iOS 12.1 ushered in a slew of new features, but the most popular could be Apple's Group FaceTime. With an iPhone or iPad, you can participate in video calls that include as many thirty-two other people. It's also available on Macs running macOS Mojave. Somehow it took several years to get Group FaceTime; however, better to have it now than not at all.
Apple started rolling out a TV advertisement for Group FaceTime. Usually, the Cupertino-based company goes for something exciting or artsy to promote itself. Yet this ad takes a strange, humorous turn. To highlight Group FaceTime, Apple brought in Elvis Presley impersonators.
The gang of seven gets together on Group FaceTime and sings "There's Always Me."
From different scenes, each Elvis Presley impersonator gets to offer their rendition of the song. The settings include a motel located in the desert, an apartment in an urban city, a farmhouse in the countryside, a penthouse, a rural home enduring a blizzard, a bus stop caught in a storm, and a rocking cargo ship. You're not alone in feeling it's totally random.
While it may appear to be odd, Apple does get the point across. No matter where you are, you can use an iOS device to see and communicate with multiple people at the same time.
Here's the entire TV ad, courtesy of Apple:
The song was released on June 17, 1961. It was included on Presley's Something for Everybody album.
As for the software on Apple's iPhone and iPad, iOS 12.1 came with plenty of other goodies. The system-level upgrade enabled new emoji, eSIM support, and bug fixes.
