Apple has long been criticised by some in the technology sector for its closed systems and tight control over the way its devices are used.

Rival Motorola has now taken this message to the masses by comparing Apple to Big Brother during the prized Super Bowl advertising break.

Urging consumers to 'break free' from Apple's Orwellian grip, the advert for Motorola's new Xoom tablet never mentions the technology giant by name, instead offering the visual hint of a globe encircled by a sinister pair of white headphones.







It's an aggressive way of advertising Android's alternative to Apple's operating system, which is available on a wide range of phones and tablets instead of just one brand, and has more of an 'open' operating system.

The ad pokes fun at Apple's rise to dominance, spoofing a Macintosh ad from 1984 in which the company urged consumers to break free from another powerful, also unnamed, personal computer corporation.