Apple’s live events keep evolving, and I would love to be able to use their “live broadcasting” toolkit—essentially turning their website into a media-rich live blog of the event. Here’s a screenshot of what today’s Apple Watch-focused event looked like:
The key features of this mode of presentation are:
- Live video of the main presentation—which is being produced somewhere (usually California) for a live audience.
- Produced video elements are used during the presentation. Split-screens are sometimes used to juxtapose the speaker and other content (as above).
- Pre-made, widget-like cards appear from top to bottom with short summaries (including images and video) of the presentation content. They have simple, built-in social sharing functionality.
- When you scroll down to see older cards, the video is shrunk to a thumbnail and continues to play at the top of the page.
These elements combine for a simple, compelling online presentation. One can easily step away and come back, and skim the cards to see what was missed. It would be equally great if the presentation could be replayed from the point of any ‘card’… though I don’t think this is currently the case!
So, if I had this presentation toolkit, would I use it? Given the amount of pre-planning and multimedia in use, it would certainly take a significant up-front investment (e.g., time, money, preparation). However, to deliver a high-impact event to a web audience, it seems like a great place to start.
I especially like the live element—which underscores the event with the sense that, “this would be even more impressive in person, but I’m as close as I can get!”