Why I miss Apple's old keynotes

Today I can't remember when I first watched an Apple keynote. What I can say, however, is that I had no illusions that I was watching a perfectly planned promotional event. From the appearance of the company boss to the enthusiastically applauding Apple employees in the audience.

And yet Steve Jobs and later Tim Cook managed to give the stage show its own charm. Whether it was when Jobs presented the now legendary envelope in 2008, which supposedly contained the first MacBook Air, or when Cook announced the first Apple Watch six years later with the longest words in the standard repertoire: “One more thing”.

Yes, the loudly expressed enthusiasm of parts of the audience always had something manipulative about it. But like the recorded laughter in a sitcom, it was just part of it; it was an integral part of the stage performance.

There was also something human about the whole performance. As were the appearances from the various Apple departments or software partners, who were able to explain why their tools were much better on the new devices. Of course, someone always stumbled over their words or was perhaps a little nervous. And every now and then a real mistake happened. But since Corona, those days are over.

Too perfect: Apple events since the pandemic

When we had to learn new vocabulary in 2020, such as lockdown, contact diary or distance learning, it was clear that Apple could not hold the usual stage show. The new hardware still had to be presented, of course, and so the Apple event at the time was broadcast for the first time as a pre-produced video.

Four years later, the format has long been established. Anyone who has followed the legal events knows that there are all kinds of fancy shots from various locations at Apple's headquarters, what camera movements to expect, and that at the end – preferably somewhere outside in the countryside – company boss Cook summarizes all the new features for us.

The whole thing is obviously produced with a lot of effort. That is ultimately the problem: it is simply too perfect. There is no room for any errors. Whether it is a small speaker or a technical glitch.

It is clear that Apple management does not want to repeat problems such as the Wi-Fi glitch at the launch of the iPhone 4. The current format not only protects against this, it also robs the product launches of the last bit of excitement. That fits in with the Apple of today. But it is still a shame.

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