Meticulous prep produced the infamous 9:41 timestamp on the now-iconic iPhone screen. Steve Jobs, the masterful presenter, timed every transition, every demo, and every slide with menacing precision. Why wouldn’t he? He’s the guy that mastered the magical reveal with Wringling appeal.
Jobs obsessed over every detail: the layout of the motherboards, the material of the screws in the machine, and rhythmic timing of the slides. The showman knew his audience, and he knew how to create the greatest show on earth.
Don’t get me wrong, the iPhone 6 is fine, and the Apple WATCH is expected. But, where is the bearded lady? The shock and awe? The presentation isn’t magical, so what’s the allure? Today’s presentation doesn’t exceed expectations, and it doesn’t exceed because it is satisfactory.
For starters, at 10:08:17 AM PST, Cook makes the big reveal:
Eight minutes and seventeen seconds into “wish we could say more” event. They said enough:
- We don’t care about the finer details. It’s 10:08 and the clock says 9:41.
- You expected X, we bring you X+.
- If we build it, you’ll come.
Yep, the features like NFC (Apple Pay), super-extra slow motion, and improved battery life are great, but we’re talking features, not “a thousand songs in your pocket.” Ugh, where’s the amazing benefit?!
“One More Thing”
That was reserved. Like Walter Cronkite’s signoff, “and that’s the way it is” or Colin Quin’s “that’s my story and I’m sticking to it,” Jobs owned “one more thing.” Cook took a moment of glory to reveal the Apple WATCH in a less than amazing demonstration.
Is the watch amazing? Yes. Is it remarkable? No, it’s expected thanks to Samsung–along with an iTV. Wait…
I began to expect greatness from Apple, but they first had to revive Jobs to muster that magic. I don’t think a repeat is possible, this time. Even Wall Street held its breath for something amazing today, but you can see the bounce of today’s announcement followed by disappointment ending down on one of the big shareholder’s days of the year.
Will I buy an iPhone 6? Yes. Will I continue to support one of the great tech innovators of modernity? Yes! But the scrutinizing details with disciplined and timely execution made Apple one of the most cash-rich companies on the planet. Ignoring the details can be deadly.
I expected more, and I’m obviously disappointed. When the world was screwing around with WAP and outdated technologies in mobile, Apple dropped the iPhone. While the world dabbles in the Internet of Things with products like Nest, Node and MyQ, Apple should abandon its mobile stronghold and venture into change. Today Apple showed that it’s a competent improver with the likes of its competitors, but it also revealed that it may have lost its ability to innovate.
