When did Apple become boring?
Historically, no company in the tech industry has performed nearly as well as Apple at creating an immense amount of anticipation for its products. After all, do we really care when Sony releases its next HDTV or Dell announces a refresh to its notebook line?
And while every other company in the world gets a free pass when they quietly refresh a product line, Apple doesn't. Why is that, you ask? Simple really -- Steve Jobs has created one of the most fantastic promotion campaigns the world has ever seen and Apple is easily the very best at "selling" a product before it's even available in stores.
But lately, Apple has tried something different. Instead of amazing us with fantastic new designs (aside from the MacBook Air) and extremely important updates, the company has followed a plan where it would quietly announce a new update each Tuesday. Just over the past month, Apple has dropped the price of its iPod Shuffle, announced the release of the Apple TV Take 2 and today, refreshed its MacBook and MacBook Pro lines.
And while some may be happy to see Apple doing just that, I can't help but wonder why anyone cares. Beyond that, what happened to innovation and groundbreaking updates? Has Steve Jobs and company slowed down the innovation to focus on something else?
Now, I'll be the first to say that most people ask too much of Apple. After all, how many times can the company come up with the best and brightest device until it finally runs out of ideas or money? On top of that, it doesn't make sound financial sense to constantly change products. But hasn't Apple spoiled us all along?
Major Apple updates have become so customary over the past few years that it's as if a quiet update to a product line is a bridge to something bigger and better. In fact, I would venture to say that because of the company's focus on big announcements by its CEO, most people have come to expect it every time something new happens. And if it doesn't, the release of the update quickly becomes the source of another rumor post that asks when the real update will be coming along.
When did Apple becoming the boring company that Sony and the rest are? Aren't we supposed to see Steve Jobs announce an unbelievable new update each time the word "MacBook" comes up?
Since its release back in 2006, the MacBook Pro has been updated or introduced about six times, depending on what you count as a "true" upgrade. All the while, the footprint has stayed roughly the same, the design has remained static and the only witnessed changes were on the component side.
And although it has only been around for two years, people are already asking why Apple hasn't changed its design. Huh? It has only been two years!
But in the end, it's this issue of hoping and waiting that has created somewhat a problem for Apple. Is the company still considered the most innovative tech company around? Sure. Does it make some of the nicest products? Yep. But it's because of all the hoopla surrounding its products and its effective promotion campaigns that everyone has come to expect a big announcement from Steve Jobs each month.
But in reality that's not only impossible, it's dumb. Why would any company want to throw its CEO on stage to announce a new iPod Shuffle? Would that make any sense?
But alas, this is a monster that Apple has created and so far, it's unwilling to relinquish that strategy. But then again, why would it? It works.
Don't get too excited about Apple updates and try to tell the world that you just know something bigger is coming along. This makes sound business sense and when Jobs does take the floor again, you'll be happy. Until then, enjoy your refresh.
Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has written about everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Don is a member of the CNET Blog Network, and posts at The Digital Home. He is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure.
I do however agree. I am not an Apple hater, I just don't see the hype.
That being said, if Apple could make major redesigns every six months they would. They know Apple fans would buy laptops yearly if they were significantly different. I think they are stretched too thin right now. MacBook is on the back burner - for now. In the last eight months they have released the iPhone, iPod touch, a new iPod nano, the MacBook Air, and a new OS. That's rather astonishing.
How can you say they are boring?
There was a lot of buzz about Googles Android, and now there is much buzz about the new Apple iPhone SDK. With four days left in February we are left with nothing more than a hardware update. I expected more from Apple this time because they made the promise to release by the end of this month. :-(
mcooper13, you've got a point, Apple has been very busy this last year. I read that Steve Jobs doesn't want the company to hire more people because it would slow down innovation. I suppose that he only wants to hire and keep the talented people that form the well oiled machine that is Apple, Inc. That doesn't mean that consumers and developers won't have higher expectations of Apple. We want the future now! :-)
http://blog.wired.com/business/2008/02/iphone-sdk-arri.html
Good luck to both.
Source:
http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/14/google-android-will-outsell-iphone-we-still-love-you-steve/
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by Xiaxua
February 26, 2008 3:29 PM PST
- The MacBook Pro design is a lot older than 2 years: it's been relatively unchanged since the Powerbook G4 aluminiums. That's a lifetime in IT, which is counted in dog years. Apple has just been lazy, that's all.
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