Regular readers appreciate that here at Buzzblog we never hesitate to put important questions to powerful companies. So it is with this query that is bouncing around a bit Out There:
"Hey, Apple, what's up with this 9:42 on the iPhone thing?"
I first noticed it in a post on Digg yesterday:
In every iPhone ad the time is 9:42. In every iPhone demo it is 9:42. In every iPhone picture on apples site it is 9:42. The iPhone was first announced during the macworld keynote at 9:42. Why 9:42?
And you can see another example of a similarly inquisitive mind here.
Not having a good answer myself, I fell back on my three decades of experience as a journalist and put the question to Apple's public relations department yesterday.
I didn't say asking always works.
This morning a message on my machine from an Apple spokesperson tells me she doesn't know but will "try to find an answer."
Needless to say, if she gets back with an answer you'll be the second to know.
In the meantime, we're left to speculate, or, if you happen to know, educate.
My guesses:
There is no reason. The Apple spokesperson offered that as a possibility, saying, "it might be random."
The time 9:42 could be simply convention: I know that photos pre-dating digital clocks always had their hands posed a certain way for the sake of aesthetics.
Or, and this is my most wild guess, it could be a security measure: If all of the official promotional materials for iPhone carry the time 9:42 then anything with any other time would have to be a fraud.
Feel free to contribute here.
(Update: A witty fellow on Digg offers this possibility: "The actual price will be $942 ….")
(Update 2: Wikipedia has a page devoted to 942 -- and everything else imaginable, of course -- but it doesn't appear to offer any help in solving this mystery. Feel free to scour it for clues, though.)
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Back to the future
This shows the time as 9:41
http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-phone-service/specials/iPhone.jsp?source=IC9801j02R00n300&WT.mc_id=IC9801j02R00n300
The answer is...
Steve announced the iPhone at exactly 9:42am, January 9, 2007...
That's been suggested elsewhere, too, but ...
... the Apple spokesperson couldn't confirm and I haven't seen anything that would document either the exact announcement time or the fact that it is indeed why 9:42 lives on in iPhone history. Certainly possible, though.
Time standing still
Since Steve announced the iPhone at 9:42am at the Macworld conference I believe all the presentation pictures were taken with that time so that he would have plenty to choose from when making his keynote. The rest of the pictures have just been used in ads or for other POP materials since no other pictures have been taken since for marketing use. At least thats my idea.
why not 9?
42 is, of course, the answer. (Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy)
Keynote + Security
My guess, close to yours is probably a combination of two suggestions, but nothing wild and crazy. Apple likely knew their keynote time slot WAY in advance and wanted to be all clever so they used that time of the unveiling to the world for their promotional photos (even though those would have to be taken in advance) and I also agree, that be keeping it 100% consistent (and quiet) they'd know fraud photos in a heartbeat.
Digital Inversion
I tried an old standby, looking at the digital time up-side-down. For instance, seeing 11:34 inverted looks like "hell". Then again, a lot of things look like hell when inverted. ;-)
However, I can't figure out what the heck "zhb" could be. Oh, well, what can one expect, looking for back-masked satanic phases in Iron Maiden recordings was unrewarding as well.
It's only through such efforts ...
... that we can possibly hope to solve this mystery in our lifetime. Thanks for the effort, Rick.
Subtle message to detractors?
Mark 9:42:
Take THAT, Nokia fanboys!
firmware version 9.42 will
firmware version 9.42 will actually make it work.