Looks like Apple in Japan has been picking up speed, no doubt to draw attention away from the launch of the iPhone, which won't be available here any time soon/ever (delete as applicable). Here's they are, fresh from my subtitling desk.
For some reason YouTube has warped the colours a bit, so I'll re-upload them a bit later.
I just worked out why the Japanese versions are so much better than the US versions - they don't have the bit where the MAc preaches to the PC. I just watched the US versions and in Computer Cart the PC is complaining about getting error messages he doesn't understand. Then, as if to say "Hey, maybe this is too subtle so we will now hit you over the head with it" the Mac announces "Macs don't get those kinds of messages". In the Stuffed ad the US PC is complaining about trial software filling up his hard drive. Instead of leaving us with that image, as the Japanese version does, the US version again hits us over the head, having the Mac chime in with "Macs come with iMovie, iPhoto pre-installed blah blah blah". Both the US and Japanese PCs are likeable, but show us that PCs have problems. The Japanese Mac gives the PC room to show these faults. The US Mac waits for the PC to stumble and then kicks him while he is down, at the same time singing his own praises. The US could learn from Japan on this one.
ReplyDeleteGood analysis. I think another way of looking at it is that the US adverts take the Windows experience as the norm, with the Mac trying hard to prove itself better. Meantime the Japanese ads assume the Mac experience should be the norm (which of course it is to most modern Maccies), hence the kind of bewildered "why would anybody put up with less?!" look that Mac is so good at giving whenever PC bumbles or says something silly.
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