Apple’s new iPhone ad taps the Pixies’ Gigantic

The point is simple, with the iPhone 5s, “you’re more powerful than you think.” That is Apple’s message while jamming to the cult alternative rock song Gigantic, by the band Pixies. The alternative rock outfit had it hey-day in the late 80s and early 90s, when Gigantic was written and released, though the band regrouped in 2004 and has been putting out some new stuff.

In the ad you see all manner of the million or so apps and accessories that you can grab for the iPhone. The ecosystem that enables so much creativity has been a forte of the iPhone and other iOS powered devices for the past few years, and it continues to hold a very strong following in the US.

Among the apps we see guitar filters, an interesting violin app with a corresponding accessory that straps to the arm, a heartbeat monitor that uses the iPhone’s camera and LED to take a pulse, remote control of show lights is possible, and the commercial simply would not be complete without the slow-motion action perspective as a kid lays waste to his building block village while dressed like Godzilla.

Indeed, there is quite a bit that can be done with and Apple iPhone 5s, hence the message behind the Pixies' Gigantic.