“Apple’s pretty much annual October new product media event usually is preceded by a cute invitation sent to journalists. The invitation typically includes a phrase or graphic element that provides a vague clue to the secret agenda of the event,” Chris Maxcer writes for TechNewsWorld. “Presumably, this is to drum up excitement and speculation, in addition to creating an ah-ha moment when the audience understands the connection between the invitation and the actual announcement. This year, Apple’s hint is this: “It’s been way too long.” That is the worst teaser I’ve ever heard.”
“Consider the phrase: It’s been way too long since… what? Since we’ve seen you last? Since we partied like there was no tomorrow? Nah. In Apple Land, the connotation immediately turns to products and product announcements,” Maxcer writes. “Which then naturally turns to this: Which product hasn’t been updated in “way too long?” Which product has been neglected? Which product is in desperate need of a makeover?”
“It’s been way too long gives the speculation a negative spin, as if Apple has been neglecting a product rather than working feverishly on it and giving it the attention it deserves. Which other products have stagnated?,” Maxcer writes. “See how easy it is to consider Apple’s invite phrase in a negative light? I just used the word “stagnated,” which isn’t a word you want associated with your products — like say, the Mac mini, which has been largely ignored for two years. Or the iMac, which has gotten some touchups here and there, but no Retina displays.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: There will be those who say “It’s been way too long” would have immediately died in Steve Jobs’ Trash.
Related article:
It’s official, Apple confirms October 16th special event: ‘It’s been way too long’ – October 8, 2014
The only question worth asking is why this website continues to devote time and space to these famewhoring cretins. I didn’t even bother clicking on the original article; that would be rewarding negative behavior.
The negativity comes from within.. I find it an interesting tag line
Someone had to write an article to meet a deadline but couldn’t think of a single meaningful thing to say… but that didn’t stop him.
Its sad to see what “journalism” has come to.
The Apple I connect to a TV monitor…. Time for the New cool great Computer that conects to a TV ….ATV
Tim goes back to former position at Apple. Woz is now the new CEO of Apple, Inc.
Agreed!
Anyone seriously looking to find any meaning in the tagline for a one off event is an idiot. The general public, those people who are the main customers of Apple will likely never even hear of this. It is pretty much meaningless.
OK, I’ll take a wild stab at it:
* iMac refresh
* official end of the hard drive
* all SSD, only fast boots from now on, because in the past…
* …it’s been way too long.
There’s something to be said about the articles point being somewhat valid. If Apple comes out and says here are new versions that took us way too long to update, that’s not really a good spin.
Going with the thought that Apple isn’t stupid, this may be an indication that Apple is criticizing another industry that it’s now planning on disrupting. “It’s been way too long that we’ve had to put up with____”. This could be referring to Apple Pay, Apple TV, or something that will totally surprise us.
Or it may just be a joke about it’s been way too long since we last met, as in there’s a ton of new stuff.
I’ll go with that last one, because opening the pipeline like a fire hose to blast the clown show to smithereens is a satisfying way to silence the peanut gallery
(tim cook:)
It must have been too long since we last met..
It took forever for those 20 million new iPhones to be sold,
Release of a Gold Master of OSX Yosemite,
iOS refresh (and a hiccup to boot)
and don’t forget all the other littler shiny things we have been doing over here in Cupertino, Sorry to have left you to languish for so long, so today we announce twenty-three shiny new things to make up for lost time..
Oh wait, what? it’s only been a month?
Never mind.
Then we will only announce seventeen new shiny things so we don’t give it all away so soon, please wait patiently for the november announcement where we originally planned fourty-two shiny new things and we will add the ones we are withohlding this month.
Please feed the hungry rumor mills while you wait, it will help with the impatience that hungry rumor mills have
It’s simply some dry humor on the fact that Apple held its last media event only four weeks ago. Nothing to overthink here!
Stop thinking so literally. What is long? The wire on earphones. Apple is giving us a non-dorky BT earpiece … 🙂
> ‘It’s been way too long’ invitation invites negative thoughts <
Quite the contrary, this has me intrigued and will have most people intrigued as to WHAT has been way too long. An excellent teaser.
I think it’s really good tag line. It really makes people think about what exactly are they announcing in this event.
Apple is resurrecting the Apple II line, the Lisa, and the ever missed Apple Puck, and not to mention the one button mouse! It’s been way too long.
If your mindset is negative than you can see negative spins everywhere!
What about: “It’s been way too long … that people speculated about the true Apple TV and now we will unveil it”?
This would be quite something – and something very positive.
Not that I am holding my breath for it.
People with a narrow mindset obviously only see the connection to neglected products and updates. More positive thinkers do see the connection to something truly new, for which people have been waiting for a long time.
So honestly, I can not see a negative spin in this phrase.
TV Obviously, most thing in todays world have been in constant change mode. The TV Interface gas been pretty much the same since it was invented. Steve has cracked the TV lets see.
Wow. Even Apples invitations are being scrutinised these days.
Get. A. Life.
WAY TOO LONG since a “Cube” has been used for iMac. So NEW “Headless iMac / MacPro Mini Black Aluminum Cube! MacMini is now an iTunesPro Server.