I’m a PC guy. I’ve long been exposed to Apple computers but never saw a reason to switch. Every piece of software I needed was available for, and sometimes exclusively for, the PC. Yet, here I sit, typing this blog on a MacBook Pro. The catalyst for my Microsoft’s awful operating system, Vista. I used wanting to build iPhone applications as my excuse for getting the MBP. I’ve become a partial convert and have suggested to others that they buy Macs because “they just work” where Vista just seemed to fail. I love my MBP.
That ability to create devices that “just work” and to make them more user friendly, cooler and better looking than any other company in the world has earned Apple three years at the top of Fortune’s Most Admired Companies. Where other companies create products consumers tell them they want, Apple creates products consumers only know they want once Apple produces them. It’s an amazing business model and they do it excellently.
My problem with Apple is mobile. Without question, Apple redefined the way consumers saw phones. By offering a phenomenally usable operating system with a beautiful user experience, Apple made the cell phone as cool as an iPod. By further, creating an iPhone ecosystem via the iPhone App Store, Apple converted the device from a phone to a multi-function device that allows its users to lead a life where everything they need to do can be done from the palm of their hand.
Continued…
I have quite a number of things I could address today. I’m a wee bit upset that the HTC Nexus One (aka the Google Phone) won’t run on AT&T 3G. T-Mobile’s network is fast, it’s true, but it’s not ubiquitous. Plus, I like AT&T — when my calls aren’t dropping. But, that’s not why I’m writing today. Today, I’m writing about open source software.
Let’s be honest. I mean… We can all pretty much agree that the cell phone retail model sucks, right? I’ve already outlined how cell phone manufacturers set arbitrarily high prices for their cell phones so that carriers can hawk those phones at discounted (aka subsidized) prices. Of course, the carriers’ discounted prices usually represent, for smart-phones at least, a markup of close to 100%. That unsubsidized price we have to pay if we buy an unlocked phone often represents a markup of 100-200%. What other consumer-focused electronic devices can garner such a markup. Not many…
Can I tell you a secret? One of the best marketing tools you’re not using is the marketing application. I’ve implemented a few over the course of my career and experience tells me that when used well, they give marketers an great ability to understand customer behavior while generating leads and/or sales. I worked on one for a large insurance company (with an ad agency partner) that ended up as a 
Yesterday I pointed out great service I got from a couple of companies on Twitter. Today, I share a story of lackluster online customer service.
A few weeks ago I bought some dip from Sabra, the people who make Sabra hummus. I got it home, ripped it open and was offended by the taste. The dip had spoiled in spite of an expiration date a few days into the future. I found Sabra’s Twitter account and tweeted my experience to them. They “followed” me and expressed regret for my experience. They followed up by asking for my email address. Haven’t heard from them since but just expressing regret was pretty class to me.
The Internet sucks. It just hasn’t really evolved all that much since Netscape’s IPO in 1995. Aren’t you tired of having to visit 20 different sites (or more) to get content on your varied interests? And hard as you try, you still can’t make RSS feeds fun, right? There are other options out there but they’re just stop-gaps in the evolutionary process rather than true evolution.
