Apple's new 'Behind the Mac' ad campaign puts spotlight back on creatives

Apple on Thursday debuted a new ad series detailing the many ways creative professionals use Mac to accomplish their work across a range of very different disciplines, from music to app development. Each story furthers the implication that Mac is a machine that empowers, harkening back to campaigns touting the company's close bonds with those who make.

The first ads in Apple's "Behind the Mac" series aired on the company's YouTube channel late today. Currently, four videos are live, one of which serves as an introduction to the marketing thrust.

Each roughly minute-long commercial tells the story of a creative professional or consumer who, in their own words, describes how Mac has enabled them to achieve success. A type of customer testimonial, the ads are expertly crafted to show, not tell, Mac's ability to augment, enhance and facilitate the creative process.

Popular musician Grimes is among those who rely on Mac to create. In explaining her workflow, she says technological advancements like the MacBook Pro allow her to take music making out of the studio, an important ingredient in her recipe for sonic innovation.

Grimes starts all new projects on a Mac, Apple says in the ad. She suggests tools like Mac are becoming more affordable and easier to use, meaning anyone can create on a professional level.

A second short throws a spotlight on Bruce Hall, a legally blind photographer who harnesses Mac's power to produce unique perspectives of the world around him. Through a combination of accessibility features built into Mac's hardware and software, Hall is able to retouch and edit photos in hopes of "expressing the beauty in the world."

Able to see detail at extremely close distances, Hall says MacBook is "allowing [him] to do things that [he] couldn't do a decade ago."

Hall's work is part of the permanent collection in the Library of Congress.

Finally, a third video tells the tale of Peter Karikui, an entrepreneur and app developer who created localized ride-hailing service SafeMotos on his Mac. The service incentivizes safe motorcycle taxi driving in Rwanda through real-time monitoring via iPhone, while riders can select vetted drivers through an eponymous app.

Karikui touts Mac's capabilities as a coding platform, saying he can create anything he imagines with his MacBook Pro.

According to iMore, the final campaign will include stories from 12 individuals. When Apple intends to release the next batch of stories is unknown.