“Apple is without a doubt the consummate innovator of the new media era, turning the music business and then the mobile phone business upside down, and now setting its sights squarely on the TV, publishing, and video game businesses,” Jonathan Weber writes for The Big Money. “(Oh, and it has a nice computer business going, too.)”
“And yet Apple does none of the things that pundits always say you should do to succeed in the Internet economy,” Weber writes. “Apple doesn’t blog; it doesn’t Tweet; it does little on Facebook; it doesn’t engage with its customer base. It doesn’t ask the ‘community’ for feedback or rapidly iterate based on any such feedback or even respond to criticism.”
Weber writes, “It doesn’t give anything away for free, thank you very much—in fact, the company charges premium prices for just about everything. Its customer service is perfunctory.”
MacDailyNews Take: Wrong. Apple’s fast-growing global retail empire is built on stellar customer service.
Weber writes, “It engages in terribly consumer-unfriendly practices like making you buy a whole new device when the battery dies.”
MacDailyNews Take: Wrong. Apple does no such thing. Apple offers battery replacement services along with a host of third-party vendors.
Weber continues, “And marketing? I don’t know the numbers, but it’s hard to think of any technology-related business that spends more money on that most retro of media, the glossy magazine ad. It pours tens of millions into television advertising, and buys up the most expensive billboards in big cities. Sure, Apple buys online ads too, but mostly display ads. For the most part, Apple advertising is old media all the way.”
“This anomaly could be written off as simply the Apple exception: So much about the company is unlikely in the extreme that it may not be a good example of anything,” Weber writes. “But I’d argue that Apple’s firm rejection of so many contemporary Internet business nostrums holds some important lessons for entrepreneurs.”
Weber explains, “First, it’s the product, stupid! Apple’s success is based on building fantastic products… Second, brand marketing still matters—a lot… The terrific advertisements—on television, on billboards, and in magazines—surely have something to do with it, too… Third, engaging with your customers via the real-time Web is not, in fact, mandatory.”
Weber explains, “The lesson from Apple would be, if in doubt, focus on the product. Or, as in the venerable saying, build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door—whether or not you’re on Facebook.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Minus the two niggles (don’t go all Anthony Williams on us; look it up), this article makes for an interesting read.
I have to find businesses that break rules to make profit like Nestle when they killed all those african mothers beacause they gave them milk but they mixed it with water which wasnt healthy which then poisened them , and the cigerate and nike but i need more.
square peg web