Apple's iPad hashflag was full of Jazz, but not in the right way

(Image credit: @hashflagsio)

Apple's 10th-gen new iPad 2022, iPad Pro (2022), and Apple TV 4K (2022) were all announced via a press release, but CEO Tim Cook got the party started early, posting to Twitter and using the hashflag #TakeNote. The problem is that hashflag was already being used.

Whether Cook knew it or not, #TakeNote is a hashtag the Utah Jazz (an NBA team) has used for years. Since 2016, in fact. And now it's got Apple logos where they shouldn't be.

Note Taken

Apple has taken to using hashflags every time it announces a product. An expansion of hashtags, hashflags put an icon or animated logo beside tags on Twitter. They look cool, but the problem is that #TakeNote is something Utah Jazz is already using, meaning tweets about them now have Apple logos on. What's more, even the Jazz's official bio has one on, too.

Those wondering whether this was some sort of deal done between Apple and the basketball outfit need wonder no more. According to an SFGate report, there most definitely was not. Jazz owner Ryan Smith reportedly told reporters that it was news to him and that he found out the same time everyone else did. He said he was going to look into it.

The good news is that this is a problem that will right itself. Apple's hashflag was to come to its natural end on October 21, but looking at Twitter now, it appears that the Utah Jazz have gotten control of the hashflag again.

Turns out the best iPad isn't necessarily the iPad Pro (2022) — it's just any that jumps into someone else's timeline for a spot of free advertising.

At the time of writing, neither Apple nor the Jazz had officially commented on the goings-on.

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.