Apple iPad Ads Highlight Wealth of Applications

The latest ads seem to be a bit of a departure from Apple’s minimalist approach, featuring more upbeat music and a faster pace.

One of the savviest technology companies on the planet released two television commercials aimed at convincing consumers to pick up its iPad and iPad mini tablets.

The two commercials, titled “Alive” and “Together,” highlight the software operating system and ecosystem of applications that help make Apple’s hardware so desirable. The fast-paced ads, which are accompanied by a bouncy musical score, showcase the various capabilities of the tablet.

Like everything else with Apple, the company’s advertising strategy is always closely scrutinized, and the latest ads seem to be a bit of a departure from Apple’s minimalist approach. In addition to the new TV spots, Apple also debuted a new line of print advertisements also aimed at highlighting the wealth of applications designed specifically for the tablet.

Apple is facing increased competition from other tablet vendors like Samsung and Amazon, but remains the clear market leader. Apple's tablet sales were driven by strong demand for the iPad Mini. With a recent Canalys report estimating that the 7-inch device made up more than half of Apple's total tablet shipments, owing to an attractive price point (a debatable point of analysis) and compact design, which the firm said has led to "significant cannibalization" in the iPad range and the wider PC market.

The 2012 holiday quarter also marked the first time Apple has not controlled half the tablet market; the company's share stood at 49 percent at the end of 2012, despite record shipments. Including iPad sales, worldwide PC shipments increased 12 percent year-on-year in the fourth-quarter to reach 134 million units.

"Apple timed the launch of the iPad Mini well,' Canalys research analyst Pin-Chen Tang said in a statement. "Its success proves there is a clear demand for pads with smaller screens at a more affordable price. Without the launch, Apple would surely have lost more ground to its competitors."

The company recently gave its MacBook Pro with Retina display notebook a refresh, sporting updated processors and lower starting prices: The entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display now starts at $1,499 for 128GB of flash storage, and $1,699 for a new 2.6 GHz processor and 256GB of flash storage.

Apple also upgraded the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display, which now features a faster 2.4 GHz quad-core processor, and the flagship 15-inch notebook comes with a new 2.7 GHz quad-core processor and 16GB of memory. Apple also announced that the 13-inch MacBook Air with 256GB of storage has a new lower price of $1,399. All models are available through the company’s online store, retail stores and authorized resellers.