How Apple Lost Its Cool (And How It Can Get It Back)

Has Apple lost its cool factor

When was the last time you saw a truly unforgettable Apple ad

Well, that sounds like a challenge. Steve Jobs built Apple into an empire by making advertising history

turning laptops and MP3 players into status symbols. But on the eve of another iPhone launch

it's been a decade since Apple made a really classic commercial. Hey Siri, take a selfie

In fact, the biggest ad of the Tim Cook era has been the 2024 crush ad, which people hated

So how did Apple go from the rebellious tech underdog to being exactly the kind of giant corporate monopoly

it used to mock? Well, it turns out you can chart 40 years of Apple history

through just seven commercials. So here's how Apple lost its cool factor

and how they can get it back. Let's go all the way back to 1984. Director Ridley Scott drops this iconic Super Bowl spot

The dystopian sci-fi ad, it's still being referenced today in shows like Bob's Burgers

It positioned Apple as the original tech disruptor. With this ad, Apple didn't just introduce the Macintosh to the world

It positioned itself as the rebel alliance fighting IBM corporate drudgery. Fast forward to 1997, Apple's on the verge of bankruptcy when Steve Jobs returns

We get the Think Different ad. Here's to the crazy ones. the misfits the rebels there isn't a single product in this entire ad and while plastering

gandhi and martin luther king jr next to an apple logo seems deeply problematic today not to mention

just super cringy in 1997 it was pure genius you know and think different apple is no longer a

failing computer company no apple is a visionary brand with a mission mindset Self Yeah absolutely But also genuinely unique A year later it 1998

We get the colors, yum ads, promoting the translucent, candy-colored iMac. After a decade

of blocky beige 90s PCs, Apple put stylish design, color front and center. You know

It was a reminder that technology could be playful, it could be exciting, it could be fun

Then in 2003, the iPod Silhouettes campaign cranked this aesthetic-focused approach up to 11

No, now Apple is no longer a mere computer brand. It's a lifestyle brand

Millennials will remember just how quickly the iPod became absolutely ubiquitous. Whether you were an indie rocker, an emo scene kid, a 90s hip-hop fan, everyone had an iPod

Apple at the time was a genuine cultural phenomenon. Its products were status symbols, especially for young people

Finally, how can we forget the classic? Hello, I'm a Mac. And I'm a PC

Beginning in 2006 and continuing for years with dozens of commercials, actor Justin Long personified Mac computers

This is when Apple products were just undeniably cool. You know, they're the weapon of choice for creative millennials

Windows computers were the butt of the joke, and they kind of stayed that way

The ads were pretty devastating for Windows reputation, but somehow never felt mean-spirited

Max number one! What? Max number one! It was a neat little trick

So, decades later, Windows PCs are still stuck with that kind of stuffy reputation Apple gave them

and hello, I'm a Mac. Never ends in 2009 We got the famous there an app for that iPhone commercial Yep there an app for just about anything only on the iPhone

Under Steve Jobs' leadership, the iPhone would go on to crush the competition

Today, Apple is going to reinvent the phone. And we are calling it iPhone

It killed the BlackBerry. It became the phone, right? It also marked a shift for Apple

You know, shift away from being, you know, mostly a hardware company and towards establishing a real app store monopoly

And then, you know, after that, we have there. There was the ad with The Rock and Siri and they were doing stuff together

Hey, Siri, show me my life goals list. I found 10 reminders. and to be honest we haven't had a really truly famous apple ad in almost two decades with one

major exception and it's not a good exception 2024's the crush the most hated apple ad ever made

to market the ultra thin ipad pro this tone deaf ad showed musical instruments like pianos

paint cans, cameras, sculptures, tchotchkes being crushed by this hydraulic press. So the message was supposed to be everything you need in one device

But what it really made us think was who the hell approved this idea

It wasn't cool. It was like straight up capitalist dystopia, right? You know, Apple, instead of making a classic ad that people will remember for decades

they made really just like the perfect metaphor for big tech, you know, just crushing the life out of creativity

and the little guy right It also captured you know Apple kind of identity crisis You know it lack of identity You know it no longer the underdog It no longer the rebel or the visionary It a corporate giant just like IBM like Google like Microsoft before it

What I found is rather than anarchy, I found people that can't wait to fall into line behind a good strategy

There just hasn't been one. Steve Jobs may be the leader people most associate with Apple

But Tim Cook is the guy who built the Apple we know today

Under Cook, Apple has become this extraordinarily successful, massive behemoth. You know, Cook really turned Apple into a multi-trillion dollar corporate juggernaut

Today, yes, Apple makes elite products. Yes, those products are still status symbols

And yes, millions of us are terrified of losing our blue chat bubbles

but Apple also hasn't had an iPod-like sensation in a long time

So as Tim Cook steps aside from John Ternus on September 1st

Apple's brand could use a bit of a restart. So what does come next

John Ternus is a hardware guy. A lot of people are really hoping he kicks off a new era

with some genuinely exciting new products, maybe brings a more jobs-y envision to the company

something it's kind of been lacking. Apple's recent ads for the Mac Mini, the MacBook Neo, they've definitely been more playful

They've had more color. They felt more fun. But there's also a really, really high bar here

You know, Ternus is going to have to do something very special to really leave a mark in Apple's

history. Now, let's turn our attention to the next chapter. What do you think Apple will look

like in the Ternus era? What's your favorite Apple ad from all time? Let us know in the comments

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