China is changing. Apple is changing. And with that, Apple's depiction of China is changing.
On May 1 Apple released an advertisement titled "The City," on YouTube. The advertisement features a young Chinese couple taking photos (using the iPhone 7 Plus's touted "portrait mode") as they eat noodles, visit the aquarium, and wander the streets of Shanghai. The voice of Karen O of the Brooklyn band the Yeah Yeah Yeahs plays in the background, and in the end, the text "focus on what you love" appears on screen.
It's a markedly different approach than two previous Apple ads featuring China. "The City" highlights Shanghai's cosmopolitanism and appears to be aimed at an audience of global citizens wherever they are—it's part of a broader campaign that has included an AirPods ad shot in Mexico City, and a Portrait Mode ad shot in Spain. The two earlier China ads, though, carefully highlighted themes for a different kind of Chinese viewer.