Mea Culpa

If you're getting this, you're one of the one quarter of my list that got the missive "Apple Presentation" with a mistake. That's right, I made one. And my instinct is to just fall on my sword and take the blame, but we live in an era where everybody says "Yes, but...," refusing to take responsibility, and what the hell, I might as well do that too.

The screen for the iPhone X is actually bigger than that of the iPhone 8 Plus. I said it was smaller, I was wrong. That's right, I was WRONG! It happens. To all of us.

And how did this happen?

I sat in my chair bored to death by the Apple brass for two hours, counting down the minutes until I had to go to lunch. And I was not planning on writing about this flat event, but I was so pissed I'd wasted my time I decided to.

You see tech is long in the tooth, it no longer drives the culture, and after seeing Sam Smith at the Troubadour last night I was reminded of this.

When are we going to reclaim the arts? When are we going to stop playing for money and start playing for hearts and souls?

Used to be you could see a star in a club. Where you have an experience that is undeniable and unforgettable. Where music lives.

It doesn't live in the arena.

And it doesn't live in the stadium.

And it doesn't live at the festival.

The last is a lifestyle event. More about the audience than the performer.

The second is purely about the cash.

And the first is a lousy experience, because the sound in these barns is so bad.

But when you're up close and personal, when you can see the performer's face and connect, IT'S AMAZING!

Now what has this got to do with iPhones?

Well, Apple used to be run by a man of the liberal arts. It was Woz who wrote the code, it was Steve Jobs who marketed and ultimately had the vision.

Where was the vision in today's presentation? Just add-ons. It was pure marketing. An exercise. And a lame one at that.

So I'm rushing out and I see them say the iPhone 8 fits in your hand and the pic must have been one of a giant hand because the Plus barely fits in your grip and at the end it looked like the X was larger but there was not a small one and not only did I not have time to research, no one had written about it yet.

So I got it wrong.

Doesn't always happen this way.

But to quote James Taylor's "Lighthouse" in full:

"But just because I might be standing here
That don't mean I won't be wrong this time
You could follow me and lose your mind"

Yup, I don't have all the answers.

But I hate making mistakes.

But I'm pissed that our country looks like it does. Where education is denigrated, ignorance is lauded and the arts are a second class citizen.

Who cares if "It" broke the box office record. It's no "Citizen Kane," never mind no "Last Picture Show."

You've got to go for greatness, you've got to go where no one has gone before, you've got to go for the brass ring. And you've got to be able to pay the bills, but being able to connect with the audience, see the smiles upon their faces, should be enough.

I was not smiling during the Apple presentation.

I made a mistake.

Sue me for getting it wrong.

I don't care.


--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter,
http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1

If you do not want to receive any more LefsetzLetters, http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=unsubscribe&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25

To change your email address http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=preferences&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25




-- powered by phpList, www.phplist.com --