By Dan Moren

July 24, 2017 7:21 AM PT

The Rock and Siri team up for Apple’s latest ad

Note: This story has not been updated for several years.

Apple’s advertising game is usually pretty on point, but the company usually brings it to bear in the service of a substantial new product. So it’s a little odd to find, with almost no fanfare, a new ad that’s entirely about Siri–a feature that debuted six years ago and has gotten almost sporadic attention since.

Then again, given that Apple also recently announced a product that boasts Siri as a marquee feature–the HomePod–it’s perhaps not shocking that it would want to spend some time rehabilitating the image of its virtual assistant. And, really, what better person to aid in that quest than the human emodiment of charm and overachievement that is Dwayne Johnson?

This isn’t the first time that Siri and celebrities have mixed; Samuel L. Jackson, Zooey Deschanel, Neil Patrick Harris, and John Malkovich have all advertised the intelligent assistant over the years, with mixed reactions.

And really, this ad is only marginally about Siri–it’s mostly about The Rock being The Rock: driving his own Lyft, flying a plane, working on his bonsai, cooking, and, of course, taking selfies in space. But, hey, it’s a fun ad, and it certainly helps remind people that Siri is there. Then again, encouraging people to give it another try might be a recipe for disappointment if Siri doesn’t quite live up to their expectations.

But this ad raises one much more important question: How come there’s no Dwayne Johnson voice for Siri, Apple? Answer me that.

[Dan Moren is the East Coast Bureau Chief of Six Colors. You can find him on Mastodon at @dmoren@zeppelin.flights or reach him by email at dan@sixcolors.com. His latest novel, the supernatural detective story All Souls Lost, is out now.]

If you appreciate articles like this one, support us by becoming a Six Colors subscriber. Subscribers get access to an exclusive podcast, members-only stories, and a special community.