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This is the first Archived Forum which was active between 17th April 2007 and 1st March February 2012

 

Latest post 01-28-2010 7:57 AM by cooldude. 20 replies.
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  • 01-25-2010 9:33 PM

    • expoman
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    The secret to Apple's success and maybe Bang & Olufsen's too!

    Flash an exotic prototype, then—Presto!—get people to buy your more boring stuff. That kind of thinking still rules at most electronics companies. Apple under Steve Jobs only shows off actual products. The difference? Apple's arcane secret to success.

    A specter harrows the consumer electronics industry: malaise. Like washed-up Catskill magicians unable to let go of old routines while a brash upstart steals their audience, nearly every maker of consumer electronics in the world clings to a quaint song-and-dance about prototypes.

    "Here is your possible future," they bark, flourishing the latest conceptual product from the lab. "Now watch us make it disappear!"

    Apple's chief magician knows better, pulling solid objects out of the aether; products you can actually buy.

    If this sounds like a minor complaint about most of the industry's lack of imagination in marketing, you're misunderstanding the whole act. The fact that Apple does not reveal prototypes but shipping products is the fundamental difference between their entire business strategy and that of the rest of the industry. It evokes a feeling of trust between Apple and consumers—that when Apple actually reveals a product, it's something that they're confident enough to support for years to come.

    For the better part of the last century—starting arbitrarily with the 1934 Chicago World's Fair and its stark, Randian slogan: "Science Finds, Industry Applies, Man Conforms"—the producers of consumer goods have stuck to a basic formula: Show off a prototype; gauge public response; then release a commercial product that is less ambitious, if released at all.

    It worked in part because it told a compelling story. "Here is what the future looks like; and here's an intermediate step towards that future that you can buy today." Electronics' sister industries followed the same tack. Car shows were populated with prismatic concept cars hewn with non-Euclidean angles rotating on raised daises. Videogame tech demos showed graphics too impossible to believe, but entrancing enough to betray our better judgment.

    But in Jobs' encore performance, Apple has changed the routine.

    Outwardly Apple's showmanship is competent, workmanlike. Jobs-as-performer wears an understated uniform that does not distract from the act. His humor, when it exists, is subtle. The closest an Apple keynote gets to pomp are pie charts that look like wooden logs.

    Yet when Jobs reveals the company's next product, there's a critical difference: It exists. When possible, it is available for retail purchase the same day. There are fewmaybes or eventuallys tempering the presentation: "Here is the tiny miracle we've created. We want to sell it to you today."

    As a counter-example, let me pick on Lenovo for a moment: At CES this year, they showed off the Ideapad U1 prototype, a netbook with a screen that could be decoupled from the keyboard to operate as a multitouch tablet. Clever idea, seemingly well considered and brain-bendingly not available for purchase today.

    Do you see the story that Lenovo is spoiling for themselves? First, they've deprecated the imagined utility of every other laptop they sell without the flashy removable tablet screen. Yet they've also whispered a nervous apology to potential customers: "We could make something this cool, but we're not so confident in our plans to fully commit to them. Maybe you could tell us if you think you'd like this trick?"

    Lenovo might make the U1. They might sell a few units. But simply by revealing it before it was a living, breathing SKU on retail shelves, they've relegated it to a quirky sideshow.

    See also: The Chevy Volt, announced so long ago that GM has gone through a bankruptcy and shotgun CEO transition without actually being available for sale. Bet those will be flying off the lots.

    Some of Apple's peers understand the need to manage expectations. Have you ever seen RIM show off a BlackBerry prototype? What about Nintendo? They don't pull a Microsoft-like move of showing very early-stage products to reporters and potential customers. They simply pull out a Wii or a DS and say, "This is it. Give it a try."

    Everybody loves a prototype. Engineers get a chance to strut their stuff. If you've got a 40-inch OLED TV in a lab somewhere, bring it to your trade show. Executives take pride in their company's technical prowess. Marketers get an excuse to throw an even fancier party. And customers and press get idyll fodder for a daydream.

    None of those things equal units sold. None of those things turn a customer into an ardent fan.

    That an industry exists around rumors and leaks for unreleased products may be useful to Apple, but it is a side-effect of their product strategy, not the basis of their marketing. Consider that when Apple finally does release a product, the marketing tends to showcase the device itself in clear, comprehensible ways. Apple isn't shy to make claims about the grandiose, epiphanal nature of its products because—whether they pull it off or not—they have built a culture in which every product they make is designed to be world class.

    Instead of prototypes, Apple makes patents. Although I'm certain Apple would keep these patents behind the curtain if they legally could, their existence proves something amazingly pedestrian: Behind the scenes, Apple is essentially the same sort of company as every other electronics star in the world.

    They're developing prototypes. They're trying new tricks, seeing what works. They know experimentation is the lifeblood of innovation.

    But like the consummate showmen they are, they temper the wooly process of building the future with something missing from nearly every other technology company: restraint. Apple may come off at times as a bit soulless, but at least they've got class. And when that class allows them to sell more products that make happier customers, I'll take class over flash every time.

    That the Consumer Electronics Show is held in Vegas is no accident. It's a derelict spectacle meant to cater to mid-level buyers, gilt with the threadbare trappings of Innovation and Progress, but sending most of its audience home with nothing but a hangover and a t-shirt.

    When Apple pulls a tablet out of its hat next week, it's likely that we won't be able to purchase it for a couple of months, but rest assured that's only because of regulatory pitfalls. And besides, there will be no doubt that when Jobs shows us his vision of the future, Apple will be doing everything they can do to get them into our hands.

    That's the trick of it. Consumer audiences have grown wary of nearly a century of predictable sleight-of-hand. We've seen too many companies promise us the future, then fail to deliver it.

    I believe that there are dozens of companies out there with the talent to pull the future toward us along some retail tesseract. But until they conquer their stage fright, leave aside the vaudevillian antics that savvy, jaded audiences no longer find compelling, and embrace a more honest and practical sort of conjuration, Apple will continue to be the defining technology performance of our age.


    Send an email to Joel Johnson, the author of this post, at joel@gizmodo.com.

     


  • 01-26-2010 12:01 AM In reply to

    Re: The secret to Apple's success and maybe Bang & Olufsen's too!

    Fantastic article !

    Note sure if this is a lift, quote or your own work (albeit as Joel Smile)

    expoman:
    Consider that when Apple finally does release a product, the marketing tends to showcase the device itself in clear, comprehensible ways.

     

    I think a BIG difference is that when one markets prototypes one typically markets technology or features.

     

    When Apple announces their product they are marketing benefits.

    They are "comprehensively" demonstrating how to use the system and how it will be useful.

    Yes, Steve says "how cool is that" ... but he does not mean "technologically, bleeding edge cool", he means "this is neat and will change your life in a cool way, making it more colourful, more fun, and easier"

     

    The difference is stark ... Apple has done a lot of thinking between prototype and product ... and in doing so they are taking a gamble and yet they usually succeed in delighting us 

    First B&O (1976) was a Beogram 1500 ... latest (2011) change has been to couple the BL11 with the BL6Ks *sounds superb*

  • 01-26-2010 3:21 AM In reply to

    Re: The secret to Apple's success and maybe Bang & Olufsen's too!

    Good article, and yes - absolutely a factor.

    I'd say that Apple being the one to introduce innovations in workable consumer products goes along well with the statements in the article. Even when some of those innovations were created elsewhere, such as the early Xerox Parc work, Apple found ways of taking them to saleable product.

    And the past ten years have just been an innovation ride from them. On Wednesday they launch the tablet, and it will be quite something.

     

    As to B&O - I remember the surprise in Struer when I told them that worldwide (in 2006) Apple had 162 own stores. At the time B&O had over 800 B1 stores.

    Today, Apple has 238 own stores, and since 2006 they have increased their shop-in-shop presence. But it does speak to the fact that it isn't the number of dealers that make your bacon, it's how attractive your products are. Last year, 53 million customers visited one of Apple's own stores.

    Yesterday, Apple showed a 33% increase in sales, record high turnover and now have numerous products that not only cater to professional needs (film, television, music, photography, publishing) -- but that also convey the products of those industries to consumers. Apple's overall strategy has been evident ever since they raced to launch iTunes, when they saw the opportunity that would present.

    Could B&O have done something similar, in their field? I'm afraid B&O innovation was poxed by the Betamax/VHS experience. Up until that moment, B&O was an innovator and technology leader - being first with a number of innovations that took HiFi another step along. Quite similar to Apple, in fact, providing superior product/customer interactions and industry leading quality of sound and image.

    But then B&O literally staked the farm on Betamax (as Tournedos points out below - it was a war between Betamax, VHS and V2000. The latter offering a picture quality superior to VHS), naturally assuming that customers would prefer the best quality sound and image, when consumers went for VHS it almost ruined the company. And ever since, B&O has said it will "wait for technologies to mature before B&O offers its own solution."

    And that's when B&O parted ways with the formula that had secured its non-pareil standing among electronics companies. Let's see if new mgt is able to break with this.

  • 01-26-2010 4:07 AM In reply to

    Re: The secret to Apple's success and maybe Bang & Olufsen's too!

    Apple now has the scale to drive the market to follow the standards it creates. B&O doesn't (and didn't, as described by Soundproof re Betamax (although that was a Sony problem with two giants slugging it out with their competing systems.) Philips has the scale to drive the market, but also failed with its early video discs.

    THe original post is more about Apple delivering rather than promising concepts that don't happen. I don't think B&O have been in the habit of producing concept systems, but they are not in a position to drive the market to follow their standards (although ICEpower may have promise here.) Look where Apple came from, declined, and then recovered to their current position. Whoever would have predicted that recovery 10 years go! Anything can happen.  There are lots of Apple fans who are just a littled pi**ed off that their favourite brand is moving into the mainstream......... the same would happen with B&O fans if B&O became a roaring success!

    Graham

    I used to be indecisive, now I'm not so sure. [W C Fields]

  • 01-26-2010 4:22 AM In reply to

    Re: The secret to Apple's success and maybe Bang & Olufsen's too!

    soundproof:

    But then B&O literally staked the farm on Betamax, naturally assuming that customers would prefer the best quality sound and image, when consumers went for VHS it almost ruined the company.

    B&O never had a Betamax recorder. You're talking about V2000, and at the time of that decision in the late '70s - early '80s the market direction wasn't clear at all, especially in Europe.

    -mika

  • 01-26-2010 4:29 AM In reply to

    Re: The secret to Apple's success and maybe Bang & Olufsen's too!

    Very nice article. I'm not sure we can compare Apple to B&O, since Apple is amazing value for money spent. Yes they are more expensive that the average competition, but not by much. There's certainly more expensive PC models out there.

    Apple has several of the qualities of B&O, an integration so flawless is't near perfect. The "automatic" sharing and connections between my and my wives computers, we can share our music, videos, pictures etc, and we don't have to spend time reading a manual how to do it. The "time machine" backup, "extremely great". So easy to back up, in a very clever way. Not only do you get the one "disc copy", but an image of your computer by minutes, hours, days and months. So if I accidentally  threw a document in the bin a week ago, I can easily get it back. Itunes is excellent, great UI for everything it does. Safari and Mail, are pleasures to use. Front Row, very nice. 

    The stability of the system is among the best, no daily re-starts, no ctrl-alt-delete etc. "It just works". Laughing

    Design wise, the Mac is as nice as anything out of B&O. IMHO

    I use the Macbook Pro unibody 17", now if this computer was built by B&O (it certainly could be looking at it) with it's high tech, hi quality precision cut case from a single block of aluminum, it's stunning. The glass screen gets me thinking of a BV7. A simplistic only-what-you-need design. Very B&O.

    OK, so now I'll begin my rant... How much would it cost if B&O made it?! Certainly not 2250 euro. 

    -Andreas

     

    BLab5, BLab5000, BLab8000, BV10, BS9000, BS3, Beo5, Beo4, BLink1000, BLink5000, BLink7000, A2, A8, Form2

     

     

     

  • 01-26-2010 4:57 AM In reply to

    • Daniel
    • Top 50 Contributor
    • Joined on 04-17-2007
    • Svinarp, Sweden
    • Posts 1,284
    • Founder

    Re: The secret to Apple's success and maybe Bang & Olufsen's too!

    bayerische:

    I use the Macbook Pro unibody 17",

    I gave one to SWMBO for Christmas. She just took it out if the box and started to use it, without guidance from me. Now she's editing all our digital photos in books etc. Soon she will start with the tapes from our video camera. No problem what so ever with the computer.

    She has never worked with computers before. If I had bought here a PC instead (or one of those small laptops) it would have crashed several times making her not so happy, and I would have spent several hours to guide and assist.

    The Mac was wort every €. Smile

    Beovision LX5500, BeoCord V6000, BeoSound 9000, BeoLab 8000, BeoLab 3500, BeoLab 2000, BeoVox1, BeoCom 6000, Form1, LightControl 1

  • 01-26-2010 5:03 AM In reply to

    Re: The secret to Apple's success and maybe Bang & Olufsen's too!

    Daniel:

    bayerische:

    I use the Macbook Pro unibody 17",

     

    I gave one to SWMBO for Christmas. She just took it out if the box and started to use it, without guidance from me. Now she's editing all our digital photos in books etc. Soon she will start with the tapes from our video camera. No problem what so ever with the computer.

    She has never worked with computers before. If I had bought here a PC instead (or one of those small laptops) it would have crashed several times making her not so happy, and I would have spent several hours to guide and assist.

     

    The Mac was wort every €. Smile

    Good choice Daniel! So it is, once you go Mac you don't go back. Laughing

    -Andreas

     

    BLab5, BLab5000, BLab8000, BV10, BS9000, BS3, Beo5, Beo4, BLink1000, BLink5000, BLink7000, A2, A8, Form2

     

     

     

  • 01-26-2010 5:30 AM In reply to

    Re: The secret to Apple's success and maybe Bang & Olufsen's too!

    tournedos:

    soundproof:

    But then B&O literally staked the farm on Betamax, naturally assuming that customers would prefer the best quality sound and image, when consumers went for VHS it almost ruined the company.

    B&O never had a Betamax recorder. You're talking about V2000, and at the time of that decision in the late '70s - early '80s the market direction wasn't clear at all, especially in Europe.

     

    Betamax is shorthand in Struer for what went wrong with their strategy, Tournedos. Usually followed by "We'll never make that mistake again."

    Big Smile

     

  • 01-26-2010 6:29 AM In reply to

    • Daniel
    • Top 50 Contributor
    • Joined on 04-17-2007
    • Svinarp, Sweden
    • Posts 1,284
    • Founder

    Re: The secret to Apple's success and maybe Bang & Olufsen's too!

    bayerische:

    Daniel:

    bayerische:

    I use the Macbook Pro unibody 17",

     

    I gave one to SWMBO for Christmas. She just took it out if the box and started to use it, without guidance from me. Now she's editing all our digital photos in books etc. Soon she will start with the tapes from our video camera. No problem what so ever with the computer.

    She has never worked with computers before. If I had bought here a PC instead (or one of those small laptops) it would have crashed several times making her not so happy, and I would have spent several hours to guide and assist.

     

    The Mac was wort every €. Smile

    Good choice Daniel! So it is, once you go Mac you don't go back. Laughing

    Caught by the AppleVirus I am!

    It started when I gave her an iPhone, which led to the MacBook Pro 17'' which now will lead to a Time Capsule which will be followed by a MacMini and etc ....

    Beovision LX5500, BeoCord V6000, BeoSound 9000, BeoLab 8000, BeoLab 3500, BeoLab 2000, BeoVox1, BeoCom 6000, Form1, LightControl 1

  • 01-26-2010 7:13 AM In reply to

    Re: The secret to Apple's success and maybe Bang & Olufsen's too!

    Daniel:

    Caught by the AppleVirus I am!

    It started when I gave her an iPhone

    Well I had lusted (yes, lusted) after a Mac for years, and I am still the only one in the circle of the family of children and cousins

    But ... when it comes to the iPhone, I don't have one, but SWMBO does, so do two of our sons, one of their wives, one of their girlfriends, three of SWMBO's cousins, two of their children (at least, I am losing count ...), et cetera, et cetera

     

    And let us not even try to count the collection of iPods ... I think you get my point ...

    First B&O (1976) was a Beogram 1500 ... latest (2011) change has been to couple the BL11 with the BL6Ks *sounds superb*

  • 01-26-2010 7:18 AM In reply to

    Re: The secret to Apple's success and maybe Bang & Olufsen's too!

    Daniel:

    bayerische:

    Daniel:

    bayerische:

    I use the Macbook Pro unibody 17",

     

    I gave one to SWMBO for Christmas. She just took it out if the box and started to use it, without guidance from me. Now she's editing all our digital photos in books etc. Soon she will start with the tapes from our video camera. No problem what so ever with the computer.

    She has never worked with computers before. If I had bought here a PC instead (or one of those small laptops) it would have crashed several times making her not so happy, and I would have spent several hours to guide and assist.

     

    The Mac was wort every €. Smile

    Good choice Daniel! So it is, once you go Mac you don't go back. Laughing

     

    Caught by the AppleVirus I am!

    It started when I gave her an iPhone, which led to the MacBook Pro 17'' which now will lead to a Time Capsule which will be followed by a MacMini and etc ....

    LOL..... yes it's virus allright ....sad but true 

    Now having Iphone, Imac, mac mini, apple tv's .....

    To make the switch from pc was one of the better decisions I made 

  • 01-26-2010 9:32 AM In reply to

    • Daniel
    • Top 50 Contributor
    • Joined on 04-17-2007
    • Svinarp, Sweden
    • Posts 1,284
    • Founder

    Re: The secret to Apple's success and maybe Bang & Olufsen's too!

    The sad part is that I'm stuck with PC at work. Sad

    Not even a tiny iPhone was possible. I tried with the IT department, but had an aggressive answer that iPhone needs iTunes and iTunes are a big NO, because then I maybe start filling the servers with music and videos.

    Hm, the department with most forbidden content on the computers (movies, music, XXX, etc) are always IT. Devil

    Beovision LX5500, BeoCord V6000, BeoSound 9000, BeoLab 8000, BeoLab 3500, BeoLab 2000, BeoVox1, BeoCom 6000, Form1, LightControl 1

  • 01-26-2010 11:43 AM In reply to

    Re: The secret to Apple's success and maybe Bang & Olufsen's too!

    Nice article. I switched to an Imac and Iphone last year and I have to say I like them both, but for some reason I like B&O more...

    Beoworld's twenty-eighth ninth prize winner and fifty-first second prize winner. Best £30 I've ever spent!

  • 01-26-2010 11:49 PM In reply to

    Re: The secret to Apple's success and maybe Bang & Olufsen's too!

    At work, Macs were for designers and video editors only.  Nobody else could have one.  

    Yet I sweet-talked my way into getting them to buy me a PowerBook back in 2004.   First one in the whole company.  Oh what dirty looks from some in IT and what envy from many!

    Fast forward to 2010: MacBook Pro is now essentially de rigueur among all senior staff.  The IT guys magically no longer object.  Except if you let them, they still put an absolutely pointless antivirus program on your Mac!  Stick out tongue

  • 01-27-2010 3:11 AM In reply to

    • Daniel
    • Top 50 Contributor
    • Joined on 04-17-2007
    • Svinarp, Sweden
    • Posts 1,284
    • Founder

    Re: The secret to Apple's success and maybe Bang & Olufsen's too!

    Anyone running AutoCad on Mac?

    Beovision LX5500, BeoCord V6000, BeoSound 9000, BeoLab 8000, BeoLab 3500, BeoLab 2000, BeoVox1, BeoCom 6000, Form1, LightControl 1

  • 01-27-2010 3:21 AM In reply to

    Re: The secret to Apple's success and maybe Bang & Olufsen's too!

    Maybe this is the option to BS5 if it´s true - let´s see tonightWink

  • 01-27-2010 4:24 AM In reply to

    Re: The secret to Apple's success and maybe Bang & Olufsen's too!

    mr_anders_son:

    Maybe this is the option to BS5 if it´s true - let´s see tonightWink

    I've been running around without a head the last week!!! Can't wait to see what is coming. But whatever is coming, I'm sure we are in for a treat. Yes -  thumbs up 

    -Andreas

     

    BLab5, BLab5000, BLab8000, BV10, BS9000, BS3, Beo5, Beo4, BLink1000, BLink5000, BLink7000, A2, A8, Form2

     

     

     

  • 01-27-2010 7:45 AM In reply to

    Re: The secret to Apple's success and maybe Bang & Olufsen's too!

    Daniel:

    Anyone running AutoCad on Mac?

    Yes, Running full architectural on Imac's through parallels.

    However the way we work is that we run Mac Turbocad for most of the work, then finish it up in Windows autocad .
    Often I run them side-by-side . 

     

     

  • 01-27-2010 10:30 AM In reply to

    • expoman
    • Top 500 Contributor
      Male
    • Joined on 04-17-2007
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    Re: The secret to Apple's success and maybe Bang & Olufsen's too!

     

    I find Vectorworks is a much better CAD product.  Mac and windows based creates autocad exports.  Much faster than running anything thru parallels.  I even have used Archicad great solution for large projects where multiple people need to work on the same project.  Much better than Autocad Revit for BIM in speed and back ups.  By the way B&O used Vectorworks for all their shop designs.

  • 01-28-2010 7:57 AM In reply to

    Re: The secret to Apple's success and maybe Bang & Olufsen's too!

    expoman:

     

    I find Vectorworks is a much better CAD product.  Mac and windows based creates autocad exports.  Much faster than running anything thru parallels.  I even have used Archicad great solution for large projects where multiple people need to work on the same project.  Much better than Autocad Revit for BIM in speed and back ups.  By the way B&O used Vectorworks for all their shop designs.

    Most Cad programs will export in Autocad format nowadays.

    Vectorworks was not really an option as they are mostly west coast based in Canada. I'm on the east coast.
    I do like Archicad and I even had a demo, but doesn't really suit my needs as I specialize more and more in interior design. 

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