In 1984 Apple rocked the advertising world with a Superbowl commercial directed by Ridley Scott. The commercial depicted a futuristic dystopian dictatorship being challenged by a courageous young heroine with a vision; a not-at-all-subtle metaphor for the soon-to-be-introduced Macintosh computer. The commercial won countless awards when it was aired, and many of the revolutionary features of the Macintosh were quickly adopted by Microsoft, the company that the commercial suggested was the enemy of freedom. Three decades later, Apple is no longer a feisty young rebel.
This new Apple commercial, filmed completely with iPhones, captures a much more optimistic vision of the role of digital technology in our future. (Ironically, it had a lot in common with Microsoft’s Super Bowl ad.) What will Apple’s (or Microsoft’s) visionary commercials look like 30 years from now?
Read more about the ad at huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/03/apple-mac-ad-30th-anniversary_n_4718255.html.
Tag: Microsoft
Microsoft will soon offer two new versions of its ubiquitous Windows operating system. Windows 8 is designed to replace Windows 7 as the flagship PC OS. Windows RT will run mostly on Microsoft’s new Surface and other tablet devices. This CNET article gives an overview of the two OSs and how they fit into a world where the line between tablets and laptops is blurred by all kinds of hybrid devices.
reviews.cnet.com/8301-33642_7-57536310-292/windows-8-buying-guide/
Within the span of a few days, Microsoft and Apple demonstrated radically different successors to their current operating systems: Apple’s Lion (OS X 10.7), coming in July, and Microsoft’s Windows 8, due in 2012. Both are departures from traditional desktop OSs, borrowing concepts popularized on phones and tablets. This Wall Street Journal article discusses the different approach these two companies are taking.