Apple Continues App-Focused TV Ad Campaign With 'Dreams' Spot

[FieldingMellish]

All I see about iPhone use in New York City are disconnected masses with their faces buried in the phone.

I was on the train seeing almost everyone in the same motionless pose. Train pulling into station where standees await to board in the same pose. Then out on the street seeing people walk around with faces buried in the phone.

 

[Winni]

There is no file system in iOS, the closest there is is a Camera Roll..

Of course there is a file system in iOS, only Apple does not allow you to use it. You have to jailbreak an iOS device to obtain the same level of control that other platforms offer their users out of the box.

 

[vpro]

Yeah... Shatter those dreams with the Beats acquisition. But overall great ad following that MacBook Air ad. (But that Beats Pill ad is still out here...) And why are these devices depicted as life-changing dream machines? I have one and it's just a practical phone.

well... it is because this company sells "feelings" so hyping up the "dream machine" factor and cranking up the hipster clapppppyyyy clap track and lazy singing voice sing songs, is just how far they will go to sell devices to us. give me a sexy ad showing off the device's lines, curves and scrolling screen with no music - simple insignia at the end of the ad would have been more inspiring! the music they choose for these ads really ruin the sensationalism and imagination.

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All I see about iPhone use in New York City are disconnected masses with their faces buried in the phone.

I was on the train seeing almost everyone in the same motionless pose. Train pulling into station where standees await to board in the same pose. Then out on the street seeing people walk around with faces buried in the phone.

Notice the poor over exaggerated hunch over texting style too? All those people playing the same games, using the same apps?

Truly creative people out there are still using sticks and string, stones and leaves to construct a lot of their "dreams" bringing it into reality for those around them to "engage" in. These iDevices cause more solitary existence and separation from what is really going on around you.

 

[dukeblue219]

Wow, is this commercial for real? DO you honestly think professionals in thier field are going to use an iPhone as their tool instead of a specialized tool that would be 10x better?
A vet isn't going to use an iphone as a heartrate monitor, a gemologist isn't going to use an iphone as a ****** magnifying glass, a pilot isn't going to use an iphone as gps,.

Dude you have no idea what you're talking about. The iPad specifically has almost single-handedly revolutionized general aviation. If you went down to your local small or medium general aviation field, you'd find that virtually everyone was familiar with ForeFlight, Garmin Pilot, or WingX, and that many of them were actually using it.

I am going on a short flight today in my little plane, and will be using my iPad Mini as my moving map. Foreflight is truly amazing for what it does, and for $120/yr subscription replaces literally $10k worth of cockpit avionics. Oh, and it is extraordinarily reliable and well-made. At the time the iPad and Foreflight combination came out, those "specialized tools" you mentioned had 4" resistive touch screens, required 12V power, and had horrible user interfaces. The iPad is better hardware than any of those devices at literally 1/5th the price, so all it took was someone to write the code for iPad hardware instead.

Commercial pilots and some charter ops use it (with the moving map disabled) as an electronic flight bag to replace enormous amount of paper charts.

These apps are not gimmickly little programs written in an afternoon by a teenager but expensive, well-written, and reliable commercial solutions. They work extremely well.

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That so useful to me.
I'm always looking for a phone with legal FAA approval.
Sod batter life, or screen size, or what apps I can and cannot use.
Can I fly a plane with it, is all the matters !!

This commercial isn't trying to sell you an iphone because it is widely used in aviation -- it's trying to sell you on how many different people have taken the iphone/ipad and adapted it for their specific field. I don't know what you do for a living, but perhaps you can find a similar niche.

 

[ElTorro]

I know you all like car analogies, so this is how I would interpret this commercial:
- Showing how you can add a roof rack to the car to carry snowboards, surfs and bikes
- Showing that the built-in headlights illuminate the dark country roads
- The navigation system would take the family from A to B
- The moon roof allows the passengers to gaze at the night sky

The problem is, all these are available in all car brands, just like the features touted in the commercial. The Wind Meter, the response deck and SAM-1 are available for Android. The Vet app is going Android, the iTranslate is hardly unique as Google Translate is available and far superior, and the ForeFlight is hardly relevant to any real users.

Hardly the relevant, streamlined, straight to the point ad that worked so well for Samsung marketing.

 

[lunarworks]

I know you all like car analogies, so this is how I would interpret this commercial:
- Showing how you can add a roof rack to the car to carry snowboards, surfs and bikes
- Showing that the built-in headlights illuminate the dark country roads
- The navigation system would take the family from A to B
- The moon roof allows the passengers to gaze at the night sky

Commercials like that give prospective car buyer an emotional connection to the product. The average consumer doesn't know what all the technical details are about.

This is one of my favourite car commercials ever:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIOW9fLT9eY

The problem is, all these are available in all car brands, just like the features touted in the commercial. The Wind Meter, the response deck and SAM-1 are available for Android. The Vet app is going Android, the iTranslate is hardly unique as Google Translate is available and far superior, and the ForeFlight is hardly relevant to any real users.

Hardly the relevant, streamlined, straight to the point ad that worked so well for Samsung marketing.

It doesn't matter if apps like those are available on Android if most people aren't even aware apps like that exist. This ad communicates clearly that iPhone can do more than social networking, taking pictures, and playing Angry Birds, which is what most people think of smartphones as.

 

[dukeblue219]

I know you all like car analogies, so this is how I would interpret this commercial:
- Showing how you can add a roof rack to the car to carry snowboards, surfs and bikes
- Showing that the built-in headlights illuminate the dark country roads
- The navigation system would take the family from A to B
- The moon roof allows the passengers to gaze at the night sky

The problem is, all these are available in all car brands, just like the features touted in the commercial. The Wind Meter, the response deck and SAM-1 are available for Android. The Vet app is going Android, the iTranslate is hardly unique as Google Translate is available and far superior, and the ForeFlight is hardly relevant to any real users.

Hardly the relevant, streamlined, straight to the point ad that worked so well for Samsung marketing.

People don't buy products because they have a faster processor, a quad core graphics chip, or a bigger screen. They buy products they know from commercials and from their friends experiences. This is marketing. Of course those apps or equivalents are available on Android, but that isn't the point. McDonalds advertises with people eating hamburgers - and they certainly aren't the only place selling hamburgers or making the best. Chevy advertises with a pickup truck bouncing over big rocks - most people don't use them that way and other brands do the same thing, but that's just how you sell a truck. That's what Apple is doing here. Don't overthink it.

 

[2IS]

People don't buy products because they have a faster processor, a quad core graphics chip, or a bigger screen. They buy products they know from commercials and from their friends experiences.

If that were true, people would buy a device once and never upgrade, or at least not for a very very long time since typically the differences are a spec bump, that you say no one cares about. If what you're saying is true, the majority of iPhone buyers would be first time iPhone buyers, and we know that isn't true, which blows a pretty big hole in your theory.

 

[lunarworks]

If that were true, people would buy a device once and never upgrade, or at least not for a very very long time since typically the differences are a spec bump, that you say no one cares about. If what you're saying is true, the majority of iPhone buyers would be first time iPhone buyers, and we know that isn't true, which blows a pretty big hole in your theory.

People don't buy a new phone because they know what's inside.

They buy a new phone because their old one is "getting slower", and their friends have shiny new ones that are fast.

I can ask my girlfriend how many cores are in her Lumia 1020, or my other friend how many cores are in her Nexus 4, and I'll get a blank stare from both of them.

Hell, I don't even remember the clock speed of my iPhone 4S.

 

[charlituna]

It IS however impossible for Apple to say these things because they've chosen form over function. So what we get in return are ads like these, that convey no useful information.

Not to you. But guess what? You're a freaking geek. You know how to go online and look up those specs you want to know. You know what they mean. heck you have likely already decided what you will or won't get ages ago.

Your parents, your grandparents, more likely are not geeks. They don't know how to find that stuff, how to understand it, or even care about it. All day battery life means little to them if it comes from a phone that barely doesn't anything. I mean they can get all day battery life, maybe even all week battery life, from the flip phone in their pocket. Getting them over to a smart phone is going to take more than 'all day battery life' and possibly more than 'takes great photos' if they have a camera already. And these are the folks that Apple etc need to get. Not the folks that already have a smart phone but the ones that are holding out because they don't see the point in a phone that does more than make calls and send SMS. And sure they might not use THESE apps but the ads do give them an idea of the variety of things they can do (and businesses looking to shift off basic phones or ten year old blackberries what they might be able to do).

So dislike the ads for your personal needs if you wish. But make no mistake that there is a valid audience for them.

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Of course there is a file system in iOS, only Apple does not allow you to use it.

99% of users have no need to see the file system because they don't feel the need to see their raw files. They merely need to be able to use them and they do that via the apps. So if the app can see the data and use it that's enough

 

[ucantgetridofme]

They should be insulting Samsung users and poking fun at Microsoft .

Samsung in really in your guys head aren't they? You're just proving how effective Samsungs ads are because you can't stop thinking and talking about them.

 

[2IS]

People don't buy a new phone because they know what's inside.

They buy a new phone because their old one is "getting slower", and their friends have shiny new ones that are fast.

I can ask my girlfriend how many cores are in her Lumia 1020, or my other friend how many cores are in her Nexus 4, and I'll get a blank stare from both of them.

Hell, I don't even remember the clock speed of my iPhone 4S.

People aren't quite as stupid as you think they are. Yes, they buy a new one because it's faster and why is it faster? Is it because of magic or because they know it has faster components even though they may not know the details? I don't remember the clock speeds of any of my iPhones including my current iPhone 5. I still look at specs though, I don't look at a GHz number because that's meaningless. I look at how much faster it performs a certain task compared to a previous generation. Clock speed is close to meaningless when comparing two different processors, as are the number of cores.

 

[lunarworks]

People aren't quite as stupid as you think they are. Yes, they buy a new one because it's faster and why is it faster? Is it because of magic or because they know it has faster components even though they may not know the details?

That's the point I was making.

Details are secondary to the experience.

But most people tend not to think of the individual components. They think of the device as a whole. It's kind of like how the people are work call their entire desktop the "hard drive".

And did I call people stupid? No. They just don't place a lot of importance on knowing all the technical details like a nerd does.

 

[impulse462]

This is a great ad.

 

[thirteen1031]

I just don't understand how these commercials help promote the iPhone when the apps are the focus.

Um, pretty simple actually. Like with the sticker commercial. You can put stickers on a different laptop, but all the stickers are featured on that Apple laptop highlighting that Apple. Which makes viewers think, "I want that computer so I can sticker it like that..."

Ditto with the featuring of apps. "I want that phone so I can use those apps..." Not many people think, "I can get those apps on the phone I have" or "I can pick a different phone and get those apps."

And, besides which, if the viewer DOES have an iPhone, the commercials get them checking the App store, buying more. Which also makes Apple money and keeps developers happy and making apps for the store, which they can then feature in commercials and, thereby, sell phones. See?

 

[thirteen1031]

Such odd responses to this ad. People saying, "I'm never going to take the heartbeat of a horse..." and such. Well, first, the app is for taking the heartbeat of any animal, and that means that your neighborhood vet might just use it. Or you might use it if your vet tells you to monitor your ailing dog's heartbeat and send them the weekly stats to see if the medicine is working.

Just like I monitor my blood pressure with my phone and email my doctor the stats so she can know how to adjust my meds.

Second, the song is about "being a hero." Most of this ad isn't about what you or I will do with the phone. It's about what "heroes" can do with the phone. People out in the field trying to make the world better, or those wanting to help others. This makes the phone appear "heroic." And therefore worth buying. We may or may not be interested in any of those apps. But seeing this device help people to help us, to help others, to make the world a little nicer, makes the phone seem magical.

That's the aim of all these ads. To present the phone as a kind of genie who will grand your wish. Help you to be in the best physical shape, help you to be the best parent you can be, help you to do grand things or change the world a little.

I don't know if this one is as good as some of the others, but all-in-all, I think Apple's got a sound idea here of how to keep the public aware of iPhones. And, yes, it's all about the apps. But that's the trick. Different apps keep the phone feeling "new" and fresh and different. It doesn't become something taken for granted, something boring that needs replacing. Each app gives you something new to play with. And so the phone remains your best buddy.

 

[harmar]

Dude you have no idea what you're talking about. The iPad specifically has almost single-handedly revolutionized general aviation. If you went down to your local small or medium general aviation field, you'd find that virtually everyone was familiar with ForeFlight, Garmin Pilot, or WingX, and that many of them were actually using it.

I am going on a short flight today in my little plane, and will be using my iPad Mini as my moving map. Foreflight is truly amazing for what it does, and for $120/yr subscription replaces literally $10k worth of cockpit avionics. Oh, and it is extraordinarily reliable and well-made. At the time the iPad and Foreflight combination came out, those "specialized tools" you mentioned had 4" resistive touch screens, required 12V power, and had horrible user interfaces. The iPad is better hardware than any of those devices at literally 1/5th the price, so all it took was someone to write the code for iPad hardware instead.

Commercial pilots and some charter ops use it (with the moving map disabled) as an electronic flight bag to replace enormous amount of paper charts.

These apps are not gimmickly little programs written in an afternoon by a teenager but expensive, well-written, and reliable commercial solutions. They work extremely well.

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This commercial isn't trying to sell you an iphone because it is widely used in aviation -- it's trying to sell you on how many different people have taken the iphone/ipad and adapted it for their specific field. I don't know what you do for a living, but perhaps you can find a similar niche.

Yes, and you are talking about iPads. The commercial and my whole post (you even bolded it) was talking about iPhones. Yes I have replaced specialized equipment for some clients with iPads.. Not once have I replaced a specialized piece of equipment with an IPhone (or even iPod touch)

 

[lunarworks]

Too much pedantry, too little perspective.

I'm out.

 

[harmar]

A vet may rush to a scene to check on an animal with the equipment they have on hand. They can't bring their entire setup with them.

Yes, and then that vet would be out of a job fairly quickly. You seriously think they would remember an iPhone + hardware over a stethoscope

 

[ElTorro]

Commercials like that give prospective car buyer an emotional connection to the product. The average consumer doesn't know what all the technical details are about.

This is one of my favourite car commercials ever:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIOW9fLT9eY



It doesn't matter if apps like those are available on Android if most people aren't even aware apps like that exist. This ad communicates clearly that iPhone can do more than social networking, taking pictures, and playing Angry Birds, which is what most people think of smartphones as.

You are right, this commercial could be an attempt to showcase the possibilities of a smartphone. I guess what I would expect in a commercial is to show why one should choose Apple over some other brand. Watching people doing things that most of us will never do with our phones does not do if for me. I could see how "Hi I'm an iPhone and I'm an Android" ad campaign could convey some of the fundamental differences of the platforms in a breezy and funny way, which would be a nice and intelligent reply to the user insulting Samsung commercials.

I liked that VW commercial too.

 

[unlinked]

I guess what I would expect in a commercial is to show why one should choose Apple over some other brand.

Interestingly most of the featured apps and accessories are cross platform.

 

[laurim]

This doesn't appeal to anyone. Last time I monitored the heart rate of a horse was erm, never.

99.99% of the customers use their phones for Facebook, Whatsapp, Snapchat, email, camera, photos. Show off Touch ID, the camera, the App Store, slo-mo, etc. Why not emphasize that the iPhone is great at those things? I seriously wonder if the guys who made this TRULY understand what makes the iPhone so special...

I think the advertising should be way more agressive. The message should be: iPhones are super easy to use, have a super high quality and finish (both hardware and software) and they look stunning.

Furthermore, this ad is so US-centric. More than 60% of the revenue is from outside the US. What kind of marketing is Apple doing over there?

Congrats for admitting you're the kind of person who can't extrapolate anything from a basic premise of "the phone has a lot of potential". They've already had commercials about the features you mentioned. If they had more commercials about them, some guy like you would complain that Apple has nothing new to talk about. Besides, those features really aren't that unique anymore after the others copy them, right?

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Absolutely right "stupid ****ing commercial" is the emotional response I get when watching these. A song completely detached from the content. Apps no one uses in ways no one uses the phone. It does not make me want to buy the apps, it does not make me want to use my phone to work on jewelry, i'm not compelled to buy the next iPhone to measure wind speed and on top of all that, it isn't even entertaining like the Samsung commercials are. No wonder Samsung is kicking Apple's ass.

Well, that's one person. I, on the other hand, looked up the pH meter function in the commercial for a personal project I'm working on. It was too expensive for what I'm doing but if it was for a corporate project where a normal decent pH meter would probably cost as much, I would definitely get it.

 

[ElTorro]

Interestingly most of the featured apps and accessories are cross platform.

Exactly, that was my point earlier. At least they should have used all Apple only apps.

 

[skwash]

If third-party apps are a concern, would you then agree that one way of keeping the data on your phone secure would be to have a built-in mail app with basic functionality such that you don't need to immediately hit the app store and download random apps until you find something you can use?

In the use case mentioned, (attaching a document to an email reply) if the built-in mail app had this functionality, how would you select a document to attach? Unfortunately it's currently all or nothing.

Fortunately, in iOS 8 with App Extensions, you could reply to an email, and insert an attachment from another app like Dropbox/Office/whatever. I think the App Extensions are the answer to allow you to get at documents, but still be secure.

 

[ENduro]

Anything would be better than that "life of dreams" song/ad. That has to be the most annoying, pseudo children's song ever and there's been a ton in commercials the last few years. Every time it comes on my blood boils that such a nonsensical song by a no-talent, can't keep time, toy piano playing artist is making a mint off all those plays while there are a billion other songs by better artists with more appropriate material who are eating dog food for dinner while they struggle to get a break.

Seriously, if any Apple PR people are reading this I have not met a single person who doesn't think that's the worst spot you've ever done. It's so damn bad.

Again, to summarize I do not care for it.