From 1984 to 2008: two Apple commercials
I think the latest commercial from Apple for the new iPhone represents a distinct break in ideology for the company.
Consider the classic Apple TV spot from 1984, announcing the Macintosh. The message was clear: Apple is an insurgent company, destroying the monotony and drudgery of the IBM world. As the firm that produced the spot says, "The original concept was to show the fight for the control of computer technology as a struggle of the few against the many." Steve Jobs' comments from this period shed more light on the message being conveyed:
It is now 1984. It appears IBM wants it all. Apple is perceived to be the only hope to offer IBM a run for its money. Dealers initially welcoming IBM with open arms now fear an IBM dominated and controlled future. They are increasing and desperately turning back to Apple as the only force that can ensure their future freedom. IBM wants it all and is aiming its guns on its last obstacle to industry control, Apple. Will Big Blue dominate the entire computer industry? The entire information age? Was George Orwell right about 1984?
The imagery of the latest spot presents a very different picture, one that, I think, corresponds to the different goals of the company. Apple is no longer the outsider, hoping to overthrow the entrenched giants in the industry. Apple now views itself as working within the system, making strategic alliances with those who could be considered enemies, with the long-term goal of dominating the market.
In the spot from '84, a woman with a sledgehammer (representing Apple) infiltrates and destroys a heavily monitored and armed space, freeing the minds of those trapped within. In the new spot, the iPhone is transported in secret through a heavily monitored space. It is not coming to destroy this closed space, but represents the perfect representation of ubiquitous, mass-produced technology. Rather than representing outsider individuality, Apple is now aiming to become the bearer of perfectly realized technology on a global scale.
Posted: June 9, 2008 7:30 pm by Chad Mazzola | 0 comments
Tags: Apple, iPhone, Macintosh, steve jobs