Text would have been redundant. The entire thing is launched. The interface is self-explanatory. (If you've never used Tumblr, it really is beautifully simple, despite this new clutter.) The video is there to get you excited, not to tour the site. Lines like "The first thing you'll notice about the new Tumblr is that it is sexy as hell" don't guide, they boast. Tumblr's staff blog is often very much about the people behind Tumblr rather than about the site itself, and this video as no different.

Text would not have been redundant: it would have allowed users to see everything that was new instead of having to crawl over the site looking for new stuff. Eg: I have to check three or four possible locations to see if I can now see who my friends are reading, instead of checking a list of new features.

The evidence that text wouldn't have been redundant is even on this thread -- poster asks what's new, is answered in a sentence. A line like that accompanying the video, or even in a separate post, would have been of unquestionable utility to users.

Or, hell, Apple software is pretty self-explanatory too. Perhaps their minimalist "bug fixes" change notes are sufficient after all?

See, I've never been a fan of directly announcing feature lists. I don't think that's Tumblr's responsibility (or Apple's, for that matter). I think they can choose what they want to highlight, and people can discover what they like on their own.

Tumblr's video announcement wasn't the release. The release was the release. The idea's that you'll notice what's new while you're using the service. It shouldn't be a scavenger hunt. Most users don't work like that.

The video was just a fun little announcement because David and Marco like flashy things.

Well, hang on, first of all providing accompanying text for the flash-challenged was "redundant" -- despite you yourself doing it here and getting karma accordingly -- and now it's merely something you're not a fan of?

I'm not interested in a scavenger hunt; I just want a changelog so I can quickly see if any of my bug-bears have been fixed, without having to sit through a video that increasingly sounds vacuous and low on actual content anyway. Most users work like that.

The difference is that somebody here was at work and asked a question, and I answered it. I'm sure if you'd emailed Marco of David, they'd answer as well. But if you want to see if the bugbears are fixed, go to the site and look.

I didn't answer for karma. I answered because somebody was curious.

It's completely fine to have fun if you're not getting in people's ways. So you have to go on a scavenger hunt to see if bugbears are fixed, or bother Marco or David? That sounds like getting in the way. And wondering what's going on in the video is valid if you're at work? Seems like that line or two of accompanying text wouldn't have been redundant in the slightest.