Vintage tech ads: The 15 funniest videos

Just wait 'til you see what we found in our hunt for the most entertaining old tech commercials.

By JR Raphael, ITworld | IT Management/Strategy, advertising, gadgets 8 comments

May 03, 2010, 9:06 AM — Tech ads just aren't what they used to be.

Sure, you have your robot phone wars and naked spokeswomen in bathtubs (what was she selling, again?). But missing are the cheesy songs, silly slogans, and giant gadgets that made the tech ads of yesteryear so wonderful to watch.

OK -- maybe "wonderful" is the wrong word. But looking back on them now, it's hard not to find them amusing. And, yes, a little embarrassing.

Don't take my word for it. Check out these 15 vintage tech commercials for yourself. If all the obsolete technology doesn't put a smile on your face, surely the cameo by a young William Shatner will bring you some joy.

For more retro tech laughs, be sure to take our tour of the best magazine tech ads from the past, too. The Bee Gees, Bill Cosby, and a 20-something Bill Gates all await you.

1. Mario on Atari

See, now if Microsoft had hired this guy instead of Seinfeld, that churro campaign could have really taken off.

Next page: Sony Super Walkman

JR Raphael is a syndicated writer and the co-founder of eSarcasm, the greatest geek-humor site at a seven-letter domain starting with the letter "e." You can find him on Facebook, Twitter, or Google+.

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Anonymous 1 year ago

Waking up nice... If your family could afford the overprice.

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Anonymous 1 year ago

I agree with the previous posting 100%. Why do you always spread stories / features across many pages?

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Anonymous 1 year ago in reply to Anonymous

Just say No... to the 'slideshow' format.It's tedious, annoying... and makes users have to scroll the page EVERY TIME, to get to the play button or the 'next' link.However... I do see a newer article from the author, with all vids on one page... NICE! Guess he listened to your feedback ;) Wish the rest of the web would.

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Anonymous 1 year ago

This article MIGHT be passably readable IF it weren't written across FIFTEEN SEPARATE HTML PAGES! You know what's nifty about the way web pages display on computer screens? The little bar on the right side of the page that lets you move down the page as far as it needs to keep on going! There's no need to use fourteen extra pages just to hide the fact that your author didn't actually add a shred of content. Get with the 21st Century, and fire the "editor" who cannot think outside the 1950s' Good Housekeeping magazine box.

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Anonymous 1 year ago

"So we've got a powerful leader forcing people to do things the way he sees fit" ....Funny. I see a tv screen showing a grey office guy talking in a grey world where all people look the same, think the same way and do the same things. Then, somebody who looks colorful and different and has lots of energy smashes this grey world.

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Anonymous 1 year ago in reply to Anonymous

Jobs even looks like the 'grey office guy' now... one of the more apt comments in the article... unlike the 'gee this kid looks like Bill Gates', well DUH... ya think? ...that they might have PLANNED that? Hmmm.

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Anonymous 1 year ago

Brings back some memories. Love the diversity of the old-days. Also miss the days when you could understand the whole environment end to end.DaveData Analysis" & Data Quality" tools.

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Anonymous 1 year ago

I'm pretty sure that ms-dos "ad" was made for internal sales force only.

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