Attendees of CEO Steve Jobs’ Macworld Conference & Expo keynote got a big kick out of seeing Apple’s well-known “1984” ad, which was shown only once on broadcast television, during the January, 1984 Super Bowl, to herald the coming of the first Macintosh. Jobs decided to show the Ridley Scott-directed commercial again to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the groundbreaking computer, and now Apple has it available for download on their Web site, albeit in a slightly modified form.
The woman who flees the oppressive security forces and hurls her hammer into the screen on which a Big Brother-like figure pontificates now wears an iPod, perhaps in homage to another example of break-through technology from the company. Apple gives no indication on its site who performed the CGI work, which looks seamless, nor why it was done.
The ad comes in 2.6MB, 5MB, and 13.3MB file sizes.
Attendees of the Expo who visited Apple’s booth were also able to take a commemorative poster featuring the 1984 runner wearing her iPod.