• Fast Company et al., Monday, March 8, 2010 1:06 PM

What little advertising ABC did have during last night's Oscars was given a boost by Apple's debut iPad commercial. With the tablet computer's debut less than a month away, "Fever's mounting," writes Fast Companyb -- and not just domestically. "The Oscars, like 'em or loathe 'em, count as one of the most viewed TV events around the World ... making them an absolutely perfect platform for Apple to tease its upcoming tablet PC."

"During the Grammy's Apple got comedian Stephen Colbert to show off an iPad ... live on stage," notes Venture Beat. "But this time, to get in front of an audience of tens of millions, Apple presumably shelled out some megabucks ... The big spend here probably means that Apple is quite serious about getting the iPad in front of mass market audiences."

Similarly, "While past campaigns won viewers over with their creative inspiration, this time Apple's ad seemed rather basic," writes The Guardian. "The ad positions the iPad as a device for private entertainment ... That's it ... Compared with the creativity of the 1984 commercial, the new ad for the iPad is rather disappointing, but it suggests Apple wants the iPad to go mainstream."

"It's a bit hard to believe, but for non-tech folks Apple's iPad commercial at the Oscars was probably the first real introduction to the device to the average bear," writes ZDNet's Between The Lines blog. "The commercial, which garnered a lot of tech buzz, was more overview than killer app play, but Apple is clearly introducing the iPad to the masses ... Early adopters are nice, but getting your mom to buy an iPad pays the bills."

Meanwhile, Steve Jobs made it to the Oscars himself -- an occurrence that some half-jokingly called an ingenious marketing stunt. "You have to hand it to Jobs," remarks Venture Beat. "He was smart enough to bankroll Pixar, sell it to Disney, and then keep the team churning out movies like Up -- all so that he can get an invitation to walk the red carpet and get into the biggest show on earth."

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