Google has been killing Apple on the advertising front lately

I'll be blunt: Apple's new iPhone commercials featuring Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake absolutely suck. If they're not some of the worst commercials Apple has ever put out, they're certainly in the running.

For years, Apple commercials have been held up as a beacon of advertising done right. Depending on the product and the year, the tone of Apple commercials have ran the gamut, from hip and edgy to poignant and heartwarming. But the underlying thread that has historically tied Apple commercials together is that they, more often than not, establish an emotional connection with viewers. Sometimes its via song, sometimes its with humor, and sometimes its as simple as a grandfather meeting his grandchild for the first time.

Apple's new iPhone commercials do none of the above. On the contrary, they're lame, unfunny, and perhaps worst of all, they're unabashedly lazy. Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake may make a great comedic duo on TV, but this time around it seems like they just showed up to collect a paycheck.

Because Apple is, well, Apple, the company's commercials sometimes are on the receiving end of more praise than they deserve. All the while, incredibly great commercials from other tech companies like Google and Amazon are barely noticed. Perhaps the mythical reality distortion field that Steve Jobs so famously wielded applies to Apple's advertising as well because some of Google's recent ads are just killin' it from every angle, and really put some of Apple's more recent ads to shame.

To wit, this iPhone 6 ad is beyond lazy. It's barely informative at best and bizarrely annoying at worst.

Now compare the iPhone 6 commercials above to some of the more recent ads Google has been rolling out.

The following Android ad from Google has been in heavy rotation in recent weeks. It's whimsical, fun, heartwarming, and any other number of positive adjectives one can come with. The point is, it strikes an emotional chord that Apple's iPhone 6 commercials utterly lack.

Remember those rather forgettable Siri commercials Apple put out a few years ago? Here's an ad showcasing Google Now. It was released about two months ago and has a soulful, human touch to it that Apple ads, in recent memory, have only had in spurts.

For as much as people rag on Siri due to early glitches and whatnot, the service has come a long ways since its debut on the iPhone 4S. Not only is Siri markedly better at understanding diction, its range of functionality has expanded in a number of interesting and useful ways. And yet, Siri still seems to be encumbered with baggage from 3 years ago.

If Google can humanize what is essentially advanced AI, why can't Apple, with all of its marketing and creative muscle, do the same?

To be clear, not every Apple ad has to tug at the heartstrings a'la its award-winning Misunderstood ad from 2013. Just this past summer Apple released a pretty cool MacBook Air ad that got the job done just fine.

But Apple being Apple, and the iPhone being Apple's most important product, one has to wonder why anyone thought the company's trio of iPhone 6 commercials were even serviceable.

About two months ago, Google released another gem dubbed "Dream."

Another great one is this commercial titled "Speech" from a while back.

It's an emotional and heartwarming commercial that doesn't veer too far into the realm of cheesiness. The message is short, simple, and clear: Google Now can help you out with practical, real life problems. Indeed, the problems shown in the commercial — a fear of public speaking and asking out a love interest — are relatable.

The iPhone is an amazing piece of technology. It can do incredible things. And yet, what do we gather from Apple's recent trio of iPhone commercials?

That they're "huge", I suppose.

Simply put, there's no impetus to invest in the messages Apple's iPhone commercials are trying to convey. What's more, the messages themselves are weak, emotionless, and bizarrely vague. Okay, we get it, the iPhone 6 is bigger and has enhanced camera functionality. That's great and all, but how does that translate into real world use? The commercials are deficient in this regard. The iPhone 6 can help me become healthier? How? Because all I see in the commercial is a quick shot of Healthbook. Even the iPhone 6 commercial which centers on health is surprisingly sparse with the details.

Going back a bit further, some of the last iPhone 5s commercials — released this past summer — were well-intentioned but missed the mark.

There have been rumors in recent months that Apple is intent on shaking up the way its commercials are developed — and by whom. That said, I can only hope that these three commercials are not a sign of things to come.

Frustratingly, Apple has all the tools at its disposal to do great work; great products, a bottomless bank account, and a world class team of creatives at its disposal. When Apple's advertising is firing on all cylinders, we get gems like this.

Now that is how you advertise camera functionality on an iPhone.

From the same series, Apple's "Music Every Day" ad is just as great.