Latest news with #OneMoreThing
CNET
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- CNET
Apple Ads Aren't Cool Anymore. Here's What I Think Changed.
Nothing about Apple's latest promotional video felt like Apple. For over 7 minutes, an awkward comedian explains to a sleepy audience of disinterested teens that the only way parents will buy them an expensive MacBook for college is to make a convincing PowerPoint business presentation. Problem was, the presentation wasn't convincing -- and it was hard to tell who the video was even targeting. Do the parents that raised the iPad generation need to be swayed to buy Apple products? Or was Apple trying to sway the students who use Chromebooks for classwork? The video was posted a week ago on Friday, as a kickoff to the back-to-school shopping season, and I wasn't the only one calling it cringy on social media. The following day, Apple took the video down. A downloadable version of the presentation template, which is 81 slides long, is still available on Apple's page for college students. But taking down ads now is becoming a pattern for Apple. Since May of last year, Apple has removed four different problematic marketing videos, a mix of commercials and short films. In this week's episode of One More Thing (embedded above), I wanted to take a broader look at some of Apple's more recent advertising campaigns. What is making some of these modern ads duds compared to the iconic commercials of Apple's past? Why was the company known for being cooler than everyone now coming off so uncool? Think back to of some of the best Apple commercials: silhouetted dancers rocking out with an iPod, Jeff Goldblum laughing at how easy it is to set up an iMac, the iPhone always just having "an app for that," the punchy banter from the "I'm a Mac I'm a PC" duo, or even the Macintosh's conformity-smashing "1984" ad. In the Apple ads I grew up with, Apple's message is always just showing you why it's cool and punching down at the corporate competition for being more difficult. But when we look at more recent ads, Apple appears to be punching down at people who just aren't cool enough to get it. The girl who asks "What's a computer?" makes it seem like we're the fools for calling an iPad a computer. In Apple Intelligence "Genius" commercials, slackers in an office get away with not preparing for their jobs -- but I guess we're all the fools for not noticing and actually putting in the work. Or in the case of the recently pulled "Parent Presentation," parents are fools who don't think the Mac is a good deal. So kids can sway them easily with business speak. If you watch this week's episode, I do offer some advice if you're trying to convince your parents to buy a MacBook for college. It doesn't have to be that complicated to make a good case for a great laptop. And hopefully Apple's future ads can get back to just showing us why life is easier with a Mac and Apple products by poking at Windows or Google machines -- instead of poking at people. If you're looking for more One More Thing, subscribe to our YouTube page to catch Bridget Carey breaking down the latest Apple news and issues every Friday.
CNET
12-06-2025
- CNET
These 3 iOS Updates Are a Bigger Deal than Liquid Glass
Ever since downloading an early developer beta preview of iOS 26, my iPhone has more bounce, warble and bloop about it. The design changes coming to Apple gadgets have been a hot topic on social media. The new operating systems are adopting an interface style called Liquid Glass, revealed this week at the Worldwide Developers Conference, which transforms menus, apps and buttons into something of translucent jelly... with spunk. But if you can see past the clear icons, there are other updates coming to iOS 26 that matter more to our day-to-day lives. Taking a screenshot of a party invite can instantly put it in your calendar. Maps can suggest route changes without you asking for driving directions. And robots can intercept phone calls -- or jump into the conversation as a live language translator. In this week's episode of One More Thing, which you can watch in the video embedded above, I take an early poke at some of these new features and share questions I have about how it will perform when released to the public. Apple is still months away from finalizing the software, but perhaps I'm most curious about how folks will embrace the assistive tools (and if they will be accurate). Or maybe we'll just be too distracted by clear bouncy buttons to notice. If you're looking for more One More Thing, subscribe to our YouTube page to catch Bridget Carey breaking down the latest Apple news and issues every week.
Express Tribune
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Lea Michele addresses 'can't read' rumours on Jake Shane's podcast, says Ryan Murphy was the one who first told her
Lea Michele has addressed the persistent online rumour claiming she cannot read, revealing that it was Glee creator Ryan Murphy who first brought the viral meme to her attention. Appearing on the Therapuss podcast with Jake Shane, Michele shared that Murphy once called her directly to ask if she had seen what was circulating. 'Ryan called me and was like, 'Have you heard this rumour?' And I was like, 'No, what's going on!'' she said on the podcast. The rumour originated in 2017 on the One More Thing podcast, where hosts Jaye Hunt and Robert Ackerman jokingly dissected anecdotes from Naya Rivera's memoir Sorry Not Sorry. Rivera had written that Michele avoided improvisation on the Glee set. The hosts speculated that Michele memorised scripts due to an inability to read, and the theory gained unexpected traction online. Michele previously refuted the rumour during a 2018 appearance on Watch What Happens Live, explaining, 'They said that Ryan Murphy would have to read the lines to me. Ryan called me and was like, 'Do people think I have the time in my life to come do this?'' In a 2022 interview with The New York Times, Michele called the rumour 'sad' and suggested that the scrutiny might not have existed if she were a man. Although initially frustrated, the Funny Girl star has since responded with humour. While the rumour has been widely debunked, Michele's decision to laugh along has helped reframe the conversation around it.
