But where Apple has always been
savvy is in prioritizing the experience
of technology. You might win over
some converts by talking about
quantitative specs like memory and
processor speeds, but Apple has
realized it will get much more mileage
out of emphasizing the qualitative:
Ease of use. Good design. Privacy.
These differentiators are targeted
at places where Apple’s competition
has traditionally fallen short. Privacy
is a particularly good example, since
several of the company’s biggest
rivals in recent years have built their
businesses on top of advertising, and
users are starting to realize just how
invasive, disruptive and potentially
damaging such data collection can
be. (Messaging that,
to be fair, Apple
has played a big
part in promoting.)
This is about
reframing the
narrative, and it’s
savvy because the
smartphone market
is no longer a luxury
market; it’s closer
to a commodity.
Like a car company,
Apple’s touting
the smoothness
of its ride and the convenience of
cupholders, not how many horses
are under the hood.THE SECRET SAUCE
All of this wouldn’t amount to anything
unless Apple could actually deliver
on those claims it’s making, and that’s
where the company’s competitive
advantage really comes to play.
On the recent financial call, one
analyst asked how Apple decides to
enter a new market, and one thing
Tim Cook pointed to was finding
a category where its expertise on
hardware, software, services – and,
most importantly, the tying together
of same – could make a difference. (I
would also add Apple’s retail storesApple considers its priority on privacy a key selling point.