Happy Wednesday.

Today’s update will be a bit different. There’s been something circulating in my mind since attending the Apple event earlier this month. A few recent articles about Apple’s digital presentations got me thinking more about the topic. Let’s discuss.

Apple Presentation Criticism

Ken Segall, who was involved in many iconic Apple advertising campaigns in the late 1990s and 2000s is not a fan of Apple’s virtual presentations. Here’s the beginning of his blog post published this past Monday:

“Okay, it took me forever, but I finally got around to watching the 2023 iPhone event.

Why so long? It’s all Apple’s fault. The more they announce new products in these prepackaged events, the less I feel like watching.

My viewing did not change my opinion of virtual presentations. Instead, in an odd way, it got me thinking about the power of A.I. Not that Apple used A.I. to generate the script—rather that A.I. could have written the script, and few would have noticed.

That’s because what Apple is doing is exactly what A.I. is so good at. They’re writing a script based on the show before. And the one before that. And the one before that. They’re stuck in a loop where a parade of presenters describe new products, minus any emotional connection.

ChatGBT wouldn’t break a sweat pulling that together.

To be sympathetic (for a brief moment), Apple’s pre-fab format was born of pandemic restrictions. It was the right solution at the right time. Kudos. But now, even as restrictions have been lifted, Apple chooses to self-restrict. Puzzling.”

This article came to my attention via Om Malik who like Segall does not think too highly of Apple’s virtual presentations. Interestingly, Malik doesn’t like how Apple relies on so many presenters these days. Instead, he yearns for the days when one person (Steve) handled most of the presentation.

One thing that both Segall and Malik disclosed is that

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