Is there such a thing as too slick? Pat Riley’s hair may suggest not, but there is. And I think Apple’s latest event, unveiling the latest and greatest iPhones and Apple Watches, may have crossed that line. It wasn’t a bad event, by any stretch. It all just felt… too polished? Not organic enough? Too glib?
Since the pandemic, I’ve been a fan of Apple’s production of these events. They took their signature staged hoopla started by Steve Jobs and packaged it into something that could be consumed even when people couldn’t crowd around a stage. In some ways, they were better than the events of yore. Certainly more inclusive — in every meaning of that word — and a more fluid way to showcase product progressions. But as I was watching Tim Cook and company on stage — but not actually on stage, mind you — yesterday, I couldn’t help but feeling a little… empty? Everything looked good. But it just didn’t feel right. There was a tangible lack of tangibility. And thus, a lack of excitement.
Certainly part of it is that I wasn’t there. And I’m sure the people in the room will disagree with the above, at least to some extent. Then again, no one was really there, save for some camera operators and production staff. I feel as if the excitement has been dissipating over time with these staged video events. Perhaps it’s just the novelty wearing off, but I think there’s probably something to trying to do these in-person again too.
To that end, perhaps it parallels the return-to-office debate, which Apple and every other company has been in the midst of figuring out for the past year or so. Predictably, we’ve swung from fully remote being the future to fully remote being a problem. The actual situation is gray, as there are all different types of companies. But for most companies, especially those built to work in-person, the return to the flesh was inevitable and undoubtedly a good thing. Might the same be true of these Apple events?
This may sound like the opposite of what I argued just a few months ago — that Apple should do these videos for every product roll out. But I think that’s still true. I think anything Apple has released that was previously done via press release should get one of these videos now. But for the biggest events — the iPhone event and WWDC, with maybe one more event sprinkled in some years — perhaps a return to the stage, the live stage, is warranted. There’s an energy that comes from watching presenters walking that tightrope. The videos elicit no such feelings because there’s no risk. What will happen when Jeff Williams taps his fingers together? It just works. Every time.
But I’m not really even talking about demos failing — that’s no fun for anyone — but seeing how a product works in person creates a tension. There’s a natural build-up to making sure it will all work and be ready to be unveiled on stage. The Vision Pro is a counterpoint to this — it (in)famously wasn’t shown at all with the Apple executives trying it out, like Steve Jobs used to do. In part, because it wasn’t ready. But the history of Apple is littered with demos that were glued together at the last second. They probably could have made it work.
It wouldn’t have looked as slick as the canned product videos. And, to be fair, pulling out a new iPhone of a pocket for the 15th time probably won’t drum up too much excitement. But doing live demos still has value as it creates actual reactions from those using the products on stage. Not staged reactions as we’re now so used to seeing.
Case in point: after the keynote opened yesterday with a (truly moving) video about how Apple’s devices have literally saved lives, we cut to a pre-recorded video of Cook in the middle of Apple Park. “As we just saw, nothing is more important than helping save lives.” I don’t think Cook is insincere in saying that, but it’s such an awkward, canned delivery that it feels flippant. Because he didn’t just watch the video alongside us, he was in Apple Park a few days or weeks ago, filming his lines. If he were delivering that line on an actual stage, live, he might emote and connect more directly with the audience.
