[torifile]

I just saw this on MacNN and I'm surprised no one's picked up on it. From the Toronto Sun.

Apple Computers plans a "special" announcement scheduled for a Super Bowl commercial on Feb. 4, which may give more indication as to where the new remastered CDs will debut first.

That would be an interesting use of the expensive airtime during the super bowl. You'd think they'd use that time to announce something like a real Video iPod but I guess any Apple ad is better than none.

[Wyatt]

I'm guessing it'll be an iPhone ad that also pimps the Beatles catalog. I'm sure they've probably got two versions made, as well--one that talks about the Beatles and one that doesn't (in case things fall through). They've got all the nerds' attention with the iPhone. Now they want to get everybody else.

[turtle]

I'm guessing it's this.

Beatles music on iTunes.

[PKIDelirium]

Apple Computers

[drewprops]

^^ ^^

[rshogg]

OK, so it'll be a Beatles on iTMS commercial, but which Beatles song will they choose to play?

[pkatzman]

Originally Posted by rshogg OK, so it'll be a Beatles on iTMS commercial, but which Beatles song will they choose to play?

"Come Together," I bet. Signifies the whole "look-at-us-corporate-buddies-working-together" thing.

[ronmexico]

Revolution...unless Michael Jackson or Pepsi still own the rights.

[pscates2.0]

It'll be Beatles related. I was thinking February 4th was a big date in Beatledom, but I'm having trouble confirming that...maybe I dreamed that.



And I'll make a prediction: that iconic "crossing Abbey Road" shot will be adapted to iPod/iTunes silhouette form for print ads: four Beatles in silhouette, solid background, crossing lines in a contrasting color, etc. It's practically begging for it...everyone knows that shot/pose of the Fab Four.

It's all you'd have to do...four walking silhouettes, crosswalk paint and Apple logo.

You heard it here first.



Imagine the possibilities for TV commercials! The Beatles, playing onstage in their "moptop" days, rotoscoped/silhouetted all cool (like the U2 "Vertigo" thing a few years ago).

I can't wait (although, knowing Apple, they'll opt for the latter "serious" Beatle imagery: '67 and beyond: long hair, facial hair, Lennon with his glasses, etc.).



But I prefer the 1964 model myself: suits, pointy boots, Rickenbackers, Vox amps, girls fainting, Paul and George sharing a mic, etc.

[digitalprimate]

Or maybe something like this: The BBC Radio 2 ad.
I simply loved it!

What an amazing line up

[turbulentfurball]

I think pscates sounds about right on this one.

[Robo]

Yup. Beatles + iPod. They'll be a new Special Edition iPod, of course.

[pscates2.0]

Originally Posted by turbulentfurball I think pscates sounds about right on this one.

Hey, even a broken clock is right twice a day.

[Edna Crabtree]

Bottom line: Even if it's for a limited time, an iTunes Beatles event would kill. Sales through the troposphere. Plenty of publicity. Paul and Yoko get still wealthier, and maybe Heather gets a new leg outta the deal. In terms of overall sales, a special Beatles edition iPod would make the U2 edition look like a special edition Banana Julius at the local strip mall.

Off topic. I've noticed that the apple TV and iPhone really have dropped off the map on the forums in terms of discussion. Does this mean:

a.) Products haven't been released yet. Not much new to talk about.

<or>

b.) Both of these products have limited interest, even among the hardcore AN fanbois, and are destined to be uberflops.

I'm inclinded towards b.), especially for the ATV. iPhone is more of a wait'n'see. I'm not trolling, I'm just saying. Thoughts?

[chucker]

Off-topic indeed; why didn't you create a new thread for this?

I think tv could end up in a similar league to iPod Hi-Fi. A concept that, at this point at least, has rather limited appeal and a far too high price tag at that. With 1080p and $199, it could appeal to those with very high-end TVs; right now the very people most likely to buy it get a crippled (720p) and overpriced ($299) product. Lack of Gigabit Ethernet is just as ridiculous as it is on the new AirPort Extreme; why bother equipping all (!) Intel Macs with Gigabit Ethernet if the satellite devices don't support it? It's just cheap; this kind of upgrade probably wouldn't even cost Apple a dollar.

iPhone is a completely different thing. It's far too early to do much judging. The point of Steve's presentation was not to give details and specs and what's under the hood. It was to wow the audience about the interface. There's a lot of speculation going on about the actual OS (John Gruber has a decent summary on the matter, though I don't necessarily agree with his assessment that it has a BSD subsystem as well), about minor spec points (GPS, vibration alarm, …), and, of course, about availability and possible restrictions third-party development. That's all nice and worth talking about, but this thiing won't even be out until June(!), and only in Europe about half a year after that, presumably with slightly better hardware already. Then, in Asia, in 2008: yet more time for Apple to bump the specs.

You know, if you look at the first-generation iPod, it had lots of limitations. It didn't even work with Windows. It didn't have a Dock connector. The wheel was mechanical. No color, no photos, videos, not even contacts and calendars, I believe. It was very, very barebones compared to what we have today, and yet it cost far more. iPhone will evolve, and quickly so. There's no doubt it will be a huge seller and a hugely compelling package within a few years' time. Right now, it's just for early adopters.

Now, as for tv, I'm not so sure it will evolve much at all. Apple tends not to upgrade these pieces of hardware enough. Perhaps this one will be an exception, but I don't think so. The mistake Apple keeps on making in this regard is to under-spec and over-price, then to figure "nobody's buying this stuff anyway, let's not bother with it any more".

[Edna Crabtree]

I didn't start a separate thread because I couldn't think of a good enough title. If you can, feel free and maybe Brad or other mod will adjust accordingly.

chucker: appreciate your post. Sounds like we agree on some things. I wanted the ATV to work, but it doesn't work for me. I think the iPhone will get there, but not for some time. But then again, my first iPod was a mini. I'm not exactly bleeding edge.

[rasmits]

Don't most people who like the Beattles already have their CDs? Does anyone really notice that they aren't on iTunes? I've never heard anyone comment on that.

A massive campaign all about the Beattles on iTunes would be lost on most people these days. I think it would be lame.

Then again, anything to get rid of U2...

[pscates2.0]

I couldn't resist...

[chucker]

I love it.

[BarracksSi]

Originally Posted by rasmits Don't most people who like the Beattles already have their CDs? Does anyone really notice that they aren't on iTunes? I've never heard anyone comment on that. A massive campaign all about the Beattles on iTunes would be lost on most people these days. I think it would be lame. Then again, anything to get rid of U2...

I agree, pretty much any Beatles fan already has all their CDs in iTunes (or, in Jobs's case, on his iPhone).

But, it'll get enough people talking, and related news stories will all talk about the Apple Vs. Apple history as well. The non-geeks will certainly find out about it even if they never heard about the prior legal battles.

[torifile]

I like the Beatles, but they were before my time so I don't have a lot of their stuff. I can totally see myself impulse buying an album or 2. I've only got the blue "greatest hits" CD compilation, actually. I know I'm missing the big stuff, but I never think to look for them when I'm at the CD store. Flash it in my face when I go to the iTS and I might remember I wanted to buy some. I'm sure I'm not the only one.

[turtle]

Wow Paul, that was cool! You should e-mail it to Steve.

[chucker]

Is it just me, or was it in teal, not orange, earlier?

[digitalprimate]

It was you, allthough I saw it too

[rshogg]

Originally Posted by pscates2.0 I couldn't resist...

Great work!

[Mac_GirL]

Nice!

[Doxxic]

Originally Posted by pscates2.0 I couldn't resist...

Heck, this pic looks very, very exciting! Fantastic work!

BTW, I saw an interview with Steve Martin and his son, where they said that it *would* be great if the Beatles catalog *would* be re-*mixed* in a way that it would fit more with today's ways of listening to music, i.e. headphones and, to a lesser degree, P.A. systems.
Beatles songs don't sound very well on an iPod since the stereo image is so unnatural on a headphone (f.i. drums on one side, lead vocals on the other).
I hope they have made those new mixes already, but I can hardly imagine that they did it so fast (or started so early). After all, changing the stereo image is not just a matter of re-mastering.

[Brad]

Originally Posted by pscates2.0

Comma splice.

[pscates2.0]

What's that? What did I do wrong? I'll fix it when I can. I'm not 100% hip to the grammar/usage jive, I realize...all the detailed rules and such. I do okay for only a sixth grade education.





EDIT: I just learned about them. (hell, did I even write that sentence correctly?

Should I have made each lyric line a sentence?

"It's wonderful to be here. It's certainly a thrill."

Something like that?

Are exceptions made for short lines or stanza/poem-based things, and they flow they have? I don't know, I'm asking. This is all slightly interesting (but mostly confusing) to me...

But screw all that...do you know how LONG it took me to silhouette those bastards?



Also, since I'm getting massive rep points/comments from this, I made a few variations (different colors):

Pink
Purple
Teal

If you've got Photoshop, open the file and then open the Hue/Saturation dialog (Command + U) and adjust the Hue slider to your liking (Saturation as well, if you want). The black silhouettes and white type/crossing marker remain black and white, and only the background color changes. A nifty way to make a bunch to hurt your eyes.

Unfortunately, I don't have access to the layered file to fix the grammar boo-boo right now. I'll do that this evening. Proceed at your own risk...

[chucker]

He's saying you should separate the two statements with a period or a semicolon, not a comma.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comma_splice has other suggestions to correct it.