just bigger, with broader appeal, and with a helluva lot more money. This was Jobs' goal all along. But Apple is achieving it by maintaining certain standards while completely eschewing the typical race to the bottom that OEMs are doing with whored-out operating systems.

You're feeling that Apple products are less "special" because more people are using them. They are becoming mainstream. That's actually a positive. Apple setting the standards and consumers responding. It's alright to want a little bit of elitism. That's natural. You've still got it, though. It's just a bigger club.

You can't walk into a board meeting and say "Guys, we're going to keep growth small. Let's put the brakes on everything and go back to 9 years ago. Who's in?"

 

[0000757]

I couldn't agree more, i mean there some thing different (in a good way) about the PPC macs than any other computer that doesn't appear in the new ones.

Should we make a G6 then?

 

[steve2112]

Should we make a G6 then?

I'm still holding out for the G5 Powerbook.

 

[Thomas Veil]

I'm still holding out for the G5 Powerbook.

New ones (wait for it) coming Tuesday.

 

[Drunken Master]

Being a philosophical underdog - in terms of ideas, approach, method, differentiation, is always good. Nothing wrong with that. But being a financial underdog isn't. At some point Apple needs to grow. However, they are still not like the rest. Far different. They are the only ones who do any real vertical integration, and who do it successfully. Mad differentiation. Absolutely effective, conspicuous differentiation.

Same Apple. Just bigger, with broader appeal, and with a helluva lot more money. This was Jobs' goal all along. But Apple is achieving it by maintaining certain standards while completely eschewing the typical race to the bottom that OEMs are doing with whored-out operating systems.

You're feeling that Apple products are less "special" because more people are using them. They are becoming mainstream. That's actually a positive. Apple setting the standards and consumers responding. It's alright to want a little bit of elitism. That's natural. You've still got it, though. It's just a bigger club.

You can't walk into a board meeting and say "Guys, we're going to keep growth small. Let's put the brakes on everything and go back to 9 years ago. Who's in?"

Agreed completely, Molecule got owned here.

The original post was merely an appeal to emotion about some rosy, golden time of yore that never existed. Saying that Apple now has customers that are "mainstream" and are "the problem" is so reactionary and hipster that it's not even funny.

"Apple sold out! Wahh!"

Same thing happens when their favorite band gets big and all of a sudden the little club of fans can't be so special anymore.

Sorry buddy, but this is you:

 

[thekev]

I know I'm going to piss a lot of people off by saying this, but let's be honest here: Apple as a whole has been going somewhat downhill since they switched to Intel. The magic just isn't there anymore. For me, the products once had a certain charisma about them (if computers could have charisma, anyway). Apple was a rebel. A trouble maker. A round peg in a square hole. But now...I'm just not feeling it anymore. I feel like Apple has lost its soul.

*Sigh* do you recall the early powerbook G4s and their list of problems? Did you notice the disaster of the G5s? The PowerPC computers were definitely going downhill before the switch to Intel.

I couldn't agree more, i mean there some thing different (in a good way) about the PPC macs than any other computer that doesn't appear in the new ones.

You guys are wearing the nostalgia goggles. G4 towers and those before were great. PowerPC laptops had too many problems. I don't care if you have an anecdote about having one that's lasted forever. As a whole they could encounter some major problems within a couple years of normal use. Applecare can help, but it's not a replacement for a reliable line of machines. The G5s were a mess. I have never seen such a high failure rate among computers. They had to change something, and going to generic hardware made it easier for them to keep pace in overall speed with the rest of the industry.

Agreed completely, Molecule got owned here.

The original post was merely an appeal to emotion about some rosy, golden time of yore that never existed. Saying that Apple now has customers that are "mainstream" and are "the problem" is so reactionary and hipster that it's not even funny.

"Apple sold out! Wahh!"

Same thing happens when their favorite band gets big and all of a sudden the little club of fans can't be so special anymore.

Sorry buddy, but this is you:

Image

That graphic is awesome .

 

[0000757]

Have you guys seen the "Get a Mac" ads for Japan? I don't like the Get a Mac ads because I thought they were awful, but the Japanese ads add great humor and still make the PC playful. In fact, the worst of them all are the UK ones (Who made the UK ones? They don't deserve to be working.) I mean watch these!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgVpcxfBwjI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h30LQY3xWEI

Those are 1 BILLION times better than the US and UK counterparts!

 

[smoledman]

Oh get over it - Apple sales have skyrocketed since the new "pretentiousness" ads. Sure you and I hate them, but that's not relevant. The point is these insipid ads appeal to Joe & Sally America.

 

[Molecule]

Agreed completely, Molecule got owned here.

The original post was merely an appeal to emotion about some rosy, golden time of yore that never existed. Saying that Apple now has customers that are "mainstream" and are "the problem" is so reactionary and hipster that it's not even funny.

"Apple sold out! Wahh!"

Same thing happens when their favorite band gets big and all of a sudden the little club of fans can't be so special anymore.

Sorry buddy, but this is you:

Image

Eh, whatever. I've got more important things to do in my life than argue with someone on the internet. Let's just agree to disagree.


Molecule

 

[Molecule]

Back on topic...can you imagine what a Get a Mac ad would be like nowadays? I've just got this image in my head of Justin Long standing in front of a white background saying "Hello Samsung, I'm a Mac, and I'm going to sue the pants off you."