New Apple iMac/iTunes Commercial Says That "Radio Still Sucks!"

by , 11:15 AM EST, February 26th, 2001

Apple has added five iMac and iTunes commercials to the Apple Web site for your viewing enjoyment. The new ads all center around the "Visual" display tool built into iTunes and feature songs from Bach, U2, a funky song that we aren't sure who made, a cover of the Smiths' "How Soon Is Now?," and The Ataris' song "the Radio Still Sucks." The latter commercial ends with the band extolling that the "radio still sucks!" with the word sucks appearing as the Apple logo appears. Strange timing, but you have to admire Apple's courage in using the "S" word in national advertising.

The commercials message is a combination of the visual impact of the Visual tool, the song chosen for the commercial, and a text message. Each commercial closes with a product shot of either the Blue Dalmation or Flower Power iMac that lets the viewer know the "visual" was being created on the iMac.

• The Bach commercial says that Bach is complex, while burning your own CD isn't.
• The Ataris commercial focuses on the ability to make your own mix CDs that don't suck.
• The U2 commercial asks if you have ever wondered what a CD looks like when it burn.
• The funky commercial says that you can "burn a CD like it ain't no thing."
• The cover of "How Soon is Now?" says "Rip MP3s, burn CDs, fast."

Visually stunning and attention grabbing, the quality of the QuickTime files Apple has posted is quite good. You can see them all at Apple's hardware ad site. We would like to thank the Observers who wrote to us about the ads being added to Apple's site.

The Mac Observer Spin:

Clearly these commercials lack any substance, and it appears as if it is time your editor wrote a lengthy diatribe about just how much Apple's commercials "suck!" At least Jeff Goldblum does not make an appearance, and we can all count our blessings for that.

These commercials are aimed at distinctly different markets and will likely be shown on TV shows with their specific demographics. That may seem obvious, but Apple has seldom offered such selectively targeted advertising in the past.

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