Apple's new event tactic: The crazy game of crazy games

"This Week." Two words and a short teaser film stating that something is up in the air are enough for Apple boss Tim Cook to raise the bar for this week's product announcement two meters higher than anything the rumour mill has already delivered in advance. This assumes an updated MacBook Air with an M4 chip. But if Cook himself announces it, could it be more than that?

Ein Kommentar von Malte Kirchner

Malte Kirchner ist seit 2022 Redakteur bei heise online. Neben der Technik selbst beschäftigt ihn die Frage, wie diese die Gesellschaft verändert. Sein besonderes Augenmerk gilt Neuigkeiten aus dem Hause Apple. Daneben befasst er sich mit Entwicklung und Podcasten.

In the meantime, one can develop justified doubts that everything Apple announces in such a highly decorated manner is really such high-level technology news. In the past, Cupertino seemed to be more interested in giving the outside world an idea of how big the innovation of a product really is, at least through the way it is announced. In the meantime, almost everything seems to be equally important. This leads to disappointment when only a small product update follows or an iPhone 16e is presented, which is probably important for Apple's product range, but certainly not for a large number of long-standing Apple customers.

Others are already going crazy

In the days of Intel, a processor update in the MacBook meant that one fine afternoon a press release suddenly appeared in the inboxes of media representatives with a reference to this very update. There was usually no advance notice of the announcement. In the meantime, everything seems to be worth its own 10-minute promotional film and a promising pre-announcement.

Perhaps this is due to the immensely increased attention threshold of younger consumers, to whom, in times of sensory overload, only those who bang their drum particularly loudly can get through. However, the Apple cosmos is already crazy enough. The rumor cooks who outdo each other with their creations are already making sure of that. But does Apple now have to go crazy itself? Isn't the iPhone manufacturer better off in the role of the one who exerts the corrective, resolving, objectifying influence? The main expectation of Apple is simply to deliver good products.

Danger of alienation

As with many reputational issues, the answer as to whether Apple is overstepping the mark will only be known at a later date. Sales will not suddenly collapse because prospective buyers feel that their time and attention have been unduly taxed. But in the medium term, something like this becomes ingrained. Even if Apple itself likes to exaggerate the promotion of its products in its presentations, as is customary in the industry, in the past the public could usually trust Apple not to hold an event for something that would only have been worth a press release (and if it did, it was heavily criticized).

With the abolition of the stage events and the replacement of the promotional films, which was initially a necessity in Corona times, Apple seems to have lost its direct connection to its audience. Even if the public was only represented there by guests close to Apple, influencers, bloggers and media representatives: The applause or non-applause at keynotes was still a gauge, an immediate feedback that Apple executives seemed to respond to. If there were more and more people shaking their heads in front of the monitors today, you wouldn't even notice it directly in Cupertino. No, you don't have to declare a great loss of reality – Apple is far too successful in business for that. But this development, which at some point could really lead to alienation, is worth considering.

(mki)