Here are two new Apple ads to get you in the holiday spirit (some Hanukkah ads are on the way, right Steve?)
-Hillel
apple
Steve Jobs Vs. Tech N’ Marketing
Hi All,
A few days ago Hillel posted about the new Apple headphones, and we got many people responding to his blog post. One of the responses was a post by a gentleman named Brian. Here is his comment:
Author : Brian (IP: **********)
E-mail : ************@mac.com
URL :
Whois : ********
Comment:
Sorry, this is complete FUD. Just as Roger noted above, check out the various other in-ear buds out there and you’ll find they are all above $79. Anything less than that is in another class of quality.Why are you blaming Apple for this? I guess the secret is out. Apple is working with vendors to price fix all ear bud systems, oh wait, they weren’t the first out with these….
Please, remove the bullseye from Apple and let’s get some real facts in here before you spread more FUD.
I am going to leave all comments regarding the content of the post aside and focus on who is posting. I believe the person who posted this comment is a representative of the Apple corporation. If you look at the IP address, it tracks back to Apple Inc. If this is so, I am very disappointed with Brian’s unwillingness to tell us who he represents. It is truly unacceptable for Apple to be doing this.
Using tactics of Guerrilla marketing are often times necessary, but it needs to be done correctly:
Brian had some very big beginner’s mistakes:
1. Mask your freakin IP address! Come on everyone know that WordPress tracks your IP.
2. Don’t use terminology that only people from the industry use, like FUD . The Average Joe has no idea what FUD means.
3. Only use Guerrilla marketing when necessary – we are just some guys writing a blog about interesting stuff we come across and we write how we feel about it. DUDE, we are not your make it or break it point. Thanks for taking interest in us but look elsewhere.
I hope you own up to your comment and provide an explanation. Again, this is not about the content of the blog post or the comment (which is quite nasty) but rather about Brian and who he represents.
-Aryeh
Steve Jobs vs. The Simpsons
By now, I am sure most of you have seen The Simpsons’ take on Apple and their products. If you haven’t, you can watch it here.
When I initially watched that episode of the Simpsons, I thought to myself, are Apple products really that exclusive and expensive? After all, the amazing iPhone is only $199, so what are they talking about? Well, I found myself an answer to that question when searching for a better pair of earphones for my iPod Touch. The ones they come with are just not what they should be for so many reasons, so I turned to Apple.com to see what else they offer.
Here is where I almost fell off my chair. A pair of in-ear headphones that have a simple mic and remote on the wire (the 2nd gen iPod Touch needs a mic to use apps like audio recorders and VOIP calling), will set me back, $80??!! OK that’s a little ridiculous if you ask me. I guess Lisa was right.
OK so Apple is a little exorbitant, but here is the catch, here is where Apple’s genius comes into the picture. These $80 earphones received amazing reviews from anyone and everyone who had a chance to review them. CNET, for example, concluded ” If you own a new iPod, the Apple In-Ear headphones are a great value. Owners of iPhones and older iPods will have to decide whether the mic and remote compatibility issues are worth overlooking for the substantial boost in sound quality”. So they charge a lot, but at least they back their prices up with great products.
The even bigger catch than these earphones being worthy of everyone’s praise, is the fact that even though the price is outrageous, I want them! Not only do I want them (I want that Bentley too), I am seriously considering purchasing them in the near future (let’s hope my wife doesn’t read this).
-Hillel
Apple Passes RIM and Approaches Nokia in Smartphone Market
Looks like the economic situation did not affect the cellular world as hard as it did other sectors. The smartphone market is booming and we have Apple to thank for that.
Cnet reports that Apple sold 6.9 million iPhones in this quarter (did I understand that right? Sounds a little high to me), grabbing 17.3% of the market. RIM did not do so badly either increasing their market share by 5 points and Blackberry shipments by 83%.
Nokia remains number one, which actually kinda surprises me, I mean how many E71s could they possibly have sold? Microsoft did not have a bad quarter either increasing the number of Windows Mobile handsets shipped by 42% (what do you expect when you partner up with a giant like HTC?). However, a very interesting and amazing stat; Apple shipped more iPhones during the quarter than all the Windows Mobile devices shipped worldwide by Microsoft’s partners.
When it comes to mobile operating systems, big surprise, Nokia’s Symbian is the market leader followed by Apple then RIM.
If you ask me, I personally believe this is all about to change. With phones like the HD becoming available and the amazing Storm hitting shelves, I think Microsoft and RIM are going to be getting a significant boost, whereas iPhone sales are on their way down. That is of course, unless Apple has another trick up their sleeve, which would not surprise me.
-Hillel
Apple Does it Again
Apple released a few new videos recently that, as usual, captured my attention. The first one is an explanation or demonstration of the new Macbook’s multi-touch trackpad, while the other is just another genius iPhone commercial.
When it comes to the new trackpad, I would have to play around with it to determine whether it is absolutely genius or just some more shtick, that when it comes down to using, is too difficult for the average user. Maybe I will go down to the new Israeli Apple store and get the answer to that question. Either way, the video is well done and fun to watch.
As for the commercial, I don’t know how they do it, but I have yet to see an Apple commercial that I was not extremely impressed with (as opposed to some other company’s ad campaigns that I have now watched 30-40 times and still do not understand). There is nothing unbelievable about it, they did not spend 30 million on it, and there are no famous actors in it. It is simple, straight forward, and just a very good ad.
-Hillel
Apple Bites Back
So true.
-Aryeh
The New MacBooks
To shake things up a bit, Hillel posted about Apple’s marketing, and I am posting about their technology.
Yesterday Apple announced their new line of laptop computers. I’m going to make this short.
The major aspects of the new computers are:
- The new LED display: A very nice and bright display with no start-up time.
- The design: I don’t see an added benefit of having a body made of one piece of aluminum. OK it’s a little thinner and it looks hot. The computer is also lighter. OK, maybe there are some advantages.
- The hardware: Not much has changed, which is a big disappointment, except of course the graphics card, which will make some people happy.
- The enhanced mouse pad: Deletion of the mouse button and the glass touch pad with added gestures is a nice, interesting addition. Let’s see how the market takes it.
2 things that interested me in the Keynote:
1. Their time spent on describing the environmental features and how the new notebooks contain none of that bad stuff. I guess Apple really does care!
2. It is the first time ever that they have kept an old item in inventory once releasing a new one. You can still buy the plastic MacBook for $999. Very interesting change in the Apple Marketing Machine.
Aryeh
I am Now a Mac
Once again, Apple’s marketing team has managed to amaze me. The only question I have is, why don’t other companies, like say Microsoft, learn from Apple’s marketing strategies? They really are nothing short of brilliant.
Now I know this is Aryeh’s area of expertise, and I know nothing about marketing, except of course as an average consumer I know when marketing achieves its goals, i.e when I want to buy the product that is being marketed, but besides that, not much. However, after watching Apple’s video presentations, that they always post on their site right after a product is announced, I somehow always want to buy their product.
For example, 5 minutes ago, I was not interested in buying a new Macbook, nor did I know what the new Macbook offered that the old ones did not. I innocently surfed to Apple.com, maybe to check out some trailers, maybe to look at one of their innovative products. But before I could get to my destination, I clicked on a video presentation of the new Macbook, and guess what? I want one! I have officially been transformed from a PC to a MAC, in 5 minutes!
Isn’t that what marketing is all about?
This is not to mention Jobs’ brilliant keynotes, or any of their other marketing strategies, I already talked about those here. This is just a simple combination of caring enough to post a video presentation on the site, and making it just great enough, that after watching it, I know what I want for my birthday.
-Hillel
G1,iPhone, Tube, Omnia, and Apple Updates
A lot of cool things developing today in the cellular world. Just thought I would mention a few of them.
Let’s start with a great and comprehensive article on Techradar.com that compares the iPhone, G1, and Tube. It really puts all aspects of these three handsets to the test. You can read it here, but for all you lazy people who just want to know the conclusion, it was a tie between the iPhone and G1.
He sums it all up by saying:
“Well, which one do we like the most? The iPhone is complete in most areas, the Nokia Tube has some nice touches and decent features, especially in the media and camera section, yet the G1’s Android interface is super-smashing-great.
It’s surprising, but it’s a tie between the G1 and the iPhone at three wins each, and that’s with the G1 not even being nearly at full potential just yet.
The Nokia Tube is good in most areas, but doesn’t quite cut the mustard, especially when it comes to the S60 interface.
So well done to the iPhone and the G1… if you get either of these in your stocking, you should feel pretty smug with yourself”.
Another piece of exciting news is that Cnet has a full review of one of my favorites, the Omnia, you can read it here. There conclusion is, to sum it up in my own words, they did not love it! Oh well.
The last piece of exciting news is that HTC now offers a full emulator of how the G1 is going to look and perform. You can access it here, but don’t forget to press the Emulator option and not just the 3D image of the G1.
That’s all folks! Nothing else to report now, besides of course that I spent some time in the new Israel Apple store and had a great afternoon looking at things I will probably never be able to afford. It just seemed more fun then spending the afternoon in the flea market!
Just to end off on a positive note, check out this hands-on video of the Nokia Tube…
-Hillel
Israel Apple Store Does Not Disappoint
As I posted yesterday, the first Apple store launched last night in Ramat Aviv, Israel. Unfortunately, I was unable to make it to the opening, but after checking out their online store, I can safely say that Apple has done it again.
My two concerns about the store were that it would not offer current products, I thought they would have last generation iPods and Macs, and that the prices would be insanely high, like most other imported products in Israel.
Well, it seems I was wrong on both counts. The new store offers the new generation iPods, including the accelerometer Nano and the just announced iPod touch. As for the prices, they could be better, but they are, in my opinion, pretty reasonable.
The new Nano (16GB) that goes for $200 in the U.S, is being sold here for 1000 Shekel. Now, with the current dollar (the dollar fluctuates around 1 dollar=3.5 Shekel), that is a lot, but I think after saving the headache of getting it shipped overseas, and taxes, and most importantly, getting Apple service in Israel, the price really is pretty decent. The new Touch (32GB) is selling for 2,150 Shekel (it is sold for $400 in the U.S), also not so bad.
However, the Macbooks and the iMac are a totally different story. The top of the line iMac, which sells for $2200 (translated to around 8,000 Shekel) in the U.S, is being sold here for 11,700 Shekel. A little ridiculous if you ask me.
All in all, I will most definitely be buying my next iPod there, and of course, we are all waiting till Apple decides to sell their iPhones in Israel.
-Hillel
Genius – Not So Smart
Apple’s main theme in this past event was music. They launched a new service called Genius, in which with the click of a button you get recommendations to similar songs, and the iPod or iTunes automatically populates a playlist inside your own music collection. The request goes to some fancy algorithm cloud, and it is supposed to all be anonymous. What they don’t tell you is that you need to open an iTunes account in order to use the service. In order to open an iTunes account, you need to provide a US billing address and credit card number.
It’s just so backwards that they claim that Genius is anonymous, but they still need our private details. Ok so they don’t gather info on our song preferences, but rather all the private information that they can easily get from the credit card companies. Bad concept and dumb feature. I’m not going to use Genius.
-Aryeh