I never thought I'd see this again.
When I give my keynote speeches on the power of Apple marketing, I often stop to describe how Apple lost its way shortly after the Newton launch. You see, what makes Apple marketing so powerful is they hone in on the one thing they do better than anyone else in whatever category they go after. The formula is simple, and Apple is the master:
- Music: Put 1000 songs in your pocket.
- Computers: Make computers easy to use.
- Phones: Put the web in your pocket.
But with Newton, they did not have an established category to fix. So their marketing was rambling. Witness this video:
"Newton is for all you mobile professionals who like cool stuff." Huh?
Now with iPad, they are again without an established category to fix. And they seem just as lost as with Newton.
I got wind of this with the first "magical and revolutionary" device mention. Doesn't say much. And it also describes the wheel, or a cigarette lighter or a toilet.
Now witness their new iPad commercial:
Sound similar?
Steve,call me. I've been using an iPad non-stop for a month and you are missing the boat on the power of the device. The iPad doesn't replace a computer, or a book, or a phone. The iPad replaces the television. And I know you know it. Time to say so.
I’m not sure I agree with you here. The difference between the Newton commercial and the iPad commercial is that Apple is much more specific with what the iPad does. Where the Newton commercial was very vague on what it could do, the iPad commercial talks specifics and actually shows real-world use.
Also, where the world may not have been ready for the Newton, the world is definitely ready for the iPad. To an extent, it feels to me that the iPad commercial is building upon the iPhone and Apple’s standing in general. Had there been no iPhone or mass-market appeal of the Macintosh, then Apple introducing the iPad with this type of commercial would probably result in another Newton. But this is Apple of 2010 and this commercial will likely return results.
In the same vein, the world may not be ready to be told that the iPad replaces the television. But they’ll figure it out on their own soon enough. Then Apple can market to that audience.
Marcel, very nice comments! The concept of the world being ready is very interesting and I’m always amazed with how fast new things are absorbed and integrated into people’s lives – and how we soon forget life without them.
The same year the first Macintosh came out, the world was introduced the first mobile phone. Hard to imagine life without either.
But getting back to iPad vs Newton, I don’t know if it is about people’s readiness or acceptance of iPhone first paving the way for iPad success – they solve different problems. While I agree the paradigm is now much better understood than the first Newton UI, how Apple tells the world about why they should care hasn’t changed. The fact that the iPad is “crazy powerful” doesn’t mean much – so is my blender. The fact that I can watch Netflix in bed on my iPad while my wife does schoolwork on hers does.
My suggestion that the iPad replaces the television is what has made a difference in my life using the iPad for a month – and I’m watching NFLX surge on the availability to watch anywhere. The iPad is the first and only device that does that. Stay tuned!
You said, “Steve,call me.”
Are you sure that Steve reads your blog?
Why don’t you e-mail him with your suggestions. It seems that everyone else is doing it and they seem to be getting responses from him.
nice Angel!!!Very big Angel!! Good for guarding!!! That’s the real guardian angel!!
I am not much of a fan of both. But indeed, the Newton commercial is a bit unsure of what it really wants to solve or what it wants to promise to solve that is. I just wish Apple Inc. will stop making things ‘cooler’. How about making things that are more functional/practical?
Ads are not watched in a vacuum. They all view in a context. The current context is Apple hitting on all cylinders. They can afford to say the iPad is “crazy powerful” (insanely great?) because the iPad has such a buzz around it. The first part of the ad reinforces Apple’s context.
But the second part of the ad states: “200,000 apps and counting, all the world’s websites in your hands, videos, photos, more books than you can read in a lifetime”. I think that succinctly but powerfully states the core features of the iPad. It’s a good introductory ad. It appears they want people to understand that the iPad is not a one-trick pony.
It is becoming increasingly clear that the PC industry has been caught with its collective pants down. The tablet competitors that were supposedly going to be released this year all seem to have disappeared and the major players are in disarray. Apple has a HUGE head start and they’ve got the time to play out the iPad as they see fit. So no cause for alarm. These ads are not going to turn the iPad into the Newton.
I agree with Marcel. The iPad is not the Newton, and Apple 2010 is a different beast.
I would like to add…in times of old, Apple was known as the corporation that started in a garage… now they are the company known for the iPod, iPhone, Macbook, etc… they are now known for their products, business savvy, and of course marketing. Apple revitalized the music industry, has nice profit margins, and made a mint with the iPhone. Think of what Apple is going to do for publishing now… I saw the new iPad commercial last night and said to my girlfriend “wow, Apple is changing up their formula… no more mac and pc guy… this is gloves-off, bare knuckle advertising about the product”.
I am sure that you guys realize the A4 processor is the key to this products success… if intel had a better solution Apple would have used it. And Intel could sell that product to anyone… even if Apple has a deal that gets them first dibs. The other tablets are just glorified netbooks… HP, Dell, and the others just don’t get it. Case in point – tablet pc’s… they are going to use the same formula and fail again. I don’t think HP’s CEO picked up a tablet pc before selling it to the public – they were completely unusable because of the viewing angles… cheap plastic touch screens instead of glass. But I bet that Steve slept with his iPad day and night – haunting his engineers until the device was perfect. Quality control…