A voiceover says something like, “Apple is releasing Macintosh in January. And you’ll see why 1984 won’t be like 1984.” Unlike many television commercials that attempt to grab their audience with humor or inspiration, this ad employs fear to scare its potential buyers into avoiding the alternative.

On January 24th, Apple Computer will introduce Macintosh. And you’ll see why 1984 won’t be like 1984. The screen then fades to black, and a rainbow Apple logo appears. When Steve Jobs first saw...

Many other dystopian novels carry similar warnings. So why does 1984 have such staying power? Orwell’s novels “all have exactly the same plot,” says the author’s biographer D.J. Taylor.

Apple cuts to the tagline: "On January 24th, Apple Computer will introduce Macintosh. And you'll see why 1984 won't be like '1984.' The idea was that Macintosh would revolutionize computing...

With respect to the "Why 1984 won't be like 1984" line, Hayden explains that it came from a San Francisco writer named Gary Gussick during a brainstorming session. While that...