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I went to see the Kardashian and Jenner sisters take over an Apple Store to launch their own apps
I'd found out about the event earlier today when Kim Kardashian West tweeted about it. She'd posted a link with instructions to register after also announcing that her new website, which she's been reportedly working on for months, was live.
I followed the link to register with Apple and never thought I'd get a spot. But somehow I did, and easily. I was even more surprised when the line at the store wasn't even wrapping too far around the block.
This was quite different from Kim's "Selfish" book signing, which I also covered in the spring. That was total bedlam — kids had skipped school to attend and a bunch of PETA protestors disrupted the signing.
Kim's book signing had gotten a lot more attention than this event, which wasn't even anounced until the morning-of. I thought Kim's new website was the only big news of the day. I had no idea that all five sisters would be in attendance at this event..
People in line didn't quite know what was going on, either. The crowd was relatively low-key.
They must have been hoping that the event wouldn't be too developer-centric since it was billed as "a discussion with key members of the team behind the exciting new lifestyle apps from the Kardashian/Jenner sisters" on the Apple website.
Kim's tweet had made it sound like she'd be there, but once I thought about it, I realized she hadn't explicitly said she'd be speaking at the store. Hopefully, this wouldn't be a waste of time.
The woman on the right had on Kardashian-approved monochromatic neutrals, while the guy on the left was wearing a pair of high-top sneakers from Kanye West's first collection for Adidas.
He must have been an über-fan — those shoes are impossible to get.
In fact, the fans in attendance were almost more interesting than the Kardashian-Jenners would be when they got onstage.
"I don't give a crap about these people," I heard one girl say from behind me. "I'm doing this for the New York City Snap Story."
She was referring to a Snapchat feature that lets you broadcast your videos to the entire city — or just the tourists who watch the daily NYC Story.
The girls were wearing T-shirts with their Twitter handles printed on the back. The T-shirts were pretty weathered, too, like they'd been through the wash at least five times. I wondered why these girls felt compelled to wear their Twitter names on their backs so often.
They squealed and screamed throughout the entire presentation — especially when Kim came out and waved to them and said she'd "seen [their] tweets."
The girls behind me, on the other hand, were much saltier — and pretty funny. While we waited, an Apple employee warmed up the crowd. By now, most of us had counted the chairs onstage and realized all of the sisters were coming out. The employee was telling us there would be a Q&A session later and that we should think of good questions.
A girl behind me decided to do her thinking out loud: "Why are you so weird?" she rhetorically asked the invisible Kardashians. "Why does everyone like you? And Kylie: what the f---?"
The employee hadn't heard her. "Does asking for an autograph or a selfie sound like a good question to you?" he admonished the crowd in the tone of a high-school principal.
"YES," she yelled. Typical of so many other Americans, she didn't know whether or not she liked the Kardashians, per se, but she'd definitely take an autograph.
The crowd was right: all five were in attendance.
They stuck to talking about the apps the whole time, being peppered with questions by Fortune Magazine senior writer Leena Rao.
So what do the apps do, exactly? Basically, they'll let the sisters have more direct control over the two things they're best at besides being on TV: social media and selling products.
The Kardashian-Jenners have been prolific at social media and at licensing their names to clothing lines and other goods for years. Now, they'll release their own media content and sell their wares directly from their apps.
Each of the sisters will have her own app, they explained, with different features. All of the apps will have "tutorials" for things like makeup, hair, and fitness. The sisters will be able to broadcast what they're doing at any moment à la Periscope, and their fans will be able to tune in and watch.
They'll post exclusive photos that haven't been seen before and, Kim said, they'll try to regulate the comments so that hateful stuff can't get through.
The sisters will also do Q&As through the apps. And Kylie mentioned a feature on her app called "Look For Less," where she'll post photos of her outfits along with suggestions for getting similar garments at a lower price.
And during the talk, the sisters made much of their distinct personalities and preferences as a way of distinguishing each app from the others.
Khloé's app will be more fitness-centric, they explained. Khloé mentioned that she'd rather focus on the mental and spiritual and physical benefits of working out than looks.
At that, Kim cut in and admitted, "I'll be taking the selfies."
Kylie's app will have more to do with fashion, they continued. Kendall's will document her travels all over the world as a top model and also incorporate content from Estée Lauder, one of her biggest backers. Kourtney's app will have a mom-blog sensibility, with home decor and parenting tips.
When the women were asked what their favorite apps were, they seemed at a loss. Kourtney's is the weather app, she said after a pause. Kylie didn't know hers and neither did Kendall. Khloé produced a meditation app, which she then held up to the microphone so the crowd could hear it. Kim said she mostly uses kids' apps for her daughter, North.
The apps — with the exception of Kourtney's, which isn't done yet — are now available in the App Store and cost $2.99 a month per app.
It remains to be seen whether fans will be willing to pay a monthly fee to get even more Kardashian-Jenner-centric content, beyond the sisters' frequent social media posts and televised reruns of their shows.
But Kim's first app, Kim Kardashian: Hollywood, pulled in millions in in-app purchases after people scoffed at it, so the odds are on their side.
If the apps are successful, it could mean a huge change in the way celebrities interact with the public. Before today, it seemed like social media was the best way for stars to communicate with the public.
But on social, stars are giving away their valuable photos and content on someone else's platform. And even still, some people clamor for even more photos and info from their favorites. So why not charge a monthly fee for access to that content?
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