Tech ad watch: Apple shows us unrealistically interesting things to do with iPad Air 2
I mean, wow, right Look at all the creative stuff that's happening. Look at all these cool, progressive uses to which these diverse folks are putting the iPad Air 2. Who would have even thought of building an iPad into a motorcycle for use as digital instrumentation Or using it to track what's growing where in your cool urban rooftop garden
Certainly not me. In fact, I'm pretty sure the vast majority of my tablet usage involves the following:
While I haven't seen any scientific research on the subject, I'm willing to bet that people mostly use tablets the same way I do as portable media gizmos for periods where neither a laptop nor a phone will do. The most creative thing I think I've ever done with one is prop it up on the kitchen counter to keep a recipe in front of me as I cooked, which was handy, but also resulted in ugly food smears on the device. (Also, pro tip turn off the screen timeout before you start.)
That doesn't make for a very good commercial, of course, but it's also why Apple's ad feels so bogus sure, it's technically possible to do all this stuff with your iPad Air 2, but how many people are actually going to It's the gadget equivalent of those car ads that show SUVs churning over dusty desert terrain, throwing up photogenic bursts of sand in slow motion sure, that looks cool, but it'd be a lot more accurate to show somebody driving one to Market Basket to pick up pancake mix and eggs.
Apple had the same sort of aspirational nonsense happening in its previous iPad ads, the ones with the voice-over of Robin Williams' monologue from Dead Poets Society. But, hey, those at least had Robin Williams. This one is just another opportunity to show you a bunch of hip young smart people with iPads, because Apple is excellent at branding.