For 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?
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.
If it sells more Macs, then by all means get Limbaugh to do an ad, but make sure he sticks to the script and doesn’t go off spouting his right-wing spew just because he’s got a free forum. Hell, if it would help erode Microsoft’s market share, I’d say hire Saddam Hussein.
As for the invective directed at Al Gore – he’s way more intelligent than most of the posters I’ve seen here, your truly included. Just because you don’t agree with his politics does not make him an idiot or a jerk. As VP, one doesn’t get a whole lot of chances to do anything meaningful. Sure, he’s not a very exciting speaker, but I think at least he’s genuine and not vomiting words forth just because his listener’s will eat them up.
Eh, this is all very interesting but misses the main point about market share. You gain it by offering the most features for the least money. Apple offer the best features for the most money. They are not in the marketshare gain. As to this radio dude. I dont know who he is as I am in the UK, but from where I am sitting it looks like loads of famous folks have endorsed Apple’s products. Just not him. Why doesn’t he just get the message and move on. Apple are not interested.
Yeah, I mean this guy would be a total liability if Apple where to bring him on board. He has already shown by his comments above that he is prepared to push his own agenda. Can you imagine what a liabiulity he would be if his ‘endorsement’ was officially sanctioned. I mean comon, would you trust this guy not to stab you in the back the minute your back was turned?
That’s true about Macs; however, they’re not really THAT much more. In the US, many are priced equivalent to PCs. Most people would be willing to pay extra if they got hooked. After all, you see imports all over the place. I own an Accord, and the parts can be as much as 3x more than domestics. I don’t know how much more European parts cost. You pay more for quality, though.
As for Rush, a lot of other people who have done ads for Apple are ego-maniacs. So? An Al Gore/Rush commercial would be great. It would sell Macs and be funny. If they had people waiting excitedly over “who’s going to be in the next Apple commercial??” and making a big deal out of it, that’s when they’d have people hooked, and that’s exactly what they should shoot for.
The prices are coming down, but the pessimists will never be happy. A top end G5 costs less than my Powerbook did less than 2 years ago. But the bitchers will always bitch.
Prices are HARDLY coming down, come on! Apple puts some pretty crappy components in for the price they charge. A Radeon 9000? Give me a break, we’re up to 9800’s right now! And to charge extra for that? You wish…What you call bitching is customers demanding more value for their money. Sorry if that concept is lost on you, but to buy a top end Mac that competes with a PC is still at least 2 to 3 times more expensive. The G5 is nice, but it’s still unproven and for Steve Jobs to say that it’s the fastest desktop is ludicrous.
And besides, what’s wrong with Rush endorsing the Mac? Lots of companies use endorsements, it doesn’t hurt if the person is as popular as Rush. Say what you will, but it can’t hurt.
You still get what you pay for. Whether or not the G5 is “unproven” isn’t all that relevant. Macs have a long track record of being better than PCs…they have better hardware and better software all around. Also, keep in mind the reliability factor; you can buy crap and “get more for your dollar” but you’ll wear the warranty out, too. That’s something they don’t mention in PC commercials. Or Daewoo commercials, for that matter.
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I am always amazed by the level of hatred and misinformation I see coming from our liberal friends whenever the name “Rush” comes up. Rush has been a long-time Mac user and when he hyperbolizes he demonstrates more knowledge about most everything (including computers) than the vast majority of our populace. Those who criticize Limbaugh’s intelligence or demean what he does by calling him just an “entertainer” are either being disingenuous or know nothing about how incredibly difficult it is to do what he does. In fact, there is clearly NO ONE in the world who can do what he does to the high level that he does it. This is why Democrats are, as we speak, trying to put together a radio network to counter his influence (totally missing, of course, that they own nearly every other media enterprise operating today).
It should also be pointed out that Limbaugh was NOT specifically lobbying for Apple to advertise on his show. He was arguing for a change in mindset at the executive offices at 1 Infinite Loop that would move them into a more competitive realm, something that adding the ex-Veep to the BOD is not going to do.
It is obvious that a lot of people who demonize Limbaugh have not listened to him for any length of time. So for those who are willfully-ignorant, allow me to let you in on his “schtick”. Rush PURPOSEFULLY puts on an veneer of arrogance and “know-it-all-ism” just to get your and other Liberal’s collective goat. He knows it drives you crazy. He knows that it is to his advantage to “tweak” you. This tactic is not unlike Dubya’s (you know, the guy with the 65+% popularity rating) wherein a well-educated, above-average-intelligence politician acts the “local yokel” from Texas in order to keep his enemies off-balance. Bush’s opponents so believe in their own rhetoric (that he is a bumbling idiot) that they are constantly surprised when he outmaneuvers them. In the same way, Rush keeps his political adversaries in a constant state of confusion by mixing bravado into his punditry.
By the way, you can listen to a live stream of Rush’s show via iTunes on WLS (http://abcrad.sc.llnwd.net:12015/) out of Chicago. Which reminds me. Quicktime does not allow for automated spot substitution. Many ad agencies do not allow their spots to air on the Internet and thus, a technology like Realaudio is preferred in order to control advertising content.
Cheers!
-B
nevermind the fact that Steve Jobs was one of the largest individual contributors to the Democratic Party in 2001!
So?
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Macs rocks & so does Rush.
Look, even a drug addict has his moments.
Rusty Limbaugh may like the mac because when he is “high” its simply easier to use and operate.
Limbaugh is correct about the Mac as we can all agree, but politically he is a “top 40 DJ circa 2004!
I will stick to brilliant minds that create the mac and improve it, you know-liberals!
That’s what I love about liberals that are successful in business, like Steve Jobs … They gain their wealth using the methods of conservatism, and then turn around and employ the methods of liberalism to constrict others from doing the same.