Talks to Watch

1984 Apple's Macintosh Commercial (HD)

6.5M views · Feb 1, 2012 · 1:00 · 0 HN recommenders · 20 mentions · discussed 2016–2025

The famous 1984 Super Bowl commercial introducing the Apple Macintosh, directed by Ridley Scott and based on Orwell's novel.

Why Hacker News points people here: HN mostly references it as a cultural touchstone, either praised as one of the most powerful ads ever or used ironically to criticize Apple's later behavior.

“This [1] is considered one of the most effective and powerful ads of all-time.”HN comment, 2022

What Hacker News said 20

Cites itcitizensixteenFeb 2016

“Just for fun, the old Apple advertisement.”

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This is a battle humans/technologists have been facing since the advent of paper and pencil. Just for fun, the old Apple advertisement. 1984 Apple's Macintosh Commercial (HD) Video this video

in “Apple’s FBI battle is just the beginning of a reality check for the tech sector” · view on HN
Cites itpjc50May 2019
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The whole point of somewhere like Google is that they don't want people who will do what they're told, because such people are only capable of doing what they're told. You can't order someone to innovate unless they have no other choice. Silicon Valley has spent years setting itself up as an inheritor of the counterculture, a place where it's possible to "think different". Employees are given a share of the business (via a complicated tax shelter of options). Startups want "contributors", people who buy into the idea that they're engaged in a positive-sum contribution to the world rather than just bringing home a paycheck. They provide all sorts of office features to encourage people to "bring their whole self to work". (I could go on, but I expect this thread to be buried) Edit: exhibit A, hollywood social justice warrior proudly being a nuisance, disrupting law abiding citizens with a hammer: this video ; the "1984" Macintosh commercial and its successor "Think Different" link are as close to an official statement of SV founding ideology as you're going to get)

Cites iteindiranAug 2020

“this ad is a parody of the 1984 Apple Macintosh ad”

Original ad that Epic parodied

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In case you haven't seen it (like I hadn't), this ad is a parody of the 1984 Apple Macintosh ad: this video

in “Epic Games releases "Nineteen Eighty-Fortnite" ad” · view on HN
Cites itopen-source-uxAug 2020

“This is the original Apple "1984" commercial (directed by Ridley Scott) that is spoofed by Epic”

Original Ridley Scott directed 1984 ad that Epic spoofed

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This is the original Apple "1984" commercial (directed by Ridley Scott) that is spoofed by Epic: this video In the Apple commercial, "Big Brother" is represented by a domineering IBM. It's rather ironic that Apple has been more closed, guarded and controlling than the PC platform has ever been.

in “Epic has published an in-game Macintosh commercial spoof in response to Apple” · view on HN
Cites itjasomillDec 2020
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Adobe used Myriad as a corporate identity face for nearly a decade before Apple. Garamond has a rather more extensive history, but, suffice it to say that, in terms of typography at least, 1984[1] was not entirely unlike Nineteen Eighty-Four [2]. [1] this video [2] link

Cites itbusymom0Jan 2021
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Enough people need to put pressure on these companies to stop censorship. These companies still care a bit about emails and customer reviews. This is why cancel culture gets away with it because they mass email them to take down and de-platform people. Here's an email template. You can modify it as needed and send it. I sent it to these two emails WHICH ARE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE ON THEIR SITE so I am not doxxing: [email protected] [email protected] ----------- TEMPLATE: I wasn't able to find a specific place to send this feedback so using this email. Please forward to the relevant department. I am a brown immigrant to Canada. I usually don't mention my race but it seems relevant in this topic. I as well as my family own several Apple products including iPhones, MacBooks, Mac Minis etc. Several of us and my friends are also developers for the App Store. I am deeply disappointed in Apple threatening censorship and banning of apps which don't align with Apple staff's views. I understand calls to violence are unacceptable but Apple banning apps like Parler just for political speech which isn't violence is deeply disappointing. I am not sure if you are aware but apps like Twitter, Reddit have and allow porn, illegal porn, and regularly calls to violence. Twitter allows violent terrorists like Antifa, Iranian dictator who calls for assassination and violence to stay on their platform but has banned a democratically elected President just because they disagree with him. Facebook

in “Apple has threatened to ban Parler from the App Store” · view on HN
Cites itDonHopkinsJan 2022
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Don't you hate it when you're an evil big-brother dictator giving a frenzied political rally, with your menacing visage projected onto a gigantic monochromatic screen towering above the audience, in a dystopian, industrial setting in blue and grayish tones, with a line of people of ambiguous gender marching in unison through a long tunnel monitored by a string of television screens, and a full-color nameless running female competitive track and field athlete wearing an athletic "uniform" with red athletic shorts, running shoes, a white tank top with a cubist picture of Apple's Macintosh computer, a white sweat band on her left wrist, and a red one on her right, runs in carrying a large brass-headed sledgehammer, striding past rows of marching minions evoking the opening scenes of Metropolis, while you continue to speak inspiringly to your raptured audience about the first glorious anniversary of the Information Purification Directives, as your four police officers, presumably agents of the Thought Police, wearing black uniforms, protected by riot gear, helmets with visors covering their faces, and armed with large night sticks, chase her towards the large screen with the glaring image of your Big Brother-like facade as you give your speech, and then close to the screen, she hurls her hammer towards it, right at the moment you announce, “we shall prevail!”, gob-smacking you right in the nose, and in a flurry of light and smoke, the screen with your face is destroyed, leaving t

in “Novak Djokovic's Visa Cancelled by Australian Minister for Immigration” · view on HN
Cites itsomenameformeApr 2022

“This [1] is considered one of the most effective and powerful ads of all-time.”

Example of one of the most effective ads of all time, with no product info.

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- The following is based on traditional (television/film/etc) advertising; I am assuming it holds true for internet based advertising. There's some [literal] marketing 101 stuff most people aren't aware of. For large companies the value in marketing isn't really about directly selling you products, but about instilling a positive subconscious perception of a product in your mind. Coke is the classic example. Dominant marketshare, defacto monopoly in many regions, and a loyal customer base. Yet they advertise endlessly and at great cost. The reason is so when you look at a bottle of Coke you don't think 'sugar, heart disease, obese people drink this' but instead 'crisp, cool, refreshing, athletic people drink this'. And it's all subconscious because of course we all consciously know its the former rather than the latter, but advertising can effectively make people do and think things that they might not otherwise. And there is significant research and practice to confirm all of this. Companies aren't just spending out of inertia. This [1] is considered one of the most effective and powerful ads of all-time. It's Apple's 1984 Ad about the first Mac. A 60 second clip with zero information on the product/capabilities, zero information on pricing, etc. And Apple spent big on the ad (which was, for instance, directed by Ridley Scott) and tried to get it out everywhere, including in theaters. It seems like a completely absurd ad, until you understand how advertising works. [1] - [VI

in “A downtick is coming for online advertising” · view on HN
Cites itstevenjgarnerJul 2022
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I like it. What can make a name on that list notable above other names is the plethora of other awards they may have also made - in advertising it would not just be ClIO, but IBA, ADDY, Hatch, New York International, Sunny, Silver Microphone, Mobius, RAC, London International, ANDY, EFFIE, The One Show, not to mention regional awards. A multidimensional matrix of such award winners would indicate true notability. Other factors might also include the notability of the campaign they created - e.g. the famous 1984 Apple Chiat Day commercial [0] - or the top advertising agency revenues. [0] this video

in “A prominent composer lost his Wikipedia page” · view on HN
Cites itavnigoSep 2022
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I would agree on the tone of the latest keynote, but I wouldn't say it's entirely a departure from their 1984 Macintosh commercial: this video

in “Apple used to sell wonder. Now it sells fear” · view on HN
Cites itJamesLeonisMay 2024

Contrasted as a persuasive ad aimed at people wanting freedom.

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All advertising must have these two criteria: 1. Who is this advertisement for? 2. How persuasive is it for that person? Compare and contrast Apple's two other advertising campaigns: the black-and-white dancers for iPod [0], and the 'resistance' 1984 for Macintosh [1]. In the former, the target were people who wanted to have a good time but also highlighted the fashionable white chord that was unique to iPods of the time. It said you could have fun and be cool (if you bought an iPod). In the latter case, the target were people who wanted to be free from soulless computers and express themselves. It said you could have freedom and be unique (if you bought a Macintosh). Now lets compare the newest advertisement. If you are a creator, watching a bunch of the things you like and create destroyed is unsettling. If you like appreciating those creations, then watching a bunch of artwork, games, etc destroyed is unsettling. If you like to preserve things, watching a bunch of well-crafted instruments and technology that last decades destroyed and replaced by a device that barely lasts a few years is unsettling. Every advertisement has one job: Persuade TARGET to do ACTION. Advertising is designed to manipulate your feelings toward this end. This advertisement is not just a flop, but is triggering strong negative feelings in the very target demographic. It became an organic and viral Anti-Marketing campaign for Apple itself. From a marketing perspective I would want to yank and kill th

in “Apple's new ad: a perfect reflection of society” · view on HN
Cites itsome_randomOct 2024
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I don't really think that's true, Apple has always marketed quite aggressively. In fact they invented (or at least popularized) the CEO keynote ad to say nothing of their history of more traditional ads going all the way back to their 1984 ad [1]. As for the AVP, they pretty clearly want it to be a productivity thing as opposed to a video game machine that every other consumer VR product is, which is consistent with their historic ambivalence to video games. In fact, I'd say that it's Zuck et al who are making "Oscar-worthy" VR experiences (or at least enabling them), while Apple's are basic and derivative [2]. [1] this video [2] link

in “Why is Apple so bad at marketing its TV shows?” · view on HN
Cites itPaulHouleOct 2025
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This '1984' Apple ad shows how Freedom is Slavery to the average Joe: this video The original reading is that the bad guys are IBM and people who make you type on the command line and learn assembly language and such but if you roll it up to 2025 maybe the bad guys are the drones who have the latest iPhone and iPad and iWatch and AirPods and iPad Pro and Macbook and Mac Studio and Vision Pro and the real liberators write AVR8 assembly for the Arduino.

in “Ask HN: Why are *most* people not interested in FOSS/OSS and can we change that” · view on HN
CriticalunityByFreedomAug 2021

“company that became famous for an advertisement based on that book”

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> Having said that, having heard from people who have investigated how bad pedophile activity actually is, I can imagine being easily persuaded back in the other direction. There are terrible things out there that we should seek to solve. They should not be solved by creating 1984 in the literal sense, and certainly not by the company that became famous for an advertisement based on that book [1]. Apple, take your own advice and Think Different [2]. [1] this video [2] link

in “Security Threat Model Review of the Apple Child Safety Features [pdf]” · view on HN
CriticalSavageHenryOct 2023
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It still amazes me that Apple can't even be PERCEIVED as somehow criticizing China -- even if Stewart's reporting was going to be factual. Apple, a US-headquartered company and the most valuable in the world, can't have a show on their streaming platform that isn't supportive of China. this video

in “Jon Stewart's Show on Apple Is Ending” · view on HN
CriticalrchaudMar 2024

“They are what they supposedly reviled in the original 1984 commercial for the Mac”

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Apple blocking even the mention of alternative payment options in its app is pathetic. They are what they supposedly reviled in the original 1984 commercial for the Mac [0]. They're even doing "newspeak" in the brazenly self-serving way they attempt to justify these choices. The open web is the metaphorical sledgehammer here. Megacorps need to go back to selling cool hardware as is, instead of $1000 trojan horses for whatever Wall St analyst-approved "service" they can tack on. [0] this video

in “Apple hit with over 1.8B euro EU antitrust fine in Spotify case” · view on HN
CriticalnojvekMay 2024

“Apple has now turned into what they despised.”

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Take the Apple Ad in Contrast to the Microsoft Ad that aired during Super Bowl. The whole time I thought it was an Apple Ad and then it was Microsoft Copilot ad. The made me dream, made me feel I could do more. The ad was about the viewer. link See the Apple Siri Ad - it’s about how the device enhances the viewer to do more. link Apple has now turned into what they despised. I absolutely loved the Epic ad that was a take of the original Apple ad which was based on 1984. Apple - this video Epic - link It’s fair to say if Steve Jobs was still calling shots, this Ad would have never aired. The Ad shows everything wrong with Apple. They’ve become a soulless corporation.

in “Apple apologizes for iPad 'Crush' ad that 'missed the mark'” · view on HN
CriticalrationalistDec 2025
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"You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain." Apple's 1984 Commercial: this video

in “Apple announces more ads are coming to App Store search results” · view on HN
JokeBluesteinOct 2020
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These must be the Information Purification Directives, it seems :) To wit: "Today, we celebrate the first glorious anniversary of the Information Purification Directives. We have created, for the first time in all history, a garden of pure ideology [...]" - this video (Talk about a "walled garden" ...)

in “Apple tells Telegram to take down protestor channels in Belarus” · view on HN
JokeDemocracyFTW2Apr 2025
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> a sentient superintelligence named AM has taken over the earth's resources and exterminated humanity after combining the powers of three US, Soviet, and Chinese supercomputers into one So—we finally get a grasp at who was depicted in that commercial, and what it was all about this video

in “Eric Schmidt Tells Congress That 99% of All Electricity Will Be Used to Power AI” · view on HN