Apple Enters the ASMR Game, For Some Reason

Earlier this year, Apple, the world's richest company, announced that they were getting in the content game. In a lengthy, star-studded announcement, the company revealed a slate of new offerings to compete with Netflix and the upcoming Disney+, including projects from Steven Speilberg, Jennifer Anniston and Oprah Winfrey. Pretty big deal.

But rather than wait for one of those projects to be completed, Apple has launched its content takeover with a series of ASMR videos entitled Apple ASMR: Season 1. In the four videos that comprise season one, Apple takes its audience on an aural journey through "A calm rain at camp," "Crunchings sounds on the trail," "Satisfying woodshop sounds" and, most evocatively, "Whispers from the Ghost Forest."

Running between about 5 and 10 minutes, the videos are pretty much as advertised: Calming, audio-heavy videos that should please anyone sensitive to the effects of the videos. Unless you're this reviewer at Gizmodo, who compared them to "nails on a chalkboard.

The series follows Planet of the Apps as an example of some of the content that Apple has produced to prepare audiences for their multimedia takeover. Unlike Planet of the Apps, for which there has never and will never be an audience, there's a built-in fanbase for ASMR videos, which are among some of the most popular on the internet.

However, like many of the billboards you'd find plastered in major cities around the world that feature the phrase "Shot on an iPhone," the videos are likely just a commercial for the company's flagship product, touting the iPhone's audio and video capabilities. Yup, you can record people hiking with an iPhone. Magical. So it might not be exactly what Apple had in mind when they announced the new shows, but it does show a willingness to dive into any and all genres that might provide them with eyes and ears.