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Apple family values – Pepsi TV row rumbles on

Enter our unscientific poll

Letters Like flies buzzing around a corpse, an angry swarm of Apple die-hards headed towards The Register this week in defense of Pepsi's iTunes Superbowl advertisement. It's even spawned a parody by student film-maker James Saldana. (Thanks James)

After it was shown during an intermission during Sunday's game, Apple users wrote in disgust at the broadcast.

"I'm just writing to congratulate you on bringing this advert to the attention of Register readers. I've been reading the letters in response to the original article and am in awe that there are people defending the advert," adds Aaron Scully.

"To not see the problem with the ad, those people must be a bit simple or something (50 years of not exercising their brain will do that). So being forced/coerced to appear in an advert is being defiant is it, Williams Jr?

Aaron, we've got a treat for you. Like us, you and the readers on Monday simply need to 'Get a clue' -


The only thing sadder than the commercial is your constant attack of Apple,
the iPod, and support of the RIAA.

I don't know whether you are misguided, clueless, a patsy, or a fool. And I
don't care.

David Binnion

What a wonderful example of yellow journalism. Both Pulitzer and Hearst would be proud. In the future, don't presume to tell me (an Apple user) how I feel.

Get a clue.

Chip Warden

No, get a brain!

Subject: Apple's RIAA Kids -- You didn't Get It!

You poor fools.

Apple wasn't supporting the RIAA, they were doing the exact opposite.
Showing a set of Poor Young Kids persecuted by the RIAA,
could only breed Hate for the RIAA!

Look at the ad! Poor Working Class Kids, dark colors.
It's obvious Apple was attempting to draw support For These Kids.

It's clear to anyone with a brain,
that the RIAA was never going to get more than 25 bucks a year from these kids for Music CD's.

Respectfully,
Michael J. Dever

No, get a clue!

You are truly clueless.

Eric Welch
Carlsbad, CA

No, get a brain!

The Register has sunk to an all time low with your piece.

You aren't just an idiot in search of negativity. You're a total dope.

I've removed the Register from my bookmarks. With trash like your column being featured, my eyes will be headed elsewhere from now on.

BTW, get a brain. It's a wonderful thing to have.

Bill Keart

We're confused, Which comes first, a brain or a clue? It's a chicken-and-egg type of question. However many Register readers - lacking brain or clue, of course - missed several aspects of the commercial which only the die-hards saw.

I do believe this Ad is in line with the "think different" theme.

Chris Borg

Wait, no - there's more.

The whole tenor of the ad for me was that the kids outsmarted the RIAA.

Richard Berg

your reporting of this ad shows total irresponsibility or maybe its just sheer ignorance. it says we're not gonna take it. how you could not understand this simple commercial is beyond my comprehension.

Steven Alexander

These kids got to be on worldwide television during one of the biggest television events of the year. They were probably excited to have the chance to do it and are probably the most popular kids in their schools now as a result.

Geoffrey Cook

And that's because there's some nudging and poking going around, apparently -

It's a nudge against big brother and nothing more. Wink, wink.

Mike Banks Valentine

I saw it as a poke at the RIAA. A venerable "Screw you, RIAA, look what you did to this poor girl, now we're giving her music"

Steven Riggins

And some tweaking -

Good on her for tweaking them on international television!

Sonya Hipper

And a bit of jabbing -

to me, it actually seemed like the commercial was taking a jab at the riaa.

Nicholas Del Medico

Back to our favorite kind of letter, however. The incomprehensible kind.

You are one of the most base forms of writer. You placate to pure ignorance. You aren't even a closeted socialist. They tried things your way, the Soviet Union fell. Give the ignorant socialist rants a break already...

Good day... :-)
Richard Pipkin
Houston, Tx.

As an Macintosh user and zealot for 10 years... I don't get the reason for outrage. I think it was a funny commercial.

Garr Baker

Although our readers on Monday weren't laughing, they missed the fact that the children should be grateful for the opportunity -

Those kids didn't look like they were forced to do the ad to me, neither did they look humiliated. I'd say they jumped at the chance of taking part in a high profile ad campaign like a million other American wannabees.

Chris Leuty

In fact they looked cool.

I thought they looked rather happy, rebellious, cool.

Ian Jindal

Can you even begin to realize how COOL this makes them among their peers?

Peter Krug

As for the shame they must feel as touched at by Paul Ammann he must not know American kids because they will be well known for being on a commercial during the Super Bowl.

Travis Smith

as an Apple user I am actually quite proud of the advert

Tom Davie

Good for you, Tom. Great minds must think alike, because we then received these in rapid succession, the first four in half an hour:


Was appearing in the advert part of the punishment for their crimes or did they get paid to do a job.

Ian Barnett

Has anyone bothered to find out how much these kids are getting paid to be in the ad?

Paul O'Toole

So how much was that child paid to admit her humiliation?

Robert Vesely

I was under the impression that they were (get ready for this) PAID TO DO IT.

Damien Sorresso

More than likely, a Pepsi official showed up, offered the kids a suitcase full of cash, and they agreed to do the commercial.

Perry Munger

They got PAID.

Joshua Mitchell

I bet they all earnt a few quid to help offset the costs of the RIAA action against them.

Tim Auton

They won't suffer any egregious harm because the money they get from Pepsi will more than cover what they paid the RIAA

Kort Jackson


What money? No one knows. But the moral is: if it's for money, then it's OK:

while i think the ad is despicable, yada yada yada... am i the only one who thinks that the people, yes children, in that ad are there voluntarily and that they're there for the MONEY?? they aren't there to flip the bird to the riaa or because they're repenting their sins... they're there for the paycheck. pepsi and apple just took advantage of their (or thier parent's) greed.

welcome to america.

ann stuetzer


Personally I don't care what iTMS does. Anyone that would pay the same amount for DRM infected compressed bits as they would for a nicely produced music CD in a sparkling jewel case deserves what they get. As a Mac user I am more disappointed that the 20th anniversary of the Mac went by with such a flacid effort of Apple's part to celebrate the occasion.

Maybe it's time to let Jobs go be a rock star - somewhere else - and let Ivy run the company that, quite frankly, _HE_ deserves credit for reviving.

Perry Longinotti


Where are the giant billboards and prime time adverts featuring CEOs of the major record labels that have committed of 100's of millions US$ worth of criminal price fixing? How does that compare to a few 100 songs? Did they apologise in public to the people they ripped off?

By that measure Bill Gates should have his own weekly remorse show, instead of being blessed by the British Empire.

Most people are not remotely aware of these felony convictions of these big corporates. So is money becoming the currency of truth today?

Jason Alcock.

I think we have our answer, Jason. To make sure we're holding a quite unscientific poll. Click here and simply fill in the amount in the "Subject" line.

(If you're a Windows loyalist determined to discredit the Macintosh community, express your affiliation. Then again, you don't really need to.) ®

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