we read in an internet posting globe telecoms has slid to 3rd in total number of subscribers recently and have been overtaken by sun cellular. we will not discuss that now here as we still need to verify the numbers but that is a very sad state of affairs for globe.
sun is a crappy service. the only thing going for it is its unlimited calls and text but the service is pretty bad - texts take a long time to reach the other party if it reaches it at all and voice calls are very often choppy and garbled, not to mention frequent dropped calls and "service is unavailable" error messages. we can't even call the sun cell service as good value, nothing much is good about it and its value questionable. "cheap" is the only appropriate word to use for it.
with that profile, you can understand why it is a sad state of affairs that sun is able to overtake globe in number of subscribers. in many ways, it hurts less if the brand that overtakes your brand is superior than yours but for an inferior brand to achieve it, that hurts pretty bad.
BUT apple's latest - the iPhone 4 and iPad is here. globe is the exclusive partner of apple in the philippine market for the iPhone. we assume it will continue to be so for apples newest toys.
the iPhone 4 by all measures, that means the tech reviewers are going crazy over the latest version. it will have a new OS (iOS4) and has new and really great features. to name a few - a great display, longer battery life, a gyroscope and 2 cameras (back and front facing). almost all the tech reviewers this new iPhone is apple's best and a sure winner for consumers.
the other is the iPad which has taken the market by storm. before launch, it was a product nobody could place. people were excited about it. almost any new apple product excited people but this one was hard to place where it can be in the tech market. apple launched it and it was an instant success. it has sold 2 million units in just 2 months and it continue to escalate. by all accounts, the only barrier for further growth in unit sales for the iPad is the speed by which apple's factories can manufacture the gadget.
what this means is that apple has 2 excellent products that globe can use to spring it's subscriber base up. but the question is- has globe learned it's lesson the first time it launched the iPhone in the market?
the launch of the original iPhone was also an instant hit in the US market and in most markets it was sold. it was first sold in the US and apple stores had long lines of consumers waiting outside apple stores to get their hands on it. almost all of these consumers who lined up were there from the previous night, all of them camping out during the night just so they are able to get their hands on the iphone.
no such crazy adulation occurred in the philippines when globe launched it here. we have previously written about it before here and we said the reason for the absence of excitement for the iphone was the pricing strategy that globe adapted for the iphone. globe bevame greedy - they over-priced it so much so that very few could afford the iphone,
we also wrote that globe could have used the iphone as key marketing tool to get leadership away from smart. globe then was second to smart.
with the iphone 4 and the ipad appearing to be a real winner technologically and by techies acclaim, perhaps globe will be smart enough to bring back the sun into their subscriber base by doing the right thing the second time around. (pun intended)
mount pinatubo erupts shooting ashes several kilometers high, then floating to blanket many other towns hundreds of kilometers away
Showing posts with label apple. Show all posts
Showing posts with label apple. Show all posts
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Thursday, June 3, 2010
creating a string of successes through timing - the iPhone and the iPad
in this week's news, steve jobs said they started to developed the iPad ahead of the iPhone but they decided to launch the iPhone first and shelved the iPad work in the meantime.
it is hindsight but we think it was a brilliant move.
the iPad competes in the tablet sub segment of the computer market and during that time many tablet brands have failed. apple may very well have failed too if they launched the iPad then.
launching the iPhone ahead of the iPad was a good move as the iPhone was unique in the market it was getting launched into, its success in the market place was easier and more assured. there were no other cellphones during that time that had the features that the iPhone had. uniqueness is one of the key success factors in the launch of any new product.
the iPhone also prepared and in many ways built a lot of anticipation and excitement on the iPad. by the time the iPad launched, consumers have become familiar with the new touch technology that the iPhone had. apple also was already hugely successful with the iTunes and the app store. these were critical partners to the success of the iPhone. with consumers already knowing the success of the iPhone iTunes and the app store, the iPad became a very easu sell to consumers.
the sales numbers on the iPad are impressive - it has sold its 1 million unit much faster than the iPhone did and many analysts are now revising their sales projections on the iPad, more units than previous estimates.
launch timing in this one helped the success of a new product launch.
it is hindsight but we think it was a brilliant move.
the iPad competes in the tablet sub segment of the computer market and during that time many tablet brands have failed. apple may very well have failed too if they launched the iPad then.
launching the iPhone ahead of the iPad was a good move as the iPhone was unique in the market it was getting launched into, its success in the market place was easier and more assured. there were no other cellphones during that time that had the features that the iPhone had. uniqueness is one of the key success factors in the launch of any new product.
the iPhone also prepared and in many ways built a lot of anticipation and excitement on the iPad. by the time the iPad launched, consumers have become familiar with the new touch technology that the iPhone had. apple also was already hugely successful with the iTunes and the app store. these were critical partners to the success of the iPhone. with consumers already knowing the success of the iPhone iTunes and the app store, the iPad became a very easu sell to consumers.
the sales numbers on the iPad are impressive - it has sold its 1 million unit much faster than the iPhone did and many analysts are now revising their sales projections on the iPad, more units than previous estimates.
launch timing in this one helped the success of a new product launch.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
apple ipad's intro tv ad - the magic is in simplicity
one of the reasons we love apple products is its simplicity in almost everything in physical design, application and getting the most out of what we buy from them like i-tunes and the app store.
apple's tablet the ipad is no different. i do not think you can be more simpler than it is a large ipod touch. it is a disappointment that it is just a large ipod touch, we were hoping it was going to be a smaller or at least lighter and thinner macbook. we were saving mega bucks to get one of those just in case it will be a small, lighter and thinner macbook but it did not happen that way.
so we now have some cash saved up that we don't plan to allow apple to get at them for now. we bought apple stocks instead, which by the way has reached an all time high price of $219.08 as of yesterday's closing.
the ad like the product is a simple tv ad. it simply shows what you can do with it, mostly staying on the gestures you need to do to make it work just like you would in an ipod touch or iphone but in what at certain times felt like an awkward size - way to big. (if i hear a clink, it's my ipod touch falling on the floor but on this own it will be "thud" or a breaking glass.)
that's it? yes, that's it.
steve jobs describes the product as "magic". the ad did not show it. look, magic is something you have not seen before or something amazing. both was not shown the ipad has. so i guess, we will need to wait for the magic to appear in the future. sooner than later, i hope.
before we end this piece, we did see magic - it was on the nasdaq when AAPL reached it's all time high price last night. that is truly magical! we are looking forward to something like $300 within the year.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Sunday, April 26, 2009
apple releases 4 new "get a mac" tv ads
Apple "Get a Mac" ad: Biohazard Suit
This ad features PC in a Biohazard suit, and he explains that he is wearing it because PC viruses and malware have tippled in the last year, with estimates that 20,000 new ones discovered every day.
Legal Copy
In this ad, PC begins talking about the benefits of using a PC and as he talks the bottom of the (and eventually entire) screen fill up with the traditional small print legal info like what you may be use to seeing on a car or product ad. While the text isn't easy to read on a computer (PC or Mac) MacJournals was able to use a HD TV and has a copy of the entire small print available. It is worth pointing out that several items mentioned in the fine print, also apply to Apple computers.
Time Traveler
The next ad has PC in 2009 stepping into a time machine and headed for the year 2150 to see if the issues with a PC are ever resolved and if it becomes as stable as a Mac. When PC arrives in the future and begins to ask future PC questions, future PC freezes up.
Stacks
The fourth ad has PC going through thousands of photos looking for pictures of a friend and asks "what other way is there to do it". Mac responds talking about the facial recognition features available in iLife (iPhoto) which Mac adds in is included for free on every new Mac.
http://www.neoseeker.com/news/10517-apple-releases-new-get-a-mac-ads/
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
how much of a brilliant idea of a business model is Apple's App Store?
Posted by: Olga Kharif on March 18
According to iPhone apps tracker and reviewer 149Apps, you can own all 25,000 applications sold through Apple’s App Store for $71,442. If you think about it, that’s a staggeringly low number, which translates into an average of less than $3 per application (Actual per-application prices can be a lot higher, of course, since many of the games and e-books sold in the store are free). By contrast, it would take millions to buy everything on iTunes, with its millions of songs each currently priced at 99 cents. The higher average per-app price spells great revenue potential for the App Store.
Based on the App Store’s recent performane, the number of applications in the store now nearly doubles every two months (the store only had 15,000 applications in January). If that pace of growth continues, the store will have nearly 300,000 applications by year-end. Assuming the $3 average selling price holds, a consumer would have to spend $900,000 to buy up everything in sight.
The store’s revenue growth should balloon as well, though not at the same pace. App Store sales likely added up to $200 million in the December quarter, estimates Charlie Wolf, an analyst with Needham & Co. If app downloads were to grow at the same pace as the store’s catalogue — 20 times in one year — App Store sales will have reached $4 billion in the calendar fourth quarter of 2009. The whole company’s revenue in the calendar fourth quarter of 2008 (fiscal first quarter for Apple) reached $10 billion. Clearly, that’s not going to happen: The downloads are tied to sales of iPhone and iPod touch devices, and those aren’t going to grow 20 times this year.
Still, as the number of applications to tempt users with increases, that should help grow overall App Store sales faster. If an average iPhone user downloads, say, 10 apps today, that person may download 15 of them by year-end, if there’s more intriguing content to choose from. Apple’s March 17 software upgrade should help increase the number of downloads per user. It will enable a number of cool new applications: You’ll be able to easily locate people nearby who are playing the same game, for instance. For the App Store, the future looks bright.
source: http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/techbeat/archives/2009/03/apples_app_stor.html?chan=technology_technology+index+page_top+stories
Sunday, February 15, 2009
10 Ways Microsoft's Retail Stores Will Differ From Apple Stores
just too good not to publish here:
(source: http://www.pcworld.com/article/159521/10_ways_microsofts_retail_stores_will_differ_from_apple_stores.html)
10 Ways Microsoft's Retail Stores Will Differ From Apple Stores
Brennon Slattery, PC World
Microsoft announced plans to open retail stores, hoping to boost visibility of many of its products and its brand. The move seems to be an effort to mimic the success that Apple has had with its retail stores. The news is just too tempting not to have some fun with. So here are some yet-to-be-officially-revealed details about the Microsoft stores.
1) Instead of Apple's sheer walls of glass, Microsoft's stores will have brushed steel walls dotted with holes -- reminiscent of Windows security.
2) The store will have six different entrances: Starter, Basic, Premium, Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate. While all six doors will lead into the same store, the Ultimate door requires a fee of $100 for no apparent reason.
3) Instead of a "Genius Bar" (as Apple provides) Microsoft will offer an Excuse Bar. It will be staffed by Microsofties trained in the art of evading questions, directing you to complicated and obscure fixes, and explaining it's a problem with the hardware -- not a software bug.
4) The Windows Genuine Advantage team will run storefront security, assuming everybody is a thief until they can prove otherwise.
5) Store hours are undetermined. At any given time the store mysteriously shuts down instantaneously for no apparent reason. (No word yet on what happens to customers inside).
6) Stores will be named Microsoft Live Retail Store with PC Services for Digital Lifestyle Enthusiasts.
7) Fashioned after Microsoft's User Account Control (UAC) in Vista, sales personnel will ask you whether you're positive you want to purchase something at least twice.
8) Xbox 360 section of the store will be organized in a ring -- which will inexplicably go red occasionally.
9) DreamWorks will design a scary in-store theme park ride called "blue screen of death."
10) Store emergency exits will be unlocked at all times so people can get in anytime they want even if the front doors are locked.
(source: http://www.pcworld.com/article/159521/10_ways_microsofts_retail_stores_will_differ_from_apple_stores.html)
10 Ways Microsoft's Retail Stores Will Differ From Apple Stores
Brennon Slattery, PC World
Microsoft announced plans to open retail stores, hoping to boost visibility of many of its products and its brand. The move seems to be an effort to mimic the success that Apple has had with its retail stores. The news is just too tempting not to have some fun with. So here are some yet-to-be-officially-revealed details about the Microsoft stores.
1) Instead of Apple's sheer walls of glass, Microsoft's stores will have brushed steel walls dotted with holes -- reminiscent of Windows security.
2) The store will have six different entrances: Starter, Basic, Premium, Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate. While all six doors will lead into the same store, the Ultimate door requires a fee of $100 for no apparent reason.
3) Instead of a "Genius Bar" (as Apple provides) Microsoft will offer an Excuse Bar. It will be staffed by Microsofties trained in the art of evading questions, directing you to complicated and obscure fixes, and explaining it's a problem with the hardware -- not a software bug.
4) The Windows Genuine Advantage team will run storefront security, assuming everybody is a thief until they can prove otherwise.
5) Store hours are undetermined. At any given time the store mysteriously shuts down instantaneously for no apparent reason. (No word yet on what happens to customers inside).
6) Stores will be named Microsoft Live Retail Store with PC Services for Digital Lifestyle Enthusiasts.
7) Fashioned after Microsoft's User Account Control (UAC) in Vista, sales personnel will ask you whether you're positive you want to purchase something at least twice.
8) Xbox 360 section of the store will be organized in a ring -- which will inexplicably go red occasionally.
9) DreamWorks will design a scary in-store theme park ride called "blue screen of death."
10) Store emergency exits will be unlocked at all times so people can get in anytime they want even if the front doors are locked.
Monday, January 12, 2009
new apple vs microsoft battle looms - microsoft ceo steve ballmer's promise of "best windows ever" for windows 7
at the CES in las vegas, microsoft ceo streve ballmer made a solemn promise - windows 7 will be microsoft's best ever windows. windows beta is now online for downloading by curious cats to try it out. it's launch to the public was delayed by a day at least when according to microsoft, interest in downloading it was underestimated and the throng overwhelmed the microsoft servers. they had to pull it out of the download site to give them time to fix the problem.
we're hoping the screw up during the day 1 launch of windows 7 beta is not a preview of things to come for the best windows ever. it better not be for microsoft's sake. put plainly, microsoft cannot afford another screw up on this one coming from the total screw up on vista.
vista is possibly the most maligned windows in microsoft's history. and the market share shows it - to this date, windows XP still has 60% market share compared to vista's dismal 20% share. that means consumers would rather stay with the oldie XP than venture into a whole lot of headache and potential failures in using vista.
windows 7 have very difficult challenges ahead of it. vista needs to :
- to be better than XP
- avoid the failures of vista
- be demonstrably better than vista
- match if not be better than the mac OS leopard
- turn around the microsoft's maligned brand image
the screw ups and mud pies thrown at vista is world famous, google it and hundreds of complaints will pop up. and it this kind of screw up that apple exploited with their exacting and biting ads against vista. microsoft marketing executives have admitted as much that the apple ads have hurt window's brand image.
with the announcement that windows 7 will be the best windows ever, it is sure apple is preparing a new set of ads to do battle with windows 7. here is one of the many ads from apple that hurt vista. we can expect more of the same when windows 7 is launched.
we're hoping the screw up during the day 1 launch of windows 7 beta is not a preview of things to come for the best windows ever. it better not be for microsoft's sake. put plainly, microsoft cannot afford another screw up on this one coming from the total screw up on vista.
vista is possibly the most maligned windows in microsoft's history. and the market share shows it - to this date, windows XP still has 60% market share compared to vista's dismal 20% share. that means consumers would rather stay with the oldie XP than venture into a whole lot of headache and potential failures in using vista.
windows 7 have very difficult challenges ahead of it. vista needs to :
- to be better than XP
- avoid the failures of vista
- be demonstrably better than vista
- match if not be better than the mac OS leopard
- turn around the microsoft's maligned brand image
the screw ups and mud pies thrown at vista is world famous, google it and hundreds of complaints will pop up. and it this kind of screw up that apple exploited with their exacting and biting ads against vista. microsoft marketing executives have admitted as much that the apple ads have hurt window's brand image.
with the announcement that windows 7 will be the best windows ever, it is sure apple is preparing a new set of ads to do battle with windows 7. here is one of the many ads from apple that hurt vista. we can expect more of the same when windows 7 is launched.
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer touts 'best Windows ever' at International
Consumer Electronics Show
LAS VEGAS - Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer kicked off the 2009 International Consumer Electronics Show on Wednesday with an impassioned endorsement of PCs and a sneak peek at the company's future Windows 7 operating system.
As expected, Ballmer announced that Microsoft is releasing a beta version of Windows 7, which will be available for download beginning Friday. The news suggests the world's largest software maker may be giving up efforts to rehabilitate its often-maligned Vista operating system, which was released worldwide in January 2007.
''We are on track to deliver the best version of Windows ever,'' Ballmer told an audience of several thousand tech professionals and journalists inside a cavernous ballroom at the Venetian Hotel. ''We're working hard to get it right and get it ready.''
read in full here : http://www.nydailynews.com/money/2009/01/08/2009-01-08_microsoft_ceo_steve_ballmer_touts_best_w-4.html
Friday, January 9, 2009
apple products "product cycles"
so maybe i'm not a certified applenatics that is why i did not know that apple has certain months when they announce new things or improvements for their products. "product cycles" is what they call it.
found the above from a news article from NY Times, click here to read article in full :http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/08/technology/personaltech/08pogue-email.html?bl&ex=1231563600&en=45ee9cc416dcd0bd&ei=5087%0A
what that means is if you plan to buy an apple product, then perhaps it is best to wait after during the month, above, depending on the product you are thinking of buying. that is true specially if the month you are buying it is very close to that product's product cycle month.
But he also pointed out that having to come up with another dazzling show every January—a huge production, starring knock-'em-dead new products every year—was unsustainable. He noted that Apple marches to certain annual product cycles: the holiday season (Novemberish), the educational buying season (late summer), the iPod product cycle (October), the iLife development cycle (usually March), the iPhone cycle (June). January doesn't fit ANY of them.
found the above from a news article from NY Times, click here to read article in full :http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/08/technology/personaltech/08pogue-email.html?bl&ex=1231563600&en=45ee9cc416dcd0bd&ei=5087%0A
what that means is if you plan to buy an apple product, then perhaps it is best to wait after during the month, above, depending on the product you are thinking of buying. that is true specially if the month you are buying it is very close to that product's product cycle month.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
macworld 2009 minus steve jobs - the world did not end!
applenatics and stevenatics gave a collective sigh - the world did not end when macworld started and ended without steve jobs giving the keynote address and the world did not end.
the world also did not shake with the announcements made during the event. with the kind of announcements made at the macworld, it made sense that steve jobs stayed home to rest and recuperate from his hormone defficiency.
of the new things, two favorites of mine is the new 17" MacBook Pro and lower itunes prices. the longer battery life, 8 hours of oomph is exciting.
the world also did not shake with the announcements made during the event. with the kind of announcements made at the macworld, it made sense that steve jobs stayed home to rest and recuperate from his hormone defficiency.
of the new things, two favorites of mine is the new 17" MacBook Pro and lower itunes prices. the longer battery life, 8 hours of oomph is exciting.
Apple unveils software updates, new laptop
Ryan Kim, Chronicle Staff Writer
The presentation included updates to the iLife and iWork software suites, a new 17-inch MacBook Pro with an 8-hour battery and a new digital rights management-free iTunes library with tiered pricing.
Starting at $2,799 and available in late January, the new MacBook Pro features Apple's unibody aluminum enclosure, which other models received this past summer. But the big news was the battery life for the machine, which has a 40-percent larger battery capable of up to eight hours of continuous use.
--
ITunes is finally getting a full slate of digital rights protection-free music that will come in a higher-quality 256 kbps AAC encoding format. About 8 million songs will be available immediately, and by the end of the quarter the remaining 2 million songs also will be available without digital rights management protections.
Also, Apple is now offering music at three price points: 69 cents, the traditional 99 cents and $1.29. Most albums will still sell for $9.99. The move satisfies one of the longer-running complaints of the music labels, which have wanted more flexibility in pricing in the iTunes Music Store. Users can upgrade their existing library of songs to DRM-free iTunes Plus for 30 cents a track or 30 percent of an album price.
read in full here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/01/07/BUL6154I2V.DTL
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
macworld 2009 - the first, the last and forever
first things first, let's get this out of the way on the first paragraph ---- steve jobs is alive and will still be alive. it's just a simple thing as "hormone imbalance" that has zapped steve's body mass on its way to flesh and bones. the good news is its a very much straightforward fix - he will regain what was lost in a few week's time with a simple remedy. (200 lbs oprah, are you getting this?)
Apple CEO Blames 'Hormone Imbalance' for Weight Lossthe macworld 2009 will probably be the most special ever in the history of macworld.
What Steve Jobs' Weight Loss May Tell Us About His Health
By DAN CHILDS
ABC News Medical Unit
Jan. 5, 2009
Apple Inc. founder and chief executive Steve Jobs confronted widespread speculation about his apparent weight loss in a statement issued today that attributed his gaunt appearance to an easily treated hormone imbalance.
The announcement follows a flurry of speculation in 2008 about the 53-year-old CEO's weight loss, including rumors of a worsening pancreatic condition -- rumors Jobs said are unfounded.
read in full: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/CancerPreventionAndTreatment/story?id=6580484&page=1
it will be the first time that steve jobs will not make the keynote address. it's usually his thing to do. and when he does his thing, the apple faithful swoons to heaven, after passing through the bank to get cash to buy the newest apple product that jobs will announce in his keynote address.
it is also the last time that apple will participate in macword. many may not know it, but macworld is an IDG event, a separate company that does events for mmany industries. apple is just invited to participate, err star in it.
will there be a macworld 2010? it would be foolish for IDG not to have it. even if apple does not participate in it, they will still come. we think that is the kind of following apple has among the throngs of techno fanatics.
after macworld 2009, even without steve jobs in it, and even if jobs has more than just a hormone imbalance and he joins the great white in heaven (heaven forbid), apple is set for forever. this is question is often asked these days - is there life for apple after steve jobs.
we think there is. apple's success model has very much been defined over the years with very clear cut principles and directions, etched in ways more pronounced than the tablet that had the ten commandments in them. the strength of a company is in its strategic thinking, its brand equities. and apple's strategic thinking and brand equities are probably the clearest for any brand in the world today.
pause for a minute, and think about it - there are very distinct and powerful similarities in the mac, ipod, iphone and the itunes. there is no mistaking on what were the key strategies that made for these products being the icons and leaders in their respective fields.
macworld may not be one of those exactly, but even the one that will start in less than 24 hours tell a very clear story on the kind of equities and passions people have towards apple. blogs and newswires continue to be pregnant with rumors and speculation what will be announced and not announced during macworld. in a perverse way, the world seem to have moved on from the fact that jobs will not give the keynote address.
speculation and excitement are ripe and palpable. but here's one of the hottest speculation and rumor --- that contrary to what apple announced, steve jobs will make a surprise appearance in macworld.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
macworld event - applenatics and stevenatics restless and protesting
it's brewing. there is a strong undertow but pretty soon, the closer we get to the macworld event, applenatics, apple product fanatics and stevenatics, steve jobs fanatics will bring it all on the surface. it's an event to watch out for, for very different reasons.
Steve Jobs
The ailing creator of the iPod and iPhone is next to irreplaceable.
For two years I wrote a satirical blog under the persona of Apple founder and CEO Steve Jobs, and one of the recurring themes was that Jobs is not actually human but in fact is a demigod, the offspring of Zeus and a mortal woman, an immortal figure who uses his extraordinary powers to restore a sense of childlike wonder to the world by creating magical consumer-electronics products like the iPod and iPhone. This is, after all, a CEO who inspires a frightening level of adoration from Apple fanatics. These people think nothing of camping out overnight in freezing cold weather just to attend one of his speeches. No other chief executive is so inextricably linked to his company's brand and products. As one Wall Street analyst put it this year, "Apple is Steve Jobs, and Steve Jobs is Apple."
Alas, however, Jobs is all too human, as became evident in June when he appeared at an Apple conference looking frail and gaunt, causing Apple watchers to worry that perhaps Jobs had suffered a recurrence of the pancreatic cancer for which he underwent surgery four years ago. Later, word leaked that Jobs had undergone surgery in the spring. Fears flamed up again in December when Apple announced that he would not give his annual keynote address at the Macworld conference in January. Asked about Jobs's health, an Apple spokesman says that if at some point Jobs were unable to perform his duties as CEO, Apple would make this known.
Jobs cofounded Apple in 1976, got tossed out in 1985 and returned in 1997, when the company was as close to death as a company can get. Since then he has orchestrated one of the greatest turnarounds in corporate history, making Apple into the hottest brand in consumer electronics. At the end of 1997 Apple stock was trading for about three bucks a share. Today those shares trade for $96, after shooting as high as $202 earlier this year. The weak economy might take some wind out of Apple's sails, especially since the company sells mostly to consumers rather than to corporate customers, and because Apple's products are hardly cheap. On the other hand, Apple's customers are fiercely loyal and aren't penny-pinching bargain hunters. They're not likely to start buying Dell computers or Motorola cell phones just to save a few bucks. If anything, they'll just wait a bit longer before upgrading their Apple gear.
Jobs began Apple's turnaround with the 2001 introduction of the iPod, which defined and then dominated the portable-music-player market—and which became central to the resuscitation of Apple's computer line. The Mac, once derided as a toy, today is the best personal computer on the planet, period. And the iPhone is the best smart phone. Nothing else comes close. As of the third quarter of 2008, Apple's iPhone was outselling the Research in MotionBlackBerry, even though the iPhone had been in the market for only 15 months. When measured by revenues, Apple has become the world's third-largest mobile-phone maker, behind Nokia and Samsung. All this is happening just as mobile devices are poised to become the most important omputing platform.
For all this and more, thank Steve Jobs. He's not an engineer. He can't write a line of software code. He is, by most accounts, a terrible manager, prone to tantrums and abusive tirades, almost unbearable to work for. But he is also a genius —a relentless perfectionist with a keen eye for design and a Zen master's sense of which features to leave out. His products are simple, spare and elegant, with the best user interfaces in the world.Moreover, Apple is not Jobs's only home run. In 1986 he spent $10 million to buy a sad little company that was trying (and mostly failing) to sell specialized, high-end graphics computers. Twenty years later, having renamed the outfit Pixar and turned it into an animation house, he sold it to Disney for $7.4 billion
http://www.newsweek.com/id/176318
life without meaning or steve jobs not on stage at the macworld conference
i both understand and do not understand what the fuzz is about apple's announcement that steve jobs not delivering the keynote address in the coming macworld event.
here's why i understand it. steve jobs in my mind is his generation's most brilliant marketer in the world, bar none. no one man has done what steve jobs has done - he was kicked out the company he has built after he introduced apple computers.
he came back to it, but did other things - macbook, ipod, itunes, iphone and back to the mac. all those things have changed not only our digital life but also our real lifestyle. they are not just brilliantly marketed products, they were superior products that not only led the industry the products competed in, it changed it, if it did not create a whole new industry by itself.
that is a very eloquent statement on why many are disappointed that steve jobs will not be at the macworld event. apple is steve jobs and steve jobs is apple. its just not the same if it does not come from the horse's mouth itself. well steve job's mouth.
all those marvelous and life changing products are largely credited to steve jobs.
and that's the part that i don't understand. are we sure that's all of steve job's doing? how sure are we on that? steve jobs must be a superman or some alien working out of cupertino.
when apple announced jobs will not be the keynote speaker, apple stock prices dropped by at least 7%. i don't get that - investors who bought apple stocks are buying into steve jobs and not apple products? that is what they seem to be saying.
it's as if without steve jobs around, all the macs, iphone and ipod will stop working or consumers will stop buying them. it's like telling us what most people bought were not ipods and iphones but a piece of steve jobs. that sounds really sexy and poetic, but come on now!
don't get me wrong. i have long been a fan of steve jobs. on my very first trip to the US many years ago, i had asked my hosts to drive me to their cupertino headquarters and had a picture of myself taken in front of their office. and i have read everything written about steve jobs since then.
but i'm not one who thinks owning an ipod means owning a piece of steve jobs and his absence will remove all meaning on life and apple products. i would love to have steve jobs to live forever and to be at every apple event but the world will not crumble without him.
apple's product, r&d and marketing strategies are so crystal clear that i'll be surprised if they are not written in stone in some sacred mountain. having these strategies and thinking clear and solid ensures apple will thrive as a company for more years to come with or without steve jobs. unless, of course those who will replace jobs don't know how to read and can't think.
macworld will continue to be an event to watch. but it will be for a different reason. this time, it will not be for what jobs will say but it will be for what he will not say and who will say it.
after that event, i'll come back here and talk about what i understand and what i don't understand.
here's why i understand it. steve jobs in my mind is his generation's most brilliant marketer in the world, bar none. no one man has done what steve jobs has done - he was kicked out the company he has built after he introduced apple computers.
he came back to it, but did other things - macbook, ipod, itunes, iphone and back to the mac. all those things have changed not only our digital life but also our real lifestyle. they are not just brilliantly marketed products, they were superior products that not only led the industry the products competed in, it changed it, if it did not create a whole new industry by itself.that is a very eloquent statement on why many are disappointed that steve jobs will not be at the macworld event. apple is steve jobs and steve jobs is apple. its just not the same if it does not come from the horse's mouth itself. well steve job's mouth.
all those marvelous and life changing products are largely credited to steve jobs.
and that's the part that i don't understand. are we sure that's all of steve job's doing? how sure are we on that? steve jobs must be a superman or some alien working out of cupertino.
when apple announced jobs will not be the keynote speaker, apple stock prices dropped by at least 7%. i don't get that - investors who bought apple stocks are buying into steve jobs and not apple products? that is what they seem to be saying.
it's as if without steve jobs around, all the macs, iphone and ipod will stop working or consumers will stop buying them. it's like telling us what most people bought were not ipods and iphones but a piece of steve jobs. that sounds really sexy and poetic, but come on now!
don't get me wrong. i have long been a fan of steve jobs. on my very first trip to the US many years ago, i had asked my hosts to drive me to their cupertino headquarters and had a picture of myself taken in front of their office. and i have read everything written about steve jobs since then.
but i'm not one who thinks owning an ipod means owning a piece of steve jobs and his absence will remove all meaning on life and apple products. i would love to have steve jobs to live forever and to be at every apple event but the world will not crumble without him.
apple's product, r&d and marketing strategies are so crystal clear that i'll be surprised if they are not written in stone in some sacred mountain. having these strategies and thinking clear and solid ensures apple will thrive as a company for more years to come with or without steve jobs. unless, of course those who will replace jobs don't know how to read and can't think.
macworld will continue to be an event to watch. but it will be for a different reason. this time, it will not be for what jobs will say but it will be for what he will not say and who will say it.
after that event, i'll come back here and talk about what i understand and what i don't understand.
Monday, November 10, 2008
apple exploits a product failure and bad consumer experience on microsoft vista
good ads are those that use the most simple of words and delivers the most simple of thoughts. combine those to a powerful message and it can be magic. this apple ad will most likely not win awards, but the ad uses simple words, simple thoughts and a very competitive message and that combination means it can be very effective. add to that list - relevance and meaningfullness as the consumer experience on vista's product failures that are being told in the ad are actual consumer experiences.
classic marketing dilemma : funds for advertising or product improvements, apple's bite on vista
the apple brand management and advertising people are simply having the best time of their lives with these "i am a mac, i am a pc" tv ad campaign. they're simply out there to exploit any, small or big, weakness that microsoft gives them.
this is one is really tiny, with really little to do with brand building, but its damn irritating to watch if you are from microsoft. well, okay, it has some redeeming advertising value - it casts doubt on vista's performance. it makes would be consumers think twice on whether vista's product failures have been fixed or not.
we concede that that alone may be a big factor. well, it is possible, we just don't know how probable it is. macs have been receiving great reviews and strong interests lately with increased market share and vista has been humbled to product failure jail - add to that a consumer doubt and those who are about to plunk down $1,000+ for a new computer just might decide in favor of macs on the basis of doubt.
it's really just casting doubt - microsioft has the largest R&D budget in the world, so it is not true that microsoft is not spending enough in product improvements. and it's hard to believe microsoft has stopped fixing the problems on vista. perhaps microsoft may not be moving fast enough to fix all problems but just the same apple is exploiting every centimeter of opening it can see.
this apple ad is a marketing classic - will the brand spend its money on product improvement or on advertising to convince it's users the product is a good one?
microsoft's ads is trying the latter. that's really great -- $350M worth of ads. the first one was a failure, the latest one might do it. but with so much talk about windows 7, that i think leaves further doubt on vista and this time courtesy of microsoft itself.
this loud talk about windows 7 seem to confirm vista is a dead brand. they even announced when windows 7 will be made available. what the hell will pc owners with vista do till then? and from now till last quarter 2009 when they launch vista, why will i buy a pc with vista?
apple must be just so happy to have microsoft as a competitor! tsk tsk
this is one is really tiny, with really little to do with brand building, but its damn irritating to watch if you are from microsoft. well, okay, it has some redeeming advertising value - it casts doubt on vista's performance. it makes would be consumers think twice on whether vista's product failures have been fixed or not.
we concede that that alone may be a big factor. well, it is possible, we just don't know how probable it is. macs have been receiving great reviews and strong interests lately with increased market share and vista has been humbled to product failure jail - add to that a consumer doubt and those who are about to plunk down $1,000+ for a new computer just might decide in favor of macs on the basis of doubt.
it's really just casting doubt - microsioft has the largest R&D budget in the world, so it is not true that microsoft is not spending enough in product improvements. and it's hard to believe microsoft has stopped fixing the problems on vista. perhaps microsoft may not be moving fast enough to fix all problems but just the same apple is exploiting every centimeter of opening it can see.
this apple ad is a marketing classic - will the brand spend its money on product improvement or on advertising to convince it's users the product is a good one?
microsoft's ads is trying the latter. that's really great -- $350M worth of ads. the first one was a failure, the latest one might do it. but with so much talk about windows 7, that i think leaves further doubt on vista and this time courtesy of microsoft itself.
this loud talk about windows 7 seem to confirm vista is a dead brand. they even announced when windows 7 will be made available. what the hell will pc owners with vista do till then? and from now till last quarter 2009 when they launch vista, why will i buy a pc with vista?
apple must be just so happy to have microsoft as a competitor! tsk tsk
Friday, October 31, 2008
microsoft's new dirty word : v#$@!$&!
well, yeah, come to think of it - microsoft's "i am a pc" ads do not mention v(blip) by name. in fact they just say "pc", not even windows. its strange because all of these is being caused by v(blip)'s failure to impress users and gain the market share they wanted it to do. i suppose microsoft is just hoping these ads will give a halo effect on v(blip).
and now, apple makes use of that omission in its ads. we are impressed with apple - they are able to see even small things such as the omission of a brand name in an ad.
which makes us wonder even more - why did microsoft omit v(blip) in its tv spots? is that word so dirty that they are afraid if they mentioned it in the ad, people will automatically tune off? that it's mention in their ad might weaken the ad?
read other posts on this topic here : http://the-wawam-file.blogspot.com/search/label/i%20am%20mac%20i%20am%20pc
and now, apple makes use of that omission in its ads. we are impressed with apple - they are able to see even small things such as the omission of a brand name in an ad.
which makes us wonder even more - why did microsoft omit v(blip) in its tv spots? is that word so dirty that they are afraid if they mentioned it in the ad, people will automatically tune off? that it's mention in their ad might weaken the ad?
read other posts on this topic here : http://the-wawam-file.blogspot.com/search/label/i%20am%20mac%20i%20am%20pc
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
apple ads that bite on vista
it's really very hard not to love these apple ads. it's not just that they do a great job at biting vista, they are very amusing but direct to the point, you know exactly what they want you to understand and remember.
it's very amusing at the way they it exposes the weaknesses of vista. being very competitive and combining that with humor is not very easy to do in advertising. but in these ads, it comes very naturally.
the bonus is that it sustains the image of mac as a very cool and hip brand and product. if there is one element in the mac brand equity where it is clearly superior over vista/microsoft, it is in being hip and cool.
it's no surprise that even microsoft admitted that aside from product problems on vista, the apple ads hurt their business.
Give Up On Vista
Leopard Better And Faster Than Vista
Emergency Refresh
PC News Wire
it's very amusing at the way they it exposes the weaknesses of vista. being very competitive and combining that with humor is not very easy to do in advertising. but in these ads, it comes very naturally.
the bonus is that it sustains the image of mac as a very cool and hip brand and product. if there is one element in the mac brand equity where it is clearly superior over vista/microsoft, it is in being hip and cool.
it's no surprise that even microsoft admitted that aside from product problems on vista, the apple ads hurt their business.
Give Up On Vista
Leopard Better And Faster Than Vista
Emergency Refresh
PC News Wire
iphone reaches 10M sales, 3 months ahead of schedule. world domination is on track
Apple Profit Rises 26% as IPhone Sales Top Analysts' Estimates
By Connie Guglielmo
Oct. 21 (Bloomberg) -- Apple Inc. posted a 26 percent rise in profit as iPhone sales topped estimates and Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs reassured investors the computer maker will pull through an economic slump. The shares jumped 15 percent.
``We may get buffeted around by the waves a little bit, but we'll be fine and stronger than ever when the waters calm in the future,'' Jobs told analysts in his first appearance on the earnings conference call in eight years.
Apple sold 6.89 million iPhones in the quarter, reaching Jobs's goal of selling 10 million handsets three months ahead of schedule. Gene Munster, an analyst at Piper Jaffray & Co., had estimated sales of 5 million. The demand for the iPhone, along with record shipments of Macintosh computers, helped investors look past a forecast that missed analysts' estimates.
``I still fully expect the company to gain share even in this turbulent economy,'' said Jim Grossman, an analyst at Thrivent Financial for Lutherans in Appleton, Wisconsin, which owns Apple shares.
Fourth-quarter profit advanced to $1.14 billion, or $1.26 a share, Cupertino, California-based Apple said in a statement. That beat the $1.11 a share estimated by analysts in a Bloomberg survey. Sales rose 27 percent to $7.9 billion in the three months ended Sept. 27.
Apple rose $13.40 to $104.89 in extended trading after closing at $91.49 on the Nasdaq Stock Market. The shares have lost 54 percent this year.
`Hyper Conservative'
Profit this quarter will be $1.06 to $1.35 a share and sales will be as much as $10 billion, Apple said. Analysts had predicted earnings of $1.66 a share and revenue of $10.6 billion, according to a Bloomberg survey.
``They're just being hyper conservative,'' said Piper Jaffray's Munster, who is based in Minneapolis. ``For the most part, they haven't seen the economic slowdown in their core businesses.''
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=axueHSOtLHpQ&refer=home
By Connie Guglielmo
Oct. 21 (Bloomberg) -- Apple Inc. posted a 26 percent rise in profit as iPhone sales topped estimates and Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs reassured investors the computer maker will pull through an economic slump. The shares jumped 15 percent.
``We may get buffeted around by the waves a little bit, but we'll be fine and stronger than ever when the waters calm in the future,'' Jobs told analysts in his first appearance on the earnings conference call in eight years.
Apple sold 6.89 million iPhones in the quarter, reaching Jobs's goal of selling 10 million handsets three months ahead of schedule. Gene Munster, an analyst at Piper Jaffray & Co., had estimated sales of 5 million. The demand for the iPhone, along with record shipments of Macintosh computers, helped investors look past a forecast that missed analysts' estimates.
``I still fully expect the company to gain share even in this turbulent economy,'' said Jim Grossman, an analyst at Thrivent Financial for Lutherans in Appleton, Wisconsin, which owns Apple shares.
Fourth-quarter profit advanced to $1.14 billion, or $1.26 a share, Cupertino, California-based Apple said in a statement. That beat the $1.11 a share estimated by analysts in a Bloomberg survey. Sales rose 27 percent to $7.9 billion in the three months ended Sept. 27.
Apple rose $13.40 to $104.89 in extended trading after closing at $91.49 on the Nasdaq Stock Market. The shares have lost 54 percent this year.
`Hyper Conservative'
Profit this quarter will be $1.06 to $1.35 a share and sales will be as much as $10 billion, Apple said. Analysts had predicted earnings of $1.66 a share and revenue of $10.6 billion, according to a Bloomberg survey.
``They're just being hyper conservative,'' said Piper Jaffray's Munster, who is based in Minneapolis. ``For the most part, they haven't seen the economic slowdown in their core businesses.''
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=axueHSOtLHpQ&refer=home
Thursday, September 25, 2008
microsoft - apple advertising war - what's coming up next?
apple started it and they started it very well. so well that together with vista's product problems, windows' brand image took a dive. so much to the level that microsoft felt the need to ante up a $300M ad campaign to save themselves from the hole.
now that microsoft's ads are out, what's next in this advertising war?
probably more of the same from microsoft. new ads that they will find the need to explain what they mean. and ads that they will say this isn't it yet, this is just a start, more to come. well, ok microsoft's 3rd ad is better than the first two, so taking that as a trend, microsoft's new ads will most likely be again, baby steps ads - ads with teeny weeny bit improvements from the previous.
what is most worth watching out for would be the new apple ads.
the "i am a mac, i am a pc" apple ads are just great ads. with microsoft's ads, it gave the apple ads a lot of legitimacy and credibility. in the process, microsoft's ads may have enhanced the power of the apple ads. it's interesting that this brand with a tiny market share has defined the agenda in this advertising war.
apple will need to respond and these new apple ads may be nuclear in strength in the next round. the microsoft ads gave apple a lot of new material to play with. they can now be more competitive and sharper against microsoft.
apple now finds itself in a position of greater strength and clearly in the lead versus microsoft. microsoft's lousy ads told apple they are on the right track and gave them the best motivation and inspiration to be even more competitive. it's the best gift any adman can have - one from your competition.
read more posts on this microsoft and apple ads here : http://the-wawam-file.blogspot.com/search/label/i%20am%20mac%20i%20am%20pc
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