Will MacBooks thunder their way onto the scene with a new port? Will Apple manage to hold on to its place as the most prominent product placement purveyor in Hollywood? Will an Angry Birds cake live up to its name? We dig into these questions, and more, in the remainders for Wednesday, February 23, 2011.
Apple’s Light Peak implementation called Thunderbolt, coming in new MacBook Pros? (Engadget)
Rising rumors have created a low-pressure system that’s ripe for…a thunderstorm. Word has it that a MacBook Pro refresh is imminent, bringing with it a new high-speed I/O protocol called Thunderbolt (based on an Intel-developed technology called LightPeak). Of course, it could all just be a media tie-in with the upcoming Thor movie.
Announcing the Brandcameo Product Placement Award Winners (brandchannel)
While we’re on the topic of movie tie-ins, did you know that Apple was top product placement brand in 2010, appearing in 10 of the 33 films that hit number one at the box office? But that’s down from 19 of 44 in 2009, and Apple’s peak of 50 percent of number one films in 2008. The real depressing news, though, is that Apple products appeared in stinkers like Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, All About Steve, and Dinner for Schmucks.
Exclusive: Apple Halves Minimum iAd Buy (All Things Digital)
Elsewhere in the world of advertising, it appears Apple has dialed back the cost for companies looking to buy into its iAd program. Instead of the $1 million commitment Apple previously required, Cupertino has reputedly halved the buy-in to $500,000. That ought to make it a more appealing choice for smaller brand names, and will hopefully help the service gain traction, but iAd might lose some of its cachet when it starts hawking “Crazy Eddie’s Used Cars!!!!!!!”.
Playable Angry Birds birthday cake (YouTube)
Sure, cakes designed to look like, say, a game of Angry Birds are cool, but you know what’s really cool? A billion cakes. A playable Angry Birds cake. I actually would have been a little more impressed if they’d used the slingshot to fire a piece of cake directly into another kid’s waiting mouth. (Note: do not try this at home, kids.)