Apple today shared a short film to usher in the Chinese New Year, aka Lunar New Year, which begins February 17 and will be celebrated through March 3.


"A girl, a talking dog, and a meticulously thought out scheme make up this heartwarming tale about finding family," says Apple. "Apple joins forces with director Bai Xue for an imaginative blend of cinematography and stop-motion to usher in Chinese New Year."

The video was shot on the iPhone 17 Pro, and there is also behind-the-scenes footage.
This article, "Apple Shares 2026 Chinese New Year Short Film Shot on iPhone 17 Pro" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

In an email to developers this week, Apple indicated that it will begin showing additional ads in App Store search results starting Tuesday, March 3.


The extra ads will first appear in the App Store in the U.K. and Japan, followed by other markets like the U.S. by the end of March, according to Apple.

Apple first announced that it would be expanding the number of ad slots in the App Store search results last month, but it had not provided an exact date for the change until now. Currently, developers can only pay to have an app appear in a single slot at the top of the search results, but Apple said there will now be multiple slots further down.

Apple shared more details on its website:

Search is the way most people find and download apps on the App Store, with nearly 65 percent of downloads happening directly after a search. To help give advertisers more opportunities to drive downloads from search results, Apple Ads will introduce additional ads across search queries. The additional ads will roll out in phases, appearing across all markets by the end of March. You don't need to change your campaign in order to be eligible for any new positions. Your ad will run in either the existing position — at the top of search results — or further down in search results. If you have a search results campaign running, your ad will be automatically eligible for all available positions, but you can't select or bid for a particular one.

Additional ads equals additional services revenue for Apple.

The extra ad slots will be visible on iPhone and iPad devices running iOS 26.2 or iPadOS 26.2 and later. Apps with paid placement have an "Ad" label.

Ads are also shown in the App Store's "Today" tab, in a "You Might Also Like" section at the bottom of individual app listings, and in the search tab's "Suggested" section. Apple rebranded its "Search Ads" business as "Apple Ads" last year, as it reportedly prepares to begin showing ads in more places, such as Apple Maps.
This article, "Apple to Show More Ads in App Store Starting in March" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Apple today shared a new "Shot on iPhone" ad promoting the 8x optical zoom feature on the iPhone 17 Pro and ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max.


The ad includes a series of quick zooms to show off what the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ models can do. Apple's video description highlight the 200mm focal length of the lens.

With an equivalent 200 mm focal length, the 8x optical-quality zoom makes this our longest iPhone Telephoto ever. So you can get dramatically closer with iPhone 17 Pro.

8x zoom is a new feature this year, exclusive to the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ and the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max. The prior iPhone 16 Pro models were limited to 5x optical zoom.
This article, "Apple Shares 'Detectives' Ad Promoting iPhone 17 Pro Camera" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Apple today shared a new "Outrun" Apple Pay ad on its YouTube channel, highlighting the usefulness of the payments service when a physical payment method is unavailable.


In the spot, a woman fleeing from an attacking monster pulls into a gas station, then realizes she doesn't have her wallet to pay for gas. She's able to make her purchase with her iPhone instead. "Count on ‌Apple Pay‌," reads the video's tagline.

Apple has been running the 35-second ad on TikTok and other social networks since November, but it is new to YouTube as of today.

‌Apple Pay‌ works on all modern iPhones and Apple Watch models, allowing users to link a debit or credit card to a device and use the Wallet app to make contactless payments in supported locations.
This article, "Apple's 'Outrun' Ad Features Apple Pay Saving the Day in Monster Attack" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Apple today shared its annual holiday season ad, titled A Critter Carol, as well as a behind-the-scenes video showing how it was made.


In the short film, set in a snowy forest, a group of woodland creatures use a lost iPhone 17 Pro to film themselves singing about the gift of friendship. Later, the owner of the iPhone finds the device with help from the Find My app on his Apple Watch, and he then discovers the critters' heartwarming recording.

In an AI world, Apple's ad emphasizes the use of practical effects. The critters — a raccoon, bear, owl, deer, squirrel, and others — are handcrafted puppets.

The short film was shot entirely on the iPhone 17 Pro, according to Apple, although the fine print says that additional hardware and software was used. The behind-the-scenes video shows how the ad was made by puppeteers, and how the typography used throughout the campaign was meticulously handprinted from wood blocks.


Apple says the short film, directed by award-winning Australian filmmaker Mark Molloy, underscores the irreplaceable value of human creativity.

The ad showcases the iPhone 17 Pro's advanced camera capabilities, such as 8× zoom, Center Stage selfies, and Dual Capture with the front and rear cameras.

"I was surprised by the power of the iPhone 17 Pro because it allowed me to capture the story in a truly immersive way," said Molloy.

The ad was released just in time for U.S. Thanksgiving.
This article, "Apple Releases 2025 Holiday Season TV Ad: 'A Critter Carol'" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

In case you missed it, Apple's event this week included another heartwarming video about the Apple Watch's genuine life-saving potential.


The video is titled "Dear Apple," in reference to the emails the company receives from Apple Watch customers who were alerted to health conditions, or were helped by features like Emergency SOS and Crash Detection at critical moments.


"Real people share how Apple Watch has changed and even helped save their lives—a fitness story in New York, a teen's struggle with mental health in the UK and powerful health and safety stories from the U.S., Japan, and Canada," said Apple.

Who is cutting onions?
This article, "'Dear Apple'" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums