New Get A Mac Ad: Time Machine [Archive]

MacRumors

Jan 13, 2008, 05:45 PM

http://www.macrumors.com/images/macrumorsthreadlogo.gif (http://www.macrumors.com)

Apple has released a new Get A Mac Ad, entitled "Time Machine (http://movies.apple.com/movies/us/apple/getamac/apple_getamac_timemachine_480x272.mov)."

http://images.macrumors.com/article/2008/01/13/174309-getAMacTimeMachine_300.jpg
(http://movies.apple.com/movies/us/apple/getamac/apple_getamac_timemachine_480x272.mov)

The ad, as you would expect, touts Leopard's Time Machine feature.

Article Link (http://www.macrumors.com/2008/01/13/new-get-a-mac-ad-time-machine/)

thegman1234

Jan 13, 2008, 05:51 PM

Thomas421

Jan 13, 2008, 05:55 PM

it's original but then so are the others..

I like it :)

macfan881

Jan 13, 2008, 05:58 PM

Great ad Finally talkin about a Mac os feature even though i dont mind the pc bashin ;) but its nice to show off what the new features are in the mac oses i hope this is what they do down the road

kornyboy

Jan 13, 2008, 06:07 PM

Wirelessly posted (iPhone: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU like Mac OS X; en) AppleWebKit/420.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.0 Mobile/3B48b Safari/419.3)

Pretty cool to show off a feature of leapord.

jacg

Jan 13, 2008, 06:08 PM

No swirly background though...

Project

Jan 13, 2008, 06:08 PM

Great ad.

1. Points out great new feature of Leopard (personification of software - wow)
2. Does it in a way anybody can understand
3. Doesn't stoop to criticising "PC".

More of the same please Apple :tu

Malcster

Jan 13, 2008, 06:12 PM

Great! Nice to see them plugging the great leopard features rather than slagging off Vista.

CF Fighter

Jan 13, 2008, 06:17 PM

I'm glad to see an ad where Mac isn't bashing Windows. Both OSes have their individual merits as far as I'm concerned. My laptop may be a Mac but my desktop will most likely stay a Windows machine, I'm a gamer after all.

Siriosys

Jan 13, 2008, 06:26 PM

Yep, she's a goodie. Hope they do more like this. What surprises me most about Apple stuff, is that everybody knows about the look and feel of the hardware, but not a lot about the great stuff that makes the hardware simply the icing on the cake, the Operating System.

Keep it coming Apple.

solid5

Jan 13, 2008, 06:27 PM

I liked it, great add, mac was doing the talkin this time and no bashing.
But something was strange about PC guy

Doctor Q

Jan 13, 2008, 06:53 PM

It reminds me of the movie Multiplicity.

Master Atrus

Jan 13, 2008, 06:58 PM

So finally, now, everyone on these forum's that complain ... "talk about what the OS does" can finally stop complaining!!!!

This is marketing, and I think the entire line has been genius (though some less genius than others), and am glad to finally have them talk about the OS (though I didn't care when they were bashing Windows either).

Go Apple!!

Porco

Jan 13, 2008, 07:11 PM

CharmCty

Jan 13, 2008, 07:15 PM

I've spent a lot of time on MR over the past years, but this is the first post I've made. It has nothing to do with naming of products, but does have to do with the timing of this new commercial and a product about which many are speculating.

This is the first time in a long time that I have noticed Apple marketing a specific feature of their OS. Time Machine seems to be an innovative addition to any OS, and something that the mainstream (read: not those you'll find on these forums) has probably done very little with. It would be very interesting to see if there is something released that takes advantage of Time Machine so that the mainstream will use it regularly.

A wireless storage device w/ ATV and Airport Extreme?

dlastmango

Jan 13, 2008, 07:29 PM

I wanted to see the folder get passed up to the front of the line to "show" how time machine works....

would have a been a simple way to show functionality.

chris

jellomizer

Jan 13, 2008, 07:30 PM

I like it, it's funny. I love how PC says something nice about Mac. I wonder if this has something to do with Microsoft working on Office 08 for Mac. They wouldn't want to get on Microsofts' bad side while they're making a product for them.

Well it is kinda late for that though. Office 2008 is already programmed and they are making copies. To stop Office Development now would be a huge wast of money on Microsoft part, combined getting Mac People more interested in alternative Office productivity tools. A lot of Mac People will still use Macs for years without a new version of office, getting 3-6% of the market share looking at alternative Office tools like Open Office could cause a chain effect that could hurt Microsoft Dominance in Office.

They Loose money now, they loose money in the future there is really little to gain from being petty from an add that pokes fun of its issues. While Microsoft competes with Apple it is more on the Operating System Level not in Office Level.

jellomizer

Jan 13, 2008, 07:41 PM

I think this is definitely one of the better 'Mac and PC ' ads, I just wish they could show a bit of the actual feature they're 'personifying' at the end of the ad - especially in the case of Time Machine, I think once they've explained the concept seeing the actual thing in action would make sense and sell itself just as much as the actors can sell it...

Well Apple with these adds has been avoiding showing the product in action. I would think as a method to encourage people to go to the Apple store and see the system in action...

I know for me I wasn't even considering a Mac until one day while at a Mall that has an Apple Store. My friends needed to get fitted for a tux, I decided to take a look at the Apple store expecting to be unimpressed, and surprisingly I was impressed. The apple store employees were able to answer my questions about the system at a rather technical level, Bus Speed, Cache Size, Unix compatibly, I wasn't scolded for opening up a terminal which happens if I open a DOS or PowerShell window at an other store.

So being vague enough to get peoples interest to investigate further my be better then fully showing the feature. Because watching it on TV is unimpressive.

thegman1234

Jan 13, 2008, 07:44 PM

Well it is kinda late for that though. Office 2008 is already programmed and they are making copies. To stop Office Development now would be a huge wast of money on Microsoft part, combined getting Mac People more interested in alternative Office productivity tools. A lot of Mac People will still use Macs for years without a new version of office, getting 3-6% of the market share looking at alternative Office tools like Open Office could cause a chain effect that could hurt Microsoft Dominance in Office.

They Loose money now, they loose money in the future there is really little to gain from being petty from an add that pokes fun of its issues. While Microsoft competes with Apple it is more on the Operating System Level not in Office Level.

I know, I'm just saying.

deputy_doofy

Jan 13, 2008, 07:56 PM

I wanted to see the folder get passed up to the front of the line to "show" how time machine works....

would have a been a simple way to show functionality.

chris

We're on the same wavelength. I was expecting him to pass the folder up as well.

Littleodie914

Jan 13, 2008, 08:10 PM

It reminds me of the movie Multiplicity.I've got a wallet! :D

macfan881

Jan 13, 2008, 08:36 PM

why isnt this upfront on the main news? it be nice to see something non macworld realated upthere :p

Ugg

Jan 13, 2008, 09:03 PM

This was good. Nice to see them highlight Leopard.

hempcamp

Jan 13, 2008, 09:24 PM

I like it. Edgy, witty, and highlights one of Leopard's most useful features for the not-so-literate consumer.

--Chris

twoodcc

Jan 13, 2008, 10:06 PM

yeah i saw this earlier today. i think it's alright. not my favorite, but i still like it.

samh004

Jan 13, 2008, 10:25 PM

I like it, it's funny. I love how PC says something nice about Mac. I wonder if this has something to do with Microsoft working on Office 08 for Mac. They wouldn't want to get on Microsofts' bad side while they're making a product for them.

Microsoft has been working on Office 2008 for a long time...

Pretty cool to show off a feature of leapord.

No swirly background though...

I thought it's good that they showed off a feature, especially one as cool as Time Machine, but they could of done such a much better job with it. Passing the file along, showing himself slowly appearing down the line as he activates the feature etc...

Teh Don Ditty

Jan 13, 2008, 10:46 PM

I've got a wallet! :D

I'm gonna buy you a present!

A Chainsaw!?!

No, a book? Something nice.

:D

Good ad by Apple

DMann

Jan 13, 2008, 10:53 PM

The ad, as you would expect, touts Leopard's Time Machine feature.

Article Link (http://www.macrumors.com/2008/01/13/new-get-a-mac-ad-time-machine/)

Great Ad! Nice to see one of Leopard's features being shown without direct PC bashing..... indirect is much more effective in this case.

JML42691

Jan 13, 2008, 10:56 PM

This might be one of their most positive ones yet, no PC bashing and quite funny.

minik

Jan 13, 2008, 11:00 PM

I love it.

Yuppi

Jan 13, 2008, 11:24 PM

I like it. Edgy, witty, and highlights one of Leopard's most useful features for the not-so-literate consumer.

Not so literate is kind of restricting. I think I know a awful lot about Computers and how I should have done backups... But because it was a bit too much of a hassle I didn't ;)
Time Machine is the most advanced backup solution I have ever seen. And so incredible easy to use.
I think the ad is ok, could be a bit more funnny. They could have made it a bit different. Like that the PC guy is crying because he lost his movie file he has been working on for days.. And Mac would have has said that this is not a problem for him. And then you would have seen him becoming those multiple Macs passing up the file to the front guy.

JML42691

Jan 13, 2008, 11:29 PM

Not so literate is kind of restricting. I think I know a awful lot about Computers and how I should have done backups... But because it was a bit too much of a hassle I didn't ;)
Time Machine is the most advanced backup solution I have ever seen. And so incredible easy to use.
I think the ad is ok, could be a bit more funnny. They could have made it a bit different. Like that the PC guy is crying because he lost his movie file he has been working on for days.. And Mac would have has said that this is not a problem for him. And then you would have seen him becoming those multiple Macs passing up the file to the front guy.
But then the ad would slightly be attacking the user of the PC for deleting it, not exactly something you want to do in an ad. The mac guys are using the situation hypothetically, not that they did delete it, but if they did. And I think that Apple may be stepping back from the attacking windows view.

BKKbill

Jan 14, 2008, 12:55 AM

It seems as if even PC is happy with this one. Have and used time machine. Love it.

cbrain

Jan 14, 2008, 02:41 AM

This is the best one yet in my opinion.

It's also good how they've stepped away from Vista bashing and are now showing off the features of the mac.

djellison

Jan 14, 2008, 03:19 AM

Apple FINALLY shows a killer new feature

No - they're not showing features. They're talking about it. They'd do far far better to actually SHOW people this stuff. Show them expose, dashboard, time machine, spaces - that would make people pay attention.

Doug

donga

Jan 14, 2008, 07:49 AM

But then the ad would slightly be attacking the user of the PC for deleting it, not exactly something you want to do in an ad. The mac guys are using the situation hypothetically, not that they did delete it, but if they did. And I think that Apple may be stepping back from the attacking windows view.

right.

i'm glad they seem to be stepping away from the blatant attacking and, you could argue, using a more subtle attack. pc is still there, but the emphasis is more on what the mac can do, and not what the pc can't do. still using the ad dollars to push people towards macs...

Yvan256

Jan 14, 2008, 08:08 AM

If PC thought that was confusing, wait until the ad for Spaces. ;)

Very good ad, one of the best, too bad there's only so much you can do in about 30 seconds. And too much details would probably dilute the impact.

coolfactor

Jan 14, 2008, 09:47 AM

I think this is definitely one of the better 'Mac and PC ' ads, I just wish they could show a bit of the actual feature they're 'personifying' at the end of the ad - especially in the case of Time Machine, I think once they've explained the concept seeing the actual thing in action would make sense and sell itself just as much as the actors can sell it...

1. There isn't enough time in a 30-second ad to show off the actual software.
2. It would be meaningless (and boring) to anyone not familiar with the Mac.

Personifying the solution (hardware + software), as these ads do, gets the message across perfectly... "your computer is an extension of yourself, so what kind of person are you?"

That message has been working. I've had more people contact me about how to use their new Mac, and this tidal wave only really picked up momentum in the past 6 months.

coolfactor

Jan 14, 2008, 09:48 AM

No - they're not showing features. They're talking about it. They'd do far far better to actually SHOW people this stuff. Show them expose, dashboard, time machine, spaces - that would make people pay attention.

Doug

How many commercials do you pay attention to that show off Windows features? I think you would tune them out. People aren't interested in that stuff. We are, as Mac users, but we're not the target of these ads.

Evangelion

Jan 14, 2008, 11:03 AM

I wanted to see the folder get passed up to the front of the line to "show" how time machine works....

would have a been a simple way to show functionality.

chris

Why? It was already made obvious that the folder in question is available if needed. And besides, that is NOT how TM works. When you restore a file, it does not get passed to the backup before it, which then passes it to the backup before it etc.

djellison

Jan 14, 2008, 11:42 AM

How many commercials do you pay attention to that show off Windows features?

I've never seen an advert for windows, full stop. Everyone has seen windows already, so what would be the point.

But I've seen the iPhone adverts - they're much much much better. 30 seconds - this is what it does - look at how nice everything looks...buy me.

Now - I don't want an iPhone for a dozen different reasons - but the adverts are superb. You actually SEE an iPhone in action, you SEE what the interface does, how easy it is to use.

None of these Mac adverts show you the product. They need to. These adverts just enhance the smarmy, cocky, arrogant, arty farty trendy stereotype of mac users that Apple need to seriously eliminate. They don't actually show you a damn thing.

A simple idea for a Mac advert....

So I've taken all my holiday photos. Plug in the camera, and iPhoto lets me downlaod them straight onto my machine. These ones look nice, lets make a DVD. Add a soundtrack - and Gramps can see our holiday. It's that easy, on a Mac.

What you don't need is
Ner ner, PC's suck, you're boring, look at me, look at my facial hair, I'm cool.

Basically, they make me want to punch 'Mac' in the face for being an arrogant little sod. They don't make me want to buy a Mac. Using OSX is the best thing about Mac's - and we're never shown it. Expose, Dashboard, iPhoto, those things make people who've never seen my Macbook go 'oo - that's cool'. But until someone comes into contact with a Mac, they're never going to know - and those adverts are just going to re-enforce the elitist attitude that needs to be got rid of.

Doug

Small White Car

Jan 14, 2008, 11:49 AM

How many commercials do you pay attention to that show off Windows features? I think you would tune them out. People aren't interested in that stuff. We are, as Mac users, but we're not the target of these ads.

100% correct. People who know and like Macs would watch an ad that showed software on screen. People who don't would change the channel or turn to talk to their friend. Great ad. :rolleyes:

And what's with all the "pass the folder" comments? Time Machine is made to be easy. Look for the file you want, find it, USE it. Showing it get passed up implies some kind of extra restoration work that the user has to go through, when that doesn't actually exist. Time Machine is EASY to use. Why dimish that by making it look more complicated than it really is?

Small White Car

Jan 14, 2008, 11:54 AM

A simple idea for a Mac advert....

So I've taken all my holiday photos. Plug in the camera, and iPhoto lets me downlaod them straight onto my machine. These ones look nice, lets make a DVD. Add a soundtrack - and Gramps can see our holiday. It's that easy, on a Mac.

Yeah, because that worked so well the first time they did it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbyssHFY-Pk

Don't you remember when everyone was talking about that? Or the one with the home movie of the wedding on the beach that they put on DVD? Those ads sure got people's attention!

Wait, you don't remember them? People DIDN'T talk about them?? Hmm...maybe there's a reason for that....

djellison

Jan 14, 2008, 12:03 PM

Yeah, because that worked so well the first time they did it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbyssHFY-Pk

No - that's not what I'm talking about - that barely shows you half a corner of iPhoto for 5 seconds. Infact, it has more in common with the current adverts with their stereotyping than anything else.

This is what they need to do
http://www.apple.com/iphone/ads/ad9/
http://www.apple.com/iphone/ads/ad8/
http://www.apple.com/iphone/ads/ad5/

They show you something - they show you why it's nice - why it's fun to use - why you want one. THAT is what they need to do, with a Macbook or iMac. Not some smarmy bastard who needs a smack in the face (in the old ad, or the new ones). They're not afraid of showing the phone being used, so why do they resort to arrogant (often wrong) put downs of another platform to sell their computers? Make OSX familiar, don't make it's userbase seem alien.

Why did I buy a Mac? Because I saw what OSX was like in keynote presentations and on some great videos on YouTube - not because some trendy arty type said Vista was bad. If the best way you can sell your product is to say bad things about the competition (which many of these do) then you've got problems.

We'll probably have to agree to disagree on this one - but I think Apple have got it totally wrong with their current OSX ads, and they've got it BANG on with their iPhone adverts.
Doug

dL.

Jan 14, 2008, 12:15 PM

If Macs have that many copies from Time Machine, I'm sure the PC guy should have just as many with Volume shadow copy.

dL

Project

Jan 14, 2008, 12:22 PM

The reason they show the iPhone interface is twofold

1- it is a million light years ahead of anything else and sells itself.
2- the average consumer had to be shown that they could do some of the more "advanced" stuff. A lot of people might pass it off as a high tech toy.

OSX does not fall in the same category as the iPhone. Time Machine looks cool but the UI is definitely not something you could explain in 30 seconds, as well as this ad did with the overall concept.

Project

Jan 14, 2008, 12:28 PM

If Macs have that many copies from Time Machine, I'm sure the PC guy should have just as many with Volume shadow copy.

dL

Volume Shadow Copy is completely different to TM. Completely different. Both in implementation and usage.

Small White Car

Jan 14, 2008, 12:49 PM

We'll probably have to agree to disagree on this one.

Yeah, probably right. I doubt I'll convince you, but gotta make my arguement anyway...

This is what they need to do
http://www.apple.com/iphone/ads/ad9/
http://www.apple.com/iphone/ads/ad8/
http://www.apple.com/iphone/ads/ad5/

But the iPhone is totally unlike any other cell phone out there. It's that difference that catches people's attention. The features really aren't being sold in these...it's just getting people to sit up and say "hey, my phone doesn't look like that!"

I'm a huge Mac nerd and even I have to admit that OS X and Vista tend to LOOK pretty darned similar. Yes, they're different, but different enough that a layperson can see a big difference in 30 seconds? I don't think they will.

I think what you want, and what DOES work, is this:
http://www.apple.com/macosx/guidedtour/

And, oh look, that exists! And it works great as a website! I'm not saying that's not useful. I'm just saying that if you turned it into a TV ad it would suck. The internet is the perfect place for this kind of info. All TV is good at is getting you to GO to the website and GO to the store. Once you're in those places, that's when you learn more.

People want to be given information when they're ready for it and want to think about it. If it's shoveled onto them when they're not ready for it, they just ignore it. (See: Most car ads. Ugh.) Using the web and the stores to get that detail out to people is exactly the right place to do it. On TV it's a waste of money.

EDIT: What you're saying is like suggesting that GEICO ditch the Gecko and instead tell you all about their policies in the ads. No, it's better to get the GEICO name in your head, and when you eventually call them THAT's when you learn what they have to sell. There's no way they'd get more calls from explaining the xyz's of their policies on TV.

ucfgrad93

Jan 14, 2008, 12:51 PM

I just saw this too.
All I have to say is finally. I'm glad Apple is showing off features of OS X instead of just Vista bashing.

I agree. This ad was really good I thought. Although, I thought the security was was great too.

Orng

Jan 14, 2008, 01:28 PM

Just based on the visuals alone, this could be an ad highlighting major OS upgrades in the past 6 years :-)

But if that was the case, the Mac.0 guy at the back would be all gangly and bucktoothed and missing fingers, and Mac.1 would be desperately trying to hide Mac.0 but he can't, because he's superfluously transparent.
:p

And it's not until Mac.4 that he starts to get his hip urban scruffy-chin look just right, but even Mac.5 still has Aqua-painted fingernails.

DMann

Jan 14, 2008, 01:52 PM

No - they're not showing features. They're talking about it. They'd do far far better to actually SHOW people this stuff. Show them expose, dashboard, time machine, spaces - that would make people pay attention.

Apple did demo the iPhone, which was impressive. It would be great if features could be demoed within the style of the existing ad format, i.e., projected from behind. This would draw more intention.

R0ck-Ch1ck

Jan 14, 2008, 02:28 PM

I love the new ads. Cant wait to see how they are going to do 'spaces'. :D

CHAOS STEP

Jan 14, 2008, 05:55 PM

This is much better, less patronising and more serious.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PADkpyVWAwQ

.

clevin

Jan 15, 2008, 10:36 AM

Volume Shadow Copy is completely different to TM. Completely different. Both in implementation and usage.

wow, how is that?

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/features/details/shadowcopy.mspx

incremental backup of different versions through time, different operational detail doesn't make the idea and usefulness different

Since shadow copy was in windows system for 4~5 years, can we call apple "copy"?:D

Borrowing idea is always good,, if you can make it better, thats even better! lets just not playing word games like SJ always does.

Its fine apple put the borrowed idea on TV, but all mac did in that ads, pc can do the same, no?

notjustjay

Jan 15, 2008, 11:12 AM

I like it. I actually laughed at the end. John is hilarious.

ClimbingTheLog

Jan 15, 2008, 06:47 PM

I've never seen an advert for windows, full stop.

How old are you? Do you know who the Rolling Stones are?

Since shadow copy was in windows system for 4~5 years, can we call apple "copy"?:D

Unix people have had rsync for longer than that, but the GUI and application integration are what make Time Machine usable for mere mortals. Yeah, the kernel hooks are pretty important too, but that doesn't help Windows users.

jlbrown23

Jan 16, 2008, 01:01 AM

The bad news is that it continues the trend of not being funny - I don't think I've laughed out loud since "choose a Vista!"(I've watched that 50 times and STILL laugh).

The good news was that this one WAS very clever - watching the ad WAS like using time machine. It is really amazing that they summed it up visually with one quick ad - all those Mac Guys really did convey the message of what it does. I think if they threw in some sort of visual on the clunkiness of Vista backups(a la the web cam ad. Maybe PC with 10 other PC's, but instead of being backups that was how many of them it took to get the backup done), it would have made for some good yucks.

notjustjay

Jan 16, 2008, 04:32 PM

It was neat, but I would probably have done it differently.

I would have started with the Mac and PC, as always. PC could ask Mac for something, and Mac would say "Sure, I've got it right here...", search his pockets, and realize he doesn't have it. "I might have deleted it!" he'll say. But then he says "But hold on, I'll find a backup copy using Time Machine. It automatically <blah blah>". He'd snap his fingers, and the line of Macs would show up. The two Macs immediately behind him both search their pockets and shrug, but the third one down the line smiles and holds up the folder. "I've got it right here", he'll proclaim. PC watches all this and says "Wow, that's pretty cool" and the rest of the commercial continues as it did.

But, what do I know about ad design :)