Steve Jobs, the iconic CEO of Apple, It was not immune to technological unforeseen events.
In the remembered 2010 Keynote where the iPhone 4 was presented, Jobs faced a major WiFi problem, which would not allow the presentation to continue.
Although Apple Keynotes have always been meticulously planned, this episode showed that Even a genius like Jobs could deal with difficult situations. that cannot be controlled.
When Steve Jobs went off script
In that historic event, while Jobs was trying to demonstrate the resolution of the iPhone 4’s retina displaysthe internet connection slowed down significantly.
“Can you help me if you disconnect from WiFi, I would appreciate it. [Risas del público] “I don’t know what’s happening with our networks, I’m afraid I won’t be able to show you much of this today,” said Jobs, which was recorded after 10 minutes of the event:
In the face of tension, Jobs quickly adapted the presentation and continued showing locally saved photos.
However, after a few minutes, referred again to connection problems: “We already know why the demo failed. There are 570 WiFi access points operating in this room. We can’t stand it. We have two options: either we turn off all those devices and watch the demos or we give up and go without watching the demos. Do you want to see the demos or not?”.
Thus, Jobs asked attendees to turn off their devices and disconnect their WiFi access points to allow the demonstration to continue without problems.
And continued: “Let’s turn on the lights in the auditorium. Bloggers, turn off all WiFi hotspots and all laptops. Put them on the ground. Keep an eye on each other (…) If you want to see the demos, we won’t be able to unless they turn everything off and put it on the floor.”.
With a mixture of humor and authorityJobs insisted that the audience cooperate.
Between laughs, the co-founder of Apple achieved his goal almost 100% and made the first call FaceTimeleaving an indelible mark in the history of Apple keynotes.
This anecdote was a lesson in humility for the company, and since then, with the evolution of Wi-Fi networks and the inclination to hold pre-recorded events, it is certainly unlikely that this type of unforeseen event will happen again in the company’s keynotes.