Apple shares new iPhone 7, Apple Watch Series 2 ads with focus on water resistance, camera

Apple released three new commercials for its latest iPhone 7 and Apple Watch Series 2 on Sunday, each showcasing new hardware features like water resistance, fitness tracking and iPhone's low-light camera capabilities.

The first ad, "Go Time," is a minute-long spot touting the Series 2's "swim proof" design. Unlike the original Apple Watch, this year's refreshed model works down to 50 meters, a feature highlighted by today's ad through scads of people jumping into large bodies of water.

Along with pool lounging, lap swimming and cycling in what appears to be a monsoon, Apple shows users surfing with Apple Watch Series 2, a testament to the new internal design's rugged nature. Bonus footage: the lap swimmer is able to interact with Watch's screen post workout, suggesting Apple tweaked the device touchscreen for wet fingers.

Beyond water resistance, the ad promotes watchOS 3 software features, specifically fitness tracking abilities and a new first-party app called "Breathe."

Next up, Apple turns its eye to iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, the company's flagship smartphone lineup that launched worldwide on Friday.

In keeping with a literally and figuratively dark motif introduced with iPhone 7 ad last week, both of today's spots are filled with brooding and — gasp — foreboding imagery.

"Morning Ride" tells the tale of a cyclist valiantly taking on Mother Nature's fury with nothing but a bike, his clips and an iPhone. Standing in his garage, he checks the Weather app: lightning storm. He looks up (because he's standing directly in front of an open window), yes indeed, lightning. Drama.

Making ready his kit the cyclist slips into a pair of clips, dons a black rain slicker, straps on an equally black helmet — safety first — and plots a route on his handlebar-mounted iPhone 7. As the garage door opens to the throbbing opening chords of AC/DC's "Thunderstruck," the biker is silhouetted John Ford style against a drenched hellscape. And scene.

In "Midnight," Apple carries forward the slightly off, serene-but-menacing atmosphere as a youth skateboards his way around town after hours, snapping low-light pictures with an iPhone 7 Plus, as one does. The new phone's water resistant housing gets an obligatory test by some lawn sprinklers, and the 7 Plus' dual-camera array takes in all the light as our protagonist frames photos of moths churning around an Edison bulb, an emo deer and a nighttime cityscape. Fittingly, the commercial is set to Hamilton Leithauser +Rostam's "In a Black Out."

Apple released iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus and Apple Watch Series 2 on Friday after activating pre-order sales a week prior. The company is not providing launch weekend numbers, but sales appear to be brisk, as Apple earlier this week announced pre-order customers completely depleted initial iPhone 7 Plus and jet black iPhone 7 supply.

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18 Comments

midwestapplefan 116 comments · 13 Years

About 8 years ago

As a serious cyclist, I like the fact that I don't have to find a zip-lock baggie before every cloudy or rainy day. But an iPhone attached to the handle bar is pretty dorky so I'll keep mine in the back pocket where it belongs, out of sight. If you're in doubt, read rule number 74.

Soli 9981 comments · 9 Years

Now these… these are great ads!

cali 3494 comments · 10 Years

Something no one is talking about:
Watch Series 2 sales.

During launch day all I saw were people waiting for iPhone 7 and when the Plus version was announced as sold out I heard a lot of people left.

This leads me to believe Series 2 demand wasn't high. Most people only cared about iPhone 7.

Before you get angry or make excuses, iPad 2 had some of the biggest lines in tech history. Lines should have been at least 1.5x-2x longer on September 16.

I know the usual will call me a "concern troll" or something but I seriously want Watch to be the new iPod.

What do you think?

lkrupp 10521 comments · 19 Years

cali said:

Something no one is talking about:
Watch Series 2 sales.

During launch day all I saw were people waiting for iPhone 7 and when the Plus version was announced as sold out I heard a lot of people left.

This leads me to believe Series 2 demand wasn't high. Most people only cared about iPhone 7.

Before you get angry or make excuses, iPad 2 had some of the biggest lines in tech history. Lines should have been at least 1.5x-2x longer on September 16.

I know the usual will call me a "concern troll" or something but I seriously want Watch to be the new iPod.

What do you think?

I think you're a concern troll. You always have been. You're like a troll I once encountered on Usenet. This troll would visit his local CompUSA store every day and count the number of Apple product boxes on the shelves. Then he would dutifully post his results each day to confirm the abject failure of Apple and state his methods were valid. Your observations and conclusions are twisted and ignorant, sure signs of trolling.

cali said:

Something no one is talking about:
Watch Series 2 sales.
During launch day all I saw were people waiting for iPhone 7 and when the Plus version was announced as sold out I heard a lot of people left.
This leads me to believe Series 2 demand wasn't high. Most people only cared about iPhone 7.
1) Was it most people only cared about iPhone 7 with an implication that some cared about Watch Series 2 -or- no one is talking about Watch Series 2?

2) I've been talking about it. I know people with an original Watch that are and aren't getting it, and I know people who will be getting it for the first time because of GPS and swimming fitness options. Remember that Watch is a very low volume item compared to the iPhone. The person that was going to buy my Watch has decided to pay considerably more to get Series 2 because of GPS, IP67 rating, and all the other advancements, like the display brightness and performance.

iPad 2 had some of the biggest lines in tech history. Lines should have been at least 1.5x-2x longer on September 16.
What's your reasoning for the iPad being Apple's biggest lines and the lines being 1.5–2x longer? Are you saying that interest in the iPhone is less than the iPad 2? Did you consider that Apple has made their lines more efficient so that they stay shorter, or that they've taken multiple steps to keep people from jumping into lines at all. For instance, China, Hong Kong, and Singapore were able to participate in the pre-order on 09 Sept. at midnight PT, and it went on sale on 16 Sept. I don't think that was happening in 2011 and that would obviously affect the scalpers that will be sending them overseas.

We already knew iPhone units would be limited and that in-store pickup with a reservation (not waiting in your line) and home delivery are exceedingly popular. I've waited in Apple Store lines in the past, but that's because it was the best method for getting the device. I haven't waited in line for an Apple product since around the iPad 2 and have had their latest tech within the first week or two, on most occasions.