Getting to the Core of Apple's Fiasco

Lessons from the iPhone introduction

by Joy Parr Drach, Entira

A new customer is a terrible thing to waste. But that’s exactly what Apple appears to have done, thanks to the way it handled the recent iPhone introduction. We ag marketers can learn a lot from Apple about new product launches, or how not to do them in this case. It’s especially critical for us because, in most ag product categories, we’re simply not minting new customers so we can’t afford to alienate the new ones we attract.

I wasn’t an Apple junkie before the iPhone. Mark, one of our partners, is. Give me a tablet PC, and I’m happy. Yet, the iPhone looked too good to pass up. It has the best Internet browser I’ve ever seen, and its design is really smart. Since my reading time is at a premium these days, I listen to a lot of audiobooks, and it’s more convenient to carry one device instead of two. Plus, while I do my share of travel, staying in touch with all of you is important, and the iPhone makes that easier, too. Not to mention it makes my Blackberry look like a 1950s black-and-white TV compared to a big-screen plasma. The iPhone has my vote for product of the year. But its introduction and subsequent developments have left me cold. [Read More...]