Apple's ads are built around a theory called "product as hero," which says the product itself should dominate the ad, Schiller said. He also said the company strives to create a "lust factor" that draws consumers to a product's looks.

Forstall, senior vice president of iOS, recalled the challenges of developing the original iPhone. Apple first started working on the iPad in 2003 as an alternative to a cheaply made laptop, which it didn't want to build, he said. In 2004, it shifted that work to the phone platform because it saw a chance to transform a huge industry.

Jobs instructed Forstall, who had worked for him since joining NeXT Computer in 1992, to form the user-interface team for the iPhone without hiring anyone from outside Apple.

The "Purple Project"

Forstall had to recruit employees without telling them what project they were signing up for or who they would be working for, but that they would have to give up their nights and weekends for a couple of years. The iPhone work was called the "Purple Project" and took place in a highly secure workspace on Apple's Cupertino, California, campus called the "Purple Building."