Set in a vibrant, neon-soaked 1994, The Apple depicts a world where the Boogalow International Music (BIM) corporation has achieved total cultural and political hegemony. In this vision of the future, society is organized around televised music competitions, and citizens are coerced into conformity through the "BIM mark"—a holographic sticker worn on the forehead that signifies participation in the corporate-driven lifestyle.

The societal dynamics revolve around a highly regulated pop-culture landscape where the line between government and entertainment industry has completely dissolved. Earth remains the primary setting, specifically a stylized version of America where dissent is marginalized and the population is kept in a state of hyper-active distraction through mandatory dance hours and mass-produced synth-pop. This world operates as a secularized biblical allegory, where the central conflict between artistic purity and corporate greed mirrors the Fall of Man.

While the film’s camp aesthetic feels far removed from reality, it offers surprisingly prescient prediction signals regarding the interconnectivity of biometric identification and consumerism. The "BIM marks" serve as an early analog for biometric surveillance and digital identity tracking. Additionally, the film accurately anticipated the rise of global media conglomerates that dictate social trends. However, its prediction of a total cultural collapse into 1970s-style glam-disco by 1994 was a significant divergence from the actual grunge and hip-hop movements that defined that era.