apple

advertising / apple / creative / iPhone / observatory — 37 Comments
9
May 13

Apple demos the power of creativity

A wise man in advertising once said that 90% of the world’s ads failed before the creative team even got the assignment. Not enough time was spent first honing the strategy.

Fair enough.

However, one can’t diminish the importance of the creative execution. Because there are a hundred ways to bring a strategy to life, and it takes talent and smarts to do this well.

With its newest commercial for iPhone, Apple (or, I should say, agency TBWA\Chiat\Day) provides a wonderful demonstration of the power of creativity — the ability to take a simple idea and turn it into a stunner.

Some say this might be the best iPhone ad ever made.

What this commercial does so well is capture the human side of technology. It’s a reflection of daily life, and it’s easy to see ourselves in it. The ad shows us how essential our phones have become, enabling us to capture the people, places and images we don’t want to forget.

I say this is a great example of the power of creativity because … Continue reading →

apple / iPhone / observatory / strategy / technology — 27 Comments
7
May 13

The iPod-ization of iPhone

It happened to iPod — time for iPhone to get the family treatment?

For months, we’ve heard that Apple isn’t the innovator it used to be.

iPhone has fallen behind. Samsung is now the real innovator. iPhone 5S is an also-ran before it’s even launched.

Of course, Apple’s “problems” are more perception than reality. But perceptions do fuel momentum, and the negative buzz about Apple has been (a) tarnishing the brand and (b) driving the stock price lower. So what’s Apple to do? Will we really have to wait until 2014 to see a major upgrade to iPhone?

We can’t predict the future. However, we all know the past — and you’ll find some important clues there.

Back when the very first iPhone was about to launch, it was assumed by many inside Apple that iPhone would follow the path of iPod before it. The first year or two would be devoted to evolving and perfecting the device — and then the iPhone line would be expanded to address various types of customers.

iPod’s biggest years came after it had expanded into a family of products. Continue reading →

apple / apple news / iPhone / naming / observatory / strategy — 202 Comments
4
Apr 13

iPhone naming: when simple gets complicated

When Apple introduced the iPad 3 as “the new iPad” — dropping its number altogether — it gave Apple watchers something new to ponder.

Would the coming iPhone 5 simply be “the new iPhone”? Would Apple’s naming convention finally be applied equally across all product lines?

The answer, we soon discovered, was “no.” The new iPhone stubbornly held onto its number — even though iPod, iPad, iMac, Mac Pro, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro were living in a world where numbers had become excess baggage.

There was good reason, of course.

iPhone is sold differently. Since two previous models are still available when a new model is launched, the number is needed to distinguish one from the other. Consider it a necessary evil.

But once you accept that iPhone models can’t live without a model identifier, the question becomes: what should that identifier be? Continue reading →

apple / observatory / OS X — 8 Comments
31
Oct 12

Jony Ive to the rescue!

I’ve never been a fan of the cheesy leather stitching that’s crept into OS X and iOS 6.

Actually, let me rephrase that:

I loathe it.

It’s not like I’m alone. I’ve never had a problem finding people equally repelled. Many in the design community have openly expressed their contempt.

This is the “skeuomorphism” issue that has reportedly been a point of dissension inside Apple between the Scott Forstall and Jony Ive camps. Should apps be designed to look like their real-world counterparts?

It’s one thing to create a skeuomorphic theme for an app. It’s quite another to create one that dates back to ancient times. I’ve never had a “desk blotter” calendar. Maybe my father did. Certainly no one under 40 can relate to it.

And what is it about the Find My Friends app that deserves the leather stitched treatment? Continue reading →

android / apple / apple news / iMac / iPad / mac / observatory / simplicity / strategy / technology — 29 Comments
24
Oct 12

Reflecting on the iPad mini event

I’m still calling this the iPad mini event. But that’s only because it sounds much simpler than the MacBook Pro/iMac/iPad mini event. That was quite a boatload of technology.

Some observations:

Tim Cook. I thought he was much improved yesterday — compared to his performance at the iPhone 5 event, where he seemed overly coached and eager to hurl those adjectives.

The even-newer iPad. Surprise. The 4th generation comes only seven months after the 3rd generation. Never seen that before. Of course an update was necessary, if only to add the Lightning connector. Apple couldn’t very well be selling millions of iPads for the holidays sporting a connector that has no future.

The next new iPad? Taking iPad off its regular spring update schedule is a smart marketing move. By moving to a fall update schedule, Apple will enter every holiday season with a brand-new iPad. That’ll throw a bit more fuel on the flame. Continue reading →

android / apple / apple news / observatory / strategy / technology — 15 Comments
1
Oct 12

Apple Maps: adventures in crisis management

Some time after the big oil spill, we inevitably get the “open letter” from the oil company CEO. It’s a time-honored tradition in disaster management.

Following Apple’s maps lapse, Tim Cook has taken a page from the same playbook. His open letter appeared last week.

Tim’s apology was deep and sincere. He said that Maps fell short of Apple’s standards and pledged to make improvements quickly. He also suggested that customers download other mapping apps, implicitly saying that those apps are currently superior to Apple’s.

Many have reacted positively to Tim’s letter, finding it refreshingly honest.

Personally, it made me squirm a bit. Not because I prefer Apple to be untruthful, but because I want it to be even more truthful. Hold that thought for a minute.

The last time Apple had to deal with a public outcry of this magnitude was during the iPhone 4 “antennagate” controversy. Steve Jobs called a press conference, which in itself signaled the seriousness of the situation. Continue reading →

advertising / apple / creative / iPhone / observatory — 19 Comments
22
Sep 12

Whew! Apple shines again in new iPhone ads

Did you hear that? That was the sound of millions of Apple customers watching the new iPhone 5 ads and together breathing a huge sigh of relief.

After soiling its nest with the short-lived Genius campaign, Apple has created the best iPhone commercials since … well, since iPhone.

While previous years’ ads have been good enough to keep the natives happy, they never really rose to the “magical” level.

The celebrity ads for Siri were probably the first to go someplace new — even if that place was troublesome for a lot of people.

With these iPhone 5 ads, Apple breathes new life into the product demo genre, and that’s not an easy trick. Thanks to some good old-fashioned creativity, all the elements feel fresh. Continue reading →

android / apple / apple news / iPhone / observatory — 12 Comments
14
Sep 12

Observations on the iPhone 5 event

I’m a little late to this party due to travel. But here are a few thoughts about the Apple iPhone 5 launch event.

Tim Cook. I can’t fault any of his words, but I suspect that our friend Tim has been studying up with a speaking coach. And the instructions were: Be enthusiastic! Hit those adjectives with some gusto! Don’t get me wrong. Steve Jobs certainly indulged in an excessive adjective now and then, but he had a natural delivery. Tim really forces it, and it does wear thin. The best example comes at the end when he introduces The Foo Fighters. Way over the top.

Phil Schiller. Following Tim, Phil was actually refreshing. He’s not falsely animated, he’s just himself. A clear presentation of iPhone 5. Continue reading →

android / apple / apple store / creative / icloud / observatory — 27 Comments
10
Sep 12

The fanatics behind “Sh*t Apple Fanatics Say”

There are two reasons why you might laugh at Shit Apple Fanatics Say: you know people like this, or you are people like this.

No matter what team you root for — Mac, PC, iOS, Android — it’s hard not to see truth in this video. Truth, of course, is what makes funny things funnier.

The viral success of this video (over 800,000 views in just a few days) made me want to find out more. So I flung myself into deep investigative journalism mode — which in this case consisted of hitting the Send button on an email to Scott Rose, one of the video’s creators. Continue reading →

advertising / apple / creative / mac / observatory / steve jobs — 9 Comments
30
Aug 12

Where do bad ads come from?

In the wake of Apple’s now-retracted Genius commercials, I received quite a few emails asking:

“How could that even happen?”

Good question. However, a much bigger question is, why does any company end up with a bad ad? Turn on the TV any given night and you’re sure to see an impressive display of world-class clunkers.

Where does all the badness come from?

Though mediocre creative people do exist, more often the problem is mediocre clients. The marketing directors at many companies (1) don’t have terrific advertising taste, (2) don’t appreciate the power of creativity, or (3) are unwilling to stand up to their superiors. Continue reading →

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