This week Apple revealed the iPhone 8/X and garnered a ton of attention about them. However, in the presentation there were some other elements that came across in an almost creepy fashion. I’ve been an Apple fanboy for a long time, but some of the language that was used in the presentation left me wondering how close they were actually coming to my theological training.

There were two points where I saw this reality. First, the event took place in the Steve Jobs theater on the new Apple campus. To start the event Tim Cook gave a stirring tribute to Apple’s founder, but what started as a nice memorial, started to sound a lot like worship of an individual. Cook talked about how Apple was the embodiment of Steve’s creative spirit, as an image of Steve Jobs looked down on the crowd from behind him. I can’t explain it other than it felt like a church service for a moment.

The second time was when Apple announced that it was expanding the reach if it’s stores into something more akin to a “town center” with space for people to gather and collaborate. They will also be places where you can go to learn more about how to be creative with Apple products, and unleash all of your potential. This sense of community sounds a lot like how religious communities function. We gather to learn and fellowship with one another in a shared space that is designed for the body of believers. Now, we can do that at Apple.

I realize it’s not a big deal, but it did strike me as odd how closely our tech companies are coming to being farther ingrained in our lives than just a product. On one of my online communities, someone poised the question, “How long till they open up schools?” That comment brought me back to the book Ready Player One, where large tech companies had taken the place of the government, and we were all just another product to be bought and sold.