Apple 1984 Commercial

Early in the quarter I put the Apple 1984 commercial (http://www.cnettv.com/9742-1_53-15243.html) forward as one of my favorite ads of all time. I was very suprised at the number of people in the class who had never seen this. Take a look and tell me what you think.

This commercial was incredibly effective because it leveraged a well-known association (George Orwell's 1984, which had been discussed endlessly in the media at that time, because the year 1984 was approaching/just starting) to portray Microsoft (and IBM I think) as purveyors of brainwashed conformity, and the Apple Macintosh (and by extension, those who bought it) as rebellious nonconformists.

Interestingly enough, in the book 1984 I believe the rebel group was actually a government front to indoctrinate/control all the people who didn't conform, to keep genuine dissent from arising. When Microsoft purchased a share in Apple and made agreements to cooperate in some areas, I couldn't help but think about the parallels.

(And no, this is not meant as a cheap shot at Microsoft).