I'll admit this up front: I am an Apple booster. I think the OS
and hardware are fantastic and that most people would enjoy using a
Mac.
Being this way automatically places me in a certain category of
computer user. Mac heads tend to take their computers fairly
seriously and have an arsenal of reasons why they think the Mac is a
better platform.
This excitement and interest in and about the Mac extends to the
company that produces the machines. Apple, while not perfect, is
usually considered an excellent company.
This interest in the Mac platform also introduces several blind
spots regarding Apple and the Mac. A glaring example of this appeared
when Apple released the public beta of OS X. Public beta? Fine. $30
for the beta? Fine as well.
Say what? Pay Apple $30 to test their software?
Even if you ignore the fact that Apple offers no rebate to beta
testers when the final version comes out, it's still a gyp.
Unfortunately, protests are few and far between. Contrast this
willingness with the disbelief that people would pay to play with the
Win98 beta when it was released a couple of years ago, and it's clear
that many Mac users may be holding two standards in one head.
So, Apple makes a killing on software that isn't even ready for
prime time. Beyond that, Apple dips twice into the trough.
Currently, the buzz is building for OS X. Beyond getting users to
shell out for beta software, Apple is also getting reams of publicity
for the beta release. Normally this isn't a problem. Software makers
often make preview copies available to software developers for
testing purposes and software creation. The software developers
occasionally write up their impressions, both good and bad. Ars
Technica has had a
particularly good series regarding OS X.
This is usually not the best way to build publicity. Ars and
publications like it are not geared toward the consumer and are
usually too technical for the average Joe to follow.
With the beta release, everybody and their grandmother are posting
their impressions all over the place. This is both good and bad.
Positive press can't do anything but help Mac users and the platform
- making users pay and then getting free publicity from them is
another matter. $30 in their pocket and millions more in free
publicity.
Why didn't Apple offer the OS X beta for free to publications that
would be publishing reviews or testing results? These publications
are doing Apple a favor, after all. Even if their ad revenue depends
on new articles and information, it's their eyeballs that get the
buzz building.
As for the Joe who just wants a peek at the latest and greatest,
sell it at a reasonable price. Sure, $30 doesn't seem like much, but
when it costs $2 to press the CD, charging $10 will still net Apple a
pretty decent profit.
Ultimately, I think Apple knows that people are just begging to
have their wallets picked over OS X. We've waited for so long for
this operating system that, for many people, $30 for a sneak peek is
chicken feed.
Apple knows our blind spot and is clearly willing to exploit it.
Stephen Van
Esch is the founder and president of
the
E-learning Foundry, an online training
resource for Mac users. Steve loves the Mac and is doubly bilingual,
since he's also fluent in Windows and French.
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