Apple kicked off its WWDC presentation with an introductory video called Appocalypse.
The strange three-minute clip wasn’t focused on the threat of climate change, in light of Tim Cook’s unsuccessful pleas to US president Donald Trump to keep the US bound to the Paris Accord.
Neither was it a commentary on international terrorism, in light of the recent attacks in the UK, which Cook expressed sorrow for on Twitter.
No, Apple’s idea of the apocalypse was a world without iPhone and iPad apps, offering a light-hearted lampooning of customers for how reliant we’ve become on the App Store.
“Ever wonder what life would be like if all our apps suddenly disappeared? Enter the Appocalypse,” the company writes on its YouTube page.
Related: WWDC 2017
The tongue-in-cheek clip goes on to depict carnage caused by a new hire at Apple’s data centre in Cupertino, who pulled the plug to make room for the mini-fountain placed on his desk.
We’ve got babies crying, cars crashing, a lady desperately trying to give out 10 x 8 selfie print-outs (genuinely funny), real world face swaps and folks flexing their muscles in a real-life Tinder window.
“World leaders are declaring a global emergency until the app situation has been can be resolved,” a news anchor declares.
While the video poked fun at how reliant we’ve become on the application ecosystem, some were more amused by Apple’s attempts at humour than others.
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Regardless of the Twitterverse’s thoughts on the matter, it was certainly a strange start to proceedings from Apple.
At the end of the clip, Apple asks developers to “keep making apps, the world depends on it.”
How do you feel about being caricatured as a person who couldn’t possibly navigate around the city without the help of Apple Maps? Or is Apple bang on the money here? If so what does that say about how reliant we’ve become on the App Store and Play Store in our daily lives?
Or is this just a bit of light-hearted fun that requires no further discussion?
What do you make of Apple’s strange WWDC intro video? How would you survive without your favourite apps? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
