Gross Apple Marketing • Hacker News Board

Re: Gross Apple Marketing

#101

Post by addicted » Wed, Oct 30, 2024, 2:41 PM UTC

I’m not so sure about the Canonical ad, but the Apple ones are really bad.

I clicked on those thinking that the author may be overstating things but those ads are really really bad.

There’s basically 2 messages they’re promoting (the office worker one seems to be promoting a different message from the other 3).

The first ad: - You’re a loser and Apple Intelligence will make you look like less of a loser in an email. But also people will look at you, see you as the loser you are, and then immediately be suspicious about that email you sent.

The other 3: - Apple Intelligence will make you an even more efficient psychopath and make you great at manipulating loved ones and people who are interested in you.

WTF, Apple. The quality of Apple advertising has taken a huge hit over the past decade or so. But these ads go beyond just the anodyne nature of their previous advertising. This stuff is truly deranged.

Re: Gross Apple Marketing

#102

Post by consf » Wed, Oct 30, 2024, 2:41 PM UTC

devin wrote: post #43

I think this is mostly just a problem of not having good reasons to sell AI products to consumers in the first place. I recently saw some Ray Ban Meta glasses ads. One of them had a guy ask the glasses to describe what was in front of his face, and then he remarked “wow that’s accurate” (there are people skateboarding). The guy wasn’t blind. His use of the glasses made little sense. Another ad has a young man asking…

[dead]

Re: Gross Apple Marketing

#103

Post by consf » Wed, Oct 30, 2024, 2:43 PM UTC

jfoster wrote: post #69

devin wrote: post #43

I think this is mostly just a problem of not having good reasons to sell AI products to consumers in the first place. I recently saw some Ray Ban Meta glasses ads. One of them had a guy ask the glasses to describe what was in front of his face, and then he remarked “wow that’s accurate” (there are people skateboarding). The guy wasn’t blind. His use of the glasses made little sense. Another ad has a young man asking…

No way! There are definitely legitimate use-cases for all of the features demoed in these ads, but Apple's marketing took a darker path. Email to boss: could've been someone who had a genuine struggle with language using it to finally get their boss to notice the effort they put into their work. Remembering a name: could've used it to get the name and left it at them being impressed rather than making it a lie. Summa…

The marketing goes for flashy scenarios

Re: Gross Apple Marketing

#104

Post by cjpearson » Wed, Oct 30, 2024, 2:44 PM UTC

crowcroft wrote: post #84

The Ubuntu animation tells me nothing a short bullet point list couldn't. If you're going to create a video, show me something. Don't just tell Ubuntu is secure and put little boxes around a few icons – show me that Ubuntu is secure. I don't love the Apple ads, but they are at least showing me some evidence of the features they're saying exist in Apple Intelligence.

The comparison is a great example of the "show don't tell" cliche that English teachers love.

Re: Gross Apple Marketing

#105

Post by InDubioProRubio » Wed, Oct 30, 2024, 2:44 PM UTC

BugsJustFindMe wrote: post #65

thrwaway1985882 wrote: post #8

> I’ve watched that little animation several times, and they tell a better story in a minute twenty-five than all of Apple’s AI commercials combined. If I showed that video to someone who isn't steeped in decades of Linux, I suspect they'd ask me what an Ubuntu is. As compared to the "schlub writes an email" video, which was compelling, funny, and actually shows the product they're marketing.

> As compared to the "schlub writes an email" video, which was compelling, funny OP is right, though. What you're calling "compelling" and "funny" seems very much also like messages telling you to that it's ok to lie to everyone around you including your family and friends. That's not a funny message to me. It's an appalling one.

Loneliness is the product that creates more markets to fill the void.

Re: Gross Apple Marketing

#106

Post by transcriptase » Wed, Oct 30, 2024, 2:44 PM UTC

FedEx should licence their model that’s meant to frustrate users into giving up trying to speak to a human.

Earlier it told me that it looked into my parcel tracking details and assured me that it was on schedule for delivery, so it wasn’t able to let me connect to an agent.

Except I hadn’t yet given it any tracking number.

Re: Gross Apple Marketing

#107

Post by [deleted] » Wed, Oct 30, 2024, 2:44 PM UTC

sickofparadox wrote: post #37

ziddoap wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The messaging there is total fear. Buy an Apple Watch or literally die. Also, get them for your children or they will die too. Is there a specific advertisement you're referring to here, or just all apple watch advertisements? I haven't really seen any ads for the apple watch, and I am curious if this is an exaggeration. I'm assuming by "literally" you meant "metaphorically", but I'd like to look up which ad you ar…

I believe this is the ad being described by GP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRwkZWowI8o

[deleted]

Re: Gross Apple Marketing

#108

Post by pjmlp » Wed, Oct 30, 2024, 2:44 PM UTC

solaris152000 wrote: post #78

devin wrote: post #43

I think this is mostly just a problem of not having good reasons to sell AI products to consumers in the first place. I recently saw some Ray Ban Meta glasses ads. One of them had a guy ask the glasses to describe what was in front of his face, and then he remarked “wow that’s accurate” (there are people skateboarding). The guy wasn’t blind. His use of the glasses made little sense. Another ad has a young man asking…

Yesterday I was walking in Greece and saw a sign I couldn't read so asked my Meta glasses and it gave me a translation and short explanation quickly, which was very helpful. But generally, yes the uses aren't there. In the Apple AI video, the worst is that the 'more professional' text, actually reads much less professional. If someone in a business situation sends you an AI generated email (and it's obviously AI it's…

Well as someone that only has a passable knowledge of Greek, my phone has been doing that since at least 5 years now.

Yes AI algorithms are behind it, but hardly something new to brag about in 2024.

Re: Gross Apple Marketing

#109

Post by 10729287 » Wed, Oct 30, 2024, 2:45 PM UTC

devmor wrote: post #34

tw04 wrote: post #2

I’m not sure if the author noticed, but the intent of the commercials is to be humorous. If the image of a middle aged man writing an email like he’s in middle school didn’t tip the author off, I’m not sure what will.

I didn’t think they were humorous. If that was the intention, I question the moral baseline of those who wrote them and those that find them funny. To me they looked bleak, depressing and evocative of a culture that views giving respect to other people as an annoyance that needs an app to make it go away.

Me neither. And it will be funny for some until it's not anymore. I don't like how those, for now, useful ai tools, will dissposses us from our creativity and ability to make things by ourself in the future. It will be fast and hit hard.

Re: Gross Apple Marketing

#110

Post by knallfrosch » Wed, Oct 30, 2024, 2:45 PM UTC

The blog entry suffers from congratulating the mediocre Ubuntu ad, but it's right about the vile Apple ads.

The Apple ads are dystopian and revulsive. She really pulls out her phone while talking to a person and then lies to her face. A wife and mother forgets dad's birthday and smugly "gifts" him 50 auto-playing photos, as shown on her phone screen?