I'm sure I'll get flamed for this, but I like the old way they did it with an audience. Much more energy, which I think is worth more than the over-the-top polish of the pre-recorded versions they do now.
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Am I the Only One Who Prefers the Old WWDC Keynotes?
- Thread starter kramden88
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I'm with you. The presentations now are slick but are overly rehearsed and they try too hard with everything. Audience reactions means a lot in presentations.
Besides you get to xxx version 17 and it really comes down with a Y A W N.
Lastly, give me a larger iMac and I will buy it on Day 1, otherwise, time to move to a new platform.
Besides you get to xxx version 17 and it really comes down with a Y A W N.
Lastly, give me a larger iMac and I will buy it on Day 1, otherwise, time to move to a new platform.
I've said this before but it all comes down to intimacy. These current presentations are totally produced and pre-baked, what we're seeing today is already finished. Nothing live about it. Bunch of people standing in various settings in front of screens that are edited on afterwards.
Compare this to when Steve would take the stage and introduce a new product or feature, he would sit at a computer and show it live. He would use the product like any of us, and that's what made it so impressive. In that moment, Steve was a user as well. There's something much more compelling about this, or seeing him scroll through an iPod knowing that he's hunting for something cool to show us, than a big budget pre-recorded presentation. The production quality is there, but the soul is not. It was a massive part of the reality distortion field.
Compare this to when Steve would take the stage and introduce a new product or feature, he would sit at a computer and show it live. He would use the product like any of us, and that's what made it so impressive. In that moment, Steve was a user as well. There's something much more compelling about this, or seeing him scroll through an iPod knowing that he's hunting for something cool to show us, than a big budget pre-recorded presentation. The production quality is there, but the soul is not. It was a massive part of the reality distortion field.
Imagine the energy and audience reactions if Tim Cook walked on stage wearing a Vision Pro headset. Fascinating product, massive dud of a reveal imo.
Steve had the skill that Tim just does not have. Nothing will ever beat Steve revealing the iPhone in 2007 and swiping his finger to open the device and hearing the shocked reaction from the live audience. Steve was a genius at that. And then using the device and showing exactly what it could do including showing Google Maps and showing a Starbucks calling the Starbucks on the iPhone and ordering 1000 lattes!
If that was Steve today, it would have been a live audience and he would have made sure an Architect or designer was on stage with the headset showing how they will use the device and create designs and using the headset to place them and vision them etc. And he would have had a laugh face-timing Phil Schiller using the headset.
What we see today and have seen in the past few years shows the power of the CEO. Because Tim is not good at presenting or demonstrating, these Keynotes now have to be staged and pre-produced, and everyone has to fall into line.
Craig would be SO much better, live in front of an audience, but he can't do that because Tim can't.
If that was Steve today, it would have been a live audience and he would have made sure an Architect or designer was on stage with the headset showing how they will use the device and create designs and using the headset to place them and vision them etc. And he would have had a laugh face-timing Phil Schiller using the headset.
What we see today and have seen in the past few years shows the power of the CEO. Because Tim is not good at presenting or demonstrating, these Keynotes now have to be staged and pre-produced, and everyone has to fall into line.
Craig would be SO much better, live in front of an audience, but he can't do that because Tim can't.
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There must be some WWDC recordings out there that will take you back to those good old days. Imagine watching it in VR!
You are not the only one. Live presentation to an audience present in-person and their reactions presented a higher level of communication, a significant human factor. What used to be interactive, now seems rather robotic …
Nah. Most of the people who get on stage are not great public speakers and the volume of stuff they have to get through now would drag the keynotes well over the three hour mark. The old format was fine when Apple had a smaller product range and a more charismatic presenter doing most of the talking, but the new format works better for current Apple in the current day.
Completely agree. Hearing the audience’s reaction was always captivating when a new product was launched and added to the hype of it all.
The original iPhone reveal you could hear the whole audience gasp the first time they saw scrolling. We need more moments like this and that’s not possible with pre-recorded showings the way they do it now.
The original iPhone reveal you could hear the whole audience gasp the first time they saw scrolling. We need more moments like this and that’s not possible with pre-recorded showings the way they do it now.
Disagree. The old performances were far too slow, with pauses for applause every minute. I don't really care about the presentation, whether amateur or pro - just the facts and as many as possible in as short a time as will give decent exposure. I usually wait to see the streaming version so I can skip over the non-informative babble.
Reading this thread spurred me on to watching 2007 keynote introducing the iPhone. It was great, the crowd coming to their feet and cheering. I worked for Apple then, every product launch brought throngs of people to the stores. Steve was great at it, Tim not so much
Agreed. The audience reactions were always over the top and not genuine reaction. It added nothing. Applauses for everyhting said however insignificant.
I miss the in person events too. There was something exciting, although I'm over a thousand miles away, not a developer and never had / have or will have a chance to attend in person, the excitement of seeing on Twitter the crowds, the YouTuber's I watch going for pizza or something around Apple's HQ / the Moscone centre back in the day, is lacking now.
The cool transitions and effects were great in 2020 / 21. But I think they're old now. I was watching out for them on this years one, but they were quite lacking in impressiveness imo.
I also can't help but feel that maybe those backgrounds are entirely fake, even if they are of the real scenes at the SJ Theatre lobby or Apple Park hallways, I think they're totally fake backgrounds.
Nothing will top the SJ era. What an honour it was to have been alive and into Apple at the time of the iPhone event, and 2007-2011 events as they happened. It's just the changing world we live in. I'm not sure Apple will ever go back to the way it was.
The cool transitions and effects were great in 2020 / 21. But I think they're old now. I was watching out for them on this years one, but they were quite lacking in impressiveness imo.
I also can't help but feel that maybe those backgrounds are entirely fake, even if they are of the real scenes at the SJ Theatre lobby or Apple Park hallways, I think they're totally fake backgrounds.
Nothing will top the SJ era. What an honour it was to have been alive and into Apple at the time of the iPhone event, and 2007-2011 events as they happened. It's just the changing world we live in. I'm not sure Apple will ever go back to the way it was.
That's just false... any proof to your claim? The applause in the old Apple events was always in line with the size of the crowd. When it was a packed out Moscone West centre for big announcements, it was not only the Apple employees that made that volume and depth of applause. And the smaller intimate events like at the old Apple employee small conference room, it was a much shorter, quieter clapping less screaming applause...
A generation of 'Apple WWDC mistakes' or 'Angry Tim Cook moments' has been swept from under our feet!!!
I think the new format has something to be said for it. The infographics on new products are a very informative recap of everything they have just said about a new product, which you could only do with a tightly-scripted video. Seeing different parts of Apple Park is fun too.
However, the Steve Jobs era presentations had some great set pieces, like the first MacBook Air coming out of an envelope on stage, or the whole iPhone reveal in 2007.
However, the Steve Jobs era presentations had some great set pieces, like the first MacBook Air coming out of an envelope on stage, or the whole iPhone reveal in 2007.
Gosh, I'm glad somebody said it. I miss when the executives or team leads were presenting. Now it's very niche role titles and I can't help but think they're being selective to highlight that aspect.
ha lets hope I don't get cancelled. yes I meant it not a nasty way, it just does feel all forced and a little fake at times!