Apple has kicked off a high-profile advertising campaign ahead of an April launch for its eagerly-anticipated iPad by airing its first ad at the 82nd Academy Awards.
The ceremony, more commonly known as The Oscars, was in motion picture terms dominated by the 2008 American war thriller The Hurt Locker - winner of six awards, including best picture and best director for Kathryn Bigelow, the first woman to win the coveted prize. In the celebrity world of technology, however, it was the attendance of Apple CEO Steve Jobs and the marketing of his latest creation - the iPad - that stole the show.
The ad, titled "Meet iPad" and embedded below, follows in the footsteps of recent Apple marketing videos and offers a quick-paced showcase of multiple usage scenarios. Clearly targeting a mainstream audience, Apple's ad shows the iPad being used as a photo viewer, web browser, ebook reader, organiser, an email client, a document editor and a media player.
Perhaps highlighting to consumers that the device is the next step up from the iPhone, Apple's ad clearly shows usage similarities between the two - starting the ad with the iPhone's familiar swipe-to-unlock start screen.
The iPad will become available to US consumers on April 3rd, followed by a UK launch later that month. A massive ad campaign is expected to feature on TVs across the globe, and Apple's high-profile commercial during last night's Oscars should come as no surprise. Earlier this year, the iPad was given similar red-carpet treatment with comedian Stephen Colbert bringing an iPad on stage during the opening ceremony of the 2010 Grammy Awards.
The song featured in the ad is There Goes My Love by Danish band The Blue Van.
