Has Apple Lost Its Way?
Introduction
One of the things I realised as a surgical trainee was how important psychological perception, framing and context were to people's experiences.
The striking thing was that they didn't just apply to people's mental experiences but were equally important to blatantly "physical" experiences such as a traumatic injury or an acute abdomen.
That is what encouraged me to pursue the study of psychology and psychiatry in a more serious manner.
The importance of such psychological considerations doesn't just apply to medicine though.
It extends to virtually all areas of life, including business and marketing and these are two areas of life I have become progressively more interested in.
I have been an Apple user for over ten years now and during the Steve Jobs years I was always impressed by how expertly they used psychology and it's application in their marketing.
Have things changed though?
Context, Framing and the Power of Perception
Recently one of our well known bloggers, Andrew Levine / @andrarchy made a video that was discussing the new wireless Apple Airpods (you can find that post here).
This was the first time I had seen them demonstrated properly and it literally changed my perception of them.
Framed in the right way and presented in the right context I suddenly realised how amazing and revolutionary the Airpods were!
That is all the more extraordinary coming from someone like me who is a self confessed Audiophile (who would only normally buy expensive electrostatic headphones and valve amplifiers).
Why had Apple not done something similar when they presented them?
Don't Tell Me Numbers, Tell Me How It Changes My Life
The most important thing about the aforementioned video was that it was not a conventional technology review.
He didn't do the usual thing that technology reviews do of concentrating on the specifications.
There wasn't a long list of facts and figures - we are bombarded with those through advertising and reviews on a daily basis.
He focussed on design and usability. How do these things change your life?
He showed how by getting to use them, the Airpods actually enhanced his life.
He even started envisioning all sorts of ways he could use them that he had previously not even considered - e.g. an always on personal assistant.
In doing so he brought to mind how I suspect Steve Jobs would have demonstrated them.
The problem is most people won't get to do that before buying a comparatively expensive product like the Airpods.
They Took Our Jobs?
Image Source
It might seem that the real problem is the loss of Steve Jobs. There is certainly a degree of truth to this.
Jobs was not just a great technology evangelist, visionary and showman, to many people he WAS Apple.
People like Steve Jobs are very rare and it is unlikely that Apple will find a direct replacement for him.
Is that really the problem though? If it is, it shouldn't be.
The "Aha" Moment
Remember the "Aha" moment when Jobs brought out the first Macbook Air in a Manilla envelope?
Jobs didn't just sell the product, he sold us a better life and that is not an exaggeration.
He summed up in a single image why you would want that device in your life.
In doing so he kicked off a whole new type of laptop and paved the way for the widespread adoption of tablets.
Image Source
The Airpod announcement was by contrast like a business presentation.
It wasn't bad but there was nothing to distinguish it from a whole host of other manufacturer product presentations.
There was no "Aha" moment where it "clicked". People saw it as a gimmick and frivolity that would cause inconvenience and extra cost.
There was a lot of "how" but not so much "why".
The contrast to the Steve Jobs era was very clear.
When Steve Jobs was alive Apple presentations used to be "events".
Now they are just mundane adverts with the added negative impact of being presented by businessmen who are not even comfortable being on stage.
Apple Forgot That It Is Not A Technology Company
I think Apple still has revolutionary products.
The Airpods, Macbook Touchbars and even the cylindrical Mac Pro are examples of the same design genius and attention to detail.
In most areas the marketing (as shown in the images I have used here) is still head and shoulders above the rest of the competition.
So the innovation, design, attention to detail and artistry are all still there.
That makes sense. Contrary to what people like to believe Steve Jobs did not single handedly run Apple and everything has not simply stopped since his death.
No, the real problem as I see it is that they just don't sell them the right way any more.
You may think that Apple was a technology company but I would argue that under Steve Jobs they were a life enhancement company.
Framed as a life enhancement company they were unique in their field.
Technology vs Life Enhancement
They may still be making the same kind of products but they are now framing themselves as a technology company.
By doing that they no longer stand out in the same way. They are just one amongst many.
Further the way that Apple rely on using other manufacturers to make their components means that they are unlikely to beat companies like Samsung in the tech specs race.
Apple was never about raw technical specifications before because they realised that they couldn't really win that race.
They also seemed to realise that most contemporary technology was good enough and the average user is unimpressed by raws specs alone.
Conclusion: So What Can They Do?
The single biggest thing they can do is to shift back to showing people how their products enhance their lives:
They need to demonstrate, demonstrate and demonstrate again!
If something is just about tech specs or ticking an extra box on a list to beat the latest Samsung or LG device then it is a mistake.
Unless it enhances the life of the average buyer in a demonstrable way they should drop it or at least move the focus away to the things that do.
In summary Apple needs to go back to being a life enhancement company and let others fight for the technology market.
Thank you for reading
If you like my work please follow me on Steemit: @thecryptofiend & on Twitter : Soul_Eater_43. Don't forget to share your posts and posts you like on other Social Media - it all helps spread the word about Steemit!
All Apple images are screenshots taken from the UK Apple Store. All other uncredited images are taken from my personal Thinkstock Photography account. More information can be provided on request.
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nice post.
resteem.!!
Thank you:)
Nice post but there is a bit of a quirk in the system that when whales vote too much on one post, the rewards are blown up out disproportionately, staving out many other posts. I disagree that this is a positive for Steem. For that reason, I'm downvoting it but please don't take this as personal criticism or criticism of your post, it isn't that (and as you know I have supported many of your posts in the past and have every expectation of doing so in the future).
That's OK - I won't it is still more than I get normally recently!
Also I already do many times better than the average user even on a bad day so it would be silly to complain.
I think the first time I got flagged a while back I was upset because I felt like it was attacking the quality of the post (I am an irrational human after all!)
Anyway right now this is the least of our problems.
If we can grow the platform and get more money coming into the system this will not be a problem.
We need to make sure we bring in new users and retain those we have. There is no point in having a whole heap of something if it is worthless in the end.
I just wish people would realise that and stop fighting.
All the best and don't stress over it.
Now THIS is how you handle a flag. Bravo!
Seriously, you are an inspiration to many. I admire your persistence and quality, I may have said this before but you truly are the perfect example of the perfect Steemian.
Thanks mate you are too kind - the thing is if it wasn't for @smooth support I would probably not still be around.
I can't count how many times he supported me and upvoted my posts during some tough times sometimes when I was ready to quit.
He is one of the people who has helped to give me the reputation and position that I have - I respect his judgement and I know he his doing it for the right reasons.
We don't always agree but I think we both want what is best from the platform.
He is not perfect (none of us are) but he spends a hell of a lot of time supporting the platform and looking out for other users.
The thing is most people don't see it. If everyone showed the same concern there is no limit to what we could do.
The most important thing is to make Steem more valuable and we do that by spreading the message and promoting it.
What is the point in having 100,000 Steem or a million Steem if it is worthless?
Thank you for the words of support. It means a lot to know my efforts to build the community and improve the platform of the past year are recognized. So again, thanks!
You're always welcome mate people such as yourself have supported me through some tough times. Hopefully all the work and effort will pay off in the long term.
@thecryptofiend replying on your nested comment
surely there are so many whales and if we just try to look harder they ALL do want the best for the community. I wish I could repost your "The Complete Steemit Etiquette Guide revision post" which you wrote before cause I'm seeing witch-hunting starting again like dejavu ..
unfortunately it doesn't have a repost button check here
perhaps if you ever feel like rewriting it .. please add stop whining when your post is flagged specially when it's been explained why then maybe we could post it again that is one hell of a great post you've ever authored but I guess I'd just include it on every end of my post when I start reposting again.. resting now trying to recuperate but will soon get back at writing.
@thecryptofiend great post as always!
I second the motion on these ..
I wanted to write it down on my first comment about it on the other post but I'd rather do it here.. at least you said it first. I don't know him well and we also didn't agree in many ways before but if there's one thing I'm sure of he's doing what he's doing for what he thinks could be good and may work for the community. It may work or not work as he intent to but he intends it to be for the good of the community.
If people think smooth is doing something wrong I suggest that they approach him in the chat or reason out with him because if there's one thing I experienced with that guy he's human, too as long as there's no name calling or bashing nor drama - he's very easy to talk to.
He and a number of other whales (I won't list them because I am sure to leave someone out) - were the ones who supported my work when I was about to give up out of frustration.
This was when a handful of people would get their work upvoted and everybody else would get ignored.
Exactly and he is very approachable. I don't like the bitching and moaning behind people's backs - I can sympathise with people getting frustrated but talking to people can help resolve these things (not always but quite often it does).
If we all commit to expanding and promoting Steem/Steemit then this issue will become less and less of a problem.
I don't think you are the only one that shares that thought.
Users are putting way too much thought into flags, I personally haven't been flagged so I can't say much without being a bit unbiased about it, but it feels a lot like people forget all the good an account does/has done and focus on what they perceive as something negative they are doing now, without even giving a second thought to the accounts actions or past history.
It is human nature I fear - I reacted that way to my first flag from @transisto and gave him a verbal mauling and the main reason was because it hurt my feelings because he initially said that the photos were too similar.
That actually offended me more than the actual flag itself although I was too angry to admit it at the time.
It is funny the things we get angry about!
Woops, accidental tag/mention.
Wow, I'm also very impressed with this conversation! Sometimes we have to take a step back so we can make more forward in the future! @thecryptofiend you made an amazing work and I really liked your response to @smooth. Now I can go to sleep! I'm peaceful that finally, someone understands how this works!
Bravo indeed!
I have not yet built a clear own opinion how to see these kind of flags in case of "over rewarded" articles. From a pure rational point of view they may be justified. On the other hand one should not underestimate the psychological effect on steemians if suddenly they get flagged (or at least feel the "threat" to get flagged). I remember the case of @karenmckersie: she was quite shocked after receiving a flag. Again my personal opinion is that indeed this special article was overrated, but on the other side if one considers it from her point of view to have written many articles which brought only very few money even if she invested much time (we could also say "underrated articles"), then it can be very frustrating if the only well paid article finally gets flagged and most of the reward is lost ...
Therefore I appreciate it even more that you explain so thoroughly why you did flag this article of @thecryptofiend. I think it is much more easy to accept and understand a flag if it is explained in such a nice and friendly way. That helps a lot against the first (and very human) impulse to feel personally attacked.
Well, there is at least one man who has not lost faith in Apple and even bought more and more stakes in 2016, when everyone was saying Apple was on the way down, and this man now stands corrected and his name is: Warren Buffett. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/feb/25/warren-buffett-berkshire-hathaway-wall-street-apple-annual-letter
Markets swing up and down so I wouldn't be too concerned with what people like Buffet do. I am looking at what happens long term.
I find Buffet's purchase to be quite interesting. He is in it for the VERY long term, and tends to invest more in the qualitative side of things these days. I've recently written about this:
https://steemit.com/money/@thefinanceguy/warren-buffet-bets-big-on-apple-and-airlines
https://steemit.com/money/@thefinanceguy/shares-of-apple-close-at-all-time-high-price
Good post though, Jobs and his presentations are irreplaceable.
Yes he tends to bet against convention and be right. I think he may well suspect that Apple will go back to their old ways eventually. Thanks for the link will give it a read when I have a moment. Are you on Twitter BTW - can't remember if I'm following you there or not?
Yep,
https://twitter.com/EvinRohrbaugh
Cool will add you now if not already following.
I was going to mention this.
The problem I have with apple is the same problem I've had with Apple for the last 15 years at least. Too restrictive and too much money for what you get.
The iPhone is marginally more user friendly than Android but unless you can hack it, you are restricted to what their app store provides. And they don't like emulators or distributed computing or lots of other stuff. And Android offers so much more variety.
Their laptops are certainly nice. Rock solid OS (but you can get that with Linux or even Windows nowadays), decent power, etc. But they are overpriced. You can get an equivalent Dell or other PC brand for less money. Again, arguably the OS X UI is marginally more user friendly than everything else but that and being hung up on the aluminum unibody are about the only reasons to go with Apple. Oh, and since they have started basically epoxying everything in place, even minor repairs or upgrades are difficult or impossible.
This is all even more true with the Mac Pro line. Ok, maybe the cylinders are efficient coolers and take up less space but for me, I'd rather pick my own case and build my own machine and customize it how I want...for a lot less money.
I can't speak for the latest "innovations" (the touchbar and earpod thingies) because i haven't tried them. But even if I tried them and loved them they wouldn't be enough to overcome the reasons i don't like Apple products.
Great points. In fact your points about the Mac Pro are exactly why I wouldn't buy one either - the old Mac Pro was a lot easier to customise.
I never bought into the hype. My Dell is 3 years old and still rocking.
Linux software on Clevo chassis here. :)
...and made out of plastic? :)
Aluminium alloy and carbon fiber, as a matter of fact :)
(XPS 13)
Lol you are immune to it - actually Dells are pretty good these days. I think that is also part of the problem the general standard of everything is more than good enough.
Once upon the time, I had a Dell notebook!
I wasn't responsible for my things, I got high and left the notebook on the roof of my car. So, it has been through a wild ride for few kilometers and fell of the car roof. I noticed it and screamed: "Laptop!", pushed the brakes and picked it up from the asphalt. Not a scratch! Worked fine as before! Unbelievable! And next four years! Still works, but I keep it only because of all great things we've been through together. My wife said that she will make a frame for it, just like it was a piece of art!
Dell rocks!
I don't think so, Apple is as good as they always were - which is they are one of the top technology companies. They had a wonder hit with iPhone - that product truly changed the industry. Apart from that, they are just another technology company, and have their ups and downs. You can't expect every company to produce a revolutionary product every time. I'm sorry to point this out, but this whole "life enhancement company" is just overblown hyperbole the master marketer that was Steve Jobs would have you believe. Sure, their marketing isn't as good anymore - and that's made all the difference for perception. Same applies for AirPods - it's not the first wireless earphone, and still isn't the best. In fact, competitors have had the same capability for months/years but offer far superior sound quality.
Let's also give credit where it's due - Samsung's continuously incredible technological innovation. What was it - 75% components from the original iPhone was manufactured by Samsung's various divisions? Today, Samsung makes the best displays, has the best semiconductor fabrication facilities, the best NAND, etc. etc. LG is a close second. ARM deserves a lot of credit also.
Today, I see Apple having a pretty good product stack. iPhone 7 Plus is one of the best smartphones on the market, the iPads are arguably the best casual-use tablets.
If there's one area Apple has fallen behind, it's in the PC market. The new Macbook Pro is still good but there's just fierce competition and some pretty stunning products today to which Apple has no response. Stuff like the HP Spectre 13, Spectre 360, Dell XPS 13/15, Thinkpad X1 Yoga, Surface Studio, Surface Pro, Razer Blade etc. are all innovative products that make Macbooks and iMacs look utterly antiquated. The Mac Pro is pretty much the butt of all jokes at this point - hasn't been updated in 5 years. Granted, they still work and get the job done very well, and macOS is still very attractive to the developer community, many of whom are here. To me, however, the competition offers much more efficient products that tangibly increase productivity on a daily basis.
There's another area Apple has no answer to is AR (Microsoft HoloLens) or VR (Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and Windows 10 Holographic which will soon bring headsets from Dell, HP etc). This is a tough one, macOS is still poor for artists, engineering and gaming - there's still no Vulkan support and might never be. It would have to be iOS where they can leverage a broad marketshare to get developers to adopt Metal. However, the iOS GPUs are nowhere as powerful as what's required for VR today, so it'll be some years off.
There's talk of self-driving cars and the like in the future. Let's see where that goes.
Great answers!
I don't thing we are in disagreement on this. I think it is the perception that has changed and that is due to a shift in emphasis.
Possibly but I think they are missing out by not trying to at least replicate some of the things he used to do. The way the Airpods were marketed is a great example of where they are going wrong.
Definitely and also the Pro apps. They killed Aperture for example.
I suspect they are waiting for the technology to mature right now.
Yes that will be interesting. There's also the persistent rumour that they are going to go in to movie and tv production (like Netflix).
I was an OS-9 user before DOS. Then came Windows, tinkered with Linux and switched to Apple after I bought an iPad. I bought a Mac Mini. When I wanted a new laptop, I bought a MacBook Air. This was right after Cook took over. Jobs was Apple. They went through this before, and struggled when they disowned him. Apple wasn't just a company or computer to him. I understand that. I've purchased quite a few computers in my life, many of which I've purchased the parts and assembled myself.
Cook is a business person. Apple is just a brand to him. One of the things that really impressed me about the Macs was the fully journalled filesystem. Windows still doesn't have that for the desktop. However, they messed with it, and I'm about to switch back to my wintel box. The task switcher has become bogged down, so they must be having problems with interrupt processing. I get beachballed to death now. I'm no computer neophyte, and I don't see it getting any better for Apple. I tried straightening things out with them over problems I had ordering the laptop. I even got a call back from Cook's office the next day after emailing him. It was a disaster. I still love the laptop, but the whole experience now reminds me of Windows 98.
I don't see the same type of innovation anymore. I think both Apple and Microsoft are going to have some very rough times ahead. I think we're going to see some bottom up growth, once people start realizing that Linux has pretty much matured into a usable OS. Microsoft lost the phone wars. Giving away Windows 10 didn't do what they hoped. I went back to win7. With Linux now getting some games from Steam, as well as the Steam box, there's hope. Android has helped a bit, too. Microsoft has even announced that they are going to implement a bash shell. If it weren't for applications like Ableton Live, which isn't available for Linux, and likely runs horribly in a virtual machine, I'd ditch both OS X and Windows permanently. Once the Chinese take over the computer market, I expect full native drivers to be the standard.
Sadly I think I would agree with much of what you say. The dreaded beachball of death issue plagues me on Mac too!
I don't have similar issues on Windows 10 - I think this indicates perhaps a shift away from the important user experience issues.
I think you have it spot on when you say Cook is a business man whereas Jobs basically was a physical embodiment of Apple.
The things is they can easily reverse it if they just paid attention to the right things but I suppose they don't see what the issue is.
I too am very tempted to go to Linux - once I can get my favourite apps like Photoshop on it then I think I will try moving over.
Stop: 00:05:06.293 A interesting read, You're always making the posts nice and with the most important points, no elaborate winding themes. Interesting topic, how about we use the findings to better the marketing here :) add in some flavor :)
Thanks we are trying to do that:)
downvotes :D
cool :)
Thank you:)
I recently bought a new mac book pro (the one with the in-my-opinion-useless touch bar) and I compared it with the previous one I have bought in 2012. The new computer is slightly more powerful, but at the end, it is hard to me to see anything amazing with it, in particular when you compare and account for the four years of development. I like the mac environment, but this may actually be the last mac I will buy ... Four years and almost nothing new (I don't care at all about the touch bar)...
Thanks for sharing your experience. That is interesting. In line with what you are saying I have also noticed that I now upgrade my computers much less frequently than I used to.
Also as regards the bar I have also heard that some people have had problems with it using too much power.
I can only agree with this. The battery of this new computer lasts as much as ... the one of my four-years-old macbook pro for a similar usage.
If Apple could come up with a new battery technology or at least invest in one that does that could be a major selling point.
I would also be happy if they increase the storage space. For instance, using both SSD (for everyday-life stuff) and HDD (for long-term or data storage) on a single machine would be a great addition. This would prevent me from carrying either a hard drive with me or connecting to distant machines and suffering with communication.
They have done that on the Imacs - I think the storage would be useful for me too.