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

Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock Light

iOS 19 Leak Reveals All-New Design

Friday January 17, 2025 2:42 pm PST by
iOS 19 is still around six months away from being announced, but a new leak has allegedly revealed a completely redesigned Camera app. Based on footage it obtained, YouTube channel Front Page Tech shared a video showing what the new Camera app will apparently look like, with the key change being translucent menus for camera controls. Overall, the design of these menus looks similar to...
2024 iPhone Boxes Feature

Apple Changes Trade-In Values for iPhones, iPads, Macs, and More

Thursday January 16, 2025 6:45 am PST by
Apple today adjusted estimated trade-in values for select iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models in the U.S., according to its website. Some values increased, while others decreased. The changes were not too significant, with most values rising or dropping by $5 to $50. We have outlined some examples below: Device New Value Old Value iPhone 15 Pro Max Up to $630 U ...
2024 App Store Awards

Apple Explains Why It Removed TikTok From the App Store in the U.S.

Sunday January 19, 2025 6:58 am PST by
Apple on late Saturday removed TikTok from the App Store in the U.S., and it has now explained why it was required to take this action. Last year, the U.S. passed a law that required Chinese company ByteDance to divest its ownership of TikTok due to potential national security risks, or else the platform would be banned. That law went into effect today, and companies like Apple and Google...
Generic iOS 18

Everything New in iOS 18.3 Beta 3

Thursday January 16, 2025 12:39 pm PST by
Apple provided the third beta of iOS 18.3 to developers today, and while the betas have so far been light on new features, the third beta makes some major changes to Notification Summaries and also tweaks a few other features. Notification Summary Changes Apple made multiple changes to Notification Summaries in response to complaints about inaccurate summaries of news headlines. For...
iOS 19 Roundup Feature

iOS 19 Rumored to Be Compatible With These iPhones

Saturday January 18, 2025 10:28 am PST by
iOS 19 will not drop support for any iPhone models, according to French website iPhoneSoft.fr. The report cited a source who said iOS 19 will be compatible with any iPhone that can run iOS 18, which would mean the following models: iPhone 16 iPhone 16 Plus iPhone 16 Pro iPhone 16 Pro Max iPhone 15 iPhone 15 Plus iPhone 15 Pro iPhone 15 Pro Max iPhone 14 iPhon...
iPad Pro vs iPhone 17 Air Feature

Here's How Thin the iPhone 17 Air Might Be

Friday January 17, 2025 3:38 pm PST by
For the last several months, we've been hearing rumors about a redesigned version of the iPhone 17 that Apple might call the iPhone 17 "Air," or something along those lines. It's going to replace the iPhone 17 Plus as Apple's fourth iPhone option, and it will be offered alongside the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. We know the iPhone 17 Air is going to be super slim, but...
apple power beats pro 2

Powerbeats Pro 2 Coming Soon: Apple to Announce Them 'Imminently'

Sunday January 19, 2025 8:25 am PST by
In September, Apple said that it would be launching Powerbeats Pro 2 in 2025, and it appears the wireless earbuds are coming very soon. Powerbeats Pro 2 images found in iOS 18 code In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the Powerbeats Pro 2 are "due imminently." In addition to Apple filing the Powerbeats Pro 2 in regulatory databases last month, Gurman said Apple is...
mail categories macos

Apple's Redesigned Mail App is Expanding to the Mac — Here's When

Sunday January 19, 2025 6:02 am PST by
Apple plans to expand the iPhone's redesigned Mail app to the Mac starting with macOS 15.4, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The first macOS 15.4 beta should be made available in the coming weeks, and Apple has previously suggested that the iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, and macOS 15.4 series of software updates will be released to the public in April. The revamped Mail app debuted on all...

Top Rated Comments

postpc Avatar
147 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
147 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
147 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
147 months ago
Pencil ad is brilliant. Simply brilliant.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Xenc Avatar
147 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
147 months ago
Is that Bryan Cranston's voice in the iPad commercial? Sure sounds a lot like him.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)