iPhone 4S Santa ad rounds out 2011

Apple has posted what's likely its last TV ad of the year for the iPhone 4S (below). The 30-second promo shows Santa Claus using Siri's voice commands to help guide his sleigh run, including checking the directions to kids' houses and fetching the e-mail with the "naughty or nice" list. At one point, Santa is clearly stretching the limits of credibility for what Siri can do, checking on his meetings with every child in the world.

"You have 3.7 billion appointments," Siri says.

The ad follows the formula Apple has used for iPhone 4S ads since the start, deliberately focusing attention away from the face and on asking natural-language questions. Apple usually has at least one Christmas-themed ad each year and, this time, is focusing on the iPhone rather than the iPad or Mac.

Helped in part by a heavy ad blitz, the company is aiming for a record-setting quarter for iPhone sales. Analysts have been optimistic and see Apple moving as many as 35 million devices this fall, possibly making it the top smartphone builder in the world once more.

By Electronista Staff