Cannes Lions Archives - 9to5Mac

Rapper will.i.am dismisses Apple Watch as “weird” despite attending last year’s launch

Ben Lovejoy Jun 25 2015 - 6:07 am PT

will.i.am seen with Angela Ahrendts at last year’s Apple Watch event

Musician and former Beats shareholder will.i.am said that seeing someone in a gym with an iPhone 6 strapped to their arm while wearing an Apple Watch made him think “that s*** is weird,” reports the NY Post.

The comment – made at the Cannes Lions festival where Apple won an award for its Shot on iPhone campaign – was probably not what Apple had in mind when the company invited him to the launch of the Watch last year.

You don’t have to look too far to see why he would want to diss the Watch, however: he launched his own smartwatch just one month after Apple unveiled its Watch. While he may be proud of the built-in 3G connection that means the Puls doesn’t need a connection to a smartphone, consumers don’t appear to share his enthusiasm. As Business Insider noted, UK partner O2 told them that “no units had been sold” and the device was pulled, while U.S. partner AT&T said the “trial program” for the Puls had ended.

Long-time iTunes holdouts Metallica “feel very safe” with Apple Music from “the coolest company in the world”

Ben Lovejoy Jun 23 2015 - 6:45 am PT

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Metallica haven’t always been the greatest fans of Apple’s music, criticizing iTunes’ track-based sales model as “contributing to the demise of the album format” and only allowing the band’s music to be sold on the service in 2006 – some three years after its launch. iTunes sales outside the U.S. didn’t happen until 2008.

But while Taylor Swift, Anton Newcombe and others have been attacking Apple Music (something which may or may not now be resolved), Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich has been singing the praises of the new service, reports the NY Post.

Speaking at Cannes Lions, drummer Ulrich said he and his Metallica bandmates were excited about the launch of Apple Music’s streaming service. “I think that Apple is just about the coolest company in the world. I am a huge supporter of Apple and all their products, and I have been fortunate enough to meet most of the people there, a lot of the people who make key decisions, and I feel very safe with them,” Ulrich said.

Ulrich said that the band had good relationships with the Apple team, including Tim Cook and Jimmy Iovine …
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Product Red thanks Apple for partnership, clarifies Bono’s comments at Cannes Lions appearance

Zac Hall Jun 25 2014 - 1:33 pm PT

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Bono, Shane Smith, and Jony Ive at Cannes Lions Festival

Bono, Shane Smith, and Jony Ive at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Cannes.Lions.Festival.of.Creativity/photos/a.10153429012248539.1073741859.62629358538/10153445276373539/?type=3&permPage=1" target="_blank">Cannes Lions Festival</a>

Earlier this week, we noted Apple SVP of Design Jony Ive and U2 pop star Bono made a joint appearance at the Cannes Lions Festival to discuss Apple and Product Red’s partnership in raising funds for AIDS/HIV programs in Africa. During that appearance, Bono pointed out with Jony Ive on stage that Apple does not prominently display the Product Red logo on the products that support the effort, according to AdWeek’s account of the event (the full video has not been made available and the clip showing Bono relaying another story on Steve Jobs has since been made private):

“Where’s the (Red) branding?” he asked Ive. “Nobody can see that. This is modesty run amok. This is the Apple way. They’re like a religious cult.”

Bono began that bit saying that Apple is “f*cking annoyingly quiet about the fact they’ve raised $75 million.” Product Red followed up today on Bono’s position, though, toning down the nature of Bono’s comments in a blog post thanking Apple for its partnership and the success of Product Red:
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