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k2director · Jan 14, 2003, 06:31 PM

Check out today's (Tues, 14th) main section, page A16. A massive photo of the PB 17". Makes it easy to imagine how this baby will look in your lap, or on your desk.

Wouldn't be surprised if the ad doesn't end up in other papers...

seanyepez · Jan 14, 2003, 07:10 PM

I think it works more to intimidate potential customers rather than impress them. The exceptional screen real estate offered by the 17-inch PowerBook must be used in person rather than seen in a paper to be appreciated.

Kenneth · Jan 14, 2003, 07:21 PM

Just like the free poster handed out last week? I have three of them.

I say see the real machine in-person is way better.

seanyepez · Jan 14, 2003, 07:44 PM

I agree. However, they're still too big for me.

MaxPower2k3 · Jan 14, 2003, 07:46 PM

just looked... the thing is huge! i havent seen one in person, but i didnt think it was that large... that would be somewhat inconvenient. doesn't stop me from wanting one

k2director · Jan 14, 2003, 08:02 PM

The ad makes people say "wow" nonetheless, and that counts for a lot. Some people will say "that's too big", others will say "I gotta have it", and that's to be expected when you have a product aimed at a specific group. Either way, it has a lot of impact, and that's good for Apple.

Also, I actually set up the ad next to my Ti, and doing so makes the 17" look not quite to mammoth, when you have something to compare it to.

pjmurphy · Jan 14, 2003, 08:11 PM

That same ad ran in the USAToday and WSJ today. What was cool was the hinge of the PB actually fell right on the fold of the paper so you could cut out the picture and actually position it like you were using it.

Wow, I need to get a life..

Chaaaosss · Jan 14, 2003, 10:46 PM

You wonder how many people actually stand up, pay attention, and buy one of these things when they see the ad in the back of the Wall Street Journal and USA Today. Who the hell are they targeting? Meanwhile, layoffs. It just feels like Apple could do so much more with less than traditional advertising like guerilla marketing. This whole spending binge they always go on -- I sometimes really wonder if it helps more than hurts considering the ridiculous cost of the premium ad space they always seem to require.

The Ginger Rat · Jan 15, 2003, 12:42 PM

Originally posted by Chaaaosss:
You wonder how many people actually stand up, pay attention, and buy one of these things when they see the ad in the back of the Wall Street Journal and USA Today. Who the hell are they targeting? Meanwhile, layoffs. It just feels like Apple could do so much more with less than traditional advertising like guerilla marketing. This whole spending binge they always go on -- I sometimes really wonder if it helps more than hurts considering the ridiculous cost of the premium ad space they always seem to require.

If anything, I don't think Apple advertises enough, and certainly not in non-Mac publications. Certainly they don't have anywhere near the carpetbombing of newspapers that Dell has.

OTOH, I can be surprised by where I see an ad. I was at the grocery and looked up at the magazine rack right into Janie Porche's face. The Switch as was on the back cover of Good Housekeeping or something like that. Not exactly where I would have expected it.

urrl5201 · Jan 15, 2003, 01:33 PM

I could use a laptop this size. I do not fly, and the laptop is used mainly to edit video, watch DVD movies, and surf the net. This laptop is geared to a group of people like myself, who care less than others about mobility. Why put down Apple for making different size options for different people? Other manufacturers like Eurocom, Sager and Sony have been doing it for years.
I could just as easily go for the lesser powered 12" or better yet just wait for the new 15.4 inch Alumium. It's all good.

RT3434 · Jan 15, 2003, 03:38 PM

Originally posted by The Ginger Rat:
If anything, I don't think Apple advertises enough, and certainly not in non-Mac publications. Certainly they don't have anywhere near the carpetbombing of newspapers that Dell has.

OTOH, I can be surprised by where I see an ad. I was at the grocery and looked up at the magazine rack right into Janie Porche's face. The Switch as was on the back cover of Good Housekeeping or something like that. Not exactly where I would have expected it.

Approach is always debatable. Bottom line: money, and you want to max out the benefits for each dollar you spent on marketing. I think they get good bang for the buck in mass advertising. The problem I have is that the Mac has always been a highly specialized platform, but their modern advertising has never reflected that, only targeting neophytes (not a bad word, everyone has been one at some point).

I'd be happy if they had a splinter approach where they would also gear towards advanced users. You know, the ones who install the Developers CD or at least know what's on it. Something that could be done with terminal would be cool, like a guy reading a webpage. Suddenly he screams, "WHOA!!!!". We see him copy and paste some text into a semi-transparent terminal window. He hits the return key and a cool screensaver starts underneath his desktop with a Quicktime movie playing in a window. "Whoa." OS X.

Leonard · Jan 15, 2003, 04:19 PM

Originally posted by The Ginger Rat:
If anything, I don't think Apple advertises enough, and certainly not in non-Mac publications. Certainly they don't have anywhere near the carpetbombing of newspapers that Dell has.

I have to agree. I don't think Apple advertises enough in common publications. I have to say I was wow'ed when I opened up my Nov. 29 issue of Cumputing Canada and found a 2-page add of the Xserve (I think the Xserve was shown full size too). Apple needs to advertise more like this to allow the IT folk to see what they're missing. Maybe they'll also make an impression on the IT managers who approve purchases.

slffl · Jan 15, 2003, 04:23 PM

I just went and looked at the ad. I must say I was pleasantly surprised. I thought with the keyboard being so far forward, that the screen would tend to be too close for comfortable view. However, if the screen in the ad was set to the native resolution, then I found it to be very nice viewing. Also, it's 2 inches wider, .5in thinner, and the same depth as the current Gateway laptop I'm using now.

Podolsky · Jan 15, 2003, 04:47 PM

Originally posted by Chaaaosss:
You wonder how many people actually stand up, pay attention, and buy one of these things when they see the ad in the back of the Wall Street Journal and USA Today. Who the hell are they targeting? Meanwhile, layoffs. It just feels like Apple could do so much more with less than traditional advertising like guerilla marketing. This whole spending binge they always go on -- I sometimes really wonder if it helps more than hurts considering the ridiculous cost of the premium ad space they always seem to require.

Apple has a huge cash position. Apple needs these kind of products. These products need those kinds of ads. That is how Apple generates the huge cash position.........It's a vicious cycle - enjoy the ride.