Apple Pulls 'Genius' TV Ads from YouTube and Apple.com - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

Apple Pulls 'Genius' TV Ads from YouTube and Apple.com

Apple has removed the controversial 'Genius' TV spots from its YouTube channel and from the Apple.com marketing page for the Mac. The ads were poorly received with some critics asking if it was a good idea to make potential customers seem clueless. Others thought they were excellent ads that showed non-technical Mac buyers the support options available to them.

NewImage
Apple stopped airing the ads on television soon after they were introduced during the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympics, with Apple's ad agency saying they "were intended only for a 'first run' during the Olympics". They remained on YouTube and Apple's website for several weeks, and only in the past several days were they removed entirely.

Apple does tend to remove older advertisements from its website and YouTube over time, but the company still has ads on YouTube from as far back as November 2010.

Thanks Danny!

Popular Stories

Apple Event Logo

Apple Working on All-New Operating System

Wednesday July 29, 2026 11:39 am PDT by
Apple is developing an all-new operating system that is essentially a mix of tvOS, watchOS, and iOS, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In a report this week, he said the operating system will feature a grid of icons, widgets, and apps, along with customizable clock faces. The new software platform is intended for Apple's long-rumored smart home hub. With built-in facial recognition,...
Four iPhone 18 Pro Colors Mock Feature

iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Ultra: Pre-Orders and Release Date

Thursday July 30, 2026 6:12 am PDT by
Apple has yet to reveal when the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Ultra will be announced and released, but the dates usually follow a familiar pattern. Labor Day is September 7 this year. The last time the holiday fell on that day was in 2020, but the iPhone event that year was delayed until October due to the COVID-19 pandemic. So, the last time Labor Day was on September 7 in a normal year was in ...
Dynamic Island iPhone 18 Pro Feature

iPhone 18 Pro: Twelve Changes Coming to Apple's Next Flagship

Thursday July 30, 2026 3:43 am PDT by
We're less than two months out from the launch of Apple's premium next-generation smartphone lineup, and while we're not expecting a dramatic change in terms of functionality, there are still several enhancements rumored to be coming to the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth noting is that Apple is reportedly planning a major change to its iPhone release cycle this year,...

Top Rated Comments

CGagnon Avatar
182 months ago
These ads were bad and Apple should feel bad.
Score: 35 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Aluminum213 Avatar
182 months ago
the ads weren't awful, but Apple usually has the classiest ads on TV so by comparison to Apple's usual standards, the ads were junk
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
182 months ago
They weren't absolutely horrible, but it is good that they are taken down. The one where a guy asks how to use iPhoto left me puzzled. Isn't one of the big selling points of a Mac its ease of use? Yes. Yes it is.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
182 months ago
Didn't like 'em anyway. :rolleyes:
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
182 months ago
Whichever ad agency made these ads should be fired.

They were horrible...from the scripting to the shooting to the final post-production.

And whoever in Apple approved these should be demoted.

They obviously have no 'sense' of what the Apple brand is.
Haha. Overact much? You mean they should fire TBWA/Media/Arts Lab, the same company behind the Think Different and Get a Mac campaigns along with many, many other Apple ad campaigns for almost 30 years all the way back to the 1984 classic? Sheesh. So the ads weren't great. Let's all move on.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
182 months ago
The ads should give the message "and we can help you personally if you need it" but they gave the feeling that you need to be taught how to use a Mac. It's scary for Windows users to switch to a Mac, and those commercials really didn't help IMO.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)

🔗 Related Apple News & Rumors

Stay updated with the latest Apple ecosystem news and verified rumors