Apple 1984 Commercial

The Apple 1984 Commercial, which introduced the first Apple Macintosh, is a great graphic description of what just happened between the blogosphere and CBS. For those who don't recall the commercial, a 1984 ( a la Orwell) mass of gray people are shuffling into a large room with a face speaking on a screen, praising the unification of information. A lone runner carrying a sledge hammer runs into the room and hurls the sledge hammer at the screen, exploding it. At the time, Apple was taking on the IBM vision of the future relationship of individuals and computers. IBM foresaw a world in which everyone had a terminal connected to a hugh mainframe, the complete centralization of information. People forget that until Apple, IBM did not manufacture personal computers. They entered into that field, making both Intel and Microsoft Billionaires, in order to cut Apple off at the pass.

Someone should update the Apple commercial substituting a guy in pajamas for the runner and Dan Rather for the face on the screen.

When Apple expanded the market for personal computers it was smashing so much more than the Two Steves could ever have known.

Here is the text for that commerical. Eerily appropriate, eh?


Apple 1984 Commercial: "Text of '1984'
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. Where each worker may bloom secure from the pests of contradictory and confusing truths. Our Unification of Thoughts is more powerful a weapon than any fleet or army on earth. We are one people, with one will, one resolve, one cause. Our enemies shall talk themselves to death and we will bury them with their own confusion. We shall prevail!
"