Apple's 28-year-old Indian ad goes viral ahead of iPhone launch
What's the story
As the tech world eagerly awaits Apple's 2024 event today, a blast from the past has taken social media by storm. A 28-year-old advertisement, marking Apple's debut into the Indian market, has resurfaced and gone viral. The ad, which originally aired on Doordarshan in 1996, is a significant piece of Apple's history in India. It predates the company's India-focused iPhone ads by two decades.
Ad synopsis
Samir Soni stars in Apple's 1st Indian ad
The ad is set in a quintessential 1990s office and features actor Samir Soni as a confident young professional using a Power Macintosh. The plot thickens when a senior executive, holding a Windows floppy disk, enters the room looking for a PC to use it on. Despite the executive's doubts about the Mac being a "serious business computer," Soni successfully runs the disk on his machine.
Twitter Post
Take a look at the vitange ad
Found Apple's 1st (?) Indian ad film for the Power Macintosh, apparently aired on Doordarshan in 1996 — a full twenty years before it started making India-focussed iPhone ads again in 2016. pic.twitter.com/gHx0mzYtkx
— Neil (@neilshroff) November 29, 2023
Market evolution
Ad reflects past skepticism, contrasts current market position
The ad mirrors the skepticism toward Apple products in India during the 1990s, a time when personal computing was just gaining traction. This is in stark contrast to present-day Apple, which holds a substantial market share and is seen as a status symbol by millions across the country. After a long break from India-specific marketing, Apple made a comeback in 2016 with ads tailored for Indian consumers.
Product launch
Apple set for its upcoming iPhone 16 series event
Apple is preparing for its highly anticipated 'It's Glowtime' event in India today, where the launch of new products including the iPhone 16 series and smartwatches is expected. Updates and launches for Mac devices and iPads may occur in October. Today's event will be available for livestreaming on Apple's official website and YouTube channel at 10:30pm IST.