RUMOR MILL
Thursday, September 4, 2014
"VERTIGO" DÉJÀ VU?
Are Apple and U2 Joining Forces Again?
| Since The Sunday Times reported that U2 had shut down Dublin’s Samuel Beckett Bridge last week to shoot a video, the rumor mill has been awash with theories about possible tie-ins with the Apple dog-and-pony show set for next Tuesday (9/9) in Cupertino. Promoter Stephen Browne, who snapped a blurry photo of the scene, wrote on Twitter, "Looks like @U2 new album maybe preloaded on to iPhone 6. The focus of the 'video' on the bridge last week was a phone." |
| Intriguing notion, though how he managed to reach such a conclusion from this sketchy evidence is hard to say. Another tweet, this one from CNET reporter Shara Tibken, posited that Bono might make an appearance at the Apple event, leading some to believe U2 would perform, or so AppleInsider noted in an attempt to put all the speculation in context. |
| A piece of evidence. |
| Which inspires us to do some speculating of our own. Given the band’s relationship with Jimmy Iovine, Bono’s relationship with Steve Jobs and U2’s game-changing "Vertigo" iPod campaign, which hit 10 years ago this fall, the scenario makes perfect sense—and the sizzle factor could be as important for U2’s upcoming Interscope album as it is for Apple in the post-Jobs era. |
| These dudes have some shared history. |
| And that’s not all, folks. Aside from being a friend of Jobs and current SVP of Design Jony Ive, Bono has worked with the company through the (RED) initiative to fight AIDS. According to AppleInsider, Apple has raised $75 million for the worldwide charity by selling branded (RED) iPods and accessories. Late last year, Ive joined forces with designer Marc Newson to auction off (RED)-themed items, including a one-of-a-kind Mac Pro that sold $977k. Bono even had a hand in designing a pair of gold EarPods. |
