Considering that ConnTIP is a blog with a focus on technology, we are, I guess, obligated to add to some more free PR to the Apple Tablet craze by having a post about it. Anyone who bothers to read ConnTIP undoubtedly has read ad nauseum about the new Apple product which is rumored to be unveiled today. Just do a Google search for “Apple” and “tablet” and you’ll find many articles ranging from main stream media news sources (e.g. CNN, NY Times, CNBC (where McGraw-Hill Companies CEO appeared to “unwittingly” spill the beans during an interview) and WSJ (which has its own sub-page on the subject entitled “Apple Tablet“)) to more tech-centric sites (e.g. TechCrunch, Inc. and Web 3.0). This doesn’t even count the plethora of blog entries out, including blogs focused entirely on the Tablet product.
What has fascinated me just as much as the product and its potential is watching the Apple marketing machine go at full force. It’s become a somewhat old routine, as far back as the introduction of the Macintosh (and those cool Super Bowl commercials) Apple, and Steve Jobs in particular, has had a flair for the dramatic. This somewhat viral marketing strategy is all that more effective in the current media/information environment where rumors and hype intensify via Twitter, blogs, YouTube, etc. Still, hype is not enough to get the type of success Apple enjoys. I’m reminded of plethora of internet rumors leading up to the unveiling of the Segway, where a new type of transportation was said to have been invented that would revolutionize how we got around (I distinctly remember that some type of hovercraft device was a prevailing thought). Although somewhat successful in its own right, Segway is nowhere near Apple’s products, and I think it’s because Apple not only has marketing hype and innovative products, but also develops products which appeal to the masses insofar as the products (1) are relatively easy to learn to use, (2) are relatively priced and (3) recognize how people live and work and, as such, serve to make our living experience easier and more enjoyable.
Apple serves as a great model for any start-up to study and emulate, as, even in one of the worst economic climates in our lifetime, where people have less disposable income, Apple, Inc. posted a 50% rise in profit and a 32% increase in revenue for its fiscal first quarter ended 12/26/09.
-Gregg J. Lallier
[...] Tablet and Medical Records 27 01 2010 Although the buzz surrounding the Apple Tablet has become a load roar over the past weeks, we would be remiss if we didn’t highlight the [...]