Genius: Out Appled? Edition



[DISCLAIMER: This post was written by a dyed in the wool, multi mac owning, even still has two newtons, bordering on stalkerish, Apple fan, on his Macbook Air.]

No one can argue Steve Jobs' position as the greatest showman of our time. In case you want to try, talk to Sky Dayton who launched an amazingly innovative phone against the iPhone. Don't remember, that's the point. Apparently, no one told Lenovo.

They were working on "The Perfect Laptop" for a number of years when the Air beat them to market by a couple of weeks. They did some preliminary PR which did not get Apple-like attention, but now, with the ad posted above, they fired a shot across the bow. They think their features will show their computer is better. They don't know Steve.

As Apple owners our computers contain, and do, only the things Steve says they should. Steve provides for us. Steve did not think our screen should open flat. It opens to an angle which is probably a metaphor for beauty in a long forgotten culture, but I will approximate it to be 270 degrees. I don't know the value of opening to a complete 180, but Lenovo has it and the Air does not. They showed it in the ad. Steve said I do not need and optical drive. I was skeptical when he told me I did not need a floppy on my iMac. Everyone else had a floppy. Steve was right. I didn't miss it and neither does the rest of the industry today. Today Steve tells me I don't need an optical drive. It hurt a bit at first. Admittedly I purchased the methadone equivalent USB Superdrive, but it's working. Lenovo sticks its proud optical drive tongue out in the ad. They have one. Just in case the picture is not enough, the text points out 2 more USB ports than my Air, and call my computer hot air. Fighting words if I ever heard them.

The ad worked. I am writing about it, and so are a ton of others. An apple like pick up for a PC ad. Very, very unusual. Will it work on the sales side? Probably not. Air buyers are buying a statement. X300 buyers are buying a good traveling work computer. There aren't enough ads to change this mildly sexy, not evenly remotely artistic workbook into a statement.




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