• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
People are only just finding out why time on devices in Apple ads are always set to 9:41

Home> Technology> News

Published 16:20 19 Jan 2025 GMT

People are only just finding out why time on devices in Apple ads are always set to 9:41

Steve Jobs introduced the blanket on-device time but it isn't really necessary anymore - though Apple have chosen to stick by it

Joe Yates

Joe Yates

Have you noticed that advertisements for any Apple product always has the time set at 9:41?

No? Well, neither had I. But if you go back through the archives, you'll notice that any advert bears that specific time - although it didn't always.

If you don't believe me, quickly go to the tech giant's website and take a look, I'm not lying.

Advert

Despite there being literally hundreds of Apple products released since Steve Jobs decided to set the time on every product to 9:41, which began in 2010, when the first iPad was released, few people have clocked it.

But before we get into that, let's talk about when Jobs first decided to set an on-device time displaying across the board - that was 9:42.

We saw it first when the original iPhone was unveiled on January 9, 2007, and the reason for the time being set at 9:42 was because that was the actual time when Jobs announced the iPhone to the world.

It has since gone down in history as one of the most influential reveals in the tech industry.

Advert

Former senior vice president of iOS Software at Apple, Steve Forstall, spoke in-depth about it with blogger and developer Jon Manning back in 2010.

On every Apple product listed on the companies website, the on-device time reads 9:41 (Apple)
On every Apple product listed on the companies website, the on-device time reads 9:41 (Apple)

"We design the keynotes so that the big reveal of the product happens around 40 minutes into the presentation," Forstall apparently explained.

"When the big image of the product appears on screen, we want the time shown to be close to the actual time on the audience’s watches. But we know we won’t hit 40 minutes exactly."

Advert

It was then changed to 9:41 around the time of the first iPad, as mentioned before.

But things are a little bit looser now for the tech giant, as Apple now tending to release video productions of their new products, so the timing doesn't overly matter anymore.

Apple used to advertise their products with the on-device time as 9:42 before making the switch to 9:41 (Apple)
Apple used to advertise their products with the on-device time as 9:42 before making the switch to 9:41 (Apple)

But Jobs' legacy lives on through the on-device timing of 9:41.

Advert

This is just one of a host of things people didn't really know about Apple.

Including the fact that in 10 years, the company has spent $10 billion trying to get its secretive and now-scrapped car project, named Titan, off the ground and into the consumer's hands.

But it just wasn't meant to be.

While it isn’t exactly clear why the company decided to ditch the product in early 2024, they did internally tell the 2,000 employees that were working on it that it was being discontinued.

Featured Image Credit: Apple/Getty Images/Anita Kot

Topics: Apple, Steve Jobs, Technology, iPhone

Joe Yates
Joe Yates

Joe is a journalist for UNILAD, who particularly enjoys writing about crime. He has worked in journalism for five years, and has covered everything from murder trials to celeb news.

X

@JMYjourno

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

a day ago
2 days ago
  • a day ago

    People left mind-blown after watching Hubble telescope image of a star exploding over 10,000,000 lightyears away

    One Redditor claimed the images were their 'favorites ever captured' in space

    Technology
  • a day ago

    Expert shares three jobs young people should start training to do now to beat AI in the future

    A new report has shown a drastic rise in the use of AI in the workforce

    Technology
  • 2 days ago

    Urgent warning issued for 86,000,000 mobile service customers to act now as hackers sell stolen data

    Cybersecurity experts have issued a warning to customers who are impacted

    Technology
  • 2 days ago

    James Webb Space Telescope's stunning image of 'Sombrero Galaxy' has people saying 'we can't be alone in the universe'

    Brace yourself for an existential crisis...

    Technology
  • Steve Jobs had a very blunt response to iPhone user who had complaint about phone
  • Apple is offering huge free iPhone upgrade today but only if your device is eligible
  • Steve Jobs sent heartbreaking email to himself just one year before he died
  • People are only just discovering what the rain percentage really means on iPhone weather app