Apple has debuted a new iPhone print ad in a national (U.S.) campaign that seems to play off the “Jesus Phone” or “God Phone” sobriquet that some have used to refer to iPhone. The advertisement features an image that’s more than a little reminiscent of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel fresco, “The Creation of Adam,” along with the tagline, “Touching is believing.”
If we follow Michelangelo’s positioning of Adam on the left and God on the right, the iPhone was created directly by and/or is God’s phone (as if He needed a phone).
Here’s the back cover of the August 2007 issue of Details Magazine:
God Phone.
Love the minimal approach.
LOL, i thought this said:
Apple Debuts New iPhone, i almost S**T my pants, just bought mine
… like Adam touching the hand of God.
It’s like running your fingers over the luscious curves of a woman you can make sweet love to.
“Print Ad?” Print?
How quaint.
If that ad doesn’t make you drool, your already dead.
I had a youthful glow once.
The iPhone ad is nice. I like the minimalist approach and the caption. The image, however, doesn’t do it for me.
MDN Take: Priceless.
@blacklisted
It’s their forum. They can do as they please with your post or anyone else’s post. That’s life. If you want a forum where no one will delete your posts, start your own.
I am starting to think it might be a good idea for MDN to set up iPhone Daily News because although it’s pretty interesting to hear Apple are kicking ass with the iPhone I am getting withdrawal symptoms from the regular Mac News.
Print? That’s the one with ink, right?
This ad has run on the back cover of the NYT magazine for the last two weeks. Old news.
A.
This Ad only means something to those who “believe”
It totally would have been better with E.T.’s glowing finger touching it with the headline “ET iPhone home”
British Mac Head,
Hint: if you’re not interested in an article, don’t click it. Certainly don’t comment on it, you bloody idiot.
Andy,
First time I’ve seen it, since the NYT is a red rag I avoid like the plague. MDN’s interpretation of the ad is worth it.
I dunno about the god thing.
I think it’s more like the monolith from 2001, and we Apple fan boys are the monkeys…
@whomever…how annoying !
Guys, you have it wrong. They were actually referring to another version of my fresco, which you can see here:
http://www.apple.com/trailers/thinkfilm/theten/
It’s nice being called the God Phone and all that, I have a more important question: will it blend?
http://www.willitblend.com/videos.aspx?type=unsafe&video=iphone
Touching is believing but tasting is committing. Swallowing is voluntary.
The Michelangelo reference is a bit of a reach.
Touch me…touch me.
..sorry, I don’t see it ..in fact I think you might be reaching ..no, wait a minute ..you are reaching. In fact, I’ve seen you reach and you are definitely reaching. I’ve even seen you stretch …I’ve seen you drop somebodys article down and twist lime over it. I’ve seen you squash, rip and burn the eyes out of slimey analysts. I’ve seen you sharpen your teeth on a guilty mans reputation …swallow and shat the man right out onto the floor and now …well, now you’re reaching.
I think that if the Michelangelo reference was intentional then the phone would be on the opposite side, with man’s hand touching it.
It’s a nice and possible interpretation but I wouldn’t be so confident about it.
I’m going to have to agree with KenC. If it weren’t for the author’s commentary or MDNs take I don’t think it would make me think of the Sistine Chapel at all. The arm isn’t at the same angle, the hand and fingers aren’t in the same position. Michelangelo’s fresco makes it look like God is stretching to reach Adam, yearning even. This looks nothing like that. The only thing the ad has in common with the fresco is that someone is touching something, although you could argue thats not even a similarity because in the painting they aren’t even touching, they are just very close. If they wanted this to be a Michelangelo reference I think they would have made it much stronger.
That is one sweet phone.
PainfulTruth said: “British Mac Head,
Hint: if you’re not interested in an article, don’t click it. Certainly don’t comment on it, you bloody idiot.
Andy,
First time I’ve seen it, since the NYT is a red rag I avoid like the plague. MDN’s interpretation of the ad is worth it.”
=========================================
PT, I think it can be argued that your parents didn’t teach you any manners. No, I’m sure your parents didn’t teach you any manners.
NYT a red rag, yeah that’s a real good one. I’m sure you get your truthiness from Faux Spews.
This will get the fundamentalists to purchase iPhones just so they can burn them!
Remember the Beatles sold tons of albums for this purpose after John proclaimed they were bigger than Jesus.
The… uhh… Michaelangelo reference… yeah. About that.
I’m not seeing it. I’m seeing someone flicking through a list on their iPhone in the most natural position possible.
I’m normally in agreement with MDN, but this one is a stretch. A big, big, big stretch…
MW: ENOUGH now
“Telephone To Glory! Oh, The Joy Divine. You Can Feel The Current .. Movin’ On The Line”
(Royal Telephone. Dorothy Love Coates and the Original Gospel Harmonettes. VeeJay Records)
I believe! I do! I believe! Amen! Amen! AMEN!
The term is Jesus Phone, MDN.
“It’s like running your fingers over the luscious curves of a woman you can make sweet love to.”
I make love to my iPhone all the time, does anyone have a way to remove the stains from the screen?
“The term is Jesus Phone, MDN.”
Father, Son, holy ghost. Same thing in Christian mythology.
“I am getting withdrawal symptoms from the regular Mac News.”
That’s because there hasn’t been any. Call Apple and complain.
yea but who is the ghost dude ? i never hear much from the ghost, has he got a name, or is he just referred to as the ghost?
Today’s word is: subjective.
Can you say, “subjective?”
I knew you could, even though you spend most of your time arguing minutiae. And whether something suggestive is real.
Ugh… dorks.
MW “upon” as in “Grey po…”
I don’t like it too much. I think the motion blur is distracting and why not see a head on view of the beautiful screen? Apple’s site has iPhone in better poses than this. I like the catch phrase, but I also very much like the tv ads and think that the print ad should relate.
Am I hearing “When I Think About You I Touch Myself”?
MW:Feeling….as an option “Whoa, whoa whoa, feeling”. Another tribute to the Canucks
Father, Son, holy ghost. Same thing in Christian mythology.
Um… yeah. No. Not the same thing. One substance, but three persons. Read the Nicene Creed for clarity. It separates out each of the three Persons, explaining their uniqueness. The Athanasian Creed does a good job in expressing their unity. They’re quaint in some of their language (remember that “catholic” means “universal”), but worthwhile.
The Nicene Creed, Athanasian Creed and a few others are found here.
oops, looks like I got Morris and Gino confused.
Mydumb.
I think it’s fergalicious.
MDN take = Dumb
“It’s their forum. They can do as they please with your post or anyone else’s post. That’s life.”
WOW. Just like the news media.
Fair. And. Balanced.
Iphone, bigger than Jesus?
Is it just me, or does every thread here have its share of snotty know-it-alls? Just asking.
Normally, I appreciate what you guys have to say, but you are reading WAY too much into that. The ad expresses the experience of people, not deities. Mutlitouch, the iPhone: touching is believing. No more no less.
For us to invoke God in an advertising campaign might not only offend to our customers of faith, but many would chafe at the notion that even the Lord Almighty must agree to a 2 year contract with AT&T. Another sore spot: since Heaven is not currently covered by EDGE, God would technically be roaming at home and have to place at least 50% of his calls in the continental U.S.
While we usually don’t comment on unannounced products, on a bright note, I will say that God has been awfully gracious about allowing us to develop a special edition God iPod stocked with his favorite songs. The only problem: how to tell Bono it’s not about him.
HoHo! I see, this “good” old judeochristian confusion of “god has created man at his image”… Hey! That doesn’t mean that “god” is looking alike our external apearence… Skin and bones deffinitely aren’t infinite!!
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Nice one Steve Jobs.
You don’t know the history of Heaven. I do.
‘No Mac news’ said one post above. What is he talking about?
The iPhone is -probably- already the most successful Mac ever made.
“even the Lord Almighty must agree to a 2 year contract with AT&T.”
The Jobs almighty does and to us Mac Fanboys, he’s bigger than Jesus.
I bet Steve could kick God’s ass if he chose to.
Have you ever used an iPhone to attract young boys outside schools? It works really well. You get them interested in the phone, and then you can begin grooming them.
Helas… i’m affraid, neither Steve, nor me, nor anybody on earth is big enough to fight believers obscurantism…
It reminds me of WarGames and the ad for Protovision.
“They’re quaint in some of their language”
As you’ll no doubt agree, most Christian mythology is quite quaint.
@Dogma
Yeah. I do.
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Yeah, I don’t see it either. MDN is reaching this time.
As far as NYT being a red rag, the truth is painfully obvious. Here’s my five minute test. Read the NYT and count how many times you find the words “liberal” “ultraliberal” “left” “left-wing” “socialist” and “communist”. Make your marks in one column. Now count up how many times you find the words “conservative” “reactionary” “arch-conservative” “right-wing” and “rightist”. If you find more identification of the right, then you have found yourself a leftist rag. Why is this? A paper has to identify those whom are “bad” “dangerous” or “the enemy”, and the NYT is rather obvious about doing it.
If you can’t see it, it’s because you’re not interested in the truth.
I also find it funny (in a sad way) how MDN’s take brings all the big-brained know-it-alls out of the woodwork, all ready to expound upon why Christianity is bunkum. Needless to say, they don’t argue with facts, logic, or anything of that sort, but resort to crude screeds of drive-by put-downs. *muted applause* That’ll really convince people, guys. Congrats. You are so evolved, aren’t you? How many minutes until your next time you have sex? You are counting, right?
@BTSOI
There are no facts or logic. Thats why they call it “faith”. If there were facts and logic it would be called “proof”. I try hard not to confuse proof with faith. I’m OK with faith, as long as others can’t pick mine for me. The world would be a happier place if people were content to follow their own faith and leave other people alone.
Drive by sniping is kind of a PITA, I do agree. But it’s kind of obvious and worthy of being ignored.
As far as liberal vs conservative goes, if you are conservative because you have analyzed the conservative approach to life, the public space, government, etc and found that it resonates with how you think the world should be, that’s one thing. If you are conservative because you just don’t like liberals, that’s sad because your entire being is defined by other people. That would tend to make anyone angry (check out your screen name), to have no control over who they are. The only thing I’ve never figured out is how conservatives in America today view themselves as partiotic or Christian. Starting wars, lying and turning your back on the less fortunate hardly aligns with either of those bodies of thought.
IMHO
No, Twisted Mac Freak, swallowing is mandatory!!!
Sounds like Apple is taking a hint from Nintendo and their “Playing is Believing” slogan for the Wii.
MDM’s analysis is wrong. It was never the intention of Apple marketing to signify religious belief, or artwork that celebrates religious belief, with this ad.
If the ad happens to remind you of the Sistene Chapel or of God, then you are entitled to that as your personal interpretation. But to imply that Apple intended it when it did not, is reckless journalism.
As journalists, MDM should be aware of the many other sources of meaning that inform the symbolism and text in the ad.
@lurker,
So, you’re saying that drive-by sniping is like a snack?
Pita: flat, hollow, unleavened bread that can be split open to hold filling
@anotherlurker
I don’t consider MDN journalists. They are unabashadly one sided in what the choose to link to and how they interpret it. I happen to agree with them most of the time so I keep checking it, but really its a mac fan running a giant link page. It’s about as close to real journalism as Fox News.
@Jay
Ironically, for an Apple fan site, this particularly analysis is not only dopey (the sort of thing a freshman English teacher would roll her eyes at), but also puts Apple in a bad light. MDM is not only accusing Apple of doing something Apple did not do (dopey), MDM is also unjustly accusing Apple of doing something bad (ironic).
“they don’t argue with facts, logic, or anything of that sort, “
It’s Religion. Where do facts and logic come into it?
Give us your factual, logical proof of the existence of God.
Hint to save some time: There isn’t one that doesn’t end with “facts and logic be damned, I just choose to believe she exists”.
Down through the centuries we have used religion to control weak minds like BustingTheSkullsOfIdiots.
The funny thing is that we can openly say what we’re doing and he will continue to believe anyway.
Hum?? I think I have seen this ad a couple of times previously. I think they may have stolen a page from Springfield Armory’s book. check it out!!!
http://springfield-armory.blogspot.com/2007/07/apple-knows-great-advertising-when-they.html
“stolen a page”
Unfortunately 14 rounds of .45 is not enough to kill an lot of Apple fanboy zombies. With them you need a very precise hit, because the brain only occupies a small fraction of the skull.
If you don’t hit them in precisely the right place, they just get up, walk to the nearest Apple store and buy the latest Apple product (whatever it is, whatever i costs), then pursue innocent citizens around the streets trying to turn them into Apple Zombies.
What a total blatant ripoff advertisement.
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