First Week of iPhone 17: What Really Happens Inside an Apple Store Launch

Apple has ways to shape the story around an iPhone launch, but the first week is when we really start to scratch the surface of what it is to live with the new models.

The launch of an iPhone is quite the show, especially in the Apple New York Phare store on Fifth Avenue. Apple CEO, Tim Cook, and a multitude of other senior executives are gathering to encourage first customers, take selfies and sign autographs. A multitude of photographers gather in a press pen to capture these moments – and some of these moments, such as customers who retain newly purchased iPhones, are a little more manufactured than others.

In the episode of this week of One More Thing, which you can watch here, I go to the performative nature of the launching day and share a side of the story that you do not generally see on a flow of social media.

Now that anyone can get their hands on an iPhone, Apple loses part of the control of its messages. Judging by certain complaints of blows of blows and stripes, the new iPhone has lost part of its brightness of the launch week.

I took both the iPhone Air and the iPhone 17 Pro Max for a round of last week. And as I share the video of this week, it sometimes takes a little walk to connect with what really matters in an iPhone: the camera.

I also share what I learned by using various cases of the iPhone 17 series – because you may want one to avoid your own “scratchgate” drama. Curiously, my air with a bumper case has seen the most damage so far. Maybe I’m just not cut to process phones like fashion items.

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