Rodney O. Lain - 2001.03.20
The bigger challenge for Apple is that they have to make a computer
that kills the Macintosh. Right now, they're milking the Macintosh.
But what they need to do is jump to the next curve.
- Guy Kawasaki
Gentlemen, it's the twenty-first century. You've got to have an
open mind.
- Frank Miller, Ronin, 1987
Advertising imitates life, and vice versa - at least when it
comes to Apple Computer.
At least this is what I'm thinking as my wife and I sit here,
watching Apple's latest advertisement that features one of my
favorite musicians, George Clinton. I'm sitting here telling wifey
(every few minutes or so), "you can call me Barry" with my
ersatz-baritone or that "I'm gon' drop the funk bomb on ya" with my
weak approximation of Clinton's gravelly speech.
Who cares that they never show the product in the ad (nor do
they even mention the product's name - what was it supposed to
advertise? iMacs? Power Macs? iTunes? All of the above?). Who
cares? It is a great commercial, even though it was stingy with the
details.
It's a great way to build the brand without having to put a
product in the audience's face. This star-studded ad says that we
should "concentrate on the fact that this is Apple we are
advertising, not the Macintosh, not iTunes, not the iMac, not Mac
OS X." I try to understand this, but often can't. I didn't
understand the reasoning behind such ostensibly lame marketing
until recently.
I found a bit understanding by doing something that I hope Apple
execs get a chance to do on a regular basis: I spend a lot of time
talking with Apple customers. I thought I'd pass along what I've
come up with, though I feel that only forward-thinking Mac users
will "get it."
I've seen the future....
It began for me with a conversation yesterday with a customer at
Micro Center in Minneapolis. It ended with an on-line computer
article this morning and a recalled comment from the Steven P.
Jobs.
I talked with this guy about OS X, particularly its Unix
heritage. We discussed the upcoming OS X Server, especially how it
is, basically, an amalgamation of AppleShare IP, Mac OS X's
"Aqua" interface, and
NeXTstep/OpenStep technologies.
For a while, we argued whether or not Mac OS X is nothing but
NeXTstep in sheep's clothing. It was a short argument, since we
both agreed that it is, that the "classic" Mac OS will die this
weekend with the official advent of Mac OS X.
Do you believe in the brand?
I started this piece by saying that "advertising imitates life"
is an apt description of this "new" Apple Computer. I'm referring
to "Think Different." It's more than a marketing mantra, an
advertising slogan. It is an announcement of the anachronistic
element of the Macintosh/Apple community.
Apple is slowly, but methodically, moving away from the
Macintosh. I'm not the only person who feels this way.
Last week, Charles Haddad, Mac watcher for BusinessWeek online,
drew similar conclusions in his public reprimand of fellow
Macolytes. What drew my attention, though, was his inclusion of a
Guy Kawasaki comment, which is included in this column's epigraphs.
He has summed up Apple's strategy for the next few years: Apple is
positioning itself as not just another PC maker, but as a company
that dares to be forward thinking with the advancement of its
technology.
Look at Apple's current products. The iMac is just another Mac,
yet it is not. Mac OS X is just another version of the Mac OS, yet
it is not. In 1997, Apple CEO Steve Jobs chided Macworld attendees'
booing Bill Gates by saying that we must rid ourselves of the
notion that in order to win, Microsoft has to lose.
Whaaa?
Talk about major paradigm shifting. But it is happening right
before our eyes. If you put the "Think Different" talk in wider
perspective, you will see that it is a twofold campaign.
- To advertise the Apple brand. This is already known.
- To preach a new message to the choir
The new message is this: The Mac (and the Mac OS of the new
millennium, for that matter) will be nothing like what you
presently see on store shelves (the audience shouts a big "duh!"),
and it's already transforming. All of the hints are there: G4 Cube, all of this talk about "digital
hubs" and "digital lifestyles."
I hasten to add that this column isn't directed towards to many
of you. This isn't for those of you who can see the obvious. This
is for those still holding on to their Quadras and their SEs (with two floppies containing System
6), pining for the good ol' days when software fit on one
floppy.
I, too, involuntarily resist the changes that are happening. But
I'm getting the new religion: I like being able to find more
peripherals for my Mac, thanks to USB and FireWire; I like the
stability of my PowerBook, thanks to OS X; I like being able to
connect easily with PCs, thanks to TCP/IP; I like being able to buy
cheap RAM and hard drives for my computers.
These are just a few benefits of thinking different. More will
follow, as we see the lines between Mac and PC blurred even further
in years to come.
Part of me doesn't like it, but it will eventually all be seen
as being done in the name of progress. For the Mac.
One day, we may not call our Mac a "Mac." It will seem strange,
but I believe that it will be a good thing. When you realize what's
happening to the beloved Mac, you may feel as though a bomb is
being dropped in the middle of the Mac community, destroying
everything we've ever held dear about our favorite computing
platform. But that is a good thing, also.
Time will prove this to be the ultimate message of "Think
Different." You've been warned. You've been prepared in advance.
