Apple launches new 'Your Verse' iPad webpage inspired by TV ad
Apple recently revealed a new promotional iPad webpage in what appears to be an extension of the company's recent "Your Verse" TV spot, picking up from the "Life on iPad" series that first debuted in November.
Apple CEO Tim Cook mentioned the "Your Verse" TV commercial in a tweet and added a link to Apple's homepage, which now features a screenshot of the ad. Clicking on the image -- which previously led to an inline video of the TV spot -- now directs to an iPad promo page dedicated to telling real life stories of how the tablet is being used in new and unique ways.
Like the previous "Life on iPad" webpage, "Your Verse" tells the stories of an eclectic group of professionals who use the iOS slate in a variety of situations. From deep sea diving to recording music to on-the-fly filmmaking, the site promises to take viewers through an interactive journey centered around the iPad.
The first story features Dr. Michael Berumen, a marine biologist and professor at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, who uses the iPad on diving expeditions to help collect data on reefs and their wildlife. His team's efforts are focused in cataloging and preserving the flora and fauna of earth's oceans.
In the story, Berumen details a specialized iPad housing called the "iDive," which he and his team developed to replace waterproof paper, boards and other traditional underwater writing instruments. By using the iPad, Berumen is able to instantly log data without having to transcribe notes after surfacing. In addition, the team developed an app that helps quickly catalog fish and coral species they may see on a dive.
Along with high quality pictures, Apple's page for Berumen's tale adds little flourishes like a depth gauge that replaces the usual page scroll location indicator. When users reach the bottom of the page, they can "click to surface." Other rich Web content populates the interactive piece, including bubbles, a browsable set of fish and coral types Berumen may encounter while on a typical dive and an exploded view of the iDive housing.
Next up in the "Your Verse" series will be "Elevating the expedition," in which mountaineers Emily Harrington and Adrian Ballinger will presumably detail how the iPad has helped them summit the world's toughest peaks.
The teaser shots on "Your Verse" all point to scenes in the TV commercial that aired this past weekend. Apple's "Life on iPad" webpage was created in an identical manner, meaning this latest effort could be the second installment of an ongoing series TV-to-Web series.
Apple CEO Tim Cook mentioned the "Your Verse" TV commercial in a tweet and added a link to Apple's homepage, which now features a screenshot of the ad. Clicking on the image -- which previously led to an inline video of the TV spot -- now directs to an iPad promo page dedicated to telling real life stories of how the tablet is being used in new and unique ways.
If you haven't seen this, I'd recommend watching it. What will your verse be? http://t.co/8nyIRPQ21f
-- Tim Cook (@tim_cook) Like the previous "Life on iPad" webpage, "Your Verse" tells the stories of an eclectic group of professionals who use the iOS slate in a variety of situations. From deep sea diving to recording music to on-the-fly filmmaking, the site promises to take viewers through an interactive journey centered around the iPad.
The first story features Dr. Michael Berumen, a marine biologist and professor at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, who uses the iPad on diving expeditions to help collect data on reefs and their wildlife. His team's efforts are focused in cataloging and preserving the flora and fauna of earth's oceans.
In the story, Berumen details a specialized iPad housing called the "iDive," which he and his team developed to replace waterproof paper, boards and other traditional underwater writing instruments. By using the iPad, Berumen is able to instantly log data without having to transcribe notes after surfacing. In addition, the team developed an app that helps quickly catalog fish and coral species they may see on a dive.
Along with high quality pictures, Apple's page for Berumen's tale adds little flourishes like a depth gauge that replaces the usual page scroll location indicator. When users reach the bottom of the page, they can "click to surface." Other rich Web content populates the interactive piece, including bubbles, a browsable set of fish and coral types Berumen may encounter while on a typical dive and an exploded view of the iDive housing.
Next up in the "Your Verse" series will be "Elevating the expedition," in which mountaineers Emily Harrington and Adrian Ballinger will presumably detail how the iPad has helped them summit the world's toughest peaks.
The teaser shots on "Your Verse" all point to scenes in the TV commercial that aired this past weekend. Apple's "Life on iPad" webpage was created in an identical manner, meaning this latest effort could be the second installment of an ongoing series TV-to-Web series.
Comments
It's an inspirational message that applies to everyone.
"We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race and the human race is filled with passion. Medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for. To quote from Whitman, "O me! O life!... of the questions of these recurring; of the endless trains of the faithless... of cities filled with the foolish; what good amid these, O me, O life?" Answer: that you are here; that life exists, and identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?"
It's a message about contribution. If you want to share photos of your family and friends, write an app, post on a blog, shoot a video, write a message of your own, make a connection with someone, no matter how small the contribution, you take part and create your identity. The mentions of medicine, law, business and engineering in the quote are the boring essentials where you rarely find the passion that is what makes life worth living but the iPad can be used in those pursuits too. The full poem is:
O ME! O life!... of the questions of these recurring;
Of the endless trains of the faithless—of cities fill’d with the foolish;
Of myself forever reproaching myself, (for who more foolish than I, and who more faithless?)
Of eyes that vainly crave the light—of the objects mean—of the struggle ever renew’d;
Of the poor results of all—of the plodding and sordid crowds I see around me;
Of the empty and useless years of the rest—with the rest me intertwined;
The question, O me! so sad, recurring—What good amid these, O me, O life?
Answer.
That you are here—that life exists, and identity;
That the powerful play goes on, and you will contribute a verse.
Consider the Christmas ad 'misunderstood'. Emo-kid may ask himself 'what good amid these, O me, O life?', but regardless, he contributes a part with love for his family. Messages like these don't really have a demographic, they apply to everyone. They are observations of life and the message won't always resonate with people who haven't made those observations but sometimes the message itself changes that.
When Apple puts these ads and products out, they are defining their company's identity and it's important that they keep it like this.
Keating: Why do I stand up here? Anybody?
Dalton: To feel taller!
Keating: No! ... I stand upon my desk to remind myself that we must constantly look at things in a different way.
If you think that's just for 'possibly college students' then by all means stay seated.
Apple's message hasn't changed in 30 years, this 'latest ad' is not a different message: 'don't be trapped by dogma', don't walk off a cliff like lemmings, 'The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and liberal arts, to be able to get the best of both', think different, 'It's in Apple's DNA that technology alone is not enough — it's technology married with liberal arts, married with the humanities, that yields us the result that makes our heart sing and nowhere is that more true than in these post-PC devices', 'Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you and you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use. Once you learn that, you'll never be the same again.'
I may be in the minority on this one, but this ad is some of the worst navel-gazing I've seen in an Apple ad. The message should be much simpler and more direct. There is a real lack of clarity seeping into the advertising.
I may be in the minority on this one, but this ad is some of the worst navel-gazing I've seen in an Apple ad. The message could be much simpler and have greater impact.
Also, people familiar with my posting history know I do not criticize Apple often, but when I do it is for a good reason. They can do much better than this ad.