WHEN APPLE’S WORDS WORK
they’re insanely great.
Steve Jobs, obvs.
Steve Jobs was famously picky about everything Apple did. He was also good with words.
In 1984, when he introduced the world to a computer far lighter than its IBM competitors, the Macintosh spoke these words: “never trust a computer you can’t lift”. No empty marketing copy for Mr Jobs, thank you very much.
Now every Tesco supermarket in the country greets you with ‘hello’, but a computer saying it was revolutionary in 1984.
Apple has always been good at translating technical specs into clear, everyday words and benefits. They’re famous for pitching iPods as “10,000 songs in your pocket”.
Twenty years on, they’ve still got it. “4K HDR video with Dolby Vision” might work for a few techie people, but as soon as you tell me I “own a film studio”, boom, I’m sold.
When the idea’s tight – often in their ad campaigns – Apple’s writers still have a lot of fun (this is a shot from iPhone 13 Pro’s ‘detectives’ ad, but see also 2023’s ‘Mother Nature’ ad).
If the Macintosh made tech warmer and easier to understand in 1984, the Apple team keeps up the good work 40 years on.
AND NOW
THIS...
Nice store. So sleek. So swish. So… quiet. Shhh!
Apple is a visual brand, we get that. But the words they do use could work much harder for them. Here are some, picked at random: “In with the new. Discover fresh new colours for your favourite accessories”. That could be any brand, anywhere.
THE PUNS HAVE BEEN DONE. AND DONE. AND DONE.
True story: Apple’s writers love a pun (ProMotion, Let’s Pro) and full-stops. If it rhymes, all the better (Lean. Mean. M3 Machine.). But where do you go from here?
We’re worried Apple will run out of puns.
Uh oh: Newphoria?
Luckily, Mr Cook, we have a plan.