Out of Scope Issue 114: Apple’s (& Tech’s) Forbidden Fruit
Plus: CNN’s shakeup and the reality TV to influencer pipeline in crisis
While the bustle of New York City, and much of the Eastern US, slowed midweek amidst an eerie orange haze and warnings of unsafe air quality, it turns out the media waits for no sky. The HL team observed new products, new deals, and new news as cities caught the after-effects of devastating wildfires in Canada. Read on below.
💡ON OUR MINDS: Apple’s (& Tech’s) Forbidden Fruit
Apple’s big announcement this week was inescapable, with wall-to-wall coverage, think pieces, and memes welcoming the megacorp’s newest gambit— Vision Pro.
This announcement comes at a time crowded with flashy AI news, and while Apple announced a few smaller AI tools at its Worldwide Developers Conference, it has made little reference to the tech topic of the moment— perhaps very deliberately.
Apple has a history of distancing itself from buzzwords, especially ones with sticky connotations. For example, Tim Cook has a well-documented distaste for the word “metaverse.”
The tech supergiant seems determined to avoid any buzzwords whatsoever. Apple has gone so far as to avoid referring to its new Virtual Reality headset as a Virtual Reality headset, instead opting for the term “spatial computing device” (the press release does not even use the word “headset”).
Words matter, and buzzwords matter, too. Apple designating these phrases as forbidden fruit should be a sign to other brands that there isn’t room for everyone in the AI, metaverse, or VR conversation. But, perhaps you don’t have to fully strike out on your own — you just have to talk like you are.
📡 ON OUR RADAR
CNN’s CEO, Chris Licht, was abruptly ousted this week following a searing profile of his tenure in The Atlantic last Friday. Licht had joined the embattled network just over a year ago, and during his chaotic reign, failed to turn around ratings and improve the network’s strained reputation. Other staffing changes have also re-shuffled the network: CNN’s top two PR executives, Matt Dornic and Kris Coratti, are also out. While this is far from the end of one of America’s longest-running news networks, it might be the sign of another ending approaching — that of CNN’s established broadcast media business model.
Earlier this week, the PGA and the controversial Saudi-backed LIV Golf tour agreed to merge, bringing a stunning end to what has been a dramatic couple of years in the world of golf. The agreement shocked everyone, especially players who were made aware of the deal at the same moment everyone else was. Beyond that, the move represented a complete 180 from PGA Commissioner Jay Monahan who had previously suspended players who made the jump from PGA to LIV. The good news for fans is that all top golfers will be competing under one umbrella again, but the hypocrisy of Jay Monahan and the PGA certainly alleviates the reputation hit that Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, and others took for jumping ship for a sportswashing initiative.
AI ethics has been a trending news topic this week, with a publishers’ trade association—with members from NYT, Disney, and NBCUniversal—reminding members that AI tools built on their archives could break copyright laws. And notably, the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) has provided us with a case study on why AI chatbots are not the best replacement for human elements in vulnerable services. After only a week of deploying the “Tessa Chatbot” on its website, several users flagged that the helpline provided dangerous eating disorder advice.
🥊QUICK HITS:
In case you missed these stories.
Science fiction author Ted Chiang sat down with the Financial Times to discuss the limitations and opportunities of AI.
Both Mark Zuckerberg’s PR representative and jiujitsu coach denied reports in a New York Times article that the Meta CEO was choked out during a match.
The Reality TV to Influencer Pipeline is in crisis, as a result of Instagram increasingly losing favor with consumers.
Thanks for reading,
HL
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This week’s newsletter is brought to you by tin foil hats being “in” for the summer.