As the Apple Turns: Scene 4762: Sideburns & White Jumpsuit (6/16/04)

Sideburns & White Jumpsuit (6/16/04)

While the Apple world cools down following yesterday's big London announcement, we thought we'd take a moment amid the silence to take another look at Steve's trip to the UK. As you may be aware, public appearances in England are rare for Steve, not least because when he does deign to speak there for a conference or whatever, he has a history of canceling to go keynote somewhere else instead. But while there was no webcast, we've seen photographic proof that Steve really did show up to do the honors at Old Billingsgate Market, which is, if anything, bigger news than Euro iTMS itself. Here's hoping that the Brits appreciated that they were being graced with the presence of a real live rock star yesterday-- and no, we're not talking about Alicia Keys.

Whaddaya mean, Steve's not a rock star? Of course he is. Just because he doesn't actually produce any music certainly doesn't disqualify him, at least judging by what we hear whenever we accidentally turn on the radio. (Yes, we're officially old now. We're at peace with that.) Besides, if you want proof of Steve's unquestionable rockstarness, you need look no further than BBC NewsNight, which broadcast a segment on the Euro iTMS launch and made it available, albeit temporarily, in RealVideo form. Caution: if you're used to something a little more like QuickTime, 34 Kbps RealVideo may trigger your gag reflex. Keep a bucket handy.

In fact, why don't we just make it easy? Faithful viewer Basil was kind enough to mention that the relevant bit starts at about 30:30, so you can minimize your exposure to some of the worst streaming video quality we've seen since the early prototypes that used two tin cans and a length of string and just scrub straight to the good stuff. For those of you unwilling to traumatize yourself in this fashion (or who missed the stream before it was replaced with the next show), here's what you're missing: Steve and Ms. Alicia Keys are posing for post-event photo ops, and the NewsNight reporter shouts out, "Steve, what's the future for Apple if all this doesn't work?" Steve grins and chuckles, pauses briefly, nods dismissively, turns away, and the reporter is immediately set upon by a bodyguard. Not Alicia's, mind you-- Steve's.

That's right, Steve slips out off to the side as a surly guy blocks the camera with his torso and says "he's not answering that one, as you know." And then we're back in the studio with the anchorman. Had the camera kept rolling just a few seconds longer, we've no doubt we would have heard an announcement that "ladies and gentlemen, Steve has left the building." What, no encore?

SceneLink (4762)

And Now For A Word From Our Sponsors

As an Amazon Associate, AtAT earns from qualifying purchases

The above scene was taken from the 6/16/04 episode:

June 16, 2004: Apple's reported song count for Euro iTMS isn't all its cracked up to be; maybe if the indie labels weren't holding out for variable pricing things would be a bit different. Meanwhile, a leaked ad confirms the rumored BMW-iPod integration project, and when the questions get tough, Steve calls in the muscle...

Other scenes from that episode:

4760: How Many & How Come (6/16/04) Mystery solved! You know how yesterday we were a little suspicious of Apple's claim that the new European iTunes Music Stores had a catalog of 700,000 songs? Our impression from browsing through the stores' libraries was that the airline must have lost half of Apple's luggage on the flight over, since plenty of artists were listed with no songs available...
4761: Baby You Can Drive My Car (6/16/04) If you're the obsessive type (and really, who isn't these days?), your feverish brain may well have fixated on a quick little infonugget that popped out during Steve Jobs's appearance at the D: All Things Digital conference last week-- namely, that Apple is working on some sort of iPod-to-car interface...

Or view the entire episode as originally broadcast...


	As an Amazon Associate, AtAT earns from qualifying purchases


	DISCLAIMER: AtAT was not a news site any more than Inside Edition was a "real" news show. We made Dawson's Creek look like 60 Minutes. We engaged in rampant guesswork, wild speculation, and pure fabrication for the entertainment of our viewers. Sure, everything here was "inspired by actual events," but so was Amityville II: The Possession. So lighten up. Site best viewed with a sense of humor. AtAT is not responsible for lost or stolen articles. Keep hands inside car at all times. The drinking of beverages while watching AtAT is strongly discouraged; AtAT is not responsible for damage, discomfort, or staining caused by spit-takes or "nosers." Everything you see here that isn't attributed to other parties is copyright ©,1997-2024 J. Miller and may not be reproduced or rebroadcast without his explicit consent (or possibly the express written consent of Major League Baseball, but we doubt it).