Apple Compulsive Disorder
That’s right, for most Apple users it is an obsessive compulsion. For those who do not own an Apple yet, it’s a desire subtler than sex. The two Steves must have never imagined that this brand name would actually become as mystical as the original forbidden fruit. It not only looks tempting it tastes better than anything you have ever licked. The forbidden fruit I mean!
Why is the Apple brand cheesy and irresistible? Why Apple has no competition? What makes this forbidden fruit so popular?
Lets start with the metaphor of ‘forbidden’. The Apple brand is actually forbidden in a sense to a lot of people. The market segmentation and pricing makes it harder for a lot of lighter-wallet consumers to use Apple. Also, most of Africa, Asia, and, parts of South-America do not have Apple. Some part of eastern Europe has a much costlier pricing strategy. The policy of segmentation was a forced strategy, as initially in the Mac market, Microsoft was such a big demon outside US that nobody dared to share the same ring leave alone locking horns. So, Apple makes it desirable by placing it on the highest shelf in a supermarket cabinet. You want it, you gotta reach for it-deeper in your pockets, farther from your Asian homes!
Steve Jobs with Apple- Image by Sigalakos at Flickr
The timing of this post is interesting as there are talks in the market whether Steve Jobs has logged off. This is seriously important news for Apple. Steve Jobs has been acclaimed as a skillful PR handler and master of hyperbole creating an eternal hype around the brand Apple. That’s how he reckons Apple should be-
“Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works”-Steve Jobs.
The above kinda summarises Apple. It’s a critical combination of aesthetics and performance that makes Apple machines as good as they are. The great thing about visually stunning gadgets is that people would still use it even if they have to compromise with performance. I reckon this applies to all beautiful things. But with Apple you DONOT have to compromise in quality as well. Its the ‘how it works’ factor that wins the game for Apple and Steve Jobs.
Now lemme find some usable lessons from the Apple story:-
- A product has to visually appeal to you as a creator first.
- It has to visually appeal to prospective customers, of course.( check out Dewalts drill- hardly a product that relies on its appearance for sales)
- It should work as promised- effortlessly. ( and not be hacked and hang often as a Windows)
- ‘Open for all, available at all times forever’- dilutes a product’s value in the eye’s of customers. Make it slightly ‘forbidden’, dn’t make it a ‘elite-club’ only product but…you get the point.
- Segment your market, or, it’ll be segmented for you at a tougher cost eventually.
Now all I am worried about is Apple’s growth without Steve jobs available. Does it mean an end of an era? Or, a change of course in a new direction? Or, space for budding competitors to surge ahead? Has Steve Jobs really logged off, or, simply suffering from after-affects of Apple compulsive Disorder?
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