A Marketing Mis-step for Apple?

Posted by Rahna on January 17, 2008 under Strategy, Uncategorized | Be the First to Comment

At the MacWorld Expo on Tuesday, Apple announced that it is introducing the world’s thinnest notebook with its new MacBook Air.  In order to slim this bad boy down, they had to give up lots of extras—no DVD player, no removable battery and relatively limited memory (in relation to all the music, videos, and other huge files that people now need to manipulate in the regular course of their lives).  A New York Times article reported “Responding to a question about the growing array of media, including digital photographs, movies and music, that now swell most users’ hard drives, Mr. Jobs said, “Maybe this isn’t the computer for you.” 

 See full article here: www.nytimes.com/2008/01/16/technology/16apple.html?_r=2&ref=business&oref=slogin&oref=slogin 

By eliminating many aspects of a notebook that many consumers simply take for granted, has Apple forgotten Marketing 101—“give the consumer what they want?” Sounds to me like they were simply determined to see how thin they could make the computer—just to see if they could do it.   Apple shareholders are used to the company breaking sales records (such as the four million iPhones sold in its first six months), not the Guinness Book of World’s Records with its “world’s thinnest laptop.” One would hope that someone in Cupertino was reminding the designers of the needs of the consumer. 

Because Apple marketers are masters of consumer engagement, their loyal fans will buy initially, but it remains to be seen if the novelty will wear off quickly or if “slim is in” for the long haul!