Apple Introduces Three New Mac Ads During Olympics Opening Ceremonies - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Apple Introduces Three New Mac Ads During Olympics Opening Ceremonies

Apple debuted three new ads tonight during the London 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremonies featuring an "Apple Genius" helping a Mac owner on a plane, and another while his wife is giving birth. A third ad features a Genius telling a customer who thought he bought a Mac that he really purchased a knock-off because it doesn't come with iPhoto, iMovie, or GarageBand.


The ads are a departure from previous ad campaigns -- they don't feature products and they don't mention any specific service that Apple offers. Instead, they hint at the training services provided at Apple Retail Stores by the Creatives (Geniuses are used for tech support, rather than training) and the fact that just because a computer looks like a Mac, it isn't necessarily one.

They are also a bit of a throwback to the 'Get a Mac' ads featuring Justin Long and John Hodgman. By emphasizing the personal aspects of Apple's services, it appears that the company is looking to humanize itself and make it less about the products and more about the entire Apple ecosystem, including the personal services offered at the Apple Retail Stores including the Genius Bar and One-to-One training service.

Popular Stories

Dynamic Island iPhone 18 Pro Feature

11 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 18 Pro

Monday May 11, 2026 9:01 am PDT by
We're only four months out from the launch of Apple's premium next-generation smartphone lineup, and while we're not expecting a sea change in terms of functionality, there are still several enhancements rumored to be coming to the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth noting is that Apple is reportedly planning a major change to its iPhone release cycle this year, adopting a...
iOS 26

iOS 26.5 Features: Everything New in iOS 26.5

Monday May 11, 2026 5:09 pm PDT by
Apple released iOS 26.5 after a few months of beta testing, and while it doesn't have the Siri features we were hoping for since those are being held until iOS 27, there are a handful of useful changes worth knowing about. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. End-to-End Encryption for RCS Support for end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for RCS messages between iPhone and...
General Apps Reddit Feature

Reddit Starts Blocking Mobile Website, Pushing Users to App Instead

Monday May 11, 2026 6:10 am PDT by
Social network Reddit recently began blocking mobile visitors to its website while pushing them to download the official Reddit app, and it's fair to say that the move is not going down well with users. If you visit reddit.com on your iPhone today, you may see a new popup that can't be dismissed, asking you to "get the app to keep using Reddit." A Reddit spokesperson told Ars Technica...

Top Rated Comments

wickerman1893 Avatar
180 months ago
Is it just me or are these the first commercials that didn't seem "Steve Jobs like?"
Score: 92 Votes (Like | Disagree)
180 months ago
Tim Cook's taste is bad.
Score: 49 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sputnikv Avatar
180 months ago
these felt sort of like the kind of commercials at&t/verizon/sprint puts out.. it's unsettling
Score: 43 Votes (Like | Disagree)
robgreene Avatar
180 months ago
Is it just me or are these the first commercials that didn't seem "Steve Jobs like?"

Came here to write the exact same thing. Definitely felt like the first deviation away from Jobs vision for the company. Disappointing.
Score: 41 Votes (Like | Disagree)
180 months ago
No offense to the actors but these ads are not that charming. The Mac vs PC ads had a charm to them. These just seem like ads any PC vendor would put out.
Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jlgolson Avatar
180 months ago
I submitted this too, it should be policy that anyone who submits before MacRumors goes to post, should get at least a shout out...

As for the content of the ads, I like them, bout time they give retail some credit. The Genius in the ads I hope is really a Genius and not an actor!
We would have to credit more than a dozen people then! When it's something like this -- an ad that a lot of people see (I saw them myself during the opening ceremonies) -- it's pretty typical for us not to credit.

No offense was intended!
Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)