誰ぞタイムマシンを作ってくれないものか — そうすれば10年前に遡って、2004 年の John Gruber に 2014 年の John Gruber がマイクロソフトのプロモーションビデオに主役で出ているといえるのだが・・・
Somebody please build a time machine so we can travel back a decade and tell 2004 John Gruber that 2014 John Gruber would star in a promotional video for Microsoft.
スペシャルゲストの Ed Bottが John Gruber と一緒に、サンフランシスコでのマイクロソフトの Build 開発者会議の聴衆を前にライブでポッドキャストを収録した。トピックは同開発者会議のニュースだけでなく、広く IT 業界におけるマイクロソフトの新しい位置付けなどについても触れる。
Special guest Ed Bott joins John Gruber in an episode recorded in front of a live audience at Microsoft’s Build developer conference in San Francisco. Topics include last week’s news out of the conference — including Windows Phone 8.1 — and a broader look at the new Microsoft and its position in the industry.
サンフランシスコ 49ers とカロライナ Panthers が NFL プレーオフで対決した日曜日、アップルも新しいコマーシャルを引っさげてそこにいた。新 iPad Air をテーマにした初めて大型テレビコマーシャルだ。
When the San Francisco 49ers met the Carolina Panthers in NFL playoff game Sunday, Apple was there. With a brand new ad, its first big broadcast spot touting the new iPad Air.
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「Your Verse Anthem」
「Your Verse Anthem」という1分半のスポットは、アップルが非常に気に入っているリベラルアーツとテクノロジーの交わる所にしっかり根を下ろしている。iPad Air を使う様々な瞬間もきっかりと紹介する。ホッケー戦の分析、風力発電ウインドミルの調整、ハーフタイムショーの振り付け、Lego ロボットの製作、瀑布のビデオ撮影など。これらのすべてのシーンの背後に映画『Dead Poets Society』[邦題:いまを生きる]のナレーションが流れる。欠かすことのできないビジネスやエンジニアリングのような高貴な生業(なりわい)は、詩や美、愛といったものを包含する必要があると訴えるナレーションだ。
Dubbed “Your Verse Anthem,” the 1:30 spot is anchored firmly at that intersection of arts and technology that Apple is so fond of and features scenes of people using the iPad air in precisely those circumstances: Analyzing hockey plays, calibrating windmills, choreographing a halftime show, building a Lego robot, shooting video of a waterfall. All of this is set to a voiceover from the film “Dead Poets Society,” a speech arguing that the need for poetry, beauty and love subsumes the need for noble pursuits like business and engineering, which are themselves essential.
Like many of Apple’s ads, the spot is typically over-reaching, bordering on hyperbolic (recall another iconic Apple advertisement that also debuted during a big football game). But it’s also effective and pretty powerful. It’s hard to look at all these various iPad use cases and not conclude that the iPad and other devices like it are having a transformative effect on our culture. Certainly, that’s the argument Apple is making here.
We don’t read and write poetry because it’s cute.
We read and write poetry, because we are members of the human race.
And the human race is filled with passion.
And medicine, law, business, engineering — these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life.
But poetry, beauty, romance, love — these are what we stay alive for.
“O me, O life of the questions of these recurring.
Of the endless trains of the faithless.
Of cities filled with the foolish.
What good amid these, O me, O life?
Answer: that you are here.
That life exists and identity.
That the powerful play goes on,
and you may contribute a verse.”
「人生も その証しも
力強く 芝居は続く
汝もまた 一節なりと加えよ」
“That the powerful play goes on,
and you may contribute a verse.”
Some people are wondering why Apple didn’t focus more on showing people do simple things, like reading a book, or perhaps entertaining children. I think these people are missing the point of the ad.
To me “Your Verse” shows you can do anything. If you can stand on top of a giant windmill, record a movie, improve your hockey game and compose music, surely you can read a book.
“Your Verse” isn’t just about everyday people, it’s about everyday people doing incredible things with the exact same device we use to surf the Web, FaceTime with family and friends, and send emails.
The twist, of course, is that this kid is different. Far from withdrawn, he’s actually inspired. He’s using technology to give the family a gift from the heart — one that will be treasured for years to come.
It’s a clever concept. The spot relies on our own stereotypes to lead us to an incorrect assumption, setting the stage for the second half of the spot to pull our heartstrings so effectively. Despite its cleverness, the spot feels very real.
The casting is excellent. Absent dialogue, the kid’s character is revealed only through facial expressions and body language. He comes across every bit like the kids we all know.
こんなリアリティーを造り出すには時間とカネと才能がいる。そのどれもたたっぷりと示されているのだ。
Creating reality like this requires time, money and talent — all of which are amply on display.
Of course, we’re talking about Apple here — so there’s no shortage of critics eager to tell us why the commercial fails. Take your pick: it says little about the product, any smartphone can make a movie, or the spot is a depressing statement about human values.
Most of these people mistake their personal opinion, instinct, values and/or taste for actual marketing talent. There are tens of millions of people who will stop in their tracks at this commercial and wipe a tear from their eye. As a result, they will feel slightly more attached to Apple, which is the marketing purpose of this spot.
Far from depressing, this ad is wonderfully optimistic. In the most human terms, it says that the right technology can bring people closer together. It’s a perfect thought for the holidays.
If you want to get a read on the ad’s effectiveness, just Google around a bit. The reactions have been almost universally glowing. In the best of times, that would be impressive enough. But these positive reviews come at the end of a year in which the buzz has not been kind to Apple.
This ad is a holiday card from Cupertino. It lines up perfectly with the values Apple has communicated for years. It’s not about technology — it’s about quality of life.
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芸術的で記憶に残るやり方
伝えんとするところは「Designed by Apple in California」のコマーシャルと同じだが、新しいコマーシャルの方が自分は何百倍も好きだ。前のコマーシャルではなぜアップルがみんなと違うのかということをシンプルに語っていた。新しいコマーシャルでは興味深い話を見せて、結論は見るひとに委ねている。より芸術的で、より記憶に残るやり方だ。
The takeaway is much the same as one gets from the “Designed by Apple in California” ad, but I like it a hundred times more. In that previous effort, Apple simply told us why it is different. This new spot tells an interesting story and lets us draw that conclusion for ourselves. It’s a more artful, more memorable way to make the point.
Once again, Apple demonstrates it’s a different kind of technology company. Most talk about what goes into their phones — Apple shows what we can get out of them.
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たしかに「結論は見るひとに委ねる」という視点はオモシロい。
これだけでは語り尽くせなかったのか、Shawn King のポッドキャスト「Your Mac Life」でもさらに思いを語っている。
その中で誤解されているのは(Misunderstood)アップルそのものを指しているのではないかという Shawn King の指摘もなかなか興味深い。