Windows-branded laptop makes appearance on 30 Rock

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In the latest episode of the “30 Rock“, the TV show apparently synonymous with product placements and especially Apple products, a black laptop computer with a standout white Windows logo branding makes a brief but comical appearance.

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According to Will who sent in the screencaps from the episode, the laptop was used to design a new “super microwave” as a money-making scheme for General Electric, however by the end of the design process the product had evolved into more or less a car with four doors, wheels and a radio. A divergence only possible on a PC I’d imagine.

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A brief shot from the front view of the laptop identifies the laptop as a Lenovo ThinkPad W500.

25 insightful thoughts

  1. I like the ‘Windows’ logo branding on the laptop. It might not still be as sexy as the ‘Apple’ logo on MacBooks but at least it’s something.

  2. Seems rather odd- the w500 is a lenovo business division computer right? then why is the back shiny? I mean, the windows logo is fake, but why make the whole back shiny?

  3. That still doesn’t hide the obvious iMac (with it’s Apple logo removed) in the background.

    I wonder how they get the logo emblazoned on there, and getting rid of the original logo.

    1. it has not not removed. The Apple logo is a different shade of black on the back of those iMacs. The back is a matte finish and the apple is shiny. It is subtle, you can see it there.

  4. I noticed that too. This is something that I’ve seen on a handful of shows. What’s surprising, and disappointing, is how poorly it’s usually done. Sometimes it’s a large, color, lit Vista orb which just looks tacky on a laptop lid. At least this one was restrained.

    IMO, however, they shouldn’t bother with it. The majority of the time, when they show computers, they show the screen and you can tell from all sorts of things what operating systems is being used. This is one of the things I always pay attention to, and it’s incredible how often a fake operating system is dummied up rather than using something real. It wouldn’t be so bad if they tended lo look realistic, but most of them don’t. They will also sometimes fake real operating systems. Last season of 24 did this with Vista. It had really weird instances of Aero-themed programs.

    But anyways, I’m not privy to the realities of product placement. But I wonder how difficult it is or isn’t to just get permission or even get paid to just use a regular computer and a regular operating system. It’s very common to see promotional consideration for Dell or Apple, for instance, in the credits to a program. Is Microsoft not interested in this? Is it perhaps rabid Mac fanboyism on the part of the shows’ art departments, where they hate to show Windows if they can avoid it?

  5. @quikboy: I actually didn’t notice the “obvious” iMac until you mentioned it. 😮

    Also, I’d totally buy that microwave.

  6. Its not an iMac, its a lenovo notebook, look at screenshots 2&3, next to those green led lights you can see the “lenovo” brand name : ) (plus iMacs dont have green leds)

  7. Tehan, we’re talking about the imac in the top picture upper left hand corner…

    I think it’s quite comical when a computer in a tv show is running an operating system that seems to be a mashup of mac os, windows os, and fisher price os.

  8. It is really strange that they decided to make the W500’s lid glossy like that, at first glance I thought I was looking at an SL due to this. I guess this show isn’t geared toward Thinkpad aficionados and more to the general public, and we all know the general public like glossy things.

    Oh and the logo on the iMac is not blacked out, it’s actually glossy black on the real ones. They don’t hide Apple logos in this show…

  9. Actually, that iMac has appeared in many scenes in Jack’s office, and its logo is never covered up. It’s just that the shot of the iMac is so far away, and its back so dark, that you can’t see the Apple logo. In fact, Apple logos are always clearly visible in 30 Rock episodes, and just about all the main characters use iPhones.

  10. i seen the 1st episode of the season of chuck thought it was funny when Sarah thows her iphone into the pool & it start screwing up. wonder if the smashsomestuff team have dameged a 3gs yet

  11. They use the same ‘windows branded’ laptops in the current season of the TV show ‘Chuck’, previous seasons used mac’s.

  12. Yes they finally replaced Macbooks with Windows Laptops. They must have finally improved the Windows computers enough so they are better then the Macs. I hate my Mac.

  13. I have used both religiously. They are both adequate systems depending on what you are using them for. This whole debate between Mac and Windows is ridiculous. Either way, with Windows 7 you have an adequate integrated system that works well. And I’m not even interested in how much people hate 7. I have used it and have been tearing apart and rebuilding computers BEFORE Windows 3.1 and I can tell you they both have their limits and restraints.

  14. guys please can anyone help me with the link of the photo of a black and white logo of windows. i wanted to have a skin just like it to for my computer. thanks….

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