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Apple's attention to branding shines even when it photoshops Android

By Daniel Petrov

Published: Jan 22, 2019, 5:17 AM

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Apple's newest support video how to move from Android to iOS is helpful and all, but it also has one fun little Easter egg for the uninitiated. While using an Android phone prop to explain how your apps, files and photo migration will occur with the dedicated app it has in the Play Store, Apple clearly demonstrates the level of detail obsession it has when it comes to branding.

As you can see in the footage above, the phone is made to look like your generic Android with a run-of-the-mill interface but look at the top right corner where the status bar is, what do you see? That's right, the time shown is 9:41, but so what?

Apple is notorious for its affinity towards the exact 9:41 AM time that shows throughout its product render shots on its website, in stores, and on other marketing materials. There is a

story behind that decision, and it's that Apple's big product launches happen about 40 minutes into a keynote, so it timed the clock on its product renders to show a minute after so that the audience is left with the impression that the unveiling is indeed in real time. As per Apple's Scott Forstall:

We design the 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.

Even if it is more than a minute off the mark, the infamous 9:41 AM has stayed as a branding mark for years now, and, seemingly, transfers even to doctored Android interfaces in Apple support videos. Talk about love of branding consistency.

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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena from 2010 to 2025, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.