Here’s Why Apple’s iPhone Ads Always Show the Time Set to 9:42

by Soha El-Borgy on February 6, 2012

Why does every iPhone shot in Apple ads, be it on TV or in print show the time set to 9:42? This question has been arousing curiosity for years now that led to much speculation. Everybody knows with the fruit company, things don`t just happen. There has to be a reason.

Now former Apple exec Borcher claims he can solve the mystery as to why Apple iPhone ads always show the time 9:42. According to Borcher, 9:42 is the time when Apple launched the iPhone.

if you ever see an Apple ad, print or TV, you look at the time and it’s always going to be 9:42 and 9:42 is when we launched the iPhone.

While that might be true,there could be more to the story.

Apple VP Scott Forstall when asked about the 9:42 mystery, he explained it along the line of Borcher’s, but with more interesting details. Forstall says that the 9:42 reference is Apple trying to set the time on its images during product launches presentations to match that on the audiences’ watches.

We design the (product launch) keynotes so that the big reveal of the product happens around 40 minutes into the presentation. 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.

And if you noticed, the time on the iPad is always 9:41. To that,Forstall says:

Yeah! And for the iPhone, we made it 42 minutes. It turned out we were pretty accurate with that estimate, so for the iPad, we made it 41 minutes. And there you are – the secret of the magic time.

Apple truly knows how to pay attention to details.

(Via BusinessInsider)

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  • iMosa3da

    great company

  • Olivier

    on my iphone 4 box the time also is 9:41

  • Shavkat

    Apple truly knows how to pay attention to details.

  • Abc

    just find a reason for the reason

  • Mishel170

    LOl it’s 9:41

  • Candace A

    Hmm, it says 12:10 on my iPhone. Is it broken?

  • Jimbob

    this article is at least a year old.

  • Bobjim

    AND why are we so fascinated by the time on it. So they are able to properly deliver a speech and ensure that they reach that point by 9:41 and so they set the clock to that? that doesn’t make them fascinating, it makes them logical.

  • Chris Scarber

    hmm.. wonder if the 12:08 on the box my vivid came in is special too..

  • Bntafa

    It’s 9:40

  • Bntafa

    It’s 9:40

  • Ahjdgh

    thats the time the 1st ever iphone was fully made