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The Mac commercial that never aired: Original Mac design team’s ‘self-congratulatory’ interview video

Friday, August 10, 2012 · 5:12 pm · 21 Comments

Andy Hertzfeld, computer scientist and member of the original Apple Macintosh development team during the 1980s, has posted a video of snippets from interviews with members of the original Macintosh team, recorded in October 1983 for projected TV commercials that were never created or aired.

“It never aired because Apple deemed it too self-congratulatory, although it was used in some promotional materials sent to dealers,” Hertzfeld wrote on his Google+ page.

The Chiat Day video features Burrell Smith, Andy Hertzfeld, George Crow, Bill Atkinson and Mike Murray.

[Thanks to MacDailyNews readers too numerous to mention individually for the heads up.]

Categories: News

Tags: Andy Hertzfeld, Bill Atkinson, Burrell Smith, Chiat Day, George Crow, mac, Macintosh, Mike Murray, steve jobs, video

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Comment Feed

21 Comments

Spark

Friday, August 10, 2012 - 5:19 pm · Reply

So young! Brilliant boys, including Jobs, too naive to realize that it was impossible to do what they did. I love these guys!
- Derek Currie
  
  Friday, August 10, 2012 - 10:57 pm · Reply
  
  There are ‘Brilliant boys’ and girls out there right now who are capable for new insanely-great creations. But typically they don’t have the ‘naive’, creative and disruptive drive of an Apple company behind them. Instead they’re held under thumb by BizTards with emotional and control issues who are incapable of progressive thinking. Chief among their BizTard illnesses remains The Spirit Of The Age: SCREW THY CUSTOMER.
  
  Meanwhile, anti-biznizz companies like Apple succeed while the BizTard run biznizziz FAIL.
  
  It’s time for another revolution, as well as the death of BizTard companies like Microsoft and Samsung. I enjoy using jokey lingo to describe this problem. But it is entirely real and entirely self-destructive of capitalism.
  - JBTipton
    
    Saturday, August 11, 2012 - 3:52 pm · Reply
    
    Sir, you are a prophet! BizTards will be in my vocabulary from now on. I spent several decades working for a large company and your take is spot on.
    - Derek Currie
      
      Saturday, August 11, 2012 - 4:56 pm · Reply
      
      My large company was Eastman Kodak. They just about drove me nuts. (0_o) But they weren’t the worst I’ve run into by a long shot. Watch all the companies that drove the world into our ongoing worldwide economic depression. If they went into FAIL mode, they had BizTards at the helm. If they treat their customers with little respect, they have BizTards at the helm. If they imitate instead of innovate, they have BizTards at the helm. If they allow Marketing-As-Management, they have BizTards at the helm. There is a new book on the subject every month.
  - baldwhiteguy
    
    Monday, August 13, 2012 - 2:07 am · Reply
    
    The rise of the BizTards has been driven in large part by the quarterly return mentality of day trader stockholders and others of their ilk who value the steepness of the growth curve over a sustainable return. Baseline concepts like satisfying and retaining existing customers end up taking a back seat to cutting the bottom line and futzing accounting numbers to boost quarterly statements or drive dividends.
    
    BizTards can only gain a foothold where short-attention-span owners call the shots.
    - Derek Currie
      
      Monday, August 13, 2012 - 2:32 am · Reply
      
      It’s a very old story that has become remarkably prevalent with all the ‘live for today’ desperation:
      
      Short Term Thinking, Long Term Disaster.
      
      It should be the motto for the post-World War II western culture. Oops. Sorry future generations. We left you an incomprehensible mess. Have fun with that.
disposableidentity

Friday, August 10, 2012 - 6:08 pm · Reply

Brilliant. These guys worked so hard on a world-changing product, which for most people was essentially put in limbo for two decades because of business mis-management.

(Some us us were using it all this time between 1985 and 2005, but so very, very few of us.)
- MEES
  
  Friday, August 10, 2012 - 6:22 pm · Reply
  
  Not knowing it, I was a Mac guy way back then, since 1988. I was warm towards the Apple II in my school and kinda freaked at the nerds and geeks using PCs. Those of us using Macs where already the ones “thinking outside the box” just not aware of it then and just until now aware how much has not changed over the decades.
Angelus520

Friday, August 10, 2012 - 6:16 pm · Reply

I remember walking into a computer store at the mall shortly after the Mac came out in 1984 just to see one. Obviously the sales clerks didn’t pay me any mind because I was only 11-years-old at the time. I had no idea what I was looking at but I knew it was cool.

My dad bought me a ][C clone in 1986 and I finally got my own real Mac in college in 1994 – PowerPC 7100/66/250/CD with a 15″ MultiScan Display and a LaserWriter Select 360 – all that for only $3600 with a student discount.
- ecrabb
  
  Friday, August 10, 2012 - 7:06 pm · Reply
  
  I bought an 8100/80 around the same time as you, and got the pricey AppleVision 1710 Trinitron monitor. With the university discount, the damn thing was something like five grand by the time I put RAM in it. I put a couple of different CPU upgrade cards in it, and had it for years before I finally got a 9600. Great machine.
  
  It’s unbelievable to me how much computing power you can get for so little money now compared to 15-20 years ago.
  - disposableidentity
    
    Friday, August 10, 2012 - 8:15 pm · Reply
    
    6100/60 AV. Great machine. Can’t remember what the 72 MB of RAM cost. Maybe $800? $900?
botvinnik

Friday, August 10, 2012 - 6:26 pm · Reply

double cool.
Michael A. Robson

Friday, August 10, 2012 - 7:06 pm · Reply

Only time will tell Andy, only time will tell!
heh
clyde2801

Friday, August 10, 2012 - 7:39 pm · Reply

“But if I can get you to sit in front of it and play with it, you won’t let go of it.”

Wonder if that line will work in a bar…
Garyo

Friday, August 10, 2012 - 9:14 pm · Reply

In 1986 I bought a used SE from the wife of a guy who passed away for $2500. A few years later I got an LC with a 12 inch monitor for $2500. A few years later I got a Power Mac 8500/180 for $2500. A few years later I got a PowerBook for $2500. And now I have a 15″ MacBook Pro maxed out… guess what I paid… $2500
Ubermac

Saturday, August 11, 2012 - 8:39 am · Reply

I had an Apple II, then got a Mac Plus in London after seeing it at an expo there the first time.

They didn’t just revolutionize software like MacPaint and Macwrite, also programming later with Andy’s HyperCard. It was later killed by suits, one of the greatest blunder of Jobless Apple.

They were simply out schystered by Billy Gates of hell.
Ubermac

Saturday, August 11, 2012 - 8:43 am · Reply

I meant Bill… ;p
Hotinplaya

Saturday, August 11, 2012 - 6:10 pm · Reply

1984, Mac 512, with printer , $3,000.!

I submitted blue prints for a commercial property in Tampa Fl ( a geodesic church ) using I believe Mac Draw. First plans submitted using computer generated plans in Hillsboro county
John Hyde

Saturday, August 11, 2012 - 11:08 pm · Reply

I could be wrong, but I think this is a video clip from a PBS show called “In search of excellence” by Tom Peters, not a commercial.
John Hyde

Saturday, August 11, 2012 - 11:11 pm · Reply

If it wasn’t that, than it was an Apple promo video for Apple training. I had a tape with a whole bunch of this stuff on it. I should see if I can find it.
Mike Hill

Sunday, August 12, 2012 - 8:41 am · Reply

This is a brilliant, honest ad that perfectly captures the ethos of Apple and the Mac products. It would make a great updated release with the current personalities