By Nicholas Proch
The meaning behind all advertisements and marketing campaigns inevitably change over time, but Apple’s ‘1984’ Superbowl commercial still holds the values that Steve Jobs had until his passing. Someone should make the current executive board watch the should-be outdated clip.
The lone airing for the commercial was during the third quarter of the 1984 Superbowl. That’s all it needed. It showed the world what Apple, and specifically the Macintosh computer, was all about.
They were about change and fighting the ‘man’. It was a reminder to never stop fighting for a better life, which was directly associated with their computers. You were prompted to go out and buy the best product available. They built their empire on the phrase, “Think Different.”
At the turn of this century, the average Mac user was someone who went against societal norms and demanded a better product. They jumped off the Windows bandwagon. They ignored Linux. They didn’t quit until they found what they were satisfied with. The problem was that they hopped right onto the Apple bulldozer and have never looked back. It’s that loyalty which will be the downfall of an empire.
Since 2007, when I convinced my parents to buy me a Macbook, I’ve been one of those people. When conversation arises about what computer a relative should buy during an otherwise peaceful Thanksgiving meal, I’m that guy screaming that there is nothing else that compares to my Mac family of desktops, laptops and smart phones.
While I’m doing my best lobbying, I keep thinking in the back of my head about how slow my iMac has been running and how several functions of my iPhone haven’t worked in months. I know this can’t be something that is exclusive to me either, which is where the problem lies.
That brief debate, which quickly turned into a one-sided shouting match, is just one example of why consumers like myself will run this company into the ground.
When was the last time Apple did something truly innovative? Even if it’s only been a year, based upon their track-record, that is entirely too long. One of the amazing things about the company for the better part of three decades was that they pushed technology, and its role in society, further.
The iPad has become a cult product. I love them, but how do I know that I won’t become inseparable from an HP or Samsung tablet? I would never even give them a try let alone a serious consideration.
HP has had an all-in-one PC similar to the iMac for the past few years. What’s the only difference? While Apple has been making theirs prettier and prettier over that time, HP has made their product faster and given it a feature that Apple fans have been asking for…a fully capable touch-screen.
Apple has been dubbed the king of touch-screen technology, but is it really warranted? Today’s loyal user more than likely didn’t even try the competition’s product. They were mesmerized by the elegantly simplistic storefront and the fact that they didn’t want to disappoint their fellow consumer brethren.
Without Steve Jobs as a figurehead and driving force, their engineers need to get creative on their own. Of course there is still an executive board, but remember what happened the last time they tried to operate on their own? They barely could.
The foundations for this company are still very strong. They have a great user support system and can still rely on their already strong operating system. However, the strides they’ve made in the past 27 years since the launch of the Macintosh computer will be quickly forgotten if they don’t keep pushing forward.
Any time that they spend idling will allow the competition to catch up, and quickly too. As users we need to take a look at ourselves and make sure are still demanding the best product and not just the least of all the evils. We can’t let them get too comfortable. If we do, we will be the cause for Apple’s failure.
