Other found document at café — "green" iPhone coming? [Merged]

[wickedrm]

This assumes it's an Apple ad in the first place. Lots of signs point to it not being one. And if it's not then a random company has just advertised a non-existant Apple product to you. Not a great use of money IMO.

And if it is, again, Apple doesn't even need to tease stuff. Every news outlet on the planet is going to publicise whatever they announce on the 12th anyway, so this would be a complete waste of money for them. It conveys almost no message and has nothing for viewers to do based on what they've seen.

It's ineffective no matter how you look at it.

You say lots of signs point to it not being an Apple ad, but then say another company advertised an Apple product. Which is it? Clearly not an Apple product, or seemingly one because another company wasted money on making me think it was an Apple product? There’s not much logic in that thought process right there.

To argue it’s not an Apple product because Apple doesn’t need to tease stuff is highly reductive. Apple thrives on generating hype and anticipation toward their products, which you know to be the case every year during Apple events. Along side the hype, they’re building engagement from their audiences for a new line of products that are much different from previous products. By releasing green products, theyre entering a whole new genre. Of course they’re going to advertise this - it’s completely new. It’s effective in every manner you look at it, and to say otherwise is completely ignoring the sense of wonder(lust) (ha!) Apple brings to their products (yes even new ones, imagine that).

 

[ctjack]

And if it is, again, Apple doesn't even need to tease stuff. Every news outlet on the planet is going to publicise whatever they announce on the 12th anyway, so this would be a complete waste of money for them. It conveys almost no message and has nothing for viewers to do based on what they've seen.

It's ineffective no matter how you look at it.

You probably did not follow closer the recent news. Iphone and Apple sales are dropping no matter what even when compared to Iphone 14 numbers of first order allocation numbers - in this case anything which helps to boost sales needs to be used.

That's not even close to being comparable. A movie isn't an ad campaign. The movie is the product, and, as a piece of narrative art, it doesn't need to have a firm conclusion or a definitive ending. If you're watching it, you've paid your money and the business objective is already met.

Comparably, you don't need definitive apple logo for this ad to work on people's perception if later it transforms into the full image with an apple logo.

 

[ExperienceOverall]

So the plot thickens, friend of mine in NYC just sent me this asking if the new phone was out. She doesn't really follow tech very closely, but figured I'd share this here since y'all are already talking about whatever this is supposed to be.

It's not really different than that one train station one, but it's something. Has a pic of this already been posted? I haven't read the whole thread, just jumped in when I saw earlier. Ngl, I'm nerding out a little haha

Yess omg! I’ve seen these all over midtown. I’m so confused honestly who they’re trying to target in terms of audience. I just want to know more details about this if I’m being honest. Oh whale.

 

[ctjack]

Didn't take much googling. Here is the unnamed billboard ad from one company back in 2013 which covered all California and NYC. Before and after some time after getting the needed hype and media attention.

 

[boss.king]

You say lots of signs point to it not being an Apple ad, but then say another company advertised an Apple product. Which is it? Clearly not an Apple product, or seemingly one because another company wasted money on making me think it was an Apple product? There’s not much logic in that thought process right there.

Both? I don't think it's an Apple ad. You do. Signs can point to something not being an Apple ad and you can still think it's an Apple ad. Your point was that this makes you think of Apple. If it does that while not being an ad made by Apple, that's money that whatever company made this has wasted. It's seems like a pretty straightforward point to me.

To argue it’s not an Apple product because Apple doesn’t need to tease stuff is highly reductive.

How so? I would think it's common sense. If they're going to get unmatched awareness from the announcement event anyway, the effect of this is negligible at best. Save that budget until sales slow and then ramp up advertising.

Apple thrives on generating hype and anticipation toward their products, which you know to be the case every year during Apple events.

No, they thrive on the hype created by the actual product announcements. A small sphere of the nerdy internet gets excited before the events, most people only hear about the new iPhone/Macs/whatever after launch when they're plastered all over the news. Most people don't care about unreleased products.

Along side the hype, they’re building engagement from their audiences for a new line of products that are much different from previous products. By releasing green products, theyre entering a whole new genre. Of course they’re going to advertise this - it’s completely new.

They've been doing green stuff around their products for a long time now. They recycle aluminium and plastic and whatever else is used in their devices. They offset all sorts of emissions. None of this is that new.

It’s effective in every manner you look at it, and to say otherwise is completely ignoring the sense of wonder(lust) (ha!) Apple brings to their products (yes even new ones, imagine that).

It's effective as long as you completely ignore what effective means. 99.9% of Apple customers are not going to see this or care about it before the event. If it's an Apple campaign, they should have skipped this step of it.

You probably did not follow closer the recent news. Iphone and Apple sales are dropping no matter what even when compared to Iphone 14 numbers of first order allocation numbers - in this case anything which helps to boost sales needs to be used.

A vague allusion to an unannounced product is not going to boost sales. This is actually the reason Apple rarely talks products until they're available to order.

Comparably, you don't need definitive apple logo for this ad to work on people's perception if later it transforms into the full image with an apple logo.

If it's an even Apple ad. And again, perception can only change if they had some perception of it in the first place. Most people aren't going to notice this. The reason the BitTorrent example works is that the unbranded ad has a controversial, attention-grabbing headline. "Think greener" by comparison is nothing. It's generic, bland copy that could be attached to a new dishwasher or an electric car or a compost bin. It's not the kind of thing that any meaningful number of people is going to feel strongly about or remember.

 

[mectojic]

Yeah, I was wondering that, too. And how many were sent to Apple with Apple going “This is the fourth one of these we’ve gotten, why are people sending us this?”

And, in case anyone believes that advertising in Times Square is prohibitive or a company with a decent sized ad budget

How much does it cost for a Times Square billboard?
A billboard can range in cost from $5,000 for a 1 day program to well over $50,000.

Time Square Advertising - Prime Digital & Static Options

Reach millions of New Yorkers with highly effective billboards & kiosks. Strategic planning & buying in Time Square, the heart of it all.

inspiriaoutdoor.com

Huge marketing budget? Not quite. And for just a static image for 15 seconds? $40 a pop depending on were it’s being displayed!

$40 for 15 Seconds: Times Square Billboard Attracts Chinese Attention Seekers

A new ad space in New York has turned into a new social media trend in China.

www.sixthtone.com

It's not a 1 day program. Go watch the live cam of Times Square. You'll find that it's been up for more than a day – this will clearly last a few days.
And it's not just the 1 location – we already have Times Square sightings, Penn station, other parts of NYC too it seems. So even by the most minimal budget estimation, we're looking at $200,000 from the past 24 hours. But a more realistic budget would be $10-20 million if they run for the next week in multiple locations... and that's USA alone.

Besides, let's not forget the smoking gun of this whole ad campaign: the originals were found in Cupertino.

There was no orchestrated plot to "leak" those papers to the media. It didn't happen. We just got one post onto Macrumors.
That makes me think it was an accidental leak, and it really was from someone working in Cupertino, rather than a mastermind who "planted" it there.

This is Apple, folks. The copywriting is so Apple, self-referential, minimalist, simple, and in line with the Cupertino guidelines.

 

[ctjack]

Putting the [R] into square reminds of the way Apple puts S iterations in square brackets as well: This is kind of playing S era nostalgia trick at this point. Long term memory retrieval as it is.

 

[iStorm]

Has anyone else thought what other company this could be from if it isn’t Apple? I’m still not entirely convinced it’s from them. I’m starting to wonder if this could be from OnePlus.

1. They have green phones, and the green one is usually in their ads. The paper print outs and photo appear to be the same shade of green too.
2. The “R” logo looks similar to their “1+” logo…it’s boxy with square corners. (Since when has Apple used square corners for anything?)
3. The ad at Penn Station says “Think greener”. This could be a word play referring to their green colored phone, but also that it is now more sustainable.
4. One of the NYC ads says “Innovation”. Could be another jab at Apple not being innovative anymore. Their ads have taken jabs at Apple before.
5. The Times Square ad says ”Meet R”. OnePlus says “Meet …” a lot.

Unanswered questions:

1. Why is there no brand name on these ads? Unless “R” is the new brand? If they’re trying to ride Apple’s wave, how does it benefit them? People will think it’s just promoting Apple’s event next week and will forget all about it afterwards.
2. How did the folder get to Cupertino? As far as I know, they don’t have any offices there. I suppose it could have been planted in hopes to get picked up/leaked…which it did…somewhat.

Pic of one of their ads/phone/logo for reference:

 

[ctjack]

1. The ad at Penn Station says “Think greener”. This could be a word play referring to their green colored phone, but also that it is now more sustainable.

I think Apple will again ride out a bandwagon of eco-friendliness: "This year we cared about Green so much that the new Iphones are 100% built from recycled titanium because we care about climate and not because it is 33% cheaper this way. And it is not all: we also cared enough to unify your charging ports - you no longer need to buy chargers: just use the one from your Macbook that you have anyways lying around. If not, then it is time to buy yourself a Mac as well".

June 6, 2022 - MacBook Air with M2 chip contains 40 percent recycled content, including a 100 percent recycled aluminum enclosure, reducing MacBook Air

 

[mectojic]

Has anyone else thought what other company this could be from if it isn’t Apple? I’m still not entirely convinced it’s from them. I’m starting to wonder if this could be from OnePlus.

Good points. Yes it could be OnePlus, but again I just don't think any company other than Apple would have the courage to use Apple-style language, and not include their own logo. It's too confused.

Others have suggested a Tesla Phone, called "R" in the same vein as "X".

1. Why is there no brand name on these ads? Unless “R” is the new brand? If they’re trying to ride Apple’s wave, how does it benefit them? People will think it’s just promoting Apple’s event next week and will forget all about it afterwards.
2. How did the folder get to Cupertino? As far as I know, they don’t have any offices there. I suppose it could have been planted in hopes to get picked up/leaked…which it did…somewhat.

"R" could be the brand name of a new phone, like Tesla or OnePlus (or any company for that matter, even Fairphone).

The Cupertino location is the biggest case for Apple now.

I think that Apple has always been eco-conscious. But they want to wait for the right opportunities to advertise those features. Remember that the iPhone 14 had a much more repairable design, but Apple didn't say a word – why? Because it draws attention to the fact the 14 Pro is less repairable.
Now, I think this "R" phone is going to be their big opportunity to promote repair, responsible, sustainable.

My speculation? This will be Apple's first carbon-neutral product (across the whole supply chain). (Wouldn't that be a world first?)

 

[boss.king]

Has anyone else thought what other company this could be from if it isn’t Apple? I’m still not entirely convinced it’s from them. I’m starting to wonder if this could be from OnePlus.

1. They have green phones, and the green one is usually in their ads. The paper print outs and photo appear to be the same shade of green too.
2. The “R” logo looks similar to their “1+” logo…it’s boxy with square corners. (Since when has Apple used square corners for anything?)
3. The ad at Penn Station says “Think greener”. This could be a word play referring to their green colored phone, but also that it is now more sustainable.
4. One of the NYC ads says “Innovation”. Could be another jab at Apple not being innovative anymore. Their ads have taken jabs at Apple before.
5. The Times Square ad says ”Meet R”. OnePlus says “Meet …” a lot.

Unanswered questions:

1. Why is there no brand name on these ads? Unless “R” is the new brand? If they’re trying to ride Apple’s wave, how does it benefit them? People will think it’s just promoting Apple’s event next week and will forget all about it afterwards.
2. How did the folder get to Cupertino? As far as I know, they don’t have any offices there. I suppose it could have been planted in hopes to get picked up/leaked…which it did…somewhat.

Pic of one of their ads/phone/logo for reference:
View attachment 2256018

It could also be Samsung, they have a bunch of different letter-based lines (S, Z, J, etc) and have been known to copy and/or mock Apple in ads in the past. I think they even had a Galaxy R at one point.

Most brands will say "Meet _____" for a product launch at some point, it's pretty standard.

But like I said before, I haven't really kept up with the Android world in recent years, so I'm sure there are other brands that this could be as well.

 

[ctjack]

My speculation? This will be Apple's first carbon-neutral product (across the whole supply chain).

On top if it could be first modular iphone - given the latest news in California right to repairs from Apple, one could swap out broken parts of their phone using 1 screwdriver and ordered parts from apple store.

 

[Analog Kid]

we're looking at $200,000 from the past 24 hours. But a more realistic budget would be $10-20 million if they run for the next week in multiple locations... and that's USA alone.

Besides, let's not forget the smoking gun of this whole ad campaign: the originals were found in Cupertino.

So, in summary , probably $200k but we’ll call it $20,000k which I guess sounds prohibitive to a company that is peddling a whole new modern smartphone and the most convincing “evidence” was found a $500 plane flight away, far from any marketing agency that knows how to get attention on tech products.

For scale, there’s an advocacy group with a $2M ad budget this week going after Apple for giving up on CSAM scanning.

 

[mectojic]

On top if it could be first modular iphone - given the latest news in California right to repairs from Apple, one could swap out broken parts of their phone using 1 screwdriver and ordered parts from apple store.

There is less than 1% chance it's modular. Apple HATES modularity. Just look at the entire Apple Silicon lineup. They hate people doing hardware upgrades.
On the other hand, they weren't as opposed to repairs and access to parts back in the 2000s.
I think this will be sustainable as in, carbon neutral, durable, repairable. But not upgradable.

 

[Analog Kid]

It could also be Samsung, they have a bunch of different letter-based lines (S, Z, J, etc) and have been known to copy and/or mock Apple in ads in the past. I think they even had a Galaxy R at one point.

Most brands will say "Meet _____" for a product launch at some point, it's pretty standard.

But like I said before, I haven't really kept up with the Android world in recent years, so I'm sure there are other brands that this could be as well.

It could also just be a group that wants to pitch an agenda around repairability or sustainability with a plan to come back next week with a “don’t you wish it were true?” billboard.

 

[boss.king]

It could also just be a group that wants to pitch an agenda around repairability or sustainability with a plan to come back next week with a “don’t you wish it were true?” billboard.

Also very possible.

 

[ctjack]

There is less than 1% chance it's modular. Apple HATES modularity. Just look at the entire Apple Silicon lineup. They hate people doing hardware upgrades.
On the other hand, they weren't as opposed to repairs and access to parts back in the 2000s.
I think this will be sustainable as in, carbon neutral, durable, repairable. But not upgradable.

It is not necessarily should be user upgradable but being repairable is enough: they could lock away behind 2 screws the flipping back with slide-in battery - you would just unscrew 2 bolts and install your fresh new battery bought from apple for the same $100 but yourself like in old samsung phones: ifixit galaxy s3.

I used to have s3 and crashed every component and ordered it from china and replaced myself - like destroyed sim card slot with toothpick(nano, micro and standard sim sizes problem back in the day), cracked camera. All the parts were modular inside - just unhinge the flip-flop connector and throw in your new part and it is like new again.

 

[JapanApple]

This looks like somebody’s portrolio that’s taking a class in the university about Product design and product placement.. when I was a university I’ve had projects that involve such graphic presentation

 

[mpavilion]

If you look at this ad and don’t think Apple, you’re fooling yourself.

I disagree. Nothing about it says Apple, and everything about it says “Apple copycat.”

 

[mectojic]

This looks like somebody’s portrolio that’s taking a class in the university about Product design and product placement.. when I was a university I’ve had projects that involve such graphic presentation

Ok, then account for the billboards in Times Square.

 

[mectojic]

I disagree. Nothing about it says Apple, and everything about it says “Apple copycat.”

What more, other than a logo, could possibly convince you that this was done by Apple?

 

[JapanApple]

Ok, then account for the billboards in Times Square.

You do know I am referring to the folder left on the table.

 

[mectojic]

You do know I am referring to the folder left on the table.

Yeah, but a student isn't going to produce something that ends up on a billboard...?

 

[JapanApple]

Yeah, but a student isn't going to produce something that ends up on a billboard...?

I am not referring to the billboard, was clearly referring to the portfolio. Not about apple its some student's project.

 

[hg.wells]

Still don’t buy it. Why would Apple do this, people know Apple releases new iPhones every September.

They are also marketing the event next week.