New iMacs Ads are out!!!!

mac_os_x_addict · February 11, 2002 11:35PM

[URL=http://www.apple.com/hardware/ads/newimac_superdrive_480.html

[/URL]

[URL=http://www.apple.com/hardware/ads/newimac_dance_480.html [/URL]

Very Cool!!!!

<a href="http://www.apple.com/hardware/ads/newimac_supersrive_480.html"; target="_blank">web page</a>

[ 02-12-2002: Message edited by: Mac_OS_X_Addict ]</p>

cosmonut · February 12, 2002 12:01AM

Both are really cool. I like how it gets funky in the :30 sec. ad. They also designed both ads well to show the optical drive, ports, and how the "head" moves.

They don't look too complex though. I have no clue how to do 3D animation, but those look like a really awesome animator wouldn't need much time to work on them.

[ 02-12-2002: Message edited by: CosmoNut ]</p>

serrano · February 12, 2002 12:03AM

yay pixar

i think those are just shorts, not really tv ads, still very cool :cool:

crawlingparanoia · February 12, 2002 12:27AM

Those aren't ads, just "short films created by Pixar." Still plenty cool.

leonis · February 12, 2002 12:32AM

luxo jura

ferro · February 12, 2002 12:49AM

The first one you posted was somewhat disturbing...

Maybe I was reading a little too much into it...

------------------------------------

E PLURIBUS UNIX

falcon · February 12, 2002 1:56AM

I was a little dissapointed by them, untill I read they wernt ads, just pixar vids.

eugene · February 12, 2002 3:16AM

I liked the 15 second bit...hahaha.

SuperDrive iMac playing with himself...

macsrgood4u · February 12, 2002 3:41AM

They ARE ads produced by Pixar. That's why they have the voice over at the end along with the screen "Hi". Childish, I'm afraid and not particularly revealing of what the computer can do. Once again Apple's tv ads pale in comparison to their print ones. Haven't they learned anything yet?

eugene · February 12, 2002 7:26AM

I think they would do well. I'm not much of a fan of boring commentary in ads. That's why I like the new Nike "Move" ad so much. 90 seconds and at no point is there any commentary.

pscates · February 12, 2002 8:09AM

LAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So what we DIDN'T need: reinforcing the idea, in the minds of many, that Apple - especially the iStuff - is cute, toyish and not a "real computer".

I was so hoping for a more serious, in-your-face and cool ad. This one is just silly and too cutesy. Sends all the wrong signals.

I swear to God, Jobs spends half the keynote yammering about the whole digital hub thing, making it sound like the end-all/be-all. I would've expected an iMac ad to show - even if only in quick-cut demos and cool visuals - all the stuff you can do with it: digital cameras/photography, music, video, iDVD, runs Microsoft Office, on the Internet in minutes, powerful G4, SuperDrive, etc.

This ad does NOTHING to let the average non-Mac user know what's special or cool about this new iMac, other than "oh look...another cute computer from Apple...bet it's underpowered and overpriced...yawn...".

michaelm8000 · February 12, 2002 8:36AM

Those are great!! I do not really like the wood floor and spot light. But the movment is great! It looks like they streched the truth a little with it's movments when the iMac "tilted his head" the imac screen can not tilt like that... But is wish it could.

macsrgood4u · February 12, 2002 8:46AM

These ads will appeal to 10 year olds. Do they have money to buy computers? Generally, no. Parents will see these as toys and not as a real computer, as pscates mentions. Gee a computer that jumps up and down! Also, is this the first computer that doesn't have a keyboard, or speakers, or mouse? Again, Apple is preaching to the converted and not reaching out to the other "95%". They need to tell the viewer WHY they should get the new iMac.

pscates · February 12, 2002 8:54AM

EXACTLY. Thank you.

The only people who'll dig on those are already USING Macs. It's the OTHER 95% or so out there who, like it or not, need to be shown tangible, useful and hard numbers or features to buy into it.

All those two ads do is present the iMac - and, to a degree, Apple themselves, in a less-than-serious platform option. Nobody who currently uses Windows and a PC is going to look at either of those ads and go "ohmigod...I HAVE to get one of those!".

Sorry, that's just true.

Yes, it IS cute and amusing and whimsical. But it isn't going to change a damn thing. I expected better.

ricrocket · February 12, 2002 9:14AM

I just noticed yesterday that the loving father from the iPhoto ad is also the crazy guy who headbuts a ram in a Mountain Dew commercial.

Call me crazy, but that's what I wanna see. Not the iMac playing with itself, but running full tilt into a massive animal with curly horns. I'm still working on what this exactly portrays about the iMac, but I think it's got potential.

rr.

artman @_@ · February 12, 2002 9:56AM

Dancing computers...oh well. There are countless ads showing SUVs climbing statues, driving underwater and set upon mountains so high that a Himalayan guide would gag for breath...but they still sell...so I guess this will sell iMacs? Whatever.

I agree, the ads should be way more well defined and show the product what it can really do. But the gullible public would rather purchase an item because of what it can't do then what it can do.

eman · February 12, 2002 10:08AM

<img src="graemlins/bugeye.gif" border="0" alt="[Skeptical]" /> What the hell? Those are very stupid.

pscates · February 12, 2002 10:21AM

I wish I knew how to do video because in my head, I have such nice ideas for an iMac ad.

It's almost funny at this point (almost...): it's so weird that the one computer company that, more than any other, constantly pushes the envelope and sets the standard with hardware design, the OS, integration, coolness, ease-of-use, user loyalty, etc. is - at the same time - so apparently lackluster and ball-dropping when it comes to marketing/promoting all the above.

I've had better ideas for Apple commercials, print ads, marketing tactics, etc. while taking a morning pee than I've seen in a couple of years.

Basically, it gets down to two things that Apple is doing wrong in their marketing and commercials:

1. They're made for us. They're made to elicit geeked-out "oohs" and "aahs" from US, the already initiated. THAT'S not going to change anything.

2. The commercials are simply too vague and open. It's more stylized atmosphere or too-clever-for-the-room than hardcore info or in-your-face tactics. It's not making non-Mac users go "HOLY SHIT...I'm selling this piece-of-crap Gateway RIGHT NOW and getting on of those Apple [fill in the blank]!!!"

Somewhere between "Middle Seat" and the local screaming car dealership commercial is a nice middle ground that somehow combines visual appeal, cool camera work, snappy writing AND "you gotta get this" and supreme hucksterism or PC-user-appealing "whys and hows".

Does that make sense. It's not an "either or" game, guys. Apple can still make clean, visually appealing commercials that make everyone go "ooooh!" (us included), BUT they have to augment or pair it with some USEFUL, compelling information or reasons to get those OTHER people out there to seriously give the platform a look.

I'm hoping that these two new Pixar things are merely a teaser of some sort and will be followed (quickly!) by a little more complete, meat-and-potatoes type of ad.

I mean, Apple's print advertising rocks. That little 12-page thing going around lately is very nice (albeit, about 6 years late...). In their print stuff, they play up OS X, the digital hub concept, the new iMac's features/power, the iApps (especially the new iPhoto), etc.

Why can't they do some of that on their TV commercials? More people are probably watching "Friends" and whatever than are picking up Newsweek and taking the time to flip through a 12-page insert.

It just seems odd that Jobs spends so much time and energy touting particular features and/or visions, yet NONE of their TV spots (which are, presumably, reaching a wider range of viewers) ever mentions this stuff.

"Middle Seat" got closest of all, but that kid was so annoying and the tone of the spot was a tad obnoxious and off-putting. I would've done that completely different, NOT making the little bastard an annoyance to his fellow passengers.

Again, Apple has this AMAZING hardware, OS X is now usable, this kick-ass suite of iApps, new retail stores across the nation, AirPort, the iPod, etc., yet the very people who SHOULD be knowing about all this don't.

Not the end of the world, I guess, considering. But still. Seems if they're going to be spending the money to do it, then do it right or do it better.

It's almost as if they've poured all their money into the industrial design and OS X departments and are half-assing it and squeaking by on the marketing end.

eugene · February 12, 2002 10:54AM

[quote]1. They're made for us. They're made to elicit geeked-out "oohs" and "aahs" from US, the already initiated. THAT'S not going to change anything.

2. The commercials are simply too vague and open. It's more stylized atmosphere or too-clever-for-the-room than hardcore info or in-your-face tactics. It's not making non-Mac users go "HOLY SHIT...I'm selling this piece-of-crap Gateway RIGHT NOW and getting on of those Apple [fill in the blank]!!!"<hr></blockquote>

This is where we disagree. I don't care how many specs Steve from Dell spouts out during a commercial. I don't care how much power the talking cow says a Gateway has. Apple sells on image. People don't walk into a Gateway Country and say "Honey, hey look at THIS," but they do when they look at an iMac. How annoying was Jeff Goldblum's commentary in the old iMac commercials? Very. The most effective commercials lately seem to be the ones that have no voice-overs/dialogue or the ones that make you fall out of your chair laughing.

The new iMac screams 'cute,' and it should play the cute angle. There are iMac buyers out there that aren't geeks who get erections when you say the words "1 GigaByte of RAM" or "60 GB HDD." Think about what you're asking for. You're asking for an ad that caters to computer geeks who want to hear spec after spec. If I started spewing the iMac's specs to any of my sister's they'd yawn. If you start spewing the iMac's specs to a PC power user geek, he'd yawn. If you show them the silk smooth swivel arm, floating LCD and tiny base, then they'll turn heads.

When TIME did the iMac exclusive, not a single spec was listed on the cover. Why? That's no the main selling point.

seb · February 12, 2002 11:22AM

It seems like the new Ads don't say enough. However, the last thing I would want them to do is a Dell/Gateway style ad (although the ski jumping cow was pretty damn funny).

Apple could show/say a lot more about what they do and offer than they have - without spewing a bunch of lame specs and prices (although a price wouldn't hurt - a lot of people just assume that since something looks cool it must be very expensive).

It's like Jobs said. When people are purchasing a new computer, most of the 95% don't even consider a Mac. They're not even in the running. Never got a chance to compete. Most people don't even realize that a Mac is different - and having a "Think Different" slogan doesn't show them that a Mac is different.

And showing/saying that the Mac is different is tricky. You'd have to be careful not to scare people off. You'd have to show how it's different in a better way. That it is similar in the ways that matter i.e. being able to bring home your work from the office. But how it is different because you can not only bring your work home but you can make a cool movie of your kids first baseball game and burn it to a DVD. But the commercial shouldn't stop there. It should show that you can also easily share pictures of that baseball game, and that your other kid a teenager can listen to 1000 mp3s on an iPod which links up to his iMac.

They need a commercial which shows all of the iApps and all of the Macs (yes, every single one) in one single ad, and how it can do cool things in these people's lives.

A dancing iMac doesn't mean jack.

pscates · February 12, 2002 11:23AM

We don't disagree as much as you think

I, too, am not really nuts about the idea of simple specs and geek talk. But showing the iMac doing all the cool things Jobs and Apple wants you to know it can do: what the print stuff hits on and what he spends a significant portion of any keynote harping on.

I'm not really interested in Apple flinging out hard drive specs and MHz in their ads. That stuff changes too much, and, to be honest, Apple's specs in that area are always going to be smaller and weaker-looking in comparison to similarly-priced PCs.

HOWEVER, the entire experience (still playing on the cool look and visuals...I'm NOT saying Apple needs to lose that or ignore that!) should be shown and highlighted: the cool look of the iMac AND what you can do with it.

As it stands now, if you're NOT a Mac fan or current user, you might not know about iPhoto, the other iApps, OS X, what makes this new iMac cooler than others (G4, SuperDrive, that cool screen, etc.).

I don't ever want Apple to simply show a grid with boring specs on their commercials. But they have to eventually get beyond well-lit "money shots" of nice-looking hardware and not much else.

New iMacs Ads are out!!!!

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