Apple Posts iPad Air Introduction, Life on iPad, and 'Pencil' TV Ad Videos

Apple debuted a number of videos at its special event yesterday and it has now posted a number of them on YouTube.

Before introducing the company's newest iPads, Tim Cook ran this 'Life on iPad' spot "to celebrate our customer's creativity and genius in using their iPads." The two-minute film shows the iPad being used in a wide variety of different situations, including in a surgery suite, by musicians, firefighters, tourists, football players, and many more.


No Apple product launch would be complete without a Jony Ive-led video showcasing how much detail and thought went into the design of the new product, and the iPad Air is no exception. The videos are so iconic that they have been endlessly parodied in commercials and on late-night comedy shows.


Finally, the company produced a new television ad for the iPad Air in keeping with the theme from the keynote that the iPad can be used for a limitless variety of tasks. The ad, called 'Pencil', starts with a pencil on a desk, with a voiceover suggesting the ad is about that simple writing implement. At the end, the new iPad Air is revealed from behind it.

It's an extremely simple tool, but also extremely powerful. It can be used to start a poem, or finish a symphony.

It has transformed the way we work, learn, create, share. It's used to illustrate things, solve things, and think of new things.

It's used by scientists and artists, scholars and students. It's been to classrooms, boardrooms, expeditions, even to space.

And we can't wait to see where you'll take it next. Introducing the thinner, lighter, more powerful iPad Air.


We've posted the last film, about the production process behind the Mac Pro, in a separate article that more closely examines the process.

[Update]: As pointed out by Mashable, the narrating voice of the "Pencil" TV ad for the iPad Air is none other than Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston.

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.1 Coming Soon: New Features for Your iPhone and Release Date

Monday October 27, 2025 7:55 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 26.1 update includes a handful of new features and changes for iPhones, including a toggle for changing the appearance of the Liquid Glass design, "slide to stop" for alarms in the Clock app, and more. Below, we outline key details about iOS 26.1. Release Date Given that Apple has yet to seed an iOS 26.1 Release Candidate, which is typically the final beta version, the...
iOS 26 Maps Glass

Apple Reportedly Moving Ahead With Ads in Maps App

Sunday October 26, 2025 6:22 am PDT by
Apple Maps could feature integrated ads as soon as next year, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. In his latest "Power On" newsletter, Gurman said that Apple's plan to bring more ads to iOS is moving "gaining traction," with the Maps app being next in line. The project will apparently give restaurants and other businesses the option to pay to have their details featured more prominently in...
maxresdefault

Apple TV 4K Could Still Launch Before 2025 Ends: All the Rumored Features

Monday October 27, 2025 4:51 pm PDT by
Apple is designing an updated version of the Apple TV 4K, and rumors suggest that it could come out sometime in the next couple of months. We're not expecting a major overhaul with design changes, but even a simple chip upgrade will bring major improvements to Apple's set-top box. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. We've rounded up all the latest Apple TV rumors. ...
iOS 26 Battery Glass Feature

iOS 26.1 Beta Liquid Glass Battery Drain Test: Tinted vs Clear Mode

Friday October 24, 2025 2:30 pm PDT by
In the fourth iOS 26.1 beta, Apple added a "Tinted" option that reduces the translucency of Liquid Glass for those who prefer a more opaque look. I saw some comments wondering whether the setting might preserve battery life, so I thought I'd do some testing. Test Settings I did four separate tests using the iPhone 17 Pro Max, and I kept the parameters as similar as possible. Here are the...
M6 MacBook Pro Feature 1

M6 MacBook Pro: Release Date, Pricing, and What to Expect

Monday October 27, 2025 9:15 am PDT by
Apple this month refreshed the 14-inch MacBook Pro base model with its new M5 chip, and higher-end 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips are expected to follow in early 2026. However, these machines will represent the final update to the current design, with Apple reportedly developing a completely new version of the MacBook Pro packed with next-generation hardware...
iOS 26

iOS 26.1 Coming Soon With These 8 New Features for Your iPhone

Wednesday October 22, 2025 6:15 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 26.1 update includes a handful of new features and changes for iPhones, including a toggle for changing the appearance of the Liquid Glass design, "slide to stop" for alarms in the Clock app, and more. iOS 26.1 is currently in beta testing. The update will likely be released in the first half of November, and it is compatible with the iPhone 11 series and newer, but some...
swift for android

Developers Can Now Make Android Apps With Apple's Swift

Sunday October 26, 2025 4:23 am PDT by
The first preview release of the Swift SDK for Android was published this week, allowing developers to build Android apps in Swift with official tooling and making it easier to share code across iOS and Android. The SDK enables Android apps to be built in Swift using officially supported tooling rather than community workarounds. In June, it was announced that Apple's Swift programming...
ios 26 digital id passport wallet

Apple Says U.S. Passport Feature on iPhone is Coming Soon

Monday October 27, 2025 7:41 am PDT by
You will "soon" be able to add a digital version of your U.S. passport to your iPhone, according to Jennifer Bailey, vice president of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet. Bailey reiterated that the feature is coming soon during her keynote at the Money20/20 USA conference in Las Vegas on Sunday. On its iOS 26 page, Apple says the delayed feature will be "coming later this year." Apple's...
All Screen iPhone 2027 Feature 1

iPhone XX? 6 Features Rumored for Apple's 20th Anniversary iPhone

Monday October 27, 2025 4:01 pm PDT by
For the 10th anniversary iPhone that came out in 2017, Apple introduced the iPhone X with Face ID, notch, and minimized bezels, providing more display space than ever before. The 20th iPhone anniversary is approaching and Apple wants to take the iPhone X design even further. We're two years away from the 2027 iPhone, but it's tough for Apple to keep major changes under wraps. We've rounded...

Top Rated Comments

postpc Avatar
157 months ago
if I have to watch one more Jony Ive Scientology style head tilt brainwash video I'm going to have to throw up
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
3N16MA Avatar
157 months ago
I'm walking into an Apple store with $500 demanding they sell me a pencil.
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Sky Blue Avatar
157 months ago
Is that Bryan Cranston's voice in the iPad commercial? Sure sounds a lot like him.

Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Meandmunch Avatar
157 months ago
Pencil ad is brilliant. Simply brilliant.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Xenc Avatar
157 months ago
I like the pencil ad. It reminds me of the commercials Apple ran with the MacBook Air in an envelope.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Screwtape Avatar
157 months ago
Is that Bryan Cranston's voice in the iPad commercial? Sure sounds a lot like him.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)