Without pesky headphone wires, you'll be freed up to move in any way the laws of physics allow—and even, perhaps, some they don't.
Apple this weekend launched "Stroll," the latest 60-second spot in its ongoing "Practically Magic" campaign, which has been devoted to the iPhone 7 but here pushes the brand's new AirPods wireless headphones.
The spot stars Lil Buck, the 28-year-old freestyle dancer who first caught our attention two years ago when he danced with Mikhail Baryshnikov in a wonderful ad for Rag & Bone.
In the Apple ad, Buck strolls down the street, AirPods in his ears, and is suddenly freed from gravity as he gyrates through Mexico City to the lilting tune of "Down" by Marian Hill.
The spot debuted Saturday during the Seahawks-Falcons NFL playoff game on Fox. Some observers have likened it to Apple's classic iPod silhouette spots, though that's overly simplistic. In fact, in many ways, the new ad stands as a counterpoint to the iPod work.
The iPod spots were colorful and high energy, with the iconic white headphone wires whipping around and playing a big role in the visuals. Here, the whole point is that there's no wires to hinder your moves—and Lil Buck's moves are intricate enough that you couldn't imagine him doing them with wires flailing about.
The spot is also drained of color and has a quiet, artsy elegance (where the iPod stuff was way more boisterous). The gravity-defying scenes, with Buck dancing on the sides of buildings and cars, and upside down on a movie theater marquee (where, at one point, he threatens to fall upward to the cosmos itself), nicely weaves in the "magic" positioning, too.
It's a nice poetic intro to the AirPods. And if they can't actually help you dance upside down, that's probably a good thing. You'd be that much more likely to lose those little suckers.
