Apple, evolving on the “App for That” theme that’s been the centerpiece of their iPhone commercials for over a year, has released 3 new ads called Dine, Nature, and Pass with the tag line “75,000 apps for just about anything”.
Apple Insider picks up a Sierra Sun story about Apple filming a top secret commercial for a new product at a restaurant called Jax at the Tracks in Truckee, California. Said owner Bud Haley:
“Apple found us, they’re trying to show us as a hip and cool spot for the 20-something crowd.”
Indeed? So what was it for, folks? The upcoming third generation iPod touch? The mythical iTablet? Steve Jobs’ revolutionary iVeggie Smoothy cup? Sound off in the comments and let us know what you expect!
Apple really, really thinks the iPod touch is the funnest ever, and just so they’re sure we know it as well, they’ve released a second 2nd gen iPod touch gaming music videoTV commercial.
TUAW’s commenters pointed out Apple has even gone to the trouble of setting up a special App Store gaming page just for the games shown in the Franz Ferdinand covered commercial.
Will these commercials help sell iPod’s to more gamers? Take a bite out of the upcoming Nintendo DSi pie? Or, like with the iPhone, is focusing on apps taking away from the core purpose of the devices (media + internet)?
This is a huge coincidence since we just had our App vs App: Shazam vs Midomi on TiPB. I love these commercials since they are so simple and really show what the iPhone can do. Well, since I think most carbon-based life forms know what the iPhone is, it is time for Apple to show how the App Store’s apps can make a difference in your life.
Apple has had a recent sting of new ads from baseball to finding a place to eat. This ad deals with [iTunes link] Shazam, a free app that allows you to hold your iPhone up to a music source, and Shazam will tell you what the song is and give you links to videos and even a link to the song on iTunes.
Apple is still heavily promoting the App Store in their latest iPhone ad — and given the staggering number of Apps and even more staggering number of downloads, with good reason.
The latest focuses on restaurant random-finder Urban Spoon, and perhaps to appease the UK overseers, the ad now cops to having the “sequence shortened”. Dieter finds this “disappointingly normal”:
…what was so awesome about the initial commercials is they showed some speed, instruction, and fun just by showing you the interface.
So scratch the speed, but you can still shake some fun.
If anyone checked out ESPN.com late last night they would have been smacked right in the eye with quite possibly the biggest iPod Touch Banner Ad Ever. After releasing the new iPhone “game changer” commercial during the baseball playoffs, it looks like Apple is focusing on expanding the iPhone/iPod Touch product line by reaching sports fans. Good idea? I don’t know maybe Apple is thinking they can turn sports fans into Apple fanboys..
Either way, that thing was BIG. Dare I say life-size. There was no way anyone going on to ESPN.com could miss it (unless you have ad blockers). Effective? Yes. Annoying to scroll down to read the news? You betcha. Newsworthy? Hey it’s the weekend..
Casey already told us about how an iPhone ad was banned in the UK for “misleading consumers” about providing “just the internet”, and based on how many ZOMG! No Flash Vidz! comments we get, I’m going to go out on a limb and say most people probably share the belief that MobileSafari – ( Flash + Java) != the internet.
Fine.
But allow me to retort. As a long time web (and Flash) developer, however, I’m calling shenanigans on that, and on the UK Advertising Standards Authority. Flash and Java are factually and empirically NOT part of the open, standards based Internet (i.e. HTML, CSS, Javascript/AJAX). Flash and Java, along with things like SilverLight, Real, ActiveX, and a host of other proprietary add-ons are plugins, extensions, and otherwise additions to the Internet — with all the benefits and drawbacks that go along with that.
The Advertising Standards Authority, which we at TiPb are going to (foolishly) assume is the executive power of advertisements across the pond, has deemed an iPhone Advertisement as misleading in the UK. The sticking point? When Apple said:
“…all the parts of the internet are on the iPhone.”
And well, we know that isn’t exactly true. We still don’t have Flash or Java support on our iPhone and Flash and Java are a pretty big part of the internet. Apple claims that the advertisement implied the availability of webpages, rather than their specific appearance. Which honestly sounds like a cop out to us. But still, pulling the advertisement seems a bit excessive.
We think to please the guvnuhs on the other side, Apple will probably throw in one of them fine prints across the bottom of the page that specifies on what technology you ‘really’ do get. Does anyone know if Apple makes the same claim on the US commercials? Methinks yes.
Apple has posted 3 new iPhone 3G ads. We’ve been seeing them on TV here and there (fast-forward-TiVo-style), but it’s nice to see that Apple’s posted them fully. Two of them focus on 3G speeds (with a tiny, gray “3G not available in all areas” at the end) and the third talks about “work” without specifically mentioning that it’s discussion Exchange support. All in all, they’re not all that compelling, truth be told, but “Unslow” at least falls in the iPhone commercial tradition of advertising-through-education: “What exactly is 3G?” It’s fast, baby. It’s also apparently GPS too, though again Apple doesn’t specifically drop that apparently unhip series of letters in the commercial.
