Weight lifting turns into baton twirling in the work from TBWA\Media Arts Lab

A weightlifting competition takes a surprising twist in an Apple ad demonstrating the performance of the M4 chips powering the new MacBook Pro.

Created by agency TBWA\Media Arts Lab and directed by the collective Megaforce, the playful film depicts a weightlifter with extraordinary strength - a visual metaphor for the power of Apple's M4 chips.

Dressed in an M4 uniform, the lifter performs an overhead press in front of an enthusiastic crowd. After completing the move, he begins spinning and dancing with the barbell to Des'ree's "You Gotta Be," before lifting up all the judges and holding the bar with a single finger. Olympic figure skater Johnny Weir narrates the performance.

Six-time world champion baton twirler and Hollywood choreographer Denna Thomsen crafted the routine, which demonstrates how Apple's new M4 chips can easily handle heavy workloads.

"MacBook Pro is an incredibly powerful tool that millions of people use to do their life's best work, and today we're making it even better," Apple's senior vice president of hardware engineering John Ternus said in a statement.

The spot debuted as part of Apple's MacBook Pro announcement, which showed off the device's features including a 24 hour battery life -- the longest ever for a Mac -- and a nano-texture display. The campaign will run globally across broadcast, digital platforms, and social media.

The new device, which releases on Nov. 8, is built to run Apple's artificial intelligence (AI) platform, Apple Intelligence. In September, TBWA\Media Arts Lab showcased Apple Intelligence's capabilities for the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro with ads starring Golden Globe-nominated actress Bella Ramsey.