Has anybody noticed that most of the time computers that appear in movies are Apple brand? Anybody know why this is? “Just because I’m paranoind doesn’t mean they’re not following me”
runinout
It’s called product placement. Apple pays a certain fee to the studio to feature it’s product. It’s essentially a comercial built into the movie.
I don’t think this will be the whole answer; Apple computers are often more visually appealing than greige PC boxes.
Did you also notice that the good guys use Apple and the bad guys use pc. Happens all the time. 24 is an example.
Welcome to the SDMB, runinout!
This question seems to arise frequently here. A recent thread is this one, which I would imagine will answer the question to your satisfaction.
As I understand it, some of it is product placement, but some of it (especially with current models) is that Apple’s stuff just looks much sexier/high-tech/appealing than a generic beige or grey box from Dell et al.
I mean, if you’re the set designer for a movie where Johnny Depp is playing an up-and-coming corporate vice-president, do you stick a generic black PC case on his desk … or a futuristic iMac with a massive 20" screen?
But why does the PC automatically have to be a dull grey?
I’ve seen (and own) hella cool cases for PC’s. Beats the pants out of any imac that’s for sure.
There are some really cool PC cases out there, but they are just that, cases. The big PC guys (Dell, etc) produce comparitively un-interesting boxes, although the trend has been in recent years to make them a bit more exciting (due no doubt to Apple’s popularity with their colorful boxes). You have to keep in mind that PCs are cost driven. Not only do they compete with Apple, but they compete with themselves. If Dell can make a slightly less interesting box and undercut their competiter’s price by 10 percent, then you can bet they will. This tends to push for an emphasis on specs (how fast the CPU is, how much mem, HD size, etc) rather than looks. Also factor in that only the big guys are going to fork over the bucks for an advertising deal. The little guy making the cool cases isn’t going to be playing in the same league.
Another factor is that in the early days, the MAC gui was much better than the PC gui. Nobody even used the PC gui until windows got to version 3. MACs ended up dominating the desktop publishing and art type stuff, and even though PC hardware can do pretty much anything Apple hardware can do now, the momentum is already there and Apple’s still are fairly dominant in the artsy world, which includes Hollywood.
Apple computers are usually the only ones that are easily recognisable without being obvious about placement. It wouldn’t do much good for Dell or Gateway to purchase product placement when the only way that people will notice the brand is if there is a closeup on the label that features the company’s logo.
Another thing to remember is that most of the non-Apple PC makers get their components from overseas suppliers, who have long standardized on all the internal parts. Getting a PC into a shape other than a big rectangular box requires a custom motherboard, custom frame, custom fans, etc., etc., all of which add up.
Apple is willing and able to spend the money on these things; Dell et al, competing on pennies per unit, can’t.