Today is the seventh anniversary of the very first iPhone release and Apple is celebrating it with a new ad touting the device’s role in the Internet of Things and its ability to support parenting and foster family interaction. Showcased in the spot are all manner of family-friendly peripherals: the WiThings baby monitor, the Belkin WeMo plug, the ProScope Micro Mobile microscope, the Tractive GPS dog collar, the Kinsa thermometer and Parrot’s Flower Power wireless sensor for plants, as well as a bunch of related apps.
The ad’s larger message: iPhones are just as good at bringing families together as they are at entertaining parents and kids individually. (On that note, I was pitched today by a seven-year-old who built an app called Mini Hug that reminds parents to make time to play with their kids. What a strange world we live in.)
Sure, in the end it’s just another Apple ad. That said, the spot’s focus on the Internet of Things is worth noting as we head into fall and the company’s expected announcement of new products.
