I couldn't agree more. This came across as virtue signaling, grand standing, and distracting. The event was a "production announcement event", not an opportunity for the Apple brass band to tune up again. Tim Cook said at the beginning that the event was focused on two products -- Apple Watch and iPhone. So why produce a long ridiculous video that has nothing to do with these products?
I don't know of anyone that buys these products because of their environmental impact. Is recycled aluminum as strong as virgin aluminum? How much energy and resources does it take to recycle aluminum into a reusable product? Right now, it just looks good in marketing materials and shows that Apple looks like they are trying -- fine -- but what is the real impact when other major countries, namely China, are working in the opposite direction? I'm not saying it still isn't worth it, as long as the "cost" isn't just as high or higher, but why produce a video about it at a product announcement event?
Ask any random person on the street, or any fellow iPhone user these questions -- What are carbon emissions and why are they bad? I would guess that at least 9 out of 10 people will not be able to answer these questions. The reason is that most people don't care. Some may say they care, but they don't act accordingly. I think most people recognize that a single company can't change the world. Apple did not become the world's most valuable company because of their climate agenda, period.
I respectfully disagree. Younger customers in particular are anxious about the planet and Apple has a clear agenda and actions towards their part in this. Far from being a dry and full of chalk and talk report, this lightened this important topic, especially for the TikTok generation, and elevated Apple’s value proposition (justifies the price). And this was a very important first - their first carbon neutral product, with more to come (it might be any electronics manufacturers’ first carbon neutral product, for that matter). This is what success needs to look like everywhere and, corny as it might have been, this was a great way to drive that home.
I totally agree with the author on this. I was listening to hear about the new products, not to get an overly long virtue signaling skit, especially since this was also talked about in conjunction with almost all the products. It's good that Apple is environmentally conscious, but this was way too much.
I have no problem with virtue signaling, particularly when it's actually justified. And some of Apple's is - though they deserve HUGE black marks for repairability. Recycling is the FINAL step, not the first, in the reduce - reuse - recycle triangle. Apple's trade-in program hurts the secondary market, as do Apple's user-hostile repair policies.
The skit was just cringe. Absolutely terribly written, and a stupid concept. The information could have been presented in an informative way, without the ridiculous "mother nature" character. And the writer is a dirty scab.
I couldn't agree more. This came across as virtue signaling, grand standing, and distracting. The event was a "production announcement event", not an opportunity for the Apple brass band to tune up again. Tim Cook said at the beginning that the event was focused on two products -- Apple Watch and iPhone. So why produce a long ridiculous video that has nothing to do with these products?
I don't know of anyone that buys these products because of their environmental impact. Is recycled aluminum as strong as virgin aluminum? How much energy and resources does it take to recycle aluminum into a reusable product? Right now, it just looks good in marketing materials and shows that Apple looks like they are trying -- fine -- but what is the real impact when other major countries, namely China, are working in the opposite direction? I'm not saying it still isn't worth it, as long as the "cost" isn't just as high or higher, but why produce a video about it at a product announcement event?
Ask any random person on the street, or any fellow iPhone user these questions -- What are carbon emissions and why are they bad? I would guess that at least 9 out of 10 people will not be able to answer these questions. The reason is that most people don't care. Some may say they care, but they don't act accordingly. I think most people recognize that a single company can't change the world. Apple did not become the world's most valuable company because of their climate agenda, period.
I'm always amused that amongst all of the climate "alarms" that are literally "extreme" meteorological events, constantly in the news, that somehow Apple's five some minutes of ecological "virtual signaling" is anathema to a yearly event introducing the most recent variant on one of the most popular and useful devices in the world.
Fun fact;
According to the International Aluminum Institute;
recycling aluminum requires up to “95% less energy” than producing primary metal
I machine aluminum daily, I get paid for the chips, and most aluminum alloy bar and plate stock has at least some recycled content.
couldn't disagree more, enjoyed it considering the dry material. Conveyed in a fun way.
nothing "illegal" about non union work, period. if they wrote it before the strike then they don't break union rules, if they use a writer who doesn't belong to union, they don't break the rules, if a union writer decided to do it non union and not support his union then he/she broke the rules not apple. either way, these are union rules and having nothing to do with legality or US law.
as for your supporters, "virtue signaling" hahahahaha, ahhhhhh amazing how even educated people can be brainwashed. you don't have to care about the planet but ask yourself why are you triggered when others do???
Like it or not environmental stewardship and sustainability is a product Apple sells. I found the skit an entertaining way to communicate valuable but otherwise really dull content. Imagine presenting in a slide format with multiple subject matter experts. It would take longer to say the same thing and be less memorable. Now look - the Mother Nature skit is still being talked about. What more could Apple ask for.
Airlines get you to pay attention to a dry subject with funny videos about safety. They’re not Oscar-worthy, but you laugh and remember what they told you. That's all this was, and they did it very well. I came away very impressed with the important work that Apple is doing in getting to carbon neutral, and I laughed. Not big belly laughs maybe, but enough to take note and wonder what other companies are doing.
I think this is a good way to look at it, a silly way to cover an otherwise boring subject. Some parts were cheesy, but that’s ok. This is an important topic to me. Because of the scale of Apple’s product sales, I’m interested in what Apple is doing for the environment in their manufacturing. They followed this skit with some additional, more to the point presentations on their environmental work.
I think the most ridiculous part was explaining USB-C like it was the greatest advancement in phone technology. They had a slide that said USB C can charge and move data.
When I was watching it live, I thought the skit was out of place initially only because it seemed weird to have during the product announcements. Then Apple started using it during the product announcements as a way to show that they were going to be hitting all of their carbon neutral goals on or before 2030, including some NOW.
And that was the big takeaway here. That they are already meeting not some far-off plan of "we will get there". No, it is the here and now, and moving forward. That is the takeaway. They are stating that Apple Watch is 100% carbon neutral. That is a huge step forward! There are 18 Tech/Software companies that are already 100% Carbon Neutral, and none of them are from the major players. (Link: https://www.climateneutral.org/certified-brands?industry=Software%20%2B%20Tech)
If all you saw was people trying to be funny about a serious discussion, you were not paying attention at all. 100% clean energy usage in every Apple store, office, and data center is an AMAZING accomplishment. If you have never worked in a data center, they gobble up electricity much like what would happen if an entire Kindergarten class could consume sugar if they had unfettered access to Willy Wonka's factory. I think it is safe to assume that Apple has a much larger data center than that of your standard data center. Not to mention reduction of water, using cleaner modes of transportation, and other aspects that they did (reforestation is not a small accomplishment).
Sure, we could all be snide about this, and ask why they put this in there. I think the better question should be, why doesn't anyone else?
I agree, Apple has every right to shout about those achievements. I’m not sure it was the best way to shout about them, and I think some people missed the point of it; Apple was throwing serious shade at its competitors, suggesting that they’re greenwashing, whereas Apple is actually taking action. I found it a bit jarring, but then again if the aim was to get people talking about, it seems to have worked.
I totally agree with the author on this. I was listening to hear about the new products, not to get an overly long virtue signaling skit, especially since this was also talked about in conjunction with almost all the products. It's good that Apple is environmentally conscious, but this was way too much.
Thanks Rich! If I want to hear a sermon I will go to church on Sunday.
I don't know what was more cringe worthy: The fact that Apple has bought into the climate apocalypse, or the blatant tokenism evident in the crew of actors.
A user was banned, and some comments were removed from this thread. Apologies for being slow on the uptake. I didn't see it until now. If your comment was removed it is not necessarily because we had a problem with it, but when we remove the 'root' post, we also get anything that quotes or references it as per our S.O.P.
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From the beginning, It seemed to me that we were going to have to listen to a lot of yada yada yada in lieu of the content we all tuned in to learn about. Then came this skit. to me it was perfect for the occasion. It gave life to the presentation. It was funny. When it was over I couldn't suppress a chuckle.
Actually the reason I signed in here was to provide some counter to the words of the ai individual who wrote this. Happily I discovered that the great majority of those logged in here were on my side. I'm only sorry that whoever put these words down for ai shows no signs whatsoever of a sense of humor. Sad!
I found the skit to be cheesy, and not up to Apple's usual standards - but as William himself notes, it was a good idea with a flawed execution. Apple's pre-recorded presentations are starting to annoy me, especially with the way each speaker ends with "and that's [x product]. Now, back to [person]." Such a rote ending leaves the impression that the speaker only had enough energy for their own segment and now that it's over they've fulfilled their obligation, so it's a sequence of ups and downs - why is it that each speaker is not thrilled to see what else is coming up in the event?
The segment by Joz contained an error, too: initially he said that one of the Resident Evil games was coming out later this year, then at around the 69 minute mark he said they were both due out in 2024. Something tells me he recorded multiple segments that were then edited together.
I too think the skit was too long, but it plays to the sense of corporate boardrooms that TV shows popularise: a whole bunch of flunkies ready to step in when the boss calls on them to provide details. I think Apple wanted to present the impression that everyone on the team is whole-heartedly committed to reducing the environmental impact of the company, but I came away wondering why they hadn't just submitted a report and have Mother Nature come in to confirm the details because she was skeptical but impressed. That's the sort of thing that would fit into a 30-second commercial, which this skit could have been. I would absolutely keep the stare-down between Tim and Octavia - that part reminds me of the inside baseball stories of how Tim conducts meetings.
My suspicion is that, like the "Apple at Work" series of ads, there's a healthy dose of how the rank and file employees feel about working at Apple being infused into the skit. There's always pressure, but with enough commitment your very best might just be good enough. The most recognition you will get is "OK. Good job" and then you're expected to get back to work. You have no control over what you're asked to do and your deadlines will change arbitrarily. But what you're working on ends up with planet-wide impact.
Your rather lame criticism of Apple’s clever, informative and humorous piece, “Mother Nature”, sadly and predictably shares none of those qualities.
In the future, try to remember to point your rocket skyward before igniting your engines. At least you might gain some altitude before ploughing useless into the mud. Again.
Comments
I don't know of anyone that buys these products because of their environmental impact. Is recycled aluminum as strong as virgin aluminum? How much energy and resources does it take to recycle aluminum into a reusable product? Right now, it just looks good in marketing materials and shows that Apple looks like they are trying -- fine -- but what is the real impact when other major countries, namely China, are working in the opposite direction? I'm not saying it still isn't worth it, as long as the "cost" isn't just as high or higher, but why produce a video about it at a product announcement event?
Ask any random person on the street, or any fellow iPhone user these questions -- What are carbon emissions and why are they bad? I would guess that at least 9 out of 10 people will not be able to answer these questions. The reason is that most people don't care. Some may say they care, but they don't act accordingly. I think most people recognize that a single company can't change the world. Apple did not become the world's most valuable company because of their climate agenda, period.
Fun fact; I machine aluminum daily, I get paid for the chips, and most aluminum alloy bar and plate stock has at least some recycled content.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/extreme-weather
DBAD
nothing "illegal" about non union work, period. if they wrote it before the strike then they don't break union rules, if they use a writer who doesn't belong to union, they don't break the rules, if a union writer decided to do it non union and not support his union then he/she broke the rules not apple. either way, these are union rules and having nothing to do with legality or US law.
as for your supporters, "virtue signaling" hahahahaha, ahhhhhh amazing how even educated people can be brainwashed. you don't have to care about the planet but ask yourself why are you triggered when others do???
If you have any questions my DMs are open, but I encourage y'all to look over our commenting guidelines for posting.
Actually the reason I signed in here was to provide some counter to the words of the ai individual who wrote this. Happily I discovered that the great majority of those logged in here were on my side. I'm only sorry that whoever put these words down for ai shows no signs whatsoever of a sense of humor. Sad!
The segment by Joz contained an error, too: initially he said that one of the Resident Evil games was coming out later this year, then at around the 69 minute mark he said they were both due out in 2024. Something tells me he recorded multiple segments that were then edited together.
I too think the skit was too long, but it plays to the sense of corporate boardrooms that TV shows popularise: a whole bunch of flunkies ready to step in when the boss calls on them to provide details. I think Apple wanted to present the impression that everyone on the team is whole-heartedly committed to reducing the environmental impact of the company, but I came away wondering why they hadn't just submitted a report and have Mother Nature come in to confirm the details because she was skeptical but impressed. That's the sort of thing that would fit into a 30-second commercial, which this skit could have been. I would absolutely keep the stare-down between Tim and Octavia - that part reminds me of the inside baseball stories of how Tim conducts meetings.
My suspicion is that, like the "Apple at Work" series of ads, there's a healthy dose of how the rank and file employees feel about working at Apple being infused into the skit. There's always pressure, but with enough commitment your very best might just be good enough. The most recognition you will get is "OK. Good job" and then you're expected to get back to work. You have no control over what you're asked to do and your deadlines will change arbitrarily. But what you're working on ends up with planet-wide impact.
In the future, try to remember to point your rocket skyward before igniting your engines. At least you might gain some altitude before ploughing useless into the mud. Again.
Sympathies on your decent into mediocrity.