Apple abused Macworld organizers, is it time to kick Apple news release?
Do users actually read press coverage of Apple? Apple used and now abused the Macworld organizers? Is it time to kill the Apple press event?
After all the hoopla surrounding Steve Jobs’ absence from Apple’s last Macworld keynote subsided, it was finally time for us all to tune into Phil Schiller’s remarks about the future of his company.
Speculation abounded over what Schiller would announce. A new Mac Mini? An updated Apple TV? We didn’t know, but many of us were sitting on the edge of our seats waiting to find out.
And then we did. And it was a snoozefest.
Sure, it’s nice to see that iTunes has finally gone DRM-free, even though Amazon.com did so last year, and the updated 17-inch MacBook Pro looks nice, even though the battery isn’t removable–a major blunder, since the advertised 8 hours of battery life will probably never happen, and serial travelers require the use of multiple batteries.
But what else came out of Tuesday’s announcement? An update to iLife is nice, and iMovie’s new features make it a more capable video-editing alternative, but beyond that, Schiller’s keynote speech was rife with details and demos that bored those who were looking for major updates.
Realizing that, is it time for Apple to finally put an end to its strategy of holding major events to unveil product updates?
Answering that question might not be as easy as you think. Sure, this keynote didn’t live up to the hype, but some have. Just last year, Apple’s unveiling of its redesigned MacBook line was a major hit, and when the iPhone was first announced, it took the world by storm. In essence, these keynotes have been “hit or miss” for quite some time.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re worthwhile. Apple learned years ago that its legions of fans and media followers would be more than willing to watch Steve Jobs on stage, discussing the boring (Aperture) to the fun (iPhone), regardless of the show’s necessity. And from a business standpoint, it makes sense: why send out a press release with all the same details when a major event can be held, which will be watched and talked about by every major media outlet in the United States?
And perhaps that’s where we find ourselves today. There’s little debate over whether Tuesday’s keynote address was boring and lacked the allure previous shows have offered. But Apple knows that we all want to hear what its top executives have to say, so we listen.
Apple doesn’t necessarily manufacture the hype. Media outlets can decide whether they want to attend, and each time, they’ve decided that they would rather be there to hear about nominal updates to cater to a rabid Apple following, rather than skip it to comment on the announcements after it’s over. Apple realizes that and has capitalized. Hey, who can blame it?
But Apple’s plan to pull out of Macworld altogether suggests that even Steve Jobs is wondering if hosting press events every few months is the best idea. The company’s events in the past have forced it to maintain a certain “wow” factor standard, and when it’s not met, people like me start to lament the merit of holding such events. That’s a lot of pressure to keep a company’s employees under, and maybe Jobs has realized that it’s proving more of a hindrance than beneficial.
Apple isn’t alone in its desire to hold splashy events, though. Companies in every industry try to coax the press into covering such events to build excitement and momentum for their products. After all, if a slew of people attend a packed room to see a product, it must be important, right?
Regardless, I question the press event’s necessity. It may help Apple build hype for a product, but I can’t help but wonder if the company has gone to the well one too many times. Slowly but surely, media outlets may see the keynotes for what they really are: flashy propaganda seminars.
The media certainly loves apple, and apple knows how to take advantage of that. but they should only have press events when they have something big to announce. otherwise the media will get tired of them, which is evident by articles such as this one that keep popping up. its kind of like the boy who cried wolf. keep holding events when there is nothing to announce and no one will attend one when there finally is something to announce. although to be fair, macworld isnt really their event, and people just expected them to be there and announce something huge. Perhaps the bigger question is “do users actually read press coverage of Apple?”
Seems that Apple used and now abused the Macworld organizers. Typical arrogant behavior from the company that abuses its investors. So this article makes complete sense. Buying from Evil Apple is nonsense.
The value of the media coverage to apple is worth several hundred million dollars a year in free advertising. That’s a *big* chunk of value to give up. Does Apple really believe it can generate the same value at its stores and through ad hoc events? I don’t know. Part of the value of MacWorld and WWDC is that its a fixed date point that give rise to increasing cycles of speculation. Its a self reinforcing media feeding frenzy. The question is what are the long term value propositions for any particular strategy. Obviously Apple is rethinking things but I do not see them ‘killing’ press events. Not on their own anyway.
If free advertising is the whinging spread all over the internet by pseudojournalists, then they are better off without Macworld.
In the mac stores you have direct access to the toys, and can ask questions about how to use them. You nor spoon-fed sensationalist headlines from people that cannot give a toss about apple, but about hits on their own websites. it seems Don Reisinger has it wrong and again titled his blog post with a tabloid-like title to lure lots of web hits to up his numbers. It’s a conceptual error. It’s time to kill the FIXED press event. Duh!
Phil Schiller did a great job btw, and one of his first comments was that each week is like 11 MacWorlds or something like that. Bring the stuff to the people rather than only allowing the privileged few to swpend big bucks to come to MacWorld. And we get to watch the whole thing in HD on our Macs when we want. Apple is changing with the times. I wish people’s critical thinking skills could be upgraded and improved too.
That ‘each week is like 11 macworlds’ line was hilariously stupid. The point of MacWorld hasn’t been to get in touch with the base consumers for *years* if ever. The point of it has always been to get new products and services in front of the opinion leaders; reviewers, editors, journalists, and bloggers who would then tell the masses what is interesting and exciting. If Apple thinks they can short circuit that relationship I think they’re insane. They rely on the press coverage to get people coming into the stores and the web site to find out about the great new products. Few people are just going to wander in to the Apple store on a weekly basis to keep up on things.
Having had to replace multiple batteries in my mac notebooks it is an issue for me. I’d like to believe that it will last for years with out a problem – but I won’t believe it until its been in use for years. I’m really not willing to turn yet another device into a disposable product dictated by the lifespan of the battery. Not without real proof.
Big media events are still good investments, help the economy, and surely are a positive distraction from all the other ugly things the general media puts out. The fact that Apple is pulling out of MacWorld should be no surprise, especially if you consider the economy. Smart moves like this is like knowing when-to-say-when should be applauded. To continually try to top your last topper is exhausting for anyone. I’m just happy to know that great companies like Apple continually strive to be the best at what they do. Unfortunately it is us who expect so much perfection that we’re complaining about nanoseconds, rather than what we’d do with it if we had it? Have we gotten so piggish in feeding our lust for more and more tech that we’ve lost our focus on how much is enough? No wonder our kids don’t know either!
MacWorld provided the table, it’s up to apple to serve up the meal. It is evident that Apple no longer wants to do that in the MacWorld house. I do not believe that Apple does not have new products in the pipeline or for that matter almost ready for introduction. Apple instead is warehousing those products to introduce at a time and place of their choosing and there in lies the rub.
Apple apparently believes it can set the stage and table at a time and place of their choosing, sort of like what the NFL has done with their own pay per view network ignoring the existing cable and broadcast outlets. Time will tell if this is different marketing strategy is smart or penny wise and pound foolish.
Apples appeal and success to a large extent has been made possible by a brand name supported by a fervent fan base, taking that for granted is a mistake. Talk to the Dallas Cowboys who went from Americas Team to just another in the pack. Saturn is another example of a company who owed their initial success to a brand that gained respect of a small but loyal customer and fan base, that went south as well.
Apple as a computer company is now less so, with products like the I phone and I pod the showcase products and cash cows, those fortunes can easily change. Brand and customer loyalty is a huge asset, just ask Disney.
Time will tell how things will sort out but my sense is Apple is making a mistake by trying to fix something that is not broken. I would have broken tradition by showing at least 1 product that will be introduced sometime in the future, you know the 1 more thing.
Nothing will be “newsworthy” from Apple until they can come out with a computer under $800. I would love to use Apple products, but everything is just so expensive. Shouldn’t their stuff be a little less money – seeing as they get such amazing press & free advertising each and every year with their Macworld Expos? Another newsworthy event would be if Apple announced they are going to allow their users to actually open up their form factor computers/laptops in order to service them at home. Three years ago I got a Dell laptop (quit laughing – it was a gift) and in 13 months (of course – one month after the warranty expired) the battery went bust. Why spend $1,000+ for an Apple that has no option for easily replacing the battery when it dies in a year or two? Oh yeah – that’s right I should just buy a new laptop every year. And if you don’t buy the latest Macworld offerings each year, then you’re just an unstylish nerd.
Related posts
Thank you for visting iflove.com, the fairy legend of Edward Chen the Movie Star! You may want to Find Love or subscribe to RSS feed. Enjoy or do a search!