Some of us are intimately familiar with every outdated technical skills demonstrated in a classic TV ad from Apple.
The spot follows an unassuming archivist working in an ancient building. Shelves bulge with film reels, photos and negatives. With a gentle gaze, the stooping man orchestrates his antique tools to bring celluloid memories alive. The final result, a short documentary film called “Together,” appears miraculously on a young mother’s iPhone somewhere else in the world. Images of her young family fly by as Lykke Li’s moving interpretation of "Unchained Melody" calls to our memories of young love, parenting, and perhaps Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze’s poignant movie, “Ghost.”
The purpose of this ad, incidentally, is to showcase Memories, Apple’s iOS 10 app for iPhone 7 and above. The app auto-magically curates iCloud photos and videos from a time period, wedding them to music to create emotional mini-films. As if a ghost from another time, the wise, tireless archivist is always ready to help when his call light snaps on.
So is this one more ageist TV ad portraying negative connotations of aging? Or is this docudrama a positive depiction of aging and the special power of intergenerational connections? Please post your reaction and comments below.
It's noteworthy that with the introduction of iPhone 14 in September 2022, Apple has adopted the creative theme of "Far Out." Younger readers may not connect with this as historically significant, but Baby Boomers will recall this declarative statement as part of our coming-of-age journey back in the 1970's. "Far Out" was part of our unique slang lexicon, as was "Dream on," "Peace and Love," "Boogie," "Whatever," "Groovy," "Uptight," and "Can you dig it?"
Apple has made a smart choice with this creative concept because Baby Boomers have accumulated the financial resources needed to purchase Apple's newest products, with iPhone price points heading to the stratosphere.
"Catch you on the flip side."
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