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Apple Debuts Four New FaceTime Ads
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LOL.
These are utterly awful.
They'd be banned from UK TV for being so schmaltzy.
You hate what? This is such poor grammar.
Oh so it looks like Apple still haven't realised holding the iPhone in a non-approval way becomes an issue..
.. opps, I mean NON issue.
******* apple!
.. opps, I mean NON issue.
******* apple!
Would you care to explain how exactly is the video conferencing of the I4 easier to use than say the traditional implementation that is found in most mobile phones: you select a contact and choose "make video call"? The method Apple uses where you have to first make a voice call then switch to video conference is more cumbersome, not easier.
I'm British, and I think the ads are excellent. Better than anything that any advertiser would produce over here. The problem isn't these ads, the problem is our culture and our society in Britain.
lol That was my reaction as well. The acting is so typical "acting" I made a lot of commercials and work with actors every day, this is the typical "B" cast acting style with a so called "clever" dialogue that pretends to be real.
yuck.. then again I made loads of these pseudo real life crap commercials myself haha.
Anyway who cares, I hope they sell a billion iP4 and buy MS and Google so we only have one way of thinking different for the whole world
Now if only I can find a way to downgrade to leopard.. SL sucked the life out of my MP.
yuck.. then again I made loads of these pseudo real life crap commercials myself haha.
Anyway who cares, I hope they sell a billion iP4 and buy MS and Google so we only have one way of thinking different for the whole world
Now if only I can find a way to downgrade to leopard.. SL sucked the life out of my MP.
Do you have to make a voice call? The reason I ask is that in Contacts, there is an option for FaceTime, separate from the phone number at the top. When I press this, it says the user is not available for FaceTime. To me I think this implies that you do not need to call the number first.
Oh, no it isn't.
I wish I knew someone in real life who believes this. I have to ask around. I feel a small wager coming on
What do you base this opinion on?
Are you kidding? They're everywhere. You can research this on your own if you don't believe me.
"the traditional implementation that is found in most mobile phones" ??
It's not found in most mobile phones.
You only have to initiate FaceTime through a voice call once, the first time you ever use it.
After that, one tap and you're video conferencing. You don't even need mobile service to do it.
What did you expect? Shakespearean drama? To be or not to be?
It's an ad for God's sake. The emphasis is on connecting with potential customers & sell the product, not wowing the critics & bring home an Oscar.
Corny, Kitsch, Cliché
These ads are guilty for all those charges.
But you know what? Real people are corny, kitsch and cliché, most of the precious moments plays out exactly as those clips on flims only less perfect. Be it wedding, child birth or any other sweet private times.
This is the age when people have to act to appear "real" while real expression of emotion are deemed too stereotypical thus "unbelievable". This is the age when people feel compelled to parody everything too close to heart and too sincere for reason one can only guess maybe that's because any serious notion about our earthly existence becomes a challenge to them.
You know what's becoming unbearably corny, kitsch and cliché?
Cynical, sarcasm, the urge to spoil something subtle, delicate but familiar.
These ads are guilty for all those charges.
But you know what? Real people are corny, kitsch and cliché, most of the precious moments plays out exactly as those clips on flims only less perfect. Be it wedding, child birth or any other sweet private times.
This is the age when people have to act to appear "real" while real expression of emotion are deemed too stereotypical thus "unbelievable". This is the age when people feel compelled to parody everything too close to heart and too sincere for reason one can only guess maybe that's because any serious notion about our earthly existence becomes a challenge to them.
You know what's becoming unbearably corny, kitsch and cliché?
Cynical, sarcasm, the urge to spoil something subtle, delicate but familiar.
I loved the iPad adverts because they were upbeat and made it out to be big and just starting.......
.......but these are just...eh. Good on 'em for trying something different, unfortunately, it's not for the better.
Keep the iPad-like commercials for the iPhone.......and try not to put so much emphasis on the whole FaceTime thing. It really isn't that big of a deal, certainly NOT the reason why I bought one. I think the Retina display is more of a wonder than the whole FaceTime thing.
But that's just my opinion, hopefully they'll get better.
.......but these are just...eh. Good on 'em for trying something different, unfortunately, it's not for the better.
Keep the iPad-like commercials for the iPhone.......and try not to put so much emphasis on the whole FaceTime thing. It really isn't that big of a deal, certainly NOT the reason why I bought one. I think the Retina display is more of a wonder than the whole FaceTime thing.
But that's just my opinion, hopefully they'll get better.
What does "most mobile phones" even mean?
The fact is, FaceTime WORKS. Get two iPhone 4s and thats it. There isn't anything more to the equation. Would love to see how "easy" it is to do the same on a Nokia phone. And where can a customer purchase such a phone? how much does it cost and what is the quality?
You are really just dumbing things down to "but video calls have been here before. What's so special about FaceTime?". You might as well say the same thing about the whole iPhone. I mean smartphones and multitouch screens are nothing new.
Clearly branded with a distinct name, integrated seamlessly into the phone, and even more...being pushed in ads.
It is about the how not the what.
The way Apple uses teenage girls instead of adults in the ads just seems kind of creepy to me - with the "smile" one, throughout the commercial, I see this older guy trying to get this young, vulnerable girl to smile. It's not until the very end that I hear "Dad." Seems creepy. And the one with the bob hair seems awkward and she's young and vulnerable. Sorry, but these commercials just hesitant to buy MY daughter an iPhone 4.
Although I doubt Apple intended for this, I think these commercials will make parents think twice about buying their daughter an iPhone.
(the commercial with the grandfather is a nice commercial though - great job)
I agree. I'm sorry, but these commercials seem borderline corny to me, and I certainly agree that parodies will arrive within a day or two on Youtube.
Face it. With Face Time, the future is now.
Yeah, they are SO corny that they've got you talking about them right? An ad isn't good unless it makes people talk about them and that's exactly what you're doing. Seriously, you guys read to much into stuff or you just like to complain for the sake of.
Excellent way to stereotype your own kind.
Excellent way to stereotype your own kind.
Most of the British Colonies are drunk-fests.
To respond to a few other points I've seen brought up in this thread:
- FaceTime is pointless. I don't see why they didn't just use the same basic video calling system that is on pretty much every 3G phone.
- The ads are corny, and corny things suck, but they're ads - they exist to get people talking about a product, and even if people talk about how crappy and corny the ads are, they have still done their job.
The fact that there are a lot of webcams out there doesn't really say all that much about whether they're used. They're dirt cheap and it sounds like a good idea so people buy them and never use them.
It's interesting how the UK people here act like they are the only country that exists or the only one that counts on MR.
I don't understand the benefit of Facetime.
If you're using WIFI to make a call, then why can't you just use your computer or a laptop? I don't find the iPhone 4 that much more convenient than a laptop for video chatting over WIFI. Everything that I saw in those commercials could have easily be done with laptops.
Whatever Apple. You make me roll my eyes more and more each passing year. I used to be a die hard fan. I even had your gay rainbow sticker on my car years before you moved to the solid white. But you're loosing me these days.
I would rather have poor video quality with the ability to make a video call anywhere in the U.S. than great video calling over wifi, simply because I can already make great video calls with my computer.
If you're using WIFI to make a call, then why can't you just use your computer or a laptop? I don't find the iPhone 4 that much more convenient than a laptop for video chatting over WIFI. Everything that I saw in those commercials could have easily be done with laptops.
Whatever Apple. You make me roll my eyes more and more each passing year. I used to be a die hard fan. I even had your gay rainbow sticker on my car years before you moved to the solid white. But you're loosing me these days.
I would rather have poor video quality with the ability to make a video call anywhere in the U.S. than great video calling over wifi, simply because I can already make great video calls with my computer.
Yeah, but FaceTime isn't an "open source", so it's only available to those who own iPhone4. It may (probably will) be more accessible if/when the iPod Touch 4th generation gets it... but for now, it's severely limited to who can use it.
You open it up to non-Apple devices, you have a potential game-changer. Otherwise, just Apple's attempt to change people's perception of a gimmick (the iPhone certainly isn't the first cell phone to have a front-facing camera and probably won't be the last).
You open it up to non-Apple devices, you have a potential game-changer. Otherwise, just Apple's attempt to change people's perception of a gimmick (the iPhone certainly isn't the first cell phone to have a front-facing camera and probably won't be the last).
I signed up for a MacRumors account just to comment on how awkward these ads are.
I understand what Apple was trying to do here, but there is just something missing. Between the so-so acting and awkward dialogue, these ads make me feel uncomfortable at best.
Apparently, Apple doesn't want to admit that the primary use for FaceTime is going to be drunk dialing your friends at 3AM to tell them how trashed you are.
Also, side note: Isn't it convenient that "grandpa" has both wifi AND an iPhone 4? Call me crazy, but I don't know anyone that age who can operate a normal cell phone, much less setup a wireless network, successfully use an iPhone 4, and place a FaceTime call with anyone...
I understand what Apple was trying to do here, but there is just something missing. Between the so-so acting and awkward dialogue, these ads make me feel uncomfortable at best.
Apparently, Apple doesn't want to admit that the primary use for FaceTime is going to be drunk dialing your friends at 3AM to tell them how trashed you are.
Also, side note: Isn't it convenient that "grandpa" has both wifi AND an iPhone 4? Call me crazy, but I don't know anyone that age who can operate a normal cell phone, much less setup a wireless network, successfully use an iPhone 4, and place a FaceTime call with anyone...
Mate, your post is making me roll my eyes. Do you actually expect people to carry a laptop with them every which way they go just so they can make quick video calls? I guess I should haul my Macbook Pro to Starbucks with me when I just wanna stop for a quick cup of coffee and make a quick video call to a friend while waiting for them to pour my drink? Yeah, I guess that's much easier than carrying around my cell phone that can do the same thing.
I agree that this will cause people to talk about the commercials ... but people might now be talking about them favorably, and this might actually cause sales to decline. Not all commercials that are memorable cause sales to increase - some cause sales to decrease.