Yesterday Apple revealed the new iPhone X at its new headquarters in California. Apple's annual events are usually surrounded by weeks and months of hype and speculation, drawing massive audiences with live feeds and a sizable media presence on location. Apple controls every aspect of the event, from timing and location to attendance. Contrast that to the Frankfurt Motor Show, where dozens of press conferences confined to exact time periods are spread across a huge space. It's a cutthroat event, with everyone vying for a slice of the public's eye.
Auto shows are dying and soon car reveals are going to look more and more like the event we saw in Cupertino. Manufacturers are all competing against each other for a small bit of both media and public attention. Frankfurt had one real day of press conferences, with dozens of new and exciting products. Still, how is something like the new Honda Urban EV supposed to compete against something like the new Mercedes-AMG Project One? One big car can overshadow an entire show. Think back to Detroit 2015. Does anyone remember anything outside the Ford GT? We also saw the Chevy Bolt concept and the all-new Toyota Tacoma at that show.
Apple can hold its events any time it wishes. It's not tied to some show like CES or the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. All eyes, ears and keyboards are focused straight on Apple. People will be talking about the new iPhone X for weeks both online and in person. Writers and bloggers will be on hand today to get first impressions. By dinner tonight, dozens of sites will have a lead story on their homepages dedicated to what they know about the new iPhone. No single automaker at Frankfurt will get the same sort of coverage.
