Anyone Else Over Apple's Keynote Culture?

[chanchowancho]

I feel that since they've switched from live events to virtual ones, they've actually become much more succinct - although I suppose you could argue they are targeting a bigger audience now - as opposed to die-hard apple tech enthusiasts who used to watch these things - so the presentations have become slightly more 'shallow' (like the M1 introduction and their infamous performance graphs - all turned out to be correct of course, just quite high-level)

As a counterpoint, I'm an avid gamer, and can't stand the way so many game companies do meandering video interviews with the devs, packed with awkward silences and misfires, only to show us a 5-second pre-rendered trailer to announce a game that ships in "Holiday 2022" - Apple have really good timeframes between announcement and release, usually between a week and a month.

 

[Dbsr87]

Do we know if the iPhone 13 keynote will be virtual again? I miss the in person ones.

 

[Mt44]

I think they’re still fun.

The hype way exceeds the actual product updates. But whatever. Bread and circuses.

 

[PsykX]

I agree 100%. Leave out the “good morning” “i’m super excited” stuff and just released the product on their website at the same moment they have the Keynote. Remove the fluff and just give us the facts ma’am.

At least they removed most of the part where they would basically flirt with the investors.

I remember one Keynote where Tim said : "Everything's going great" and then skipped to the subject.

 

[matrix07]

You can very easily solve this for yourself. Just wait two hours longer until the keynote is over, and read up on everything released here on Macrumors.

There, solved. Next problem of magnitude please. 😇

Exactly! No one is forced to watch it.

 

[LFC2020]

I actually enjoy the keynotes, most of the time I watch the replay and skip through the boring parts, don’t see what the problem is really. 🤷‍♂️

One thing that does need to stop, is taking down the store for hours every time a new product is launched. 🤦‍♂️

 

[ateslik]

I like them. Especially the “everything in 6 minutes” followup video from macrumors

 

[CrimsonKnight]

I am, too many transitions, super cringe anymore. It’s not all bad, but man it feels over the top a lot.

 

[GSWForever8]

Sorry for posting this here, but we don't really have an overall forum for just general Mac/Apple at least not that I saw.

I was wondering if anyone else was over Apple's Keynote culture. I kinda wish they would just drop the product instead of 2 hours of intro, a week of waiting for pre-orders, a week of delivery. Apple used to sometimes just, update the store with a surprise new spec bump or something. But the keynote's are always the exact same format, and the exact same language. They seem to be actually getting longer, and they don't have much to add that's interesting or necessary. Most of that stuff could just be a paragraph of copy on a website.

I'm not saying they should get rid of them all together, but rather use them when they make sense. When they have totally new product or product category that requires more education and explanation, like the M1 transition, intro of Apple TV+, Apple Glass or an Apple Car.

But to just say hey, we put an A15 chip in it, it faster than the last one, and here's a new color, and new watch bands. You can order them now and get them in October... I'm kinda like, just update the website and store and ship 'em already, we got it.

I feel like for new watch bands and colors, skip the keynote. But for new devices, for say, iPhone 13, keep the keynote. If it’s a product, keynote. If not, just skip it.

 

[Kung gu]

I used to find Apple events so exciting, but increasingly became frustrated. They still release good products, but they're not revolutionary anymore - and therefore don't need a grandiose announcement. Most of Apple's markets have matured so much now - there's just no need for the hype.

Having said that, I get that it's all about the media/advertising hype to drive sales, I just think think it's a shame that they're no longer actually enjoyable to watch as well. Maybe less would be more.

disagee. Apple sillicon Macs are exciting and those definitely warrant a event.

 

[swarlos]

The same could be said for Samsung's atrocious events and Googles cringe worthy keynotes. I love the keynotes and at least we know the procedure and can count on it or would you rather they be more like LG when they unveiled phones but are like it'll be out when we feel like it? LOL

 

[Kung gu]

one thing for sure Apple events are always better 99% of the time than Google or samsung or microsoft.

 

[macintoshmac]

I have to say, Apple's keynotes have become just like any other tech company's keynotes since Steve left for other ventures. His presentations were targeted towards telling consumers how Apple's products fit in in their lives and how they can benefit from them. He would talk about the product and how consumers may appreciate the product and its (new) features in their lives.

That is sorely missing now. Today we just rattle off specs and features without the connect with the consumers. Tim talks to shareholders, not to consumers. Craig tries his best. But it is painfully clear that Steve brought the connection, passion and ownership to Apple and products in a way the others do not or rather can not, until they start something.

I can say this because I realise one simple thing - when Steve spoke, he came across as the owner of Apple and its decisions and driven towards changing lives, in a way only a founder can. Because I am one, I realise this. All others come across as third-parties who are doing their job - and somehow that job does not involve taking ownership at and of Apple. They manage to take ownership of only what they are doing at Apple, not the whole of Apple. Steve was the founder, he instinctively took ownership of everything at Apple and that involvement and inclusion reflected in his keynotes and talks. That is what is missing today.

Steve connected Apple's tech and products to the consumers without users having to do anything but sit back. Today, they only showcase the product without connecting the product to the users. That connection is what users have to do for themselves now, and that is one of the reasons why people are seemingly tired of this approach.

 

[SicTransitGloriaMundi]

Sorry for posting this here, but we don't really have an overall forum for just general Mac/Apple at least not that I saw.

I was wondering if anyone else was over Apple's Keynote culture. I kinda wish they would just drop the product instead of 2 hours of intro, a week of waiting for pre-orders, a week of delivery. Apple used to sometimes just, update the store with a surprise new spec bump or something. But the keynote's are always the exact same format, and the exact same language. They seem to be actually getting longer, and they don't have much to add that's interesting or necessary. Most of that stuff could just be a paragraph of copy on a website.

I'm not saying they should get rid of them all together, but rather use them when they make sense. When they have totally new product or product category that requires more education and explanation, like the M1 transition, intro of Apple TV+, Apple Glass or an Apple Car.

But to just say hey, we put an A15 chip in it, it faster than the last one, and here's a new color, and new watch bands. You can order them now and get them in October... I'm kinda like, just update the website and store and ship 'em already, we got it.

I would like to watch a classic keynote again in front of an audience rather than these pre-recorded ones. The latter bore me as well and they creep me out a litte because everything is so super perfectly planned leaving no room for improvisation.

 

[Tevosn]

I don’t watch them anymore, but I used to love them.
It just gotten old for me I think, I can only watch the same show so many times.

Nothing wrong with the presentations as they are, but these days I prefer short recaps about the products after the Keynotes, on sites like macrumors to see if anything interesting have been released.

 

[Jax44]

I like the Keynotes. You all don't have to watch.

 

[cheesygrin]

disagee. Apple sillicon Macs are exciting and those definitely warrant a event.

That's true. I'm not saying they shouldn't hold events at all - certainly new Apple Silicon Macs would warrant one. I'm saying they hold too many for them ALL to be interesting. WWDC21 had zero hardware announcements and underwhelming software ones.

 

[IBMlover]

Do we know if the iPhone 13 keynote will be virtual again? I miss the in person ones.

It will be a virtual event again. The pandemic is still going on, Delta is taking over now.

 

[NewBench]

I don't mind the keynotes and understand their purpose - the in-person ones have that nostalgic, classic Steve Jobs feel about them (and wish they'd bring back the "one more thing" as a thing).

HOWEVER...

I do find Apple puts far too much weight and focus on certain topics/details during these keynotes. A lot of the keynote content feels like filler. Quality over quantity and all that. Probably 30% of the keynote could be cut out as the content is only relevant to a small portion of the audience.

 

[svish]

I enjoy the apple events and look forward to it.

 

[brandoman]

Yes, loads of corporate jargon, almost as if the product marketing team was running the show and creating the scripts.

 

[ThunderSkunk]

I don’t care about the dog & pony show. It’s PR for investors first and cheap direct advertising second, so I’ll sit through two hours of people apparently living on another planet tooting their own horns for two hours. I just miss the parade of new inventions. By now we’re all familiar with the glass rectangle running iOS. We’re familiar with an imac & mbp regardless of the chip. There is so much room left to innovate interesting products beyond Apples extremely conservative lineup, what’s disappointing is seeing a trillion dollar company do the same things year in and year out. There were years where Apple decided to make printers. Network equipment. A camera that didn‘t work. The ipod. They didn’t hit every one out of the park, but at least they were trying things. CES is full of wild things, and Apple is absent. Most of the ”future tech” I played with at epcot center as a kid in 1982 still isn’t on the market. There’s a lot of potential here, but actual innovation seems to have been reduced to a trickle, and music video montages don’t make up for that.

 

[TechRunner]

I used to schedule my lunch break around the keynotes, but I don't anymore. I read the post-keynote write-ups here and other places, then refer back to the keynote if I want to see how they rolled it out.

As a marketing/media guy, I see the value in them as a marketing tool, though. And they're much more engaging live/with an audience, no doubt.

 

[sunapple]

I know this is just another rant thread but you guys all know it’s very effective marketing and it will never go away.

COVID would’ve been a great reason to stop, but seems like they’re spending at least twice as much. And it’s not like the Steve Jobs Theater with its dedicated amazingly lit product showcase area will be closed just a couple of years after opening (okay, maybe if COVID never goes away…).

For me it’s 1/3 product info and 2/3 that slick video stuff. Can’t get enough of it.

 

[allan.nyholm]

And the god forsaken 🙏 Tim Cook does all the time.. Thank you for coming 🙏 .. what the ... It sickens me to see that. He's of course not the only presenter doing that.

I can do without all the blips and blobs about Apple in their Keynotes at this point. Are we not already filled up to the brim with Apple related news and already know about their quarterly results? And even new phones and devices coming out because people can't keep their hands to them selves and just HAVE to take pictures of a new iPhone chassis or the like.

Apple could shorten the duration of their keynotes by at least half. I have to sit through endless Apple Watch - Fitness - AirTag - iOS - Environmental issues - all this just to see what's new with the Mac and macOS. Granted, I'm an iOS user too and will probably invest in an Apple Watch too down the line.. Do I need to hear about it all the time in a Keynote, no? No, I don't. Before I forget 🙏 and one for the rest who weren't paying attention 🙏