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This Apple Commercial Was Too Self-Congratulatory To Run

29 points by sparshgupta 14y ago

emehrkay 14y ago
Frox is clearly what apple tv will be (the remote situation)
- twoodfin 14y ago
  I don't think so. You'll notice that at the 1:30 mark he's switched from using the remote to the mouse. The pointer/cursor interface, even 20 years later, just doesn't work well when you're aiming at a screen occupying a (relatively) smallish span of your field of vision from 8-20 feet away, potentially at an angle. My guess is that speech removes the need for typing, and everything else is via a one button remote with a whole host of gesture "smarts". Imagine flicking your wrist up to scroll and you'll have the idea.
  - sparshgupta 14y ago
    Another issue I see with my LG TV with similar smart remote (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4sysDhtezk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4sysDhtezk) is that I can use it to toggle on big interfaces, but when it comes to checking emails / playing music with smallish interface buttons, getting the remote to point exactly where I want from a distance is a challenge. Ofcourse I want to cover the complete 42" TV screen within 2-4" motion from my remote from 7-10feet away
twoodfin 14y ago
I thought that was great. Their excitement turned out to be well-deserved. Frankly, it's not half as self-congratulatory as the typical Apple new product videos today[1], with Jony Ive and Bob Mansfield tossing around the "genuinely new", "whole new world of design", "very best", "extraordinary" superlatives. [1] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Neff9scaCCI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Neff9scaCCI
- michaelcampbell 14y ago
  And coupled with the fact that in 1984 the Mac WAS all those things, unlike today.
tambourine_man 14y ago
A bad title for two great videos
mindstab 14y ago
The part where Mike Murray talks about it shifting the balance of power from "Companies running people to hopefully people running companies" is ironic considering how Jobs ran Apple once he got back.
- hcarvalhoalves 14y ago
  While I agree with you, the Mac (also the Amiga, and in a broader sense, the personal computer) enabled a lot of new professions too: graphical designers, video producers, photographers, musicians, anyone relying on CAD (engineers, architects), etc. Suddenly, all those people had a powerful tool to work with at a more affordable price. I believe that's what Murray was referring to, and I would say they were successful at that.

29 points by sparshgupta 14y ago

emehrkay 14y ago

Frox is clearly what apple tv will be (the remote situation)

twoodfin 14y ago
I don't think so. You'll notice that at the 1:30 mark he's switched from using the remote to the mouse. The pointer/cursor interface, even 20 years later, just doesn't work well when you're aiming at a screen occupying a (relatively) smallish span of your field of vision from 8-20 feet away, potentially at an angle. My guess is that speech removes the need for typing, and everything else is via a one button remote with a whole host of gesture "smarts". Imagine flicking your wrist up to scroll and you'll have the idea.
- sparshgupta 14y ago
  Another issue I see with my LG TV with similar smart remote (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4sysDhtezk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4sysDhtezk) is that I can use it to toggle on big interfaces, but when it comes to checking emails / playing music with smallish interface buttons, getting the remote to point exactly where I want from a distance is a challenge. Ofcourse I want to cover the complete 42" TV screen within 2-4" motion from my remote from 7-10feet away

twoodfin 14y ago

I thought that was great. Their excitement turned out to be well-deserved. Frankly, it's not half as self-congratulatory as the typical Apple new product videos today[1], with Jony Ive and Bob Mansfield tossing around the "genuinely new", "whole new world of design", "very best", "extraordinary" superlatives. [1] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Neff9scaCCI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Neff9scaCCI

michaelcampbell 14y ago
And coupled with the fact that in 1984 the Mac WAS all those things, unlike today.

tambourine_man 14y ago

A bad title for two great videos

mindstab 14y ago

The part where Mike Murray talks about it shifting the balance of power from "Companies running people to hopefully people running companies" is ironic considering how Jobs ran Apple once he got back.

hcarvalhoalves 14y ago
While I agree with you, the Mac (also the Amiga, and in a broader sense, the personal computer) enabled a lot of new professions too: graphical designers, video producers, photographers, musicians, anyone relying on CAD (engineers, architects), etc. Suddenly, all those people had a powerful tool to work with at a more affordable price. I believe that's what Murray was referring to, and I would say they were successful at that.