Jimmy Kimmel was at it again with another Apple prank. This time it involved the hype around the mythical iWatch that so many have talked about but no one is sure even exists, even in Apple's idea hat.
Kimmel used a $20 Casio watch as his prop. His prank was to try to convince people that the cheap watch was actually the iWatch. Did people buy that? You bet they did.
People willingly admitted that they would buy anything with an Apple logo on it, according to a report highlighting the late night talk show host's prank video. Kimmel made quite a few jokes regarding Apple's larger screen size on the iPhone 6, among other things. He also pointed out the hype around the fabled iWatch and Apple's recent patent on a device called iTime. He noted that the device is expected in the fall but that nobody knows what the wearable device will look like or what it will be called.
"This is a product that does not exist yet," Kimmel commented prior to the prank segment of the show. "We thought we'd have some fun with it. We went out onto Hollywood Boulevard today. We showed people a device that we claimed was the new Apple watch."
But it wasn't. It was just a plain old $20 Casio that Kimmel stuck an Apple logo onto the back of.
"But do people love Apple products so much that they will look beyond that? Let's find out."
Yes. Yes they would.
The first person interviewed right away said the device looked awesome because it looked lightweight and affordable.
"Do you like that it displays the time and the date," asked the interviewer.
"Yes, that's a real neat feature actually," said the allegedly unsuspecting man on the street.
Another woman said the device was "old school" but still in classic Apple style. People seemed impressed with lackluster features that would be available on any cheap watch that one could probably buy at a local grocery store these days. Person after person seemed to fall into the comedic Kimmel death trap.
Kimmel's camera crew told people that it was always in airplane mode and they still didn't suspect a thing, as one report indicated. The TV show segment made quite a rise in tech news circles and on YouTube. Airplane mode is a setting available on many devices that suspends signal-transmitting functions. Users can't make or receive calls or use text messaging, but they can play games or use the device camera or music function.
The reports circulating online, including several pun-filled satire pieces and blog posts, suggest that maybe the Apple brand has people in a state of automatic belief in their products, even if they aren't real.
Apple does intend to release an electronic wristband allegedly called "iTime," as patent documents show, but the device could have a different name altogether. Also, Apple could release several different versions of smart watches. Only time will tell. Jimmy Kimmel certainly won't.
Here's the Kimmel video clip, with the iWatch spoof starting at 1:39.
