Apple Launches New Holiday-Themed 'Misunderstood' iPhone 5s Commercial - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

Apple Launches New Holiday-Themed 'Misunderstood' iPhone 5s Commercial

by

Apple today released a new television ad for the holidays, featuring the company's flagship iPhone 5s capturing and sharing holiday memories in the form of a video shared over Apple's AirPlay.

The song "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" plays in the background as the iPhone 5s is used to capture video of a family engaging in holiday activities like decorating Christmas cookies, participating in a snowball fight, and decorating a Christmas tree. Later in the commercial, the video footage is played back to the family over AirPlay. "Happy Holidays" is displayed at the end of the video.


Apple historically releases a new video during each holiday season and in 2012, the company focused on the iPad and FaceTime. In 2011, the holiday commercial featured Santa using Siri on an iPhone 4s. While those previous videos were more product focused, the newest holiday ad focuses on iPhone users and the way their devices enhance their lives.

Update: A Tweet from Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller highlighting the new ad:


Update 2: In addition to the commercial, Apple has posted the full holiday video in the ad on its YouTube page. According to the video's description, the "Harris family home movie" was shot entirely on the iPhone 5s.

Popular Stories

Apple Event Logo

Apple Working on All-New Operating System

Wednesday July 29, 2026 11:39 am PDT by
Apple is developing an all-new operating system that is essentially a mix of tvOS, watchOS, and iOS, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In a report this week, he said the operating system will feature a grid of icons, widgets, and apps, along with customizable clock faces. The new software platform is intended for Apple's long-rumored smart home hub. With built-in facial recognition,...
Read Full Article
imac video apple feature

Apple Made Its Second-Biggest Acquisition Ever This Year

Wednesday July 29, 2026 12:03 pm PDT by
Apple this year acquired Israeli startup Q.ai for close to $2 billion, according to the Financial Times. That would make this Apple's second-biggest acquisition ever, after it paid $3 billion for the popular headphone maker Beats in 2014. This is also the largest known Apple acquisition since the company purchased Intel's smartphone modem business and patents for $1 billion in 2019. Q.ai...
Read Full Article
Dynamic Island iPhone 18 Pro Feature

iPhone 18 Pro: Twelve Changes Coming to Apple's Next Flagship

Thursday July 30, 2026 3:43 am PDT by
We're less than two months out from the launch of Apple's premium next-generation smartphone lineup, and while we're not expecting a dramatic change in terms of functionality, there are still several enhancements rumored to be coming to the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth noting is that Apple is reportedly planning a major change to its iPhone release cycle this year,...
Read Full Article • 31 comments

Top Rated Comments

doasis23 Avatar
doasis23
165 months ago
It's really heartwarming to watch these "people" slash tv commercial stand-ins focusing on their iPhones instead of each other. Is this an inadvertent parody?

Pathetic. The Apple-led new world is loathsome. "It's just like life, i'dnt it?"

You obviously didnt understand the commercial. It appears that the teen is ignoring the family the entire time playing on his phone. In actuality he is recording a video for his family to show how much he cares about them. Stop being so cynical.
Score: 59 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tbrand7 Avatar
tbrand7
165 months ago
I like it. I love Apple's commercials lately. It shows how their products are truly enriching peoples lives. While all their competitors (Samsung, Amazon, Microsoft, etc) commercials have been about bashing Apple's products instead of focusing on their own. I'm glad Apple is above those childish games :apple:
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
S
sazivad
165 months ago
Great ad, I like it.

I do find it interesting, though, that the whole ad focused around Christmas (the song, the Christmas tree, etc.) but at the end they went the the more all-inclusive Happy Holidays.
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
P
phil83
165 months ago
Just saw that on NBC in between The Voice. At first I thought it was a Subaru commercial then realized it was an Apple commercial. Almost made me a little teary eyed!

Dam you, marketing people!
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
D
dandy1117
165 months ago
Great ad, I like it.

I do find it interesting, though, that the whole ad focused around Christmas (the song, the Christmas tree, etc.) but at the end they went the the "politically correct" Happy Holidays.

I never understand why some in the "war on Christmas" crowd object to the "Happy Holidays" as anything more than an accurate description of the season. Even most Christian Americans celebrate multiple holiday during the season, including Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Eve and Day! Then, of course, the term Happy Holidays is more inclusive of the holidays celebrated by many other Americans during this holiday. "Happy Holidays" is not a demonstration of "politically correct" cowardice but, rather, is just a more accurate salutation.

Geez, happy holidays! :-)
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
H
HenryDJP
165 months ago
It's really heartwarming to watch these "people" slash tv commercial stand-ins focusing on their iPhones instead of each other. Is this an inadvertent parody?

Pathetic. The Apple-led new world is loathsome. "It's just like life, i'dnt it?"

If you have nothing good to say then......:p
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments

🔗 Related Apple News & Rumors

Stay updated with the latest Apple ecosystem news and verified rumors