Apple long claimed to be the human side of tech. It positioned itself as a champion of creativity, living at the intersection of technology and the liberal arts, and creating “bicycles for the mind.” Apple always seemed more excited about what its gear could do than the dry numbers on a tech specs sheet. Nowhere was this more apparent than in its live events, where audiences would gasp as executives delivered the future with an effortlessness that seemed a world away from Apple’s rivals.
Those days are gone. COVID ended live Apple events, which transitioned to videos. But something was lost in the move. Apple’s most recent live event had pace and gloss, but little spark, humanity or warmth. It felt like the outer skin of an iPhone.
The start was promising, with clips riffing on movie tropes, exploring what makes a great opening scene. Tim Cook appeared, said he wasn’t the main character of this story, and handed over the baton to new CEO John Ternus. It was a humble, human moment. What followed was not. Instead, we entered the uncanny valley of Apple Events. It was strangely dull, clinical, flat, and lifeless.
Mixed signals
Initially, I wondered if AI was to blame. So much Apple messaging now pivots around this divisive technology, of which I remain deeply skeptical. But the problem was broader: the space on the screen sat awkwardly between the real and the virtual, the human and the robotic. That contradiction permeated much of what Apple had to say.
The company shifted from championing generative AI fakery in Photos to Apple Reference Image, a signal to prove photos are fully authentic. It was like whiplash. We later discovered the new Apple Watch would better monitor our vitals and finally suggest taking some downtime, while also potentially listening to and summarizing every conversation we have.
Much of the event was filmed at Apple’s gigantic headquarters, which for once appeared to contain actual people doing actual tasks in the background. Presumably, this was meant to make everything feel more alive. Instead, it felt even more staged. But nothing better captured this new era than the reveal of the iPhone Duo.
The reveal deal
The iPhone Duo is the biggest change to Apple’s flagship device since the iPhone X – perhaps ever. After a brief explanation from Ternus about why everyone else making foldables for years has got it wrong, the reveal began with a video of an ant.
I’m not sure what Apple was going for. We zoomed out and out until we reached a pair of hands (belonging to Ternus) holding the iPhone Duo. He looked happy. Good for him. It’s a great product to launch during your first month on the job. But the reveal itself felt less like magic than more of the same.
It lacked whimsy, fun and warmth. Perhaps it’s nostalgia, but I remember the wow factor of Steve Jobs pulling a MacBook Air from an office envelope, and iPods from various pockets, and whipping a crowd into a frenzy as he introduced three products – a revolutionary mobile phone, a widescreen iPod with touch controls, and a breakthrough Internet communications device – that, of course, turned out to be one: the iPhone.
Past master
Those classic keynotes felt warm and human. Jobs had his “reality distortion field”, sure, which made people hang on his every word. But the live format itself brought a vibe and an atmosphere that video simply can’t recreate.
It matters little how much personality and charisma Apple’s executives have in the real world. On camera, they often appear clinical and stilted. The problem is further compounded by the balance and order of what’s shown: too many specs; not enough art.
Apple might argue there are other reasons for the shift. Perhaps tech events are now so commonplace that people tune out. Maybe they now primarily exist to feed news to websites and YouTube channels. Perhaps there’s even an environmental argument, although Apple still flies plenty of people to Cupertino for hands-on sessions. It’s just that invited journalists now get to watch a video of an event rather than the event itself.
I think Apple needs to think different again. But this time, that might mean borrowing a little more from its past rather than leaning ever harder into the technology of the present and the future.