The new iPhone 5S had three tentpole features to highlight.

Usually this would mean big numerals 1, 2 and 3, and perhaps an icon to represent each feature. Instead, Apple got a little artistic and created three still life hodgepodges of items that represent those features.

For performance, we saw a disassembled PC (not a Mac Pro!): motherboard, daughterboard, graphics card, mouse, RAM, hard drive, fan, keyboard, and power cable.

For photography, it's a spread that includes a camera bag, tripod, camera, SD cards, flash, light meter, dust blower, lens cleaning brush, and extra batteries. Plus three made-up books: Mastering Light: How to take great photographs by A.H. Williams, Great Photography: The serious photographer's guide by Benjamin Atkins, and Digital Filmmaking by Taiyang Chen.

For security, we're shown a briefcase with handcuffs attached, alarm keypad, key, door handle with built-in keypad, name badge, magnifying glass, doorbell, two security cameras, combination lock, a post-it note with 1234 on it, and what looks like a credit card payment machine that prints receipts.

It's a presentation gimmick they have not returned to. It didn't even get used for the iPhone 5C in the same keynote ("Here are the cases and paints you used to need to have a colorful smartphone...")

It wasn't a bad idea though. Keynotes are a visual medium, and these three tentpole features lent themselves to this kind of an introduction.

My only quibble, especially given that they would be replaying this keynote at an event for the Chinese media the very next morning, is that the imaginary author Taiyang Chen should really have been assigned to the imaginary book Mastering Light. Taiyang means "sun" in Chinese.