Double feature
Genius Bar, Forum, Boardroom, Backlot.
Before we begin: Last week’s issue of Tabletops failed to deliver to many subscribers. If you missed it, catch up here.
In 2003, J. J. Abrams and Omar visited Apple The Grove in Los Angeles to film a promo video for Mac OS X Panther. The five-minute clip, which is still lurking on YouTube, is one of the earliest public Apple marketing videos shot at an Apple Store.
For better or worse, Omar’s iChat A/V call with Phil Schiller was his last, and we didn’t see many more retail scenes outside of new store openings for more than a decade afterward. Bob Borchers’ 2007 iPhone Guided Tour wasn’t filmed in a store, and neither were Apple ads (although I like to imagine that the table in this 2008 iPod touch spot was commissioned to Fetzer.)
A few years ago, something clearly changed. Apple began regularly recognizing and celebrating its stores and retail employees in public marketing videos. Fascinated by this shift, I’ve been attempting to correlate ideas between the films to better understand what may have motivated the change.
2017’s iPhone X Guided Tour felt notable and surprising when it was released, and it still seems like a turning point today. Apple Park Visitor Center was essentially transformed in a film studio, and a real Creative Pro from the store narrated the tour. For about a year afterward, well-versed customers would occasionally ask for selfies with her while visiting.
The iPhone Guided Tour returned at Apple Tower Theatre in 2021 with a cinematic production that broke the fourth wall. We’ve already discussed Apple Upper West Side’s appearance in last year’s iPhone 14 Tour. These films are just the leader.
Tower Theatre was also featured in the opening notes of the September 2021 Apple Event, a switcher video, and an exclusive 30-minute conversation with Selena Gomez on Apple TV+. Apple Carnegie Library hosted Oprah’s Book Club and a filmed appearance from the cast of CODA. Apple Third Street Promenade was the set for Twitter ads and AppleCare+ promos on Apple.com. Apple Support videos were filmed at Apple Park Visitor Center, where Tim Cook now occasionally hosts interviews. Apple World Trade Center and Apple Williamsburg have also been repurposed for interview backdrops over the past few years.
But nothing has given Retail more film affection than Today at Apple. When the pandemic began and sessions were canceled, the Today at Apple at Home video series introduced Creative Pros to a global audience. The online sessions that followed were hosted in Apple Store Boardrooms, and participants who attended multiple sessions in a series would become familiar with a recurring cast of creative help.
The Today at Apple Creative Projects series on YouTube went a step further with professionally produced films that elevate the Creative from mentor to trusted personality collaborating with an industry expert to share valuable skills. Each of these films leveraged the location of a significant Apple Store for a local connection.
Almost all of these videos share two through lines that seem to explain the Apple Store as film set.
Apple has an incredible collection of spectacular and culturally significant stores now.
This isn’t to say that the first decade of Apple Retail wasn’t elegant. But when it comes to filming professional content, the sunny gardens of Apple Antara inspire in a way that Mall of America just cannot. Most of the latest stores vaguely approximate the ambient beauty of Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks every evening, and Apple can borrow any of them as a filming location “for free.” It’s a natural fit.
Apple is finally sharing its internal talent.
Apple Stores have employed incredibly talented and creative people from the beginning, but until the last few years they were only recognized locally or internally at the store level. Never before Today at Apple did the best Retail employees share the same online platforms as Apple executives. That’s the best part about many of the videos I linked above: they feature real employees you could meet during your next store visit. This is a great way to connect with customers and make Apple products approachable, even for those who will never visit a store. Compare them to events before Today at Apple like the the iTunes podcast series “Events at the Apple Store,” which featured a cast of celebrity guests.
Apple Derby Street reopens
Apple Derby Street reopened last Wednesday, January 11, for the first time since November’s deadly vehicle crash. There are new permanent bollards around the storefront.
Featured image
Apple Piazza Liberty
Photo via @cr_circe.
Hey Michael! I've been loving this newsletter! :) Question for ya, in your research about the stores, have you also done any exploring into Apple Park? I was watching today's announcements of the new M2 Mac mini and MacBook Pro and saw beautiful white lamps on their "underground" workstations. Any ideas who might make these?