Apple targets Android users with new 'Switch to iPhone' ad campaign

Image: screenshot: monica chin/apple/youtube

There's a certain aesthetic that consumers have come to expect from Apple: black backgrounds, hip-hop beats, flashy text and visual effects.

The latest set of ads from the company, however, feature a new look. They're charming, light-hearted, and — most pointedly — out to woo the world's Android users.

All four ads feature a screen divided into two regions: a gray half labeled "your phone" and a light blue half labeled "iPhone." They're less than 20 seconds long, and set to upbeat, old-timey music.

"Ease" depicts a man struggling with an umbrella in what appears to be a sandstorm on the bottom half of the screen (titled "your phone.") When he opens the umbrella, he's lifted into the blue sky above him (titled "iPhone.")

"Safe" depicts a questionable character dangling above the "iPhone" region which is protected by a colorful nexus. The man, visibly nervous, motions upwards, and is pulled away. "More secure" reads the screen.

"Apple Support" features business-casual trapeze artists swinging from opposite sides. The "your phone" artist leaps to grasp the hands of the "iPhone" artist, and the two swing away into the "iPhone" sphere.

In "Environment," a man drops his coffee on the "Your Phone" side. He attempts to kick the coffee cup onto the "iPhone" side, but fails and gives up. The final screen claims "iPhone is assembled at Zero Waste to Landfill facilities."

These ads aren't the only project Apple's been up to lately. The company has also released two "how-to" videos for users. The videos show the basics of framing and telephoto, two lesser-known camera features, in less than 30 seconds.