Apple’s New Mac Video Wins The Super Bowl Ad Contest Without Even Trying

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Apple-Mac-ad

Apple was notably absent from the Super Bowl ad slots Sunday, but a new video touting the Mac’s transformative power is quickly making Cupertino the most talked-about company the morning after the big game. The impressive clip continues the Mac’s 30th-anniversary celebration, and it was shot entirely on iPhones in 15 locations across five continents.

Traditionally, one of the biggest talking points after Super Bowl Sunday isn’t the game itself, but who aired the best ad. Some pretty terrific commercials from Budweiser, GoPro, Kia, and even Microsoft captured viewers’ attention during the Seattle Seahawks’ blowout victory yesterday, but if you scroll through your Twitter timeline or check your RSS feeds this morning, it’s likely to be Apple’s new ad that pops up most.

Thematically similar to Microsoft’s “Empowering” ad, Apple’s new video, entitled “1.24.14,” celebrates how technology is giving people tools they can use to change the world.

“Every single day, people are doing incredible things with the Mac and the technology it has inspired,” Apple says on its website. “We couldn’t think of a better way to demonstrate that fact than to capture one of those days unfolding. Or a better day to do it than the 30th birthday of the Mac.”

In the video, we see various Macs being used by archaeologists to create 3-D renders of ancient cities, by students to control little robots, and by designers to craft unique dresses. Apple technology controls bionic limbs, helps children learn about physics and biology, and records an orchestra at work.

But what makes Apple’s ad really special is that it was shot entirely on the iPhone 5s.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJahlKPCL9g

The company sent 15 camera crews to locations all over the globe, where they shot more than 70 hours of footage using just the iPhone. The video was beamed live via FaceTime to a command center in Los Angeles, where director Jake Scott — son of Ridley Scott, who directed Apple’s famous “1984” commercial that set the bar for Super Bowl advertising — could watch every scene.

A team of 21 editors, led by Angus Wall, one of the most sought-after editors in Hollywood, then took the video and pieced it all together.

“From beginning to end, every facet of this production was made possible by innovations that trace their lineage back to the original Macintosh in 1984,” Apple says.

“From the people featured on camera to the devices used to document them. And the millions of people around the world watching the result of that work on their Mac, iPhone, or iPad. It’s a story that began 30 years ago, and it remains one that only Apple can tell.”

This incredible story, coupled with the beautiful video itself, is why we’ve quickly forgotten about all those companies that paid millions of dollars for 60 seconds of Super Bowl airtime — and started talking about Apple instead.

You might not have been thinking about Apple during the big game last night, but you are now.

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