Reimagining the iPhone X launch with Steve

On the sidelines of only the biggest and most anticipated tech event of the year, it’s difficult not to let the excitement get to you. But was the iPhone X really the star of this year’s event?

When I first formally met Apple’s then-newlyset-up PR team in the UAE, I asked, halfjokingly, “how close can you get me to Tim Cook?” Well, let’s just say their response was like saying, “you’re asking for the moon”. And I wasn’t surprised; Cook’s the CEO of the world’s most valuable company, for crying out loud.

Last June, I attended, upon Apple’s invitation, the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) here in San Jose, California. During a side event, and while I was interviewing someone, one of their PR officers came over to me and whispered something that suddenly made me stop what I was doing abruptly. “Tim Cook is here.” I turned around, and there he was, literally five steps from me, within arm’s reach, basically. He was so natural; his smile was contagious and he was so game and engaging.

In retrospect, I think: what if that was Steve Jobs? I admit I was starstruck seeing Cook; I wonder what could’ve happened if it had been the legend himself.

Well, Timmy, we “meet” again. But this time, I was nowhere near you; you were onstage while I was seated in the second-to-last row from the top.

The keynote began with a recorded audio of Jobs speaking. No images of him on the screen. The lights were out. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that everyone had goosebumps.

Right after that, Cook was obviously emotional in dedicating the event to his late former boss.

“Steve left a lot to us... not a day passes by that we don’t think of him,” he said, and though I was seated way up, I’m quite sure his eyes would have been damp.

They didn’t call it the Steve Jobs Theater for nothing.

During the entire event, I was focused on work — juggling between taking photos and videos, posting on social media and typing up parts of my reports.

But in-between, my mind wandered off: what if it was Steve who was right in front of us?

It would’ve been awesome. I remember making myself a solemn promise — when he was still among us — that if he ever came to Dubai for some Press event and I wasn’t assigned to it, I’d still make sure I went. To heck with it if they drag me out on my knees or if KT disciplines me for going AWOL.

The iPhone X is indeed impressive — Apple doesn’t exactly pioneer some things, but boy, do they have a knack for making it cooler. At the hands-on experience zone, I had to fight my way to get my hands on it. Everyone was so excited; it was the “future” of smartphones, to quote Tim’s words during the unveiling.

Again, it crossed my mind: remembering that during the WWDC, Tim and Apple design boss and guru Jony Ive mingled with the media at the experience zone, wouldn’t it have been great if Steve was also around.

A good number of those present have been attending iPhone launches year after year, and they were among those lucky ones to have seen Steve in person. And, suddenly, I envy them. Am I the only one having these thoughts? I’m quite sure the answer is no. Apple’s flagship device redefined many facets of life. To rephrase that question earlier, was the iPhone X really the star of this year’s event?

Yes, technically, it should be. But it may not be the case for at least one person. Me. It’s been 10 years since the iPhone came into existence, and each year — massive upgrades or not — it still has that magical pull; “that time of year to sell your internal organs,” as some jokingly say, just to own one.

Which reminds me: when Steve was critically ill, Tim offered to donate a part of his liver to help him. Steve refused, got mad even.

“Steve only yelled at me four or five times during the 13 years I knew him, and this was one of them,” Tim recalls in the book Becoming Steve Jobs.

So it’s no surprise how much this day means to Tim. No — how much each day means to him. This wasn’t just a keynote; it was a celebration. There’s always a first time for everything. But for me, that won’t include meeting Steve Jobs in the flesh any more.

I once upon a time “asked for the moon”; I’m more than happy now being given “only” the sky.

It’s been 10 years since the iPhone came into existence, and each year — massive upgrades or not — it still has that magical pull; “that time of year to sell your internal organs” — the joke goes