Apple's iPhone 12 launch was like a 'Black Mirror' episode without the plot

And so the third in a dystopian trilogy of prerecorded Apple events has landed on our screens. Following the COVID-free space holograms of WWDC, and the weirdly wildfire-free nature backgrounds of "Episode II: Attack of the iPad," Apple's iPhone 12 launch event aimed to end the trilogy by hitting a note of hope. What it found by the end, however, was more Black Mirror-esque than ever. 

The hopeful attempt at framing was clear from the overture. We saw the Apple HQ at night — perhaps a subtle reference to these dark past few months in its home state, where many of us still reflexively check the PurpleAir scores every morning to see how dim our haze-choked days are going to be. But night soon became day again, to the strains of Good Day for Dreaming by Ruelle.  Read more...