I read with interest Charles Haddad’s recent article at BusinessWeek online. I noticed a markedly more unabashed praise of Apple and the Mac platform.
I especially liked his comment that ‘every Coke needs a Pepsi,’ meaning there is nothing wrong with being number two. We’re the Pepsi of the computer industry, he concludes.
Yea, I love being number 2. I would like to Apple pick up some market share but not too much. When you’re number one you tend to stop innovating and worry about remaining number one. Safe bets (no Cubes) and all.
But I hate Pepsi! And, like all good analogies, it breaks down. Pepsi isn’t doing new and great things that Coke mimics later. Pepsi is just Pepsi, in other words, it isn’t Coke. Apple isn’t just “not Windows”, Apple is their own identity. They are the ones who take the risks and move the computer industry. When you own an Apple, you’re not just “not Windows”, you’re “computing with style.” The interface is similar (cola) but done right, done with class, done in style (and that ain’t Pepsi.)
Yep, number two is no bad thing. Heck, number 20 ain’t bad if Apple had the same numbers and industry respect it is begining to enjoy (finally and rightfully). I agree that the Pepsi analogy is not a good one, but the Porsche analogy is more appropriate.
As long as Apple follows its own advice and thinks differently it will continue to hold its reputation for innovation and industry leadership. It’s a hard position to hold, as witnessed in the recent MWNY, where everyone anticipated new things and were mildly to greatly disappointed when Jobs did not deliver something earth shattering. It’s tough to be a leader, or more appropriately, a point man; the guy who leads the rest of the industry but is also the first to get shot at.
Apple is good at what it does. The industry needs companies like Apple. I think the rest of the industry is begining to recognize this. And it’s about time.
The Pepsi thing would be apt if there was a difference between Pepsi and Coke. In other words, if it mattered what people buy.
With Apple, it matters.
Another thing: I once heard a marketing specialist give the advice that “you never try to take on number one”. To me that is just defeatist. And it presumes that number one will always be number one. Where is IBM in the PC market now?
The Pepsi - Coke analogy is quite fitting (although Apple doesn’t rot your teeth)...
Pepsi = the ‘new generation’, the ‘hip’ drink, exciting, fun, etc.
Coke = old standby/standard, the favored drink of old nuns (trust me on this, I work at a Catholic university…strictly COKE here), hum-drum, “classic”, not much fun here (even though they tried to bump up the fun with their more recent TV ads - which one can say were actually a rip-off of the Pepsi commercials = to get a ‘new generation’ of drinkers).
Now let’s look at the computers…
Apple = ‘super computer power’, it’s ‘Hip to Rip’, exciting, fun, great innovation and styles.
Windows = built on the ‘old standby/standard’ (yes, DOS is STILL THERE!!!), ho-hum changes/innovations (baby-steps as others push the boundaries), is there FUN in having to reboot the computer at least ONCE a day??, marketting - marketting - marketting (I’ll give them this one) - make people want it even if they don’t know exactly why, take someone else’s idea and make it yours (or buy them outright).
Remember that Apple makes computers and software not only to function, but to do it with Efficiency AND Excitement (the two BIG Es). Any company can build a high-powered computer - but WHO would buy it if it was in a dull, hum-drum, square box, and you had to set to memory hundreds of commands that you have to type into a blank screen in order to do anything??????? Well, ok…who would buy it TODAY???
While I think that Apple represents the antithesis of Microsoft, I also believe that the whole Pepsi/Coke analogy is a weak comparison. The two sodas are very nearly the same product, with a little variation and different packaging, aimed at the same target demographic. Whether one is superior to another is strictly a matter of taste. Beside, as Binkly once said to Milo “They both taste like malted batery acid”.
The Mac and Windows represent different philosophies in computing, and there are real-world, quantitative differences between the two. It goes far beyond a matter of a “blind taste test” type of preference.
I think that Macs are actually the Mountain Dew of the computer world—Only for those that want some real taste in their user experience, like to live on the edge, and appreciate a little color. Well, maybe I’m biased, but I’m fine with that.
Oh, and for the person who said Macs don’t cause tooth decay: Have you ever tried consuming one?
One side of the street- Small Italian restaurant where the chef is truly an artist. The general public is too ignorant to undertand the intricacies of true italian cooking, and business is slow.
Across the street- Large “Americanized” Italian restaurant where the cooks create knock-offs of the original food across the street. Its packed every night.
On 2001-08-02 18:46, iBrotha wrote:
Re: Ahnyer and WSeward’s comments…
As my uncle would say, “ya damned skippy!”
Whatever THATS means…
Yes, well. Uh. Thank you Rodney. That was, uh. Yes. Yes. Uh-humm. Yes.
Actually, Rodney, the meaning is quite simple.
I think that’s said like, “Ya damned Skippy!”, whereas ‘Skippy’, refers to the prankster, like Loki. The curse, ‘Ya damned…’ is a hidden message that really means, ‘Look out, I’m gonna fart!” So, by placing these two sentence piece’s together we get, “Look out, I’m gonna fart, Loki!”, which is obviously a warning meant to clear a large area before a practical joke is played.
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