Apple iPhone Ad on the NYC 5th Avenue Store

[nagromme]

I'm a huge fan of Apple products, but they're really abusing the special permission they were granted and are abusing the public's trust.

What are the details of that special permission? How did you find about these details?

The sign is still transparent, at least. I don't know what details you have on the arrangement, but I can imagine such signage being allowed in that agreement and planned for all along.

I can easily also imagine them putting it up without checking first to see if its OK EDIT: or how much it would cost!

(PS, I bet it's got holes like those annoying bus ads. I hate riding in those things!)

 

[motulist]

What are the details of that special permission? How did you find about these details?

It was all over the news in new york when they first got permission to build it because these public spaces mandated in exchange for building sky scrappers are (were) sacrosanct until Apple got this special permission on the condition that it was to be all glass and preserve the openness of the public area.

 

[nagromme]

It was all over the news in new york when they first got permission to build it because these public spaces mandated in exchange for building sky scrappers are (were) sacrosanct until Apple got this special permission on the condition that it was to be all glass and preserve the openness of the public area.

I wonder though if they found the same loophole that buses use: it's "transparent" AND an ad.

 

[imacdaddy]

Hmm, the city may have asked them to take it down. There are some strict regulations regarding advertising on buildings like that.

If the Ad wasn't translucent, then there "may" have been an issue. But I'm sure they'd checked that long ago.

 

[Flowbee]

Forgive me for caring about picayune little things like preserving the public's rights and having companies uphold their legal obligations to the people, but isn't this overstepping the bounds of their legal usage rights?...

...I'm a huge fan of Apple products, but they're really abusing the special permission they were granted and are abusing the public's trust.

It was only up for a couple of hours. Perhaps Apple is only planning to use this graphic on the launch day of the iPhone, and not as a permanent billboard. And perhaps they already have approval from the city. Or perhaps today's demo was part of the approval process. My point is that we really don't know anything about the plans for this display, and I think it's a little premature to assume the worst about Apple's intentions.

One thing we do know, however, is that it's high-profile enough to assume that any special permission Apple needs, Apple will get. They don't want to go into the iPhone launch under a cloud of bad publicity.

 

[MrCrowbar]

And perhaps they already have approval from the city. Or perhaps today's demo was part of the approval process.

Makes sense.

Apple: "Can we put like a giant translucent banner for the iPhone that covers one whole side of the store?"
City: "Hmm depends how translucent it is."
Apple: "I'll show you."
[...]
City: "Yea... that's kinda too opaque, take it down."
Apple: "Hmmm, is it ok if we put it on the inside of the building, behind the glass?"
City: "I guess that would work since it's not advertising on the building, but inside it. Put in a bunch of free iPhones and we have a deal."

 

[p0intblank]

Wow, that... is... awesome! I love Apple's style of advertising. It's seriously so great. Now I want to go there just to look at the ad.

 

[deanbo]

Introducing iPhone?

"For unknown reasons, the ad was (temporarily?) removed later in the day." Would that be because you can't even buy it yet?

 

[stephenli]

I'd like to see a big X on the cube on the day of Leopard's release. That'd be totally cool. It'd be like an "X-Box"

excuse me but pls dont compare OSX's "X" with X-Box's "X" of which generally shows a lack of design sense.

ok...i know i personally hate M$ hence personally hate X-Box....forgive me..

 

[BrandonKea]

Forgive me for caring about picayune little things like preserving the public's rights and having companies uphold their legal obligations to the people, but isn't this overstepping the bounds of their legal usage rights?

That clear open courtyard space was mandated by the government in exchange for allowing the builders of the sky scrapper to build their building so high. When Apple got approval for building their store there it was because their structure was a clear glass cube that preserved the sight lines and openness of the public area that was granted to the public. Now by turning the structure into basically a giant billboard Apple has really abused the special grant they were bestowed when they were allowed to build a commercial structure on what was legally supposed to be an open public space.

I'm a huge fan of Apple products, but they're really abusing the special permission they were granted and are abusing the public's trust.

Don't you think Apple's legal department would have a handle on something like that?

Maybe they just took it down for more of a publicity buzz, I'm sure it'll be back up later.

 

[motulist]

Don't you think Apple's legal department would have a handle on something like that?

Even if they did somehow secure a waiver for temporary advertising, which is possible but doubtful, it's still a violation of the public's trust.

 

[matticus008]

It probably came down for adjustments and fitting. Since you can't take precise measurements of a building easily, you often have to employ a trial run if you're doing something more complex than a banner or poster. You only have the specifications of the building, which are never entirely accurate to the actual structure. The fact that it went up and then came down so quickly doesn't necessarily amount to anything other than this.

At a company as meticulous as Apple, they also could easily have wanted to make adjustments for lighting and glare and to make sure that it achieves the desired effect.

Even if they did somehow secure a waiver for temporary advertising, which is possible but doubtful, it's still a violation of the public's trust.

That presupposes that the public has any interest in the details. It's not often the case that they do. There are a number of local ordinances here preventing the construction of Target, but the city offered a referendum on making concessions. The people decided that they'd rather have a Target than enforce the square footage limit. In Apple's situation, this is compounded by the fact that the real estate is private property in any case and has nothing to do with trust or even with preservation of open spaces--it's all a front for other government concerns.

 

[aswitcher]

Even if they did somehow secure a waiver for temporary advertising, which is possible but doubtful, it's still a violation of the public's trust.

Surely there must be some public record if this is what happened.

 

[koobcamuk]

What a literally brilliant concept. That ad will be back in a similar form, if not the original design, I'm sure. I wish I could have seen that ad at night. Maybe workers put it on the wrong side of the store, uh, front or in this case, side. Better yet, maybe Apple’s creatives thought of a way to slam Microsoft AND promote the iPhone. Someone has to update us tomorrow…

I would bet... something... that this is not a mistake by anyone or group of people. Clever advertising. Expect this all year.

 

[Darkroom]

Looks like it was "etched on frosted glass" and light enough to see through.

i wasn't etched on frosted glass honey... it's multi-part contemporary banner printing is all...

 

[MattyMac]

If anyone's in new york city, run by and take a look in the morning to see. It may have gone back up. Matt (the guy who took the pictures) said the ad wasn't there around 9pm, but the scaffolding was still up.

arn

I work in NYC, but its one too many blocks to walk during my lunch break. I bet they will have some sort of relase party there in June...I'll be there for sure!

 

[MacRumorsReader]

I believe the reasoning goes something like this:

Okay Steve we got it up.
"Well send me pictures"
Here you go.
"Which idiot do I need to fire?"
Excuse me?
"It isn't facing the street! How are all the passer-bys going to gawk at its majesty if it is facing the sidewalk?"
I guess I just take the rest of the year off.
"That's sounds nice. And if you could make a video about it on youtube that will give us some more free publicity."

 

[California]

Forgive me for caring about picayune little things like preserving the public's rights and having companies uphold their legal obligations to the people, but isn't this overstepping the bounds of their legal usage rights?

That clear open courtyard space was mandated by the government in exchange for allowing the builders of the sky scrapper to build their building so high. When Apple got approval for building their store there it was because their structure was a clear glass cube that preserved the sight lines and openness of the public area that was granted to the public. Now by turning the structure into basically a giant billboard Apple has really abused the special grant they were bestowed when they were allowed to build a commercial structure on what was legally supposed to be an open public space.

I'm a huge fan of Apple products, but they're really abusing the special permission they were granted and are abusing the public's trust.

OMG. Since when did NYC turn communist? let it go bro. It's just a beautiful building. Abusing the public's trust? What abuses my public trust and aesthetic sensibilities is seeing ugly Zunes and fat ugly Dells everywhere. Now that's eye abuse. You do know the word "politically correct" was an actual "legal" charge that communists used to use against people who did not believe Marx/Leninism the way they wanted them to believe? Do some homework and curtail the nascent Stalinism.

 

[rdowns]

OMG. Since when did NYC turn communist?

We are still undergoing the transformation that began under Tsar Giuliani. The move to ban trans-fats in restaurants and banning iPods and the like while crossing the street are simply the latest.

 

[Frisco]

We are still undergoing the transformation that began under Tsar Giuliani. The move to ban trans-fats in restaurants and banning iPods and the like while crossing the street are simply the latest.

So true! I miss pre-Giuliani NYC. Now it's all yuppies and Times Square looks like Disneyland

 

[mrowl]

It was all over the news in new york when they first got permission to build it because these public spaces mandated in exchange for building sky scrappers are (were) sacrosanct until Apple got this special permission on the condition that it was to be all glass and preserve the openness of the public area.

ummm... it would be a parking lot if cars could get up there. If you call that a public space, the people of NYC are getting screwed. Do they not know anything about grass? or trees? horrible design.

 

[mrat93]

My guess is that they were just waiting for Daylight Savings Time started/ended (I forget which) so more people would see it. As for taking it down, I have no clue.

 

[motulist]

No offense to anyone in particular, but a lot of you guys are making yourself look pretty foolish to anyone that knows anything about this specific situation in New York. Why don't we just pave over Central Park and turn that into a mall too.

This is legally a public space folks, and it's use belongs to the citizens, not a corporation. Just because it's a company that produces products that we really like doesn't mean we should allow them to steal OUR public spaces.

 

[fastred]

No offense to anyone in particular, but a lot of you guys are making yourself look pretty foolish to anyone that knows anything about this specific situation in New York. Why don't we just pave over Central Park and turn that into a mall too.

This is legally a public space folks, and it's use belongs to the citizens, not a corporation. Just because it's a company that produces products that we really like doesn't mean we should allow them to steal OUR public spaces.

How precious. Really. So its ok to have a massive glass box, but the box can't have a picture on it? Angels on the head of a pin, mate....

 

[mccldwll]

Building should remain transparent if that was the deal. Now, if didn't need to be transparent, how about a giant LCD screen--a couple hundred 30" cinema displays united to create a single image. Better yet, use the transparent "future mac" cinema displays (moc ups have appeared here often). Those screens will be here eventually.