The Apple trailer for its “F1: The Movie” makes its iPhones vibrate, in a new wrinkle. The author experienced the trailer that physically rattles an iPhone, finding the “haptic” accompaniment is a little gimmicky (haptic means multi-sensory experience).
“In the two-minute trailer, whenever an F1 car is in motion on the screen, your iPhone will vibrate with an intensity proportional to the on-screen action,” says a Fast Company article. “So, when a car’s tires are being changed in a pit stop, you’ll feel a small vibration in your hand — and when the car continues racing down the track, you’ll feel an even more intense vibration.”
The author played the 2 minute, 8 second haptic trailer on his iPhone 13, finding it serviceable but not a riveting multi-sensory user experience. When cars race on the track, the phone vibrated slightly to match the roar of their engines. When visuals shifted to people talking off-track, the vibration stopped.
“F1,” which stands for Formula 1 racing, stars Brad Pitt and is rated PG-13. The Apple+-produced-film premiered June 27 domestically (U.S. and Canada). Warner Bros. Pictures distributes theatrically. Enabled iPhones require users to click the TV app, and then scroll to the shot of Pitt in a racing suit labeled “F1” The Movie: Haptic Trailer.
Movies have launched various multi-sensory experiences over the years, though most have not caught on (such as the long-gone Smell-O-Vision from decades ago that wafted various odors in cinema auditoriums during screenings to match visual action).
Apple, the tech company that produces visual content such as “F1” for its Apple TV+ streaming service, posted a video tying the “F1” trailer to its Apple Vision Pro +, which is a virtual reality product built around headsets. VR technology has not been big in the consumer market. The Vision Pro+ video seems a bit of a stretch.
Related content:
- Fast Company: You Can Literally Feel Trailer for ‘F1’
- Motorsport: iPhone Users Get Haptic Vibrating ‘F1’ Trailer
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