As a massive Apple fan, I still found this video very disturbing/awkward.

The way I see it is that life is full of very random events and objects and somewhere amongst it all, we find things that we care about and that make us happy. For a few people, one of those things is buying the nicest products. If the customers are happy and the staff are happy, they may as well celebrate it. It's more than a celebration of the mundane act of buying a phone too. Apple's products are a symbol of a way of thinking that has led to those products and supporting that makes people feel good.

If it was just about making compelling products for profit, they wouldn't build them the way they do. They'd do what everyone else does, which is bundle umpteen features, drive margins down while incrementally improving on what the competition do. They go their own way and do what they want. Just like with a popular music band, that ultimately breeds an obsession because there's an originality of information. When that starts to create an influence, people take notice of the shift and gradually grow to recognise who the movers and shakers are. When you look at the evolution of electronic product design, it's clear to see that the sheep aren't the ones standing in line at the Apple Store.

 

^This. I mean what the hell... I've spent so much energy on explaining to people that Apple fandom isn't some demented cult, then Apple posts this bizarre video that everyone can rub in my face. They really need to tone this down. Maybe the American market has a higher tolerance for crap like this, but I can't tell you how bad this makes Apple look in places like Europe. Here in Sweden they recently opened their first Apple Store, and on opening day the personnel in blue T-shirts pulled some weird cheerleading/countdown stunt in an attempt to excite the non-plussed crowd. Someone filmed it and the clip ended up on YouTube. The newspapers and talkshows picked it up and Apple was endlessly ridiculed on facebook and all major forums. 

Yeah this one looks bad:



I'm pretty sure the little kid at 2:54 rolls his eyes. If the crowd isn't going along with it, the staff can end up looking pretty stupid. There was another one where they opened a store in a near empty mall. When it works, I don't see a problem with it. If the people have spent ages queuing, the crowd will likely be more receptive to it. If they just happen to turn up, they obviously won't be as excited about the visit.

Yeah, the one with the near empty mall is the same place shot from a different angle by a bystander. I don't know who trained these poor kids, but I'm thinking it's someone who did zero research on Scandinavian customers. In Sweden, this kind of unbridled enthusiasm mixed with business is about as welcome as an Apple Store in Saudi Arabia with female employees in bikinis...

Maybe they should try the bikinis in Sweden.

I just clicked through to the Youtube page:

"wait what the f*ck? how did this video get 20k+ views in 1 day? it was like 4k yesterday
TranslinkBusVids 1 day ago

Hahaha, I know. I don't know, was stunned when I woke up and saw it.
bouvanrooij123 in reply to TranslinkBusVids 1 day ago"

I imagine this is due to AI, I haven't seen it posted elsewhere.