1) There was zero indication the commercials were for Apple except for the genius and sparse product placement. Compare and contrast this to the obvious visual feel and genre that previous ad campaigns ad: the white silhouettes for iPods, the Apple vs. PC guy, etc. You knew these were Apple ads.
2) Gone are the broad, crisp, clear claims, gone are the simple stories. The 2 examples I have above tell two pretty distinct stories: 1) Apple is really into music, and 2) Apple computers are just so much better than PCs it's a joke, respectively. What is the new story being told? That iMovie will save you time? That the geniuses are really good at tech support? That celebrities use Macs? I didn't hear one "this is the best X ever." The ads have every bold edge smoothed off them until they are unrecognizable and meaningless (see: Orwell's Politics and the English Language).
3) Finally, simply put these just aren't entertaining. They aren't aesthetically pleasing. They aren't distinctive in anyway. I don't expect to like advertising, and while I don't think Jobs was a god, one thing he definitely had was good taste. He wanted each ad to be a cultural piece in and of itself. This is just bland crap that makes me feel like they are just trying to reinforce a brand perception (which is exactly what they are trying to do, which is exactly why it feels like bland crap: they have no legitimate reason to be talking to me right now.)
I agree they aren't train wrecks, they are just the subway: the shit you take every day. It mostly works but it sure as hell isn't exciting.
The first few times I saw one of these ads I thought they were an ad for the Apple section of Best Buy. I couldn't believe that Apple was making a commercial that was so... average.
I have a hard time agreeing. I want to like them, but everything about them – with the exception of one or two gags – is "good enough," not excellent, as Apple's been for so long.
