Good morning! Why it’s always 09:41 on iPhones
If midnight is the witching hour, then twenty to ten is iPhone time. Go look it up: it’s always 09:41 in iPhone product photos. But why? And why do all Apple Watches stop at 10:09?
18 years ago, on 9 January 2007, Steve Jobs unveiled the very first iPhone. «Today, Apple is going to reinvent the phone!» Jobs’ words were proven right, and the legacy of his work has become an integral part of today’s world.
One specific detail of his legendary keynotes has even survived to this day: the time in product photos. It’s always 09:41 on all iPhones – and almost always has been from the start. But the story behind this specific time is now downright obscure. So, ready for a quick history lesson?
Slightly off the mark
As mentioned earlier, we have to go back to the Macworld Conference & Expo in San Francisco in 2007. Steve Jobs takes the stage with «Good Morning – James Brown!». The presentation was introduced with Brown’s classic I Got You, among others. It’s 9:14 a.m. local time.
For the next half hour, the keynote speech plods along. Jobs talks about the processor switch from PowerPC to Intel in Macs of the time, makes jokes about Windows, introduces new iPods and Apple TV. And then, at 09:41, he says: «This is a day I’ve been looking forward to for two and a half years.» Apple announces three new products: a new iPod with a large screen, a «revolutionary» telephone and an «internet communication device». Jobs repeats himself: «An iPod, a phone, an internet mobile communicator. An iPod, a phone, an internet mobile communicator… these are NOT three separate devices!»
«And we are calling it iPhone!»
Most of you have probably already realised what he was doing. Almost nothing is left to chance at Apple’s keynotes, not even timing. The big iPhone unveiling was to take place around 40 minutes after the start of the presentation. And to make the product images shown on stage appear as realistic as possible, a suitable time was also chosen…
Source: Screenshot YouTube
… with a small buffer of one minute to be on the safe side.
Incidentally, this didn’t really help much. By the time the device was first shown with the screen on and time visible, it was already 09:54. Regardless, a tradition was born!
From revolution to obscurity
The structure of Apple’s keynotes hasn’t changed much to this day. Apple’s boss storms onto the stage and greets the crowd with a rehearsed and enthusiastic «Good morning!» Then the successes and previous products are reported on and the presentations begin. A big unveiling usually takes place roughly three quarters of an hour after the start of the show.
Source: Screenshot YouTube
And so 09:41 also graced the very first iPad, launched three years after the iPhone. Even though that keynote started at 10 a.m. local time and the unveiling took place ten minutes later. In fact, it’s unclear whether an Apple device has ever been unveiled at exactly 09:41 since the first iPhone.
Source: Apple
Nevertheless, the «standard time» has survived to this day. No matter which product photo for which Apple device you look at, the clock always shows 09:41. Except for the Apple Watch.
Apple stays ahead of the times
Over ten years ago, in September 2014, Apple announced its intention to revolutionise the next product category: wristwatches. It may not be quite as innovative as the iPhone, but the Apple Watch is another one of the billion-dollar company’s most important products.
Source: Screenshot Apple
Apple’s watch wasn’t only a brand-new product – it was also the first to break with the established time tradition. The watch is set to 10:09 on all product photos. Now I know what you’re thinking: «Aha, that must mean the Apple Watch was presented at 10:09 local time!». Well, you’re wrong. In fact, it was only unveiled shortly before 11 a.m.
No, the time on these product photos is more of a self-congratulatory joke.
It has its origins in the traditional watch industry. To this day, analogue wristwatches for product photos are set to 10:10. Nobody seems to be able to answer conclusively why this is the case. Some say it’s because the watch looks like a smiling face this way. Others think that with this time no logos or watch details are concealed.
Source: Rolex
Be that as it may, ten past ten established itself as the standard time for analogue watches ages ago. And to demonstrate just how far ahead of its time (and its competitors) the Apple Watch was, it was simply set to one minute earlier. A nod that hasn’t escaped Samsung, by the way.
Source: Samsung
The clocks of the South Korean competition are all set to 10:08. So it’s likely only be a matter of time before another manufacturer sets its watches to 10:07.
Header image: Apple
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Dayan Pfammatter
Freelance Editor
pf.dayan@gmail.comI've been fascinated by all things keys, displays and speakers for basically as long as I can remember. As a journalist specialising in technology and society, I strive to create order in the jungle of tech jargon and confusing spec sheets.
