Academy Awards audience says ‘Hello’ to iPhone

Apple Inc. debuted its first television commercial for its forthcoming iPhone during the Academy Awards last night. The 30-second spot, which ran multiple times, reached an estimated 40 million viewers watching at home.
Despite a continuing decline in viewership, ratings for the Academy Awards are second only to the Super Bowl, which makes the event a much-coveted launching pad for any product.
Apple’s commercial compiled a montage of clips from 31 different movies and TV shows, with appearances by John Cusack, Robert DeNiro, Cameron Diaz, Sarah Jessica Parker and the animated Betty Rubble. Each character answers a phone before a spinning iPhone is shown, followed by a full-screen caption “Hello.” The commercial ends with “Coming in June,” and at no point mentions the device by name. The commercial contained no new information about the iPhone.
The iPhone ad, which cost Apple about $1.7 million each time it aired, first ran during the ceremony’s initial commercial break. It then repeated several times throughout the nearly four-hour-long telecast.
Announced earlier this year, Apple’s iPhone will combine the company’s popular digital music and video player with cellphone functions. It’s scheduled to be launched in June with service from AT&T Inc.’s Cingular Wireless L.L.C.