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Apple Pulls 'Convince Your Parents to Get You a Mac' Ad from YouTube

41 points by fortran77 1y ago

xattt 1y ago
Are kids these days even sensitive to “edgy” marketing anymore?
- fred_is_fred 1y ago
  No. My kids loathe ads - to the point that they would rather do anything but watch shows with ads, including watching other shows or watching Instagram/TikTok instead of(which have ads but don't "feel" like ads to them).
  - 9rx 1y ago
    Conversely, my kids get upset with me when I skip past ads. "Hey! I wanted to see that", I hear.
- nancyminusone 1y ago
  Yes, but they would recognize this as cringe, not edgy. There's not even any swearing or porn!
- hotmeals 1y ago
  It's quirky at best.
parliament32 1y ago
They're right, it is cringe.
- ChrisRR 1y ago
  To be fair, a lot of apple advertising comes off as cringe. I mean the whole "I'm a mac" campaign really cemented their style as fart huffing
fortran77 1y ago
My kid's going to get a Windows ARM laptop, just to spite Apple.
- ThrowawayTestr 1y ago
  Don't torture your child just to get one over on a company.
  - garciasn 1y ago
    I just don’t understand the thinking. MacOS and Apple hardware are far superior to Windows in every conceivable way except price in the immediate; but, Apple hardware is superior in price over time as the machine will last longer and have better performance for many more years than a Windows PC. All because they had a stupid marketing event. Sheesh.
    - anon7000 1y ago
      Plus an Apple device has meaningful resale value in 5+ years.
    - simmerup 1y ago
      The hardware is superior but the software is not
    - cosmicgadget 1y ago
      It's tough to put a price tag on never entering the Apple ecosystem.
    - jajuuka 1y ago
      Don't choke on Apple's boots. Leave some for the rest of us.
    - parliament32 1y ago
      I'm trying to figure out whether this is satire or not. You do understand that the user-facing business world runs on Windows for a reason, right? Just like the not-user-facing business world runs on Linux, also for a reason. Letting a child learn nothing but Apple products is a recipe for disaster when they're looking for their first real job.
joshstrange 1y ago
Ehh, I just watched about half of it. It’s way better than their stupid ad where they smashed musical instruments (a low bar, I know). I didn’t find it particularly egregious, a little cringe but so are most commercials. I don’t think this really deserves the blowback. The truth is, a Mac is probably best for most college students. I had to make my case for why my parents should buy me a Mac for college (in an all-windows family) and was successful. My dad worked in tech, thought the MacBook was overrated, and loved windows (at the time). A few years later my dad got my sister one when she went to college and again a few years after that when the other sister went. He later told me “That was the best decision I ever made, you know how many calls I got about issues with their computers? Zero”. Contrast that with rebuilding the family windows computer at least once a year due to some virus/spyware/malware that was infecting it when they lived at home. MacBooks also hold their value well and are well made (butterfly keyboards notwithstanding). They are great value for the cost. I paid ~$1,000 for my first Mac and it got me through college without issue while I had friends who bought the bargain bin windows $400-500 machine and very few if any of them survived 4 years, the ones that did had batteries that didn’t last or parts literally falling off them. Things may have improved in the subsequent 15 years (I don’t think they could’ve gotten worse on the window side) but I still recommend people get a Mac unless they have some software that they need that can’t run on it (normally only specialized things). For most people and in most cases it really does “just work”.
- xhkkffbf 1y ago
  I've had the best luck with a used Chromebook that I purchased on eBay for $100 or so. It's not like I had to install any software for my classes. It was all Google docs and sheets. And I didn't worry about someone stealing it.
  - BanazirGalbasi 1y ago
    It really depends on what you're doing with your computer. For all of my computer science classes, a Chromebook would not have been sufficient. We did have a remote desktop server we could log into that had most of the tools we needed, but I don't even know if RDP runs well on a Chromebook. Even then, I found that I preferred developing locally so I didn't have to deal with shared computer bandwidth, which means a Chromebook would be completely inadequate. For some of my friends outside of STEM degrees, a Chromebook would have (mostly) been fine. Given that our laptops were a major source of entertainment for us at the time, I think something with enough power for indie gaming and HD video is a must.
cosmicgadget 1y ago
"Hey kids, Apple here - you know, the cool company. All your favorite musicians and influencers use our products. And you know what's just as cool as the latest social media trend? Giving a powerpoint presentation to your parents." Which of these guys (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Get_a_Mac https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Get_a_Mac) would throw a slide deck at their parents and which would buy his own laptop from the money he made filming skateboarding videos with his amazing iphone 18 camera?
- firstplacelast 1y ago
  While I agree with you, in high-school a buddy of mine was going on a weekend trip a couple states away and made a whole power point presentation to another friend's parents to convince them to allow their daughter to go. He also gave a very memorable and completely inane speech to our entire school that involved him stomping on a loaf of bread while running for student council (and won). The coolness isn't so much in the tools as the way they are used.
andiareso 1y ago
I actually thought it was pretty hilarious. It's supposed to be ridiculous. (Am a parent and also own Macs). [EDIT]: Archived Version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHFUmPbODbI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHFUmPbODbI
- hotmeals 1y ago
  The idea is... okay, but it's way too long so the joke gets old and starts sounding kinda fucked up. When a kid does the "buy me a PS5" powerpoint on his own it's cute, this looks more like MLM training.
- perilunar 1y ago
  > Video unavailable > This video contains content from Apple, who has blocked it on copyright grounds
bitwize 1y ago
Is this really so much worse than the Dell ad from the late nineties in which "Steven" (Ben Curtis) did the same thing? https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oJxTHMygpDY https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oJxTHMygpDY

41 points by fortran77 1y ago

xattt 1y ago

Are kids these days even sensitive to “edgy” marketing anymore?

fred_is_fred 1y ago
No. My kids loathe ads - to the point that they would rather do anything but watch shows with ads, including watching other shows or watching Instagram/TikTok instead of(which have ads but don't "feel" like ads to them).
- 9rx 1y ago
  Conversely, my kids get upset with me when I skip past ads. "Hey! I wanted to see that", I hear.
nancyminusone 1y ago
Yes, but they would recognize this as cringe, not edgy. There's not even any swearing or porn!
hotmeals 1y ago
It's quirky at best.

parliament32 1y ago

They're right, it is cringe.

ChrisRR 1y ago
To be fair, a lot of apple advertising comes off as cringe. I mean the whole "I'm a mac" campaign really cemented their style as fart huffing

fortran77 1y ago

My kid's going to get a Windows ARM laptop, just to spite Apple.

ThrowawayTestr 1y ago
Don't torture your child just to get one over on a company.
- garciasn 1y ago
  I just don’t understand the thinking. MacOS and Apple hardware are far superior to Windows in every conceivable way except price in the immediate; but, Apple hardware is superior in price over time as the machine will last longer and have better performance for many more years than a Windows PC. All because they had a stupid marketing event. Sheesh.
  - anon7000 1y ago
    Plus an Apple device has meaningful resale value in 5+ years.
  - simmerup 1y ago
    The hardware is superior but the software is not
  - cosmicgadget 1y ago
    It's tough to put a price tag on never entering the Apple ecosystem.
  - jajuuka 1y ago
    Don't choke on Apple's boots. Leave some for the rest of us.
  - parliament32 1y ago
    I'm trying to figure out whether this is satire or not. You do understand that the user-facing business world runs on Windows for a reason, right? Just like the not-user-facing business world runs on Linux, also for a reason. Letting a child learn nothing but Apple products is a recipe for disaster when they're looking for their first real job.

joshstrange 1y ago

Ehh, I just watched about half of it. It’s way better than their stupid ad where they smashed musical instruments (a low bar, I know). I didn’t find it particularly egregious, a little cringe but so are most commercials. I don’t think this really deserves the blowback. The truth is, a Mac is probably best for most college students. I had to make my case for why my parents should buy me a Mac for college (in an all-windows family) and was successful. My dad worked in tech, thought the MacBook was overrated, and loved windows (at the time). A few years later my dad got my sister one when she went to college and again a few years after that when the other sister went. He later told me “That was the best decision I ever made, you know how many calls I got about issues with their computers? Zero”. Contrast that with rebuilding the family windows computer at least once a year due to some virus/spyware/malware that was infecting it when they lived at home. MacBooks also hold their value well and are well made (butterfly keyboards notwithstanding). They are great value for the cost. I paid ~$1,000 for my first Mac and it got me through college without issue while I had friends who bought the bargain bin windows $400-500 machine and very few if any of them survived 4 years, the ones that did had batteries that didn’t last or parts literally falling off them. Things may have improved in the subsequent 15 years (I don’t think they could’ve gotten worse on the window side) but I still recommend people get a Mac unless they have some software that they need that can’t run on it (normally only specialized things). For most people and in most cases it really does “just work”.

xhkkffbf 1y ago
I've had the best luck with a used Chromebook that I purchased on eBay for $100 or so. It's not like I had to install any software for my classes. It was all Google docs and sheets. And I didn't worry about someone stealing it.
- BanazirGalbasi 1y ago
  It really depends on what you're doing with your computer. For all of my computer science classes, a Chromebook would not have been sufficient. We did have a remote desktop server we could log into that had most of the tools we needed, but I don't even know if RDP runs well on a Chromebook. Even then, I found that I preferred developing locally so I didn't have to deal with shared computer bandwidth, which means a Chromebook would be completely inadequate. For some of my friends outside of STEM degrees, a Chromebook would have (mostly) been fine. Given that our laptops were a major source of entertainment for us at the time, I think something with enough power for indie gaming and HD video is a must.

cosmicgadget 1y ago

"Hey kids, Apple here - you know, the cool company. All your favorite musicians and influencers use our products. And you know what's just as cool as the latest social media trend? Giving a powerpoint presentation to your parents." Which of these guys (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Get_a_Mac https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Get_a_Mac) would throw a slide deck at their parents and which would buy his own laptop from the money he made filming skateboarding videos with his amazing iphone 18 camera?

firstplacelast 1y ago
While I agree with you, in high-school a buddy of mine was going on a weekend trip a couple states away and made a whole power point presentation to another friend's parents to convince them to allow their daughter to go. He also gave a very memorable and completely inane speech to our entire school that involved him stomping on a loaf of bread while running for student council (and won). The coolness isn't so much in the tools as the way they are used.

andiareso 1y ago

I actually thought it was pretty hilarious. It's supposed to be ridiculous. (Am a parent and also own Macs). [EDIT]: Archived Version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHFUmPbODbI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHFUmPbODbI

hotmeals 1y ago
The idea is... okay, but it's way too long so the joke gets old and starts sounding kinda fucked up. When a kid does the "buy me a PS5" powerpoint on his own it's cute, this looks more like MLM training.
perilunar 1y ago
> Video unavailable > This video contains content from Apple, who has blocked it on copyright grounds

bitwize 1y ago

Is this really so much worse than the Dell ad from the late nineties in which "Steven" (Ben Curtis) did the same thing? https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oJxTHMygpDY https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oJxTHMygpDY