Apple is upset with me.

Around a year ago, I was involved with a situation inside an Apple store that I have not yet publicly talked about because it is a really weird story and honestly, I've kind of been scared to talk about it. Where should we even start with this? So it begins in December of 2024 when a brand reaches out to me to sponsor a video here on YouTube. I'm not going to say their name because that would be a bad idea for obvious reasons. But this brand reaches out with the coolest opportunity that I had ever been offered in the 12 years of making YouTube videos. They had a new product releasing in Apple stores and they wanted me to collaborate with them and Apple and film the entire video in a real store. Like I said, pretty much the coolest opportunity I've ever got. And then there was the money part of this deal, which was also the highest number I had ever seen. And while I normally would not share this type of thing, I think it is important to contextualize the gravity of this. And that's that for this video, I was going to get paid around $25,000, which was absolutely insane and made it even more enticing to take. So obviously, I said, yes, we signed the contract and I got started working on the video, writing the script, grabbing my friends to help me camera people. And the product was launching in stores really soon. So they wanted me to get there as quickly as possible. And they asked for the date that I could show up in the Apple store to film all of this so that they could send it to Apple and get everything coordinated for when we arrived. So I sent over the outline as well as when I'm planning to go to the store to my contact at the brand, they pass it on to Apple. And I get an email back really quickly saying, you have a green light to film at the store, which was actually going to be tomorrow. Again, it was a pretty fast turnaround. So we kind of tied everything together really fast to make this happen. So we pack our stuff up, head to the Apple store. And before we physically walk in, I remember turning to my two friends saying, hey, like make sure the lens caps are on. I'm going to have my audio off. Let's just talk to them first to make sure that we are a hundred percent good to go because I know how Apple is with filming in stores. They do not like it and I don't want any drama. So with cameras down and my mic off, I walk into the store and I approach the first employee I see who is super nice. And I explain the situation. You know, this is really random. We're supposed to be filming this video for the launch of this case that's out. Do you know anything about this or can we get started? And she did not know, but she's like, hey, I'll grab a manager and they should be able to help. So like two seconds later, a manager comes over and I explain the situation again. Hey, I'm with this brand for the launch. We just want to let you know before we start recording. And again, the manager is not familiar with the situation, which is a little strange. Luckily, the manager is also super friendly and says, well, hey, I'll grab a store lead. And if anybody knows about it, it'll be her. So just a few minutes later, the store lead walks up, but immediately her energy is a little bit different than the other two. They were super friendly and open-minded. She was like, what are we doing here? And I explained the same situation for the third time. And she does not really seem receptive to this. Thankfully, she says she'll investigate and asked me to forward the email to the official Apple store email address that they have. So I do so. And she said, she's going to go take a look at everything and she'll be back in a few minutes. And in the meantime, we just walk over to a table and basically set the cameras down and talk amongst ourselves for, I think it was 30 or 40 minutes. It's also during this time that I reach out to my contact at the brand and let them know what's happening, just to keep them in the loop. Like, hey, we're having some issues, but they say that they can't get ahold of their Apple contact during this period of time. Eventually, the store lead comes back again, but this time with even more questions. Like, what are you guys doing here exactly? And I need more than an email. What is your name specifically? So I can send it to my Apple PR group chat to get more info and maybe they'll know. This is the point in the story where I should probably pause for a second because I don't have a relationship with Apple PR. And anytime I've tried to have a relationship in Apple PR, they have not been interested. Probably because I do leaks and rumors and I'm pretty honest when they mess up. And ultimately, you know, I don't follow the narrative all the time. I am totally speculating here, but that is my best guess. So when she said that she was going to send Sam Cole with AppleTrack to Apple PR group chat, I didn't have high hopes. And then she disappeared again for another, I think, 30 or 40 minutes as she was talking to them, trying to get more information. And I do appreciate that she did take the time to help us. Like, that was really nice. During this time again, I think we go back to the same table in the Apple store and just kind of talk amongst ourselves. And again, no cameras ever turned on, didn't record, not making bits or anything. We're just standing there talking like any other customer. And then finally the store lead returns for what becomes the final time. And this time she's not asking questions anymore. She comes back and says, we will not be filming in the Apple store today, that we do not have explicit permission from Apple PR, she's found out. And that I need to reach out to this email on her iPad, which she shows me is media.helpline at apple.com, which funny enough is the publicly available Apple PR email that's listed at the end of every single press release. So I say, thanks. And then we grab our stuff, walk out the store. And then, you know, I'm just kind of waiting to hear back from my brand contact over the next day or two. And I don't hear anything until I get a text two days later. And what this text says legitimately blows my mind. I'll show you in just a second after a quick word from today's sponsor. Apple is really well known for their commitment to user privacy and security, but there's also a ton of my personal information that had been floating around online I didn't know about. And that's why I parted up with Incogni who sponsored today's video. See, Incogni tracks down and removes your personal data from multiple sites, including online directories, people search sites and commercial databases. Normally this is a process you'd have to do manually reaching out to every one of these hundreds of sites individually saying, Hey, don't use my stuff anymore because that's your right. But Incogni works on your behalf and does all of the hard work for you. They even support custom removal requests. So if there's a specific website online that you see your information on it, you can send it directly to Incogni and they will do everything in their power to get that information removed. They're also the first and only to have their data removal practices independently verified by Deloitte. So take back your personal data with Incogni. Use code AppleTrack at the link below to save 60% off an annual plan at incogni.com slash AppleTrack. A massive thank you to Incogni for sponsoring this video and changing my life. Now let's see what that email said. It's early in the morning, two days after we leave the Apple store and I get a text from the brand contact that says this. Do you have time to connect this morning and go over exactly what happened on Saturday? Apple noted that there was a quote disturbance, but from my understanding is the store wasn't where you had permission to film. Think there's just a misunderstanding and can be easily cleared up. Let me know when you're available to chat. I'm sorry, there was a disturbance. Why is it in quotes? That's a little weird, but they mentioned there's an email. So then I go ahead and pull up the email and this is where things get rich. Hi, do you have a moment to chat this morning? We've heard back from Apple and apparently they are upset. They noted that the team was disturbing employees and customers and that's when they were asked to leave the store. Just want to find out the facts, so let me know when you're available. Thanks. It's at this point in the video that you might be a little bit confused because in the story I just told, I didn't mention that we were messing with customers, employees, and that we did so much that we were asked to leave the store and that's because we didn't. We didn't do that. We talked amongst ourselves at a table for two hours while we were waiting to do the job that we were contracted to do. That's what happened. I'm thinking to myself, something's not right here. They must have us confused with somebody else because we quite literally talked to a couple of employees and we stood at a table. It was actually one of the nicest times I've ever had at the Apple store, just me and the boys chilling. It was kind of a vibe. I see why people hang out there. So pretty much immediately, me, my manager, and the brand, we hop on a call to talk and I am just like, hey, I don't know what's going on. I have no idea what happened. They must be confused. It was somebody else. And I go step by step, times, dates, names of specific employees, which I obviously didn't mention in this video. And the brand contact is also convinced at this point. She's like, yeah, I didn't think that you would cause a ruckus at an Apple store. That seems odd. We then send over that version, my version, of the story directly to Apple. And we wait for a reply. And I'm at this point still thinking, this is weird, but obviously there was just a mix-up. It's going to get resolved, right? Three days later, we get the follow-up email. Hi, as you're aware, the location was unfortunately unprepared for your arrival and filming. We're still investigating where the breakdown in communication occurred and are asking Apple for clarity on whether they informed the store. Now, I'm going to jump ahead a little bit. It's been a year. I have never gotten an answer whether that store knew. Apple has refused to tell the contact if they did their job and told the store. We do not know. Where things get really interesting is the second part. Apple also mentioned that the approach and standing in front of the store felt somewhat distracting to customers, sparking curiosity and disrupting the overall shopping experience, which wasn't something they wanted. They were hoping for a more discreet filming approach. From our expected, we believe we followed all the correct steps on our end, but it seems like Apple had a different idea of what this looked like, which honestly would be a fair take if we had filmed in the store. But we didn't film, remember? We didn't turn on the cameras. We didn't use the mic. We stood around a table for two hours waiting, talking to each other like any other customer in the store. Nothing was recorded. We couldn't be more discreet. It's like, what's zero times two? Still zero. And then it closes saying, that said, Apple is currently unsure about allowing us to return for filming. So we're going to let the dust settle before revisiting the possibility of an in-store activation. Well, looking at the calendar now, I guess the dust is never going to settle because it's been a year and the deal with Apple is not happening, confirmed by the brand. And I have a lot of thoughts that you can tell them. I'm probably feeling, even a year later, thinking about all of this, I'm feeling frustrated. I'm feeling disappointed, but most importantly, I feel weird. In every video I've ever made about Apple, I'm always really careful not to attribute to incompetence. Those are two very different things that can sometimes present in the same way. But this is a case where it's hard to make that call for me because this whole story is eerily similar to something that another Apple creator talked about back in the day. His name's Zone of Tech. He's a great dude from the few times I've talked to him. And he tells a story about how he actually met with Apple a few times and they promised to have access to all of these things and going to events and getting products. But when the time came around for them to deliver, they completely ghosted him and stopped replying. He never got what they promised. And that sure sounds a little similar, right? I'm going to show up to the store this time and do this video. And then you show up and nobody knows what's going on. I don't know. How am I supposed to feel about this a year later? They never apologized. They never corrected the record. I mean, they're telling this brand that I was causing a disturbance in the store. That's messed up, man. At the very minimum, that's messed up. Finally, let's end on a positive note, and that's that my coverage of Apple isn't going to change. I'm still going to be making videos. I still love iPhones and I'm obsessed with Apple products. I don't know why. I'm just kind of insane. But if you think that this experience is going to make me more negative or something toward them, not even a little bit. My only goal on this channel is to be authentic. And that's why I'm telling the story. That's why I say what I say about Apple. That's why I make videos about rumors. That's what I authentically am interested in and care about. And I just want to say a huge thank you to everybody that has supported me, got me here on this journey. I mean, I wouldn't even have had this opportunity of this deal without you guys. So the fact that I'm even getting offered something like this, regardless of if it happens, means I'm doing something right. And yeah, I mean, you guys changed my life. You've allowed me to achieve so many things that I've dreamed. And without getting too sentimental, I'm thankful I have you. So thanks for listening. I've been Sam. See you later. Bye-bye.