Apple is anti-technology in TV ad for iPad 2

The iPad 2 was introduced a month ago today. At the time we wondered when we’d see the first TV spot. Finally, it’s here. And it offers a grand statement. Over images of apps in action that are personal, literary, musical and scientific, the voiceover says: “This is what we believe: Technology alone is not enough. Faster. Thinner. Lighter. Those are all good things. But when technology gets out of the way, everything becomes more delightful. Even magical. That’s when you leap forward. That’s when you end up with something like this”—an iPad 2 sitting regally in the darkness. It’s a little hokey and self-congratulatory, but the messaging is clever. It implies at once omnipotence and approachability—a technology powerful enough to transcend itself, yet simple enough to enable life moments, not just computer moments.