Apple and Apple Corps: Can you work it out

In January of 1984, Apple introduced the Macintosh and an innovative and arresting television

advertisement, directed by Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner, Black Hawk Down). In the ad, a Big Brother (Orwell's 1984) figure on a huge screen speaks about "gardens of pure ideology, one people, one cause" to a crowd human automatons. A fit woman runs toward the screen wielding a sledgehammer. She throws it at the screen apparition of totalitarianism and destroys it, followed by the deep movie trailer voice intoning, "On January 24th, Apple Computer will introduce Macintosh. And you'll see why 1984, won't be like '1984.'"

The Macintosh didn't manage to rid the world of totalitarians, but it did transform personal computing. And the Beatles did their part to transform culture and music, mostly in the 1960's. I've reimagined the ad idea just a little for the Apple Corps versus Apple Computer trademark infringement suit, which I posted about this morning. The ascendent Jobs looming over the Abbey Road Beatles (1969), figuratively trying to coax them into dropping the ridiculous suit, and getting no response...or perhaps singing an earlier Beatles song "We Can Work It Out" to the Beatles and their subsequent trustees (lyrics below).

Try to see it my way,
Do I have to keep on talking till I can't go on?
While you see it your way,
Run the risk of knowing that our love may soon be gone.
We can work it out,
We can work it out.
Think of what you're saying.
You can get it wrong and still you think that it's alright.
Think of what I'm saying,
We can work it out and get it straight, or say good night.
We can work it out,
We can work it out.
Life is very short, and there's no time
For fussing and fighting, my friend.
I have always thought that it's a crime,
So I will ask you once again.
Try to see it my way,
Only time will tell if I am right or I am wrong.
While you see it your way
There's a chance that we may fall apart before too long.
We can work it out,
We can work it out.
Life is very short, and there's no time
For fussing and fighting, my friend.
I have always thought that it's a crime,
So I will ask you once again.
Try to see it my way,
Only time will tell if I am right or I am wrong.
While you see it your way
There's a chance that we may fall apart before too long.
We can work it out,
We can work it out.

Original photo and lyrics: Apple Corps