If you've been watching the Olympics, chances are good that you've also been watching the new ads for Apple. The first spot debuted during Friday's Opening Ceremonies, and much like the event itself, reviews have been mixed. The ads by TBWA\Media Arts Lab, which you can see below and after the jump, star stand-up comedian Josh Rabinowitz as an Apple Store Genius who's apparently always on the clock. He solves domestic crises on a plane, helps an expectant father get his priorities straight and deflates a bizarrely out-of-touch discount shopper. The situations are silly, but that's not to say they're actually funny. "They're strangely cocky yet obnoxiously campy," notes an AppleInsider.com forum member, one of hundreds who have weighed in on the spots. Quality debates aside, the new tone is clearly a jarring shift away from mellow product demonstrations of recent years and a return to the "Get a Mac" era, when Apple was portrayed as a smirking know-it-all while all others (including customers now) are slow-witted Luddites.
