E-Quest #11

Every single Apple product in every promotional photo is set to 9:41 a.m. But why 9:41? Turns out it was a carefully made choice. Also, it wasn't the original choice. Earlier on, Apple products were apparently photographed with a time of 9:42 a.m. The answer had to do with Steve Jobs and his very carefully crafted product launch presentations. He designed the keynotes so that the big reveal of the product happens around 40 minutes into the presentation. Preferring to be early rather than late, the team gave themselves an extra couple of minutes and set the devices to 9:42 a.m. in product photos. But as Jobs practiced his presentation, it seemed he would unveil the first iPhone at 9:41 a.m. and so the image of the phone was set for 9:41. And it worked like a charm. This speaks volumes about a company that pays attention to detail to the nth degree. That extreme attention to detail is everything. It is why Apple can charge prices for products with basically the same functionality as lower-priced competitors. It is why people stand in line to buy Apple devices on launch day.