In his first event video since taking over as Apple CEO, John Ternus got a cheeky introduction from his predecessor Tim Cook before boldly referencing some classic Steve Jobs moments and setting the company’s most important product on a new course.
I appreciated the video’s opening conceit, which was essentially a cinematic debate about what makes for a great opening scene, leading to Tim Cook narrating his own entrance to Apple Park—and then, in a twist, explaining that he’s not the main character of this story, it’s the other guy—namely Ternus. What a great, ego-deflating moment of support—and it stuck the landing in the way that many Apple introductory segments don’t, feeling either a bit too silly or a bit too smug.
“No no no, not me. That’s your guy.”
(I also appreciated the direction of this video, which made sure that the scenes behind presenters were actually populated. Past videos made it feel like Apple Park was abandoned after some sort of apocalypse, while this one made it feel like everyone at Apple was still hard at work on making the company’s next batch of products. And it allowed for some low-key levity, like the segment set at a Hollywood backlot that featured a fake rainstorm falling on film noir characters and Apple presenters alike, a collection of Roman soldiers marching with a classical composer, and a couple of astronauts riding on the back of a golf cart.)
