“While watching Apple’s stream of Tuesday’s iPhone event two nights ago, the video would periodically pan to the same shot of audience members applauding. While I normally wouldn’t have paid much attention to such things, the shot in question caught my eye because it centered on an empty seat with a black cloth draped over it, with the word ‘Reserved’ written on it,” Josh Rosenthall writes for Edible Apple.
“Though this transpired one day before Steve Jobs passed away, I was still exceedingly curious. ‘Who was this reserved seat for?’ I wondered,” Rosenthall writes. “The CEO of Nuance, maybe? Perhaps a representative from a top development company? But more importantly, I wondered who in the world would get an invite to an Apple iPhone event and not show up?”
Rosenthall writes, “Looking back, perhaps this was a quiet tribute from Apple executives to Steve Jobs, who likely knew that this would be the last Apple keynote held while Jobs was alive.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Note: Link pulled due to fake Flash installer.
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I thought the same thing.
Same thing came to mind when I heard of his passing.
I saw the empty reserved seat and thought that it must have been reserved for Steve. Little did I know as I watched that last night it was about 15 minutes before the news of his death broke. My iPhone was buzzing as I watched the announcement and I didn’t pick it up until it was over only to find out why it was going nuts. Sad time.
Me too, immediately noticed the reserved seat. It was obviously “his” seat ! I am sure it will be held “reserved” forever now, as a respectful memento. We miss you, Steve.
Agreed it should be reserved forever. We should email TK to request that.
Agree; I noticed this. However, the chair “reserved” could have two purposes: if Jobs’ health would at least shortly become better for him to visit the presentation and sit there (and, if the health would be even better than just about sitting, maybe also make some presentation). And if Jobs could not be there, then it would be tribute, which both Apple workers and Jobs himself could understand, watching the video.
Does anyone think that Apple had the foresight to call this new iPhone the 4S (as opposed to 5) as a direct tribute to Steve Jobs…in that this may be the last one he witnessed the launch of while alive?
4S = 4Steve
?
Someone else mentioned that and I posted it on my Mythical Man Month review.
But I prefer to read it:”For Steve”
RIP
CNN confirmed this morning that the seat was reserved for Steve.
Conspiracy Theory: Maybe Jobs actually died on Tuesday and they just held the news of him dying until Wednesday? He wouldn’t have wanted to have spoiled the presentation…
Just a thought…
I thought Tim needed more energy on stage, but if he knew that Steve was doing poorly or had already passed away, I can understand not being able to be too excited. It would be tough to give a presentation knowing what they knew.
I do think – this one time – they would’ve rescheduled if this happened Tuesday or before. That would be understandable. Hopefully, they give the upper guys today and tomorrow off.
Jobs and Apple have more class than that.
If anything, they would have announce that he died previously, but they would never lie about the day.
Yes, the lies is impossible, since the date of death is in all kinds of documents and there would be huge scandal.
I know why they settled on iPhone 4 S instead of iPhone 5 – 4 S = For S(teve)
Whether actually correct or not, I like this. Thanks Enzian.
I like it too. I think I will choose to view it that way.
With tears in my eyes, I concur, Enzian. Thank you for your touching thought.
Thats cool, nice one indeed.
brilliant
Best comment ever.
Enzian may have thought of this independently, but it’s not the first time I’ve heard it today.
Upon hearing of his death, I vowed to think of my new iPhone 4S as a memento of Steve and will always think of the S being for Steve. I will keep his example of service to humanity in my heart always. I miss you Steve.
I haven’t watched the event yet … I was too humbled and upset at the realisation that Tim Cook et al, went ahead with this, whilst they surely knew Steve was very, gravely ill. Much respect.
I remember when I was 6 years old, coming home from school one lunchtime to find my mother sobbing at the kitchen table. I asked her what was wrong.
‘Elvis has died’ she said.
In my six year old, logical head, I couldn’t understand why you would get so upset at the passing of someone you had never met.
I now understand. Rest in Peace Steve.
I said that yesterday about the “reserved” chair!
Steve would have wanted them to carry on with a presentation. I’m sure the order to continue was given by him. It also kept the press off Steve’s back until the event was over. If they had postponed it, the presshounds would have been all over Steve’s doorstep guessing he was dying. Definitely not what his family needed at that time.
Everyone now realizes why the presentation had a more somber note than usual to everyone’s talks. (They were criticized for lack of enthusiasm that Steve had.) Lucky they could even keep it together knowing what was transpiring as they talked. If I’d looked off the stage at that empty chair I would have just started cryin’ like a baby!
A good Keynote under unbearably stressful conditions.
The same was with Michael Jackson.
As elegant and poignant a statement as one could possibly make. The ’empty chair’ is also a common ritual in many organizations.
In the UK’s RAF, chairs are always removed when a comrade dies, so that at a briefing or other event, the person is not represented in the number of seats. By contrast, when someone is ill or injured, often an empty chair will be present, and even given the briefing documents or whatever else is handed out.
Yes. A fitting tribute; understated and elegant.
Just like Steve, just like Apple..
Well Said!
They should keep that RESERVED for ever, during every announcement as a tribute to STEVE
Steve RIP.
I saw the same thing and wondered. It never occurred to me that there was a deeper significance. The nuances that Steve always addressed and many of us missed, continued right up to the day before he passed.
There probably wasn’t a deeper significance. This is carrying a sad situation into silliness.
That front row seat should always be reserved in memory of Steve Jobs.
He will be greatly missed by all.
The showing of that chair was too prominent to be anything but a memorial to Steve. The presenters looked sad, and the whole thing was strangely muted. They knew of course, and Steve would want the show to go on. It must have been extraordinarily difficult for Apple to take the stage and keep it together.
I just assumed it was Phil Schiller’s seat while he was up talking? Am I mistaken?
While following the event via the web I gave no thought about how bad Steve Job’s condition might be and presumed he was letting his team do it on their own. Obviously, I was in denial as I am sure many others were.
However, the next day mid-morning (I am on the east coast) while reading MDN and other sites about the event the thought came to me “I bet Steve Jobs is dead now”. Didn’t think any more of it and then at 9pm my wife called and gave me the news over the phone.
Dont know why I had that thought. Dont think I ever had that kind of thought about him before. Just strange.
Thomas Edison was my boyhood hero and when I heard the comparison earlier this year it felt very fitting. I have several hero’s and Steve Jobs is certainly one that I look up to and admire. I certainly agreed with his vision of technolgy for the rest of us. RIP “crazy one”.
I thought the exact same thing. Apple employees have class.
Every person who presented at the Keynote was surely a friend of Steve’s and must have known that he was at death’s door . It had to have been painful for all of them yet they did it with class. A testament to the quality of the team and company he built
Thanks for the magic Steve. In perpetuum frater ave atque vale
The original poem by Catullus is worthy of posting here:
Through many peoples and many seas have I travelled
to thee, brother, and these wretched rites of death
I bring a last gift but can speak only to ashes
Since Fortune has taken you from me
Poor brother! stolen you away from me
leaving me only ancient custom to honour you
as it has been from generation to generation
Take from my hands these sad gifts covered in tears
Now and forever, brother, Hail and farewell.
RIP, Steve—the original Crazy One.
=:~(
i too, saw that and had similar thoughts. Something was amiss with the presenters. I just had a sinking feeling. I believe Mr. Jobs had the final say even before yesterday and told the presenters “the show must go on.” After everyone press, bloggers, media etc. trashing the guys for their presentation I thought how ashamed many of them feel now. Poor Tim Cook and the others, how their hearts must have been breaking all the while keeping the show going. God bless them all.
I watched the video twice the other day; not realizing that the seat was ‘Reserved’ or noticing the black cover.
And even after watching through the first time, every time that seat was in the video, all the while hoping that Steve would suddenly show up in it.
Come tomorrow, I will put my order in for the new iPhone.
And for me and anyone listening, i will be more than willing to call it my “iPhone 4S…teve”.
Thanks for helping me understand several previous posts. I did not get it:
iPhone 4Steve
How bizarre that Steve passed away the day after Apple announced they were releasing the most advanced consumer AI device to the world.
A touching tribute that, somehow, made me even sadder.
I sure wish Steve had had enough time left to present the iPhone 4S. I can just imagine the grin he would have had presenting a phone you can converse with – like when he showed the world a talking computer during the Macintosh launch.
When I saw that Reserved chair in the keynote presentation, I knew it was for Jobs. I just didn’t realize how dire the situation was. But one of the things that Apple has is taste. They paid quiet respect to Steve without making a circus of it. I doubt any other founder would be allowed to pass with this much dignity.
I am pretty confident (just applying common sense) that steve died BEFORE the keynote. The black banner on the seat is a clear sign it was a tribute to him.
Moreover, knowing Steve desire to preserve his private life, it makes a lot of sense for him to give orders to delay the announcement until the funeral was over and order Tim to keep with the keynote plans. As many heros and geniuses he sure said something like “the show must go on”
I don’t think he died before, but took a turn for the worse wherein they knew he had only a day or less left. That news would surely be known by the executive team, and would explain the somber undertone, and the tribute (I postulate that up until that turn he took, Steve was probably planning on attending and that was to be his seat).
I am WHOLLY confident that you are incorrect. Death certificate would come out and expose the truth.
I didn’t notice the ‘Reserved’ seat. But I did notice the extended “State of the Apple” segment. It occurred to me that Apple was, in effect, doing a victory lap to say, “See how far Steve has led us”, to put it on record where the company was on the first product release in the “Cook-era”.
Looking back on it, and knowing that the executive team probably had some idea of Steve’s condition at the time, it was a very classy way to honor the man’s work in a public way.
I saw that empty seat, and wondered who it was for, as who would miss such an event with the chance to attend. A nice touch if it was for Steve.
Damn. I noticed this too and thought how weird it was they kept showing an empty seat. It’s such bad publicity to do this that I really wondered what was up. Guess we know now.