Apple’s much-anticipated March 25 event is almost upon us, with the company expected to unveil its video-streaming service, among other goodies.
The presentation will be streamed live from the Steve Jobs Theater in the grounds of its new Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California, but the build-up is a little different than usual.
You see, Apple has already cranked up the livestream — or something that looks very much like a livestream — with a multicamera view showing a completely empty theater. ell, empty but for a few quirky happenings that intermittently break the silence. Those watching the stream have so far reported seeing an on-stage poetry reading, a piano performance by Schroeder, iMessage exchanges between Tim Cook and NBA star Kevin Durant, missed calls from Captain America’s Chris Evans, a MacOS screen saver, and a woman performing twirls.
#AppleEvent #SteveJobsTheater pic.twitter.com/FFut8mnIn3
— Marcin Opiła (@nadgryziony97) March 25, 2019
If you hadn’t already guessed, at least some of the skits appear to be teasers for some of the content we can expect to see on Apple’s TV service when it’s unveiled at Monday’s event.
Evans, for example, has reportedly signed up for the Defending Jacob crime series based on the novel of the same name, while Durant is behind Swagger, a scripted drama series based on the early part of the sports star’s life.
The pre-event “livestream” is actually a carefully scripted effort, designed by Apple as a fun way to build up to Monday’s event, which, by the way, features the tagline, “It’s show time.”
Ireland-based app designer Steve Troughton-Smith spotted the stream soon after it appeared online, tweeting: “Just to make it clear, Apple is streaming a CRT-stylized CGI version of the keynote theatre with different camera angles and every now and then they throw in something weird around the room or onscreen to troll us with,” adding, “Think Five Nights at Freddy’s, but Apple.”
In response to a claim that the stream was coming from the theater in real time, Troughton-Smith responded: “If you think the Apple keynote stage is this quiet a day before the keynote, you’re crazy. There are probably hundreds of people going through rehearsals and getting very stressed and upset at each other.” Which is probably true.
You don’t have too long to wait before Apple CEO Tim Cook takes to the stage on Monday at 10 a.m. PT to tell all, but if you’re keen to find out more ahead of time, Digital Trends has some details on shows and movies that you can expect to see on the new service.