Apple Always Displays The Same Time In Every Ad. Here's Why
Have you ever noticed that all Apple devices, like iPhones, iPads, or Macs, display the same time in every single ad? Well, it turns out that isn't a coincidence. If you're an Apple enthusiast and you've followed the company for quite some time, you already know that Apple pays attention to the tiniest of details that might be easy to overlook for the average user.
For instance, the icons on the iPhone's control center animate whenever you enable or disable a feature, or the Apple Watch crown provides haptic feedback upon reaching the end of a page. All these things add up to the premium experience Apple's devices are known to provide. Similarly, there's a reason why Apple shows the same time — 9:41 AM — on its devices across all promotional content, including photos, videos, adverts, and TV commercials.
However, it wasn't always the same. Initially, Apple used to print 9:42 AM on its devices. Andyou might be surprised to learn the reason behind this, and why the company switched to 9:41 AM.
The secret behind 09:41 in Apple's ads
In 2007, Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced the first iPhone around 42 minutes into Apple's keynote. The keynote began at 9:00 AM. The very first iPhone, which revolutionized the smartphone industry, appeared on the screen behind Jobs at 9:42 AM.
Hence, as a tribute to the exact moment in history when Jobs revealed the iPhone, Apple, for a couple of years, used that same time across promotional images of its products, including the iPhone, MacBook, and iPod, before the first iPad came out in 2010 with 9:41 AM as the time on the display.
Back in 2010, Scott Forstall, the former iOS chief, revealed the secret behind the fixed time on Apple's devices to Secret Lab's Jon Manning. Per Forstall, Apple designed the keynotes so that the big reveal happened around 40 minutes into the presentation.
As a result, when the product appeared on the screen behind Jobs, the time shown on the product would be close to the actual time on the audience's watches. However, anticipating a likely delay, the company added two minutes to the iPhone's display time. This is why the first few Apple products always showcased 9:42 AM.
There's an exception to the 9:41 AM rule
Apple followed a similar approach for the first iPad, except it decided the clock would say 9:41 AM on the lock screen when the iPad showed up for the first time in 2010. It is essentially an unsaid rule that all Apple devices, even to date, show 9:41 AM in the adverts, even though the big reveal doesn't take place about 40 minutes into the event anymore.
However, there's an exception, and it's the Apple Watch.
Unlike other wristwatch brands that market their models with the hour hand at 10 and the minute's hand at 2, Apple decided to go with 10:09. Although no Apple leader has ever explained the reason behind this, it is believed that Apple could may have done this to place its watches one minute ahead of others, signaling that they are more advanced.
In the official renders of the first Apple Watch, one can see that the time was set to 10:09. This is also true for the latest models, including the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2.