Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Mobile
  3. Legacy Archives

Apple releases two new iPhone ads days before Galaxy S4 launch

Add as a preferred source on Google

iphone adApple has just released two new ads for the iPhone that also serve to showcase a selection of the getting-on-for-a-million apps available from its iTunes store.

The ads follow the same word-association format which first appeared in three ads rolled out in February (Alive, Together and Movie), featuring the iPad and iPad Mini.

Recommended Videos

The new 30-second slots, called Brilliant and Discover, show off some of the iPhone’s capabilities with short snippets of various homemade apps such as iBooks, iPhoto and Passbook (featuring Starbucks) together with others including the impressive Solar Walk (3D solar system model), Mike V: Skateboard Party (game), MyScript Calculator (handwriting calculator) and Cleartune (guitar tuner).

Indeed, the apps are as much a part of these ads as the devices themselves, with Apple keen to highlight the variety of software available from its burgeoning iOS app store. At the last count, the store boasted more than 775,000 apps, similar to the number offered by Google’s Android store, Google Play. At the start of this year it was announced that the iOS app store has seen more than 40 billion downloads since its launch five years ago.

With the two iPads and iPhone now covered in the three ads, the iPod Touch might be up next for the word-association treatment.

The new iPhone ads have appeared just days before rival Samsung pulls the wraps off its highly-anticipated Galaxy S4 handset. Plenty of rumors have been flying about in recent months regarding the expected specifications of the new device, while Samsung, having apparently attended the Apple School of Information Control, has remained tight-lipped in the run-up to Thursday’s unveiling.

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
The best free VPNs for 2026
The best free VPNs still come with compromises, but a few offer enough privacy and flexibility to be genuinely useful.
Proton VPN UI

A virtual private network (VPN) encrypts your internet traffic and routes it through a server run by the VPN provider. Websites see the VPN server’s IP address instead of yours, and you can get around geo-blocks, censorship, and ISP throttling. The best VPN services are paid, but there are still a handful of free options that do the job well. 

Most free VPNs come with a hidden cost, because running servers isn’t cheap and a company that doesn’t charge you has to make its money somewhere else. Many do so by logging your browsing activity and selling it to advertisers, while others flood you with ads and track you across apps. 

Read more
The best Kindle in 2026: Here are the top Kindles for reading
From a pocket-friendly e-reader to a premium color notebook, Amazon has a Kindle for almost every kind of reader.
kindle colorsoft back converted

There's nothing quite like curling up with a good book on a cold evening. As much as I love the feel of a physical book, books take up a lot of space, and carrying more than one on a trip quickly becomes a chore. That's where e-readers come in, and the Amazon Kindle remains one of the best options.

Amazon just refreshed its Kindle lineup with thinner, lighter designs, a new flush-front display, and colors that wrap from front to back. Add the Kindle Scribe and the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft to the mix, and you have more choices than ever before.

Read more
The best Android apps in 2026: I spent months testing dozens that truly earn their keep
From smarter task management to custom home screens, these 20 apps give you good reasons to install something new on your Android phone
Electronics, Phone, Mobile Phone

A good Android app should earn its place on your phone. It might make an everyday task easier, handle something the built-in software can't, or let you change an experience that never quite worked for you.

These 20 apps cover everything from quick notes and password management to automation and local file sharing. Some are free, others charge for advanced features, and a few take some effort to figure out. The point isn't to install them all. It's to find the ones that make your phone work better for you.

Read more