Apple's Grammy's ad paints the iPad as a musical virtuoso

If you're given an ad spot in the music industry's biggest award night, you will most likely link it to some musical product. But if your business isn't directly related to that, then you'll have to settle for the next best thing: apps. That is exactly what Apple has done with its latest video targeted at the Grammy's audience. But if you think it is flaunting the latest iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus, think again. It is the iPad that is taking center stage and Apple is showing off how it can be turned into a professional music studio.

Hardcore iPad users will probably already know this, but the iPad can transform into a personal, portable studio. Even Apple ships its own music-making GarageBand app, and it is definitely not the only app of its kind. There are also quite a number of accessories that can be used with the tablet for even more functionality. IK Multimedia even announced a few new ones just last month. To say that the iPad is a talented musical device would, perhaps, be an understatement. The video below shows how recording artist Elliphant and DJ The Gaslamp Killer use the iPad to weave magic.

But more than just that specific use case, perhaps the point that Apple is trying to get across is that the iPad can be used for a lot more things than you might think. Tablets, particularly those running mobile platforms like iOS and Android, are commonly seen as portable content consumption devices and very little else. Apple wants to dispel that prejudice and show that the iPad can definitely be used to create content. And not just your regular text-based or image content, mind you. Nothing speaks complexity and flexibility better than having a recording studio in your bag.

Apple's message couldn't have come at a better time. There's a lot of talking going on around Apple's iPad devices, with rumors of a large iPad Pro looming over the horizon. But even with that, some forecast a tough 2015 for the iPad line. Some even go as far as saying that the iPad is dying. Or at the very least, it's stagnating and no longer innovating.

The jury is still out on those claims, as the same pattern emerges again and again, year after year, and yet the iPad has so far survived. But even presuming that those prophesies of doom might be true, perhaps they can only be said of the hardware, which is only one side of the story. Apple is now basically coming out with a message that, even with the current gen iPads, apps can make a world of difference, turning a very thin slate into a gateway to creativity.

SOURCE: Apple