“Apple may be the best thing that’s ever happened to the tech industry, or should I say quite a number of industries. The company didn’t display anything at CES 2006, but like Godot, its presence was felt and discussed endlessly. It was a strategic decision by Apple. Years ago, the company’s CEO, Steve Jobs, realized years ago that he didn’t have to compete with the noise of CES and could, instead, maximize the impact of Apple’s announcements at its own Macworld show. The Intel-based Mac announcement that emerged from the recent show is now old news, but Apple continues to make noise in the industry. Some might call it the Apple Effect, a rich and fascinating phenomenon that’s well worth investigating,” Lance Ulanoff writes for PC Magazine.
“What is the Apple Effect? It’s hard to explain, but simply put, it’s Apple’s amazing ability to generate hype and industry around its products, while simultaneously creating a cloud of ‘coolness’ that envelops said product and others that are associated with it. Evidence of it is everywhere. It’s in the dozens of products that look like the iPod and the iMac. It’s in the explosion of video on demand. It’s in tech companies’ hipper marketing strategies and in media companies’ rush to find new high-tech partners,” Ulanoff writes. “The iPod not only influences the many new products that work with it, it also shapes the design of countless other products we see every day… While some Jobs-haters would like to attribute the strength of Apple’s products to Steve Jobs’s hubris and ego, there is another, more relevant reason. Apple and its products deliver. The iPod, in virtually all of its iterations, is one of the best MP3 players on the market, and that’s crucial to the equation.”
“For all Apple’s success in the mobile music market and, now, the mobile video market, the Apple Effect has not worked its magic on the company’s desktops and laptops. Sure, Apple’s customers talk about and defend the Mac in numbers way out of proportion to its desktop market share (under 10 percent). So, the partnership between Apple and Intel and the first MacIntels (the iMac, Mac mini, and PowerMac [sic] —all shipping over the last month) represents a bit of alchemy that could lead to the Apple Effect rubbing off on the relatively stodgy Intel and working its magic on Apple’s struggling desktop division,” Ulanoff writes. “Finally, Intel-based systems that are cool to use. Perhaps the Apple Effect will reign supreme.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: The “Apple Effect” long ago transformed the entire PC market. Virtually every last PC in use today employs the Mac user interface (UI); either in the form of an actual Mac or the bad upside-down backwards copy of the Mac UI that is Windows. Whether they acknowledge it or not, nearly every PC user on the planet today uses a “Mac.” That’s some serious effect. (Note for the “Apple stole it all from Xerox PARC” crowd: read this and also this if you’re interested in the truth.)
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Yeah and everybody is driving a T-Ford.
UI was originally made by Xerox btw.
And the Effect ain’t done yet!
MDN: “Results” As in, “Apple’s got some!”
The hype is over, we just can’t spend anymore. The rest of the PC industry shouldn’t rely upon Apple to bail them out.
Computers, even Mac’s, have proven to be too complicated for the general population and too insecure.
If you don’t actually need a computer, don’t get one is my advice. You’ll be a lot happier and richer.
Thank heaven we’ve bought off PC Magazine. Keep Enderle and Thurott off the payroll, though. Love the laughs they generate.
Steve
PS I’m going for a ride in the elevator. Anyone care to join me? I promise I won’t fire you this time.
So, the partnership between Apple and Intel and the first MacIntels (the iMac, Mac mini, and PowerMac—all shipping over the last month) represents a bit of alchemy that could lead to the Apple Effect rubbing off on the relatively stodgy Intel and working its magic on Apple’s struggling desktop division,” Ulanoff writes.
Did I miss a product introduction? I think Ulanoff meant MacBook Pro, NOT PowerMac.
Einstein,
Xerox PARC may have created the initial design, but Apple saw it’s promise and took it much farther than Xerox ever would have. Even the original Macintosh was much more developed than the Xerox prototypes.
What this really means is every other company, despite hving long standing reputations and brand, can’t match Apple’s vision because unlike Apple their companies don’t have leaders who really have true vision and accept innovation, real innovation, not the fake branded innovation that companies like MS talk about, as their number one priority.
“The iPod, in virtually all of its iterations, is one of the best MP3 players on the market, and that’s crucial to the equation.”
“One of the Best”
Thats the greatest understatement i have ever heard.
Apple isn’t innovative, it’s just better at marketing.
Common misinterpretations of Apple inventions.
1: Graphical User Interface – Xerox Parc.
2: Mouse – Xerox Parc
3: Firewire – Apple
4: iPod – Creative
5: iTunes visuals – not Apple
6: iTunes Music Store – many others first
7: Mac OS X – NeXT
I’m not interested in “the truth”. Apple created the UI we know and love.
Colour me shocked no one has mentioned the usage of “macintel”
Art,
your message is like saying Alexander Bell is responsible for the webcam
Hey, Art
Rembrandt wasn’t innovative, he’s was just better at marketing.
Common misinterpretations of Rembrandt inventions.
1: Graphic representation of environment – Caveman
2: Crude representation of people – Caveman’s nephew
3: Realistic perspective in art – Caveman’s second cousin
4: Use of color – Caveman’s great niece
5: Realistic facial representation – Caveman’s great-great grandson who never married
6: Use of oil paints – Caveman’s middle-easter brother-in-law
Rembrandt was a poseur.
Apple may not have invented all those technologies BUT they applied them in a way that is USER FRIENDLY.
That is the big thing and the reason why the iPod and iTMS is so successful. Also remember Apple didn’t invent the PC but produced the first useful and popular application of it (Apple I). Same for the GUI, mouse, desktop printing etc.
Ultimately that is why OS X and iLife will dominate in the years to come, because it has developed very easy ways to perform routine but complicated tasks.
Most people are too busy to deal with crap from their PCs. If it works easily and is robust then consumers will love it.
Visit – http://www.woz.org/letters/pirates/12.html
A straight quote from Woz himself…
“Q from E-mail:
Woz, Did you feel wrong stealing outright from Xerox, and what did you think when Microsoft stole from Apple? Do you think Microsoft has a monopoly on the computer industry? Plan on going back to Apple? Also, can you point out more of the minor flaws in the movie? Thanks, David
WOZ:
Steve Jobs made the case to Xerox PARC execs directly that they had great technology but that Apple knew how to make it affordable enough to change the world. This was very open. In the end, Xerox got a large block of Apple stock for sharing the technology. That’s not stealing outright.
Apple didn’t get any stock from Microsoft. Nor was Apple dealt with openly in this area by Microsoft. ….”
Hey ziggybop,
Thats the best rebuttal to a post I”ve ever seen.
LOL…
Art–
Do you mean to imply that Creative is responsible for the iPod…
…
…
LOLOLOLROFLCOPTER!!!1!1one
Would it be correct to say Sony’s Walkman was the earlier, lower tech inspiration for the iPod?
JMHO.
Many people have good ideas. But only a few see those ideas to the market where you and I can buy them.
Past famous sayings:
USB?? What is USB? Who in their right mind would ship USB as the major interface on the computer?—- Ah, everyone,— now.
GUI interface? “If you cannot program, you have no use buying a computer.” —- yea, right.
“I cannot forsee a world need for more than 5 computers.” — Hey, I think I still have 4-5 total, lying around some where. Lets see Mac Classic, Quatra 660, early Power PC, iMac Bundi blue, iBook G3, iMac G5. (ps I still use the last 3. And the Mac Classic still runs!.
Aint the world a hoot!
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N.
5: iTunes visuals – Dr. Albert Hofmann
“Apple’s struggling desktop division..” ??????? Another less-than-subliminal suggestion that Apple still suffers from the ‘beleaguered’ tag. Now nifty to slip this little dig right at the end. Now, if they had said that about Dell it would have made sense, since it’s business model is starting to show it’s age, with competition from HP and others closing the profit margin gap. Dell has no alternative channel other than direct marketing, and the trend in PC purchases is back to the retail ‘bricks ‘n mortar’ retail locations. Seems that’s what Apple’s doing, and it’s working.
Re: Xerox PARC –
And the Xerox Alto was a runaway best seller. Yeah right. You might find one in the Smithsonian.
Norm: “Bundi blue”
Al or Ted? (j/k)
Woz: “In the end, Xerox got a large block of Apple stock for sharing the technology. That’s not stealing outright.”
Absolutely TRUE – Xerox bought about 1 million dollars worth of Apple stock and cashed out at $30 mil.
The Mac team got inspiration from Xerox PARC, but they coded EVERYTHING on their own.
Hey guys, we’re making progress. When I got my iMac 3 1/2 years ago, the Mac “market share” was under 3%. Then with the iPod and the iTMS it surged to under 5%. Now Ulanoff says under 10% !! That’s great news !!
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