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A troubling promise in iPad Mini's new Xmas ad

In a touching ad for the iPad Mini, a girl plays a song to her grandfather over FaceTime. She promises to be home for Xmas. But is she just mocking granddad?

Chris Matyszczyk
2 min read
Only in her dreams, Grandad. Apple screenshot by Chris Matyszczyk/CNET

Xmas is a time for families to be together and share all the tensions they have harbored for the whole year.

So to celebrate family closeness, Apple has just released an ad -- bless you, MacStories -- for the iPad Mini. It features a grandfather and granddaughter.

She is singing to him over FaceTime.

We see her face on a regular iPad and his on an iPad Mini.

Naturally, the viewing public, tired from shopping and eating, are supposed to look at this sweet opus and offer an "aahh" and a "so sweet."

Here at Technically Incorrect, though, we seek the deeper meanings.

So let's analyze what's really going on here. The girl is singing "I'll Be Home For Xmas."

Granddad, who perhaps hasn't seen her in some time, is delighted that finally, finally he will get to see the lovely girl.

Then the song takes a turn for the worse. For she sings that she'll be home for Xmas "if only in her dreams."

Granddad doesn't seem to register this nuance. He's too busy being charmed. But the truth seems to be that the little girl isn't going to be seeing Granddad for Xmas.

She's winding him up with a promise, merely to show off her singing skills and her iPad.

I fear Granddad's actually going to be all on his lonesome this Xmas, while his sweet little granddaughter will be playing video games on her iPad Mini and downloading more songs to learn.

I wonder what the next one will be. "Only The Lonely," perhaps.