I miss the live events mostly because a big part of getting caught up in the hype is audience reaction. And that's half the fun.
But what REALLY bugs me about these events, and all Apple events since Steve left the stage, even the previous live events, is how heavily trained everyone has obviously been to speak and even move like Steve did. Hand gestures, inflections, word choices - it's almost animatronic.
Really?! You want a bunch of unrehearsed presenters stumbling over their lines, forgetting words and just getting nervous on stage or in front of a camera? If so, go watch an elementary school play. Presenting on camera or in front of an audience is not a day job for any of these presenters. They all seem to do a good job anyway and that's because they are "trained".
There's a difference between being trained to give a smooth, natural presentation, and being trained to give a presentation as much like Steve Jobs as possible. When 6 different people move, speak, and behave nearly identically to each other and their late icon, it's distracting, bordering on unsettling. And some of them used to give presentations alongside Steve when he was alive, and they did a fine job then just being themselves. I get that they're trying to channel Steve's natural charisma, and maybe it works for the larger audience - it clearly doesn't bother you. But for me, it's kinda off-putting. To each their own.
I miss the live events mostly because a big part of getting caught up in the hype is audience reaction. And that's half the fun.
But what REALLY bugs me about these events, and all Apple events since Steve left the stage, even the previous live events, is how heavily trained everyone has obviously been to speak and even move like Steve did. Hand gestures, inflections, word choices - it's almost animatronic.
Really?! You want a bunch of unrehearsed presenters stumbling over their lines, forgetting words and just getting nervous on stage or in front of a camera? If so, go watch an elementary school play. Presenting on camera or in front of an audience is not a day job for any of these presenters. They all seem to do a good job anyway and that's because they are "trained".
There's a difference between being trained to give a smooth, natural presentation, and being trained to give a presentation as much like Steve Jobs as possible. When 6 different people move, speak, and behave nearly identically to each other and their late icon, it's distracting, bordering on unsettling. And some of them used to give presentations alongside Steve when he was alive, and they did a fine job then just being themselves. I get that they're trying to channel Steve's natural charisma, and maybe it works for the larger audience - it clearly doesn't bother you. But for me, it's kinda off-putting. To each their own.
Funny I don’t see them aping Jobs in the slightest. Jobs was low-key and could go off the cuff. Neither Tim nor Craig seem like him at all.
Which isn’t to say the org doesn’t have a presentation style, that they coach these non-professional-speakers to use. But I don’t see it as trying to imitate Steve Jobs.
Modern WWDCs feel completely dead. They also beat language to death. Feel like there could be an entire book written on the use and abuse of language at Apple.
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There's a difference between being trained to give a smooth, natural presentation, and being trained to give a presentation as much like Steve Jobs as possible. When 6 different people move, speak, and behave nearly identically to each other and their late icon, it's distracting, bordering on unsettling. And some of them used to give presentations alongside Steve when he was alive, and they did a fine job then just being themselves. I get that they're trying to channel Steve's natural charisma, and maybe it works for the larger audience - it clearly doesn't bother you. But for me, it's kinda off-putting. To each their own.
Which isn’t to say the org doesn’t have a presentation style, that they coach these non-professional-speakers to use. But I don’t see it as trying to imitate Steve Jobs.