Rush Limbaugh: Why does Apple put politics first?
Friday, June 27, 2003 - 08:51 PM ESTFor years, Rush Limbaugh, conservative radio commentator who, whether you agree with him or not, revolutionized the radio industry and commands an audience of over 20 million daily listeners, has extolled the benefits of Apple Macintosh, but lamented Apple's unwillingness to tap his potential to widen the Mac platform's base.
Limbaugh writes, "The entire EIB radio staff uses Apple computers. That fact draws calls like those from Vince, a graphic artist in Calhoun, Georgia. Vince asked the perfect Open Line Friday question: one that made the host look good, but that wasn't necessarily one of the topics of the day. He wanted my learned opinion on Apple's new G5 tower."
"It was announced this week, but won't be released until August. The G5 is going to go to 64 bits, and it's going to change everything - which is why I'm so frustrated that this technology isn't more mainstream," Limbaugh writes. "I recently bought the latest dual-processor G4. I've already hooked up audio, video, iChat - which is their version of AOL instant messenger - and it's incredible. It's real-time video conferencing on your computer. The long-distance companies are going to have to get in on this. The G5 is an even more advanced machine, yet Apple's market share remains static! They have so much superior equipment that they should have at least double the share of the market they hold now. Apple is apparently a company that is so constrained by the political views of its corporate leadership and board, which now includes Algore, that it's accepting lower sales. What a shame." Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Again, whether you agree with his politics or not, Rush makes a valid point. Why does Apple ignore a potential endorsement opportunity that could add arguably tens of thousands (or more) Mac users to the fold?
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Apple historically has a problem marketing its products effectively. They make things that look cool and work better than the competition, which is all well and good, but if no one (or very few people) uses it, then their efforts have been largely wasted. Their ads also look pretty cơol, but the leadership needs to understand how to seize opportunities when they present themselves. How annoying or obnoxious an individual is is an irrelevant issue in business. The object is to make money.
And just for the record, I think that liberal stereotypes of conservatives, and conservative stereotypes of liberals are usually way off.