17 Comments
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Alicia Kenworthy's avatar

Oh wow, this commercial made me tear up! That’s such a cool perspective. Thank you for sharing.

And um, I can’t wait to read your foray into fiction!

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Lyle McKeany's avatar

I excited and a little nervous about the fiction piece. It's definitely flexing different creative muscles for me, which has been fun.

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Elizabeth Marro's avatar

I, too, skip commercials but I am really glad you showed us this one. It opens a world of possibilities that I'd never known about. How great that Em is already benefiting from it with her toys and has more affordable options for communication going forward. Cool.

I don't resist technology but I do shrink from it at times. I struggle with everyone's door cameras, where AI seems to be going. I don't want to be a luddite and knowing how some innovations can do things that actually serve humans instead of exploiting them and using their data is encouraging.

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Lyle McKeany's avatar

Well said! I feel like I should shrink from technology more than I do sometimes (he says as he types on his phone).

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Michael Estrin's avatar

Apple ads are always a cut above, but this one certainly had the feels. But to your larger point, I think we often overlook the way in which tech, especially over the last two decades, has made the world more accessible. I know that’s not really the goal for most tech companies, but it’s still a good thing, and it’s something we should talk about more. Thank you for sharing this!

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Lyle McKeany's avatar

I totally agree and I’m even more grateful that Apple (and other companies) have taken accessibility seriously.

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Jarrod Montague's avatar

Amazing. Thanks for sharing.

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Lyle McKeany's avatar

❤️

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Andrei Atanasov's avatar

Wow, Lyle. Thanks so much for sharing this commercial. At first, I thought it was just one of those “visions of the future” things, showing us how we might live in a fully automated world soon. Then, I realized that world has already arrived, and for some people, it’s made all the difference.

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Lyle McKeany's avatar

It’s such a good commercial. It makes me emotional just thinking about it. Em got an iPad Pro from her school just last week and they’re starting to use basic communication apps on it. I’m excited to see how it goes!

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Mark Starlin's avatar

The accessibility features on Apple devices are amazing. While most of us don’t use them, they are life-changing for those who do. I also rarely see commercials anymore so thanks for sharing this.

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Lyle McKeany's avatar

You’re so right. I didn’t know that most of these features even existed before seeing this commercial.

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Mark Starlin's avatar

I actually use the "invert colors" accessibility feature when I encounter a "dark mode" website. White text on black is hard for me to focus on and read.

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Lyle McKeany's avatar

Oh interesting. I’ve actually done the opposite before since I prefer dark mode, especially at night when it’s dark in the house.

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Mark Starlin's avatar

Yeah, it works for everybody. 🤣

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Kris Burbank's avatar

If our experience is anything, Emily will continue to astound you -- just like the advances in technology since our son was born 26 years ago. Enjoy the ride, Lyle. Ups and down -- but so much joy. Sounds cheesy...but I hope you know. Thx for the shout-out, too.

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Lyle McKeany's avatar

Thank you, Kris! I so value your point of view as someone who has been-there/done-that with this unique way to experience life.

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