I am a regular reader of Robert Scoble‘s blog since he popped up on the Microsoft Channel 9 website. Last Saturday he wrote a most amusing piece about the “Brand promise of Apple” and how, in his view, does not match up with the promise.
Apple’s promises:
- Apple will always work,
- Everybody can use an Apple,
- Apple is better that the ‘other brand’.
1) Apple’s will crash. Either due to hardware failures or software failures.
2) Most people can ride a bicycle. That does not mean that everybody can repair a bicycle? So why does Apple have a “Genius line” in their US Apple shops?
3) This is rather a bold statement from a company with not more than 5% market share in the US and even less presence in Europe and Asia. I would say that Apple is where Sun was some 5 years ago. Apple produces software which can and may only be run on hardware which is produced by Apple. Comparing Apple to the “other brand” is like comparing potatoes to strawberries.
In 2002 Leander Kahney already wrote about the cult of Apple.
http://www.wired.com/gadgets/mac/commentary/cultofmac/2002/12/56677