It has often been said that satire is one of the highest forms of flattery ...
I thought the video was just kind of so-so, but you still have to be able to stand back and see the humor in things no matter how much you like Apple products. There's quite a lot to make fun of ...
I'm as big an Apple fan as anyone and found his spoof well done and hilarious. I had a good loud laugh and I was alone, which is a good measure of funny for me. I immediately watched it again and laughed again (but as always, keep your expectations low for best effect.)
What amazes me is the surprising number of humorless commentators comedy critique poseurs here on AI. For Pete's sake, it's a spoof and Conan is a comedian. Get a life!
After reading the article, i was expecting to hate the piece. But the clip is very funny indeed. It's a good parody.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jonamac
There's so much to parody about Apple, and this is the best they can do? It's pathetic. Good satire takes truths about something and presents them humorously. Does anyone really think the iPad 2 represents a minimal amount of effort? Ask Samsung if 'squashing it a bit' is such a small task. Steve Jobs never appears in the product videos either. It's just devoid of wit.
It fits your definition of good satire: You make the mistake of thinking the parody was about the iPad 2. It isn't. It's about Apple's marketing video. That's what they were making fun of, not the iPad itself.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BadFlounder
Yep. It's a joke people and a good one at that. I'm a big Apple fan but that video was hilarious! Well done Conan.
The voice of reason. Thank you. Agree 100%.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Prof. Peabody
I must agree that the standard Apple formula for their product videos is wearing really, really thin.
If I have to hear Jonathan Ive go on in that every so earnest voice about how *this* product (product of the day) is so "special" and so forth I think I'll puke. How many times can they say the same thing in exactly the same way about a product before it's obvious to everyone that it's just the standard BS. I actually believed him when he said the same things about the iMac G4, but sheesh! He's said the exact same thing about every product since and wearing the same clothes against that same white background.
Apple really needs a new act.
Yeah, i too am getting really, really tired of listening to Jonathan Ive regurgitate the same old stuff about each new product. Good grief, this guy is supposedly the creative genius behind Apple's product designs. How is it he lacks the ability to say anything new about any product? He said nearly the exact same thing when Apple came out with the first flatscreen (lampshade) iMac, way back when, and every product ever since. The truth is, i laughed during the real iPad 2 film when Ive came on and was verbatim predictable. Ive invites satire anymore.
I suspect the true design creatives work for Ive; it isn't Ive himself.
You could replace penetration with pretentious. Can't Apple make a normal video? I don't need Jony Ive to describe the iPad as a god. Product shots and captions would do.
Personally, I think Apple makes the classiest, most straightforward commercials and demos in the entire industry. Head designer talks about the cool design. Head software guy talks about all the fun programs. Hardware guy talks about the specs a bit, but focuses on how it helps the end user. End with the price and why it's a good deal.
Compare this to say, Droid.
*A dark factory with assembly lines whirring*
WITH ITS 1.2 GHZ PROCESSOR, SLIDEOUT KEYBOARD, AND HIGH RESOLUTION SCREEN, THE DROID WILL TURN YOU INTO A TEXTING, MEDIA-CONSUMING MACHINE.
Yeah, i too am getting really, really tired of listening to Jonathan Ive regurgitate the same old stuff about each new product. Good grief, this guy is supposedly the creative genius behind Apple's product designs. How is it he lacks the ability to say anything new about any product? He said nearly the exact same thing when Apple came out with the first flatscreen (lampshade) iMac, way back when, and every product ever since. The truth is, i laughed during the real iPad 2 film when Ive came on and was verbatim predictable. Ive invites satire anymore.
It is, but it's the same because it's him. That's how he thinks and talks about design. It's pretty typical in the design community.
Quote:
Originally Posted by _Hawkeye_
I suspect the true design creatives work for Ive; it isn't Ive himself.
Nope. He's a great designer. I'm sure he's picked a great team that is also extremely talented. All design is a collaborative activity. A lack of collaborative, team management, and strategic/planning skills are what prevent most otherwise talented designers from ever becoming great, and Ive has them all in spades.
Yeah, this is "satire" in the same way as Mad Magazine was satire, which is to say, just barely.
I didn't find it funny and it wasn't worth the load time and the advertisement you have to watch before you can even see it, but I must agree that the standard Apple formula for their product videos is wearing really, really thin.
If I have to hear Jonathan Ive go on in that every so earnest voice about how *this* product (product of the day) is so "special" and so forth I think I'll puke. How many times can they say the same thing in exactly the same way about a product before it's obvious to everyone that it's just the standard BS. I actually believed him when he said the same things about the iMac G4, but sheesh! He's said the exact same thing about every product since and wearing the same clothes against that same white background.
Apple really needs a new act.
Sounds to me like you hated it but thought it was on target.
This is just an example of exactly the penetration Apple has in popular culture, with the iPod and now the iPad. Their competitors would kill for that.
True.. with popularity comes responsibility. I suppose Conan is trying to hatch on the train as well just to get popular (on the internet)
Quote:
Originally Posted by reklss41
Does anyone care about conan and his hair anymore?
Ha ha. Never like Coco. Silly t*4* hair.
Always Jay (Leno)...
Quote:
Originally Posted by StevesMinion
You could replace penetration with pretentious. Can't Apple make a normal video? I don't need Jony Ive to describe the iPad as a god. Product shots and captions would do.
Ne~verr!
Watch different promotional ads from different tech companies and see how they differs especially on the emotional content which is a gold standard on advertisements. Apple does not need to 'stage' them like Microsoft did they just collect real live stories and just put them together in a emotionally simulative way to get you sucked up to their RDFV - many people did
I thought it was very funny (as the TBS slogan goes). I laughed out loud when the first guy said "this was the product of at least 2 or 3 meetings." The non-specific ethnic accent guy nailed it too.
Look, get real. This is an interim product brought out to meet the major points of the competition -- camera, dual-core CPU -- plus they made strides in the content creation aspect of the iPad because that's the major competitive point vs. netbooks. So the satire was dead on.
America loves a winner and loves to see the underdog triumph. But once you are on top then watch out because America also takes great pleasure in cutting the winner off at the knees and laughing as they fall from the pedestal they were placed on.
This is exactly how I see it. It's exactly why Apple is vilified so much. Take the Flash debate for example. A lot people think that the reason Apple excludes Flash is so that they can protect revenue from the App Store. Many call this attitude greed.
I am amazed when people condemn Apple for being greedy. If Apple wants to protect its App Store revenue, that's its prerogative. Adobe is doing the same thing with Flash. Adobe has been stalling the standards committee on HTML5. The reason is simple. The emergence of HTML5 poses a major threat to Flash. Therefore, Adobe is stalling it as much as possible. I find it very hypocritical that people look the other way when confronted with this fact, but call Apple greedy when it does the same thing.
I think it has do with the fact that Apple is now seen as the agressor in any situation. In any conflict between Apple and another entity, people are always going to stand against Apple, regardless of the facts of the situation. Since Apple has become so successful, people always see Apple as this behemoth throwing its weight around.
It fits your definition of good satire: You make the mistake of thinking the parody was about the iPad 2. It isn't. It's about Apple's marketing video. That's what they were making fun of, not the iPad itself.
A fair point. But I still think it's a poorly done satire. Even CollegeHumour's was better, and that really was pretty childish.
I don't mind satire, but I do hate our culture's love of tearing down. Apple make great stuff, market it in a really nice, clean way. It's cheese on a stick, but it's highly effective and unique.
I guess different people have different senses of humour, but I just found this really lacking wit. There's good material there to work with and this just wan't prime time quality for me.
I may be a fanboi, but he wasn't funny before this either.
He's on TBS for a reason...
Amen to this. I never found O'Brien funny, even when he was on the big networks. There is just something about him that just rubs me the wrong way. When I heard he was going to replace Jay I figured I'd better take up late night reading again. Then when he flopped, lost the Tonight Show, and began to spout bitterness and blame everywhere, I was clearer on why I never liked him. There is a certain nastiness at the core of his humor. Hard to believe he made his nut being a writer on SNL, a show whose humor I really respond to.
My animus to CoCo far predates my Apple fan status. That he may be sponsored by Apple competitors would explain why this skit seemed to go beyond satire merely for purposes of humor.
Oh, and to those clowns (read: the recently banned StevesMinion) who park themselves early on a thread like this to "predict" negative responses? Do you even realize how douchey and infantile that is?
I am getting an iPad 2 and love my iPhone, but I got a good laugh out of the video.
Apple is a master at PR and this just pokes fun at it...really can't take it personally.
I agree! All the mac people who get offended at this need to have people laugh at them. I'm a mac person, own a macbook and an iphone, love them. But I don't take it personal as if Apple needs me to defend Apple. Just check out the success of the company.
Comments
works on iDevices:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXvch...e_gdata_player
Er,... Thanks for the YouTube of conan the barbarian. 'Nuff said here.
I thought the video was just kind of so-so, but you still have to be able to stand back and see the humor in things no matter how much you like Apple products. There's quite a lot to make fun of ...
What amazes me is the surprising number of humorless commentators comedy critique poseurs here on AI. For Pete's sake, it's a spoof and Conan is a comedian. Get a life!
There's so much to parody about Apple, and this is the best they can do? It's pathetic. Good satire takes truths about something and presents them humorously. Does anyone really think the iPad 2 represents a minimal amount of effort? Ask Samsung if 'squashing it a bit' is such a small task. Steve Jobs never appears in the product videos either. It's just devoid of wit.
It fits your definition of good satire: You make the mistake of thinking the parody was about the iPad 2. It isn't. It's about Apple's marketing video. That's what they were making fun of, not the iPad itself.
Yep. It's a joke people and a good one at that. I'm a big Apple fan but that video was hilarious! Well done Conan.
The voice of reason. Thank you. Agree 100%.
I must agree that the standard Apple formula for their product videos is wearing really, really thin.
If I have to hear Jonathan Ive go on in that every so earnest voice about how *this* product (product of the day) is so "special" and so forth I think I'll puke. How many times can they say the same thing in exactly the same way about a product before it's obvious to everyone that it's just the standard BS. I actually believed him when he said the same things about the iMac G4, but sheesh! He's said the exact same thing about every product since and wearing the same clothes against that same white background.
Apple really needs a new act.
Yeah, i too am getting really, really tired of listening to Jonathan Ive regurgitate the same old stuff about each new product. Good grief, this guy is supposedly the creative genius behind Apple's product designs. How is it he lacks the ability to say anything new about any product? He said nearly the exact same thing when Apple came out with the first flatscreen (lampshade) iMac, way back when, and every product ever since. The truth is, i laughed during the real iPad 2 film when Ive came on and was verbatim predictable. Ive invites satire anymore.
I suspect the true design creatives work for Ive; it isn't Ive himself.
You could replace penetration with pretentious. Can't Apple make a normal video? I don't need Jony Ive to describe the iPad as a god. Product shots and captions would do.
Personally, I think Apple makes the classiest, most straightforward commercials and demos in the entire industry. Head designer talks about the cool design. Head software guy talks about all the fun programs. Hardware guy talks about the specs a bit, but focuses on how it helps the end user. End with the price and why it's a good deal.
Compare this to say, Droid.
*A dark factory with assembly lines whirring*
WITH ITS 1.2 GHZ PROCESSOR, SLIDEOUT KEYBOARD, AND HIGH RESOLUTION SCREEN, THE DROID WILL TURN YOU INTO A TEXTING, MEDIA-CONSUMING MACHINE.
*Guy's eyes glow red a la Terminator*
DROOOIID.
Yeah, i too am getting really, really tired of listening to Jonathan Ive regurgitate the same old stuff about each new product. Good grief, this guy is supposedly the creative genius behind Apple's product designs. How is it he lacks the ability to say anything new about any product? He said nearly the exact same thing when Apple came out with the first flatscreen (lampshade) iMac, way back when, and every product ever since. The truth is, i laughed during the real iPad 2 film when Ive came on and was verbatim predictable. Ive invites satire anymore.
It is, but it's the same because it's him. That's how he thinks and talks about design. It's pretty typical in the design community.
I suspect the true design creatives work for Ive; it isn't Ive himself.
Nope. He's a great designer. I'm sure he's picked a great team that is also extremely talented. All design is a collaborative activity. A lack of collaborative, team management, and strategic/planning skills are what prevent most otherwise talented designers from ever becoming great, and Ive has them all in spades.
Yeah, this is "satire" in the same way as Mad Magazine was satire, which is to say, just barely.
I didn't find it funny and it wasn't worth the load time and the advertisement you have to watch before you can even see it, but I must agree that the standard Apple formula for their product videos is wearing really, really thin.
If I have to hear Jonathan Ive go on in that every so earnest voice about how *this* product (product of the day) is so "special" and so forth I think I'll puke. How many times can they say the same thing in exactly the same way about a product before it's obvious to everyone that it's just the standard BS. I actually believed him when he said the same things about the iMac G4, but sheesh! He's said the exact same thing about every product since and wearing the same clothes against that same white background.
Apple really needs a new act.
Sounds to me like you hated it but thought it was on target.
I enjoyed it. Still waiting for more of the fanboys to slam Conan as "not funny" or "washed up"
I may be a fanboi, but he wasn't funny before this either.
He's on TBS for a reason...
This is just an example of exactly the penetration Apple has in popular culture, with the iPod and now the iPad. Their competitors would kill for that.
True.. with popularity comes responsibility. I suppose Conan is trying to hatch on the train as well just to get popular (on the internet)
Does anyone care about conan and his hair anymore?
Ha ha. Never like Coco. Silly t*4* hair.
Always Jay (Leno)...
You could replace penetration with pretentious. Can't Apple make a normal video? I don't need Jony Ive to describe the iPad as a god. Product shots and captions would do.
Ne~verr!
Watch different promotional ads from different tech companies and see how they differs especially on the emotional content which is a gold standard on advertisements. Apple does not need to 'stage' them like Microsoft did they just collect real live stories and just put them together in a emotionally simulative way to get you sucked up to their RDFV - many people did
Look, get real. This is an interim product brought out to meet the major points of the competition -- camera, dual-core CPU -- plus they made strides in the content creation aspect of the iPad because that's the major competitive point vs. netbooks. So the satire was dead on.
America loves a winner and loves to see the underdog triumph. But once you are on top then watch out because America also takes great pleasure in cutting the winner off at the knees and laughing as they fall from the pedestal they were placed on.
This is exactly how I see it. It's exactly why Apple is vilified so much. Take the Flash debate for example. A lot people think that the reason Apple excludes Flash is so that they can protect revenue from the App Store. Many call this attitude greed.
I am amazed when people condemn Apple for being greedy. If Apple wants to protect its App Store revenue, that's its prerogative. Adobe is doing the same thing with Flash. Adobe has been stalling the standards committee on HTML5. The reason is simple. The emergence of HTML5 poses a major threat to Flash. Therefore, Adobe is stalling it as much as possible. I find it very hypocritical that people look the other way when confronted with this fact, but call Apple greedy when it does the same thing.
I think it has do with the fact that Apple is now seen as the agressor in any situation. In any conflict between Apple and another entity, people are always going to stand against Apple, regardless of the facts of the situation. Since Apple has become so successful, people always see Apple as this behemoth throwing its weight around.
It fits your definition of good satire: You make the mistake of thinking the parody was about the iPad 2. It isn't. It's about Apple's marketing video. That's what they were making fun of, not the iPad itself.
A fair point. But I still think it's a poorly done satire. Even CollegeHumour's was better, and that really was pretty childish.
I don't mind satire, but I do hate our culture's love of tearing down. Apple make great stuff, market it in a really nice, clean way. It's cheese on a stick, but it's highly effective and unique.
I guess different people have different senses of humour, but I just found this really lacking wit. There's good material there to work with and this just wan't prime time quality for me.
This kind of attention comes with territory when you are the biggest bruiser in town.
It's all a matter of which team you are on and which team is getting skewered.
I may be a fanboi, but he wasn't funny before this either.
He's on TBS for a reason...
Amen to this. I never found O'Brien funny, even when he was on the big networks. There is just something about him that just rubs me the wrong way. When I heard he was going to replace Jay I figured I'd better take up late night reading again. Then when he flopped, lost the Tonight Show, and began to spout bitterness and blame everywhere, I was clearer on why I never liked him. There is a certain nastiness at the core of his humor. Hard to believe he made his nut being a writer on SNL, a show whose humor I really respond to.
My animus to CoCo far predates my Apple fan status. That he may be sponsored by Apple competitors would explain why this skit seemed to go beyond satire merely for purposes of humor.
Oh, and to those clowns (read: the recently banned StevesMinion) who park themselves early on a thread like this to "predict" negative responses? Do you even realize how douchey and infantile that is?
I am getting an iPad 2 and love my iPhone, but I got a good laugh out of the video.
Apple is a master at PR and this just pokes fun at it...really can't take it personally.
I agree! All the mac people who get offended at this need to have people laugh at them. I'm a mac person, own a macbook and an iphone, love them. But I don't take it personal as if Apple needs me to defend Apple. Just check out the success of the company.
Does anyone care about conan and his hair anymore?
Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!