Comments on: Apple Turns to Real People for iPhone and iPod Touch http://www.thirdwayblog.com/apple/apple-turns-to-real-people-for-iphone-and-ipod-touch.html Straight Talk on Advertising from the Client Side Thu, 24 Jul 2008 18:25:11 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.4 by: david http://www.thirdwayblog.com/apple/apple-turns-to-real-people-for-iphone-and-ipod-touch.html#comment-72521 Mon, 05 Nov 2007 16:54:15 +0000 http://www.thirdwayblog.com/apple/apple-turns-to-real-people-for-iphone-and-ipod-touch.html#comment-72521 Mark, Good points, but I think it is fair to say that the opening up a platform for development (as with Facebook) that had previously been closed is reversing course. Jobs had earlier emphasized that web-based applications would be sufficient for the iPhone. The mere fact that Apple was keeping its options open doesn't mean that making the decision to open the phone to developers wasn't a big deal. And yes, it is true that Apple, like many brands, has previously used consumers in its advertising, but this is a different context with different implications. And finally, yes I am putting a few facts together to make a causal argument that is speculative by nature but viewed from the outside, it really is a dramatic shift on Apple's part - intentional or not. Mark,

Good points, but I think it is fair to say that the opening up a platform for development (as with Facebook) that had previously been closed is reversing course. Jobs had earlier emphasized that web-based applications would be sufficient for the iPhone. The mere fact that Apple was keeping its options open doesn’t mean that making the decision to open the phone to developers wasn’t a big deal. And yes, it is true that Apple, like many brands, has previously used consumers in its advertising, but this is a different context with different implications.

And finally, yes I am putting a few facts together to make a causal argument that is speculative by nature but viewed from the outside, it really is a dramatic shift on Apple’s part - intentional or not.

]]> by: mark http://www.thirdwayblog.com/apple/apple-turns-to-real-people-for-iphone-and-ipod-touch.html#comment-71845 Fri, 02 Nov 2007 21:26:32 +0000 http://www.thirdwayblog.com/apple/apple-turns-to-real-people-for-iphone-and-ipod-touch.html#comment-71845 You write that Apple "reversed course" about developing for iPhone What evidence do you have that Apple did not intend to have third party developers write native applications to run on iPhone? I don't believe Apple ever said that. In Jan 2007, in a John Markoff NYT article, Jobs' comments indicate Apple was thinking about and working on a secure solution for such applications, altho all they announced for immediate use was a Web/AJAX solution. In May 2007, at AllThingsD, Jobs reiterates the secure sandbox concept and asks everyone to be patient and that a solution looks possible. In interviews after launch in June 2007, Jobs repeats it again. Finally, when the knotty issues were worked in finishing OS X Leopard (which is the basis for the iPhone SDK), Jobs announced its availability in Feb 2008, and repeats the same security concern in explaining the delay. I do not see at any point that Apple "reversed course"; rather, people/developers were very bad at listening and impatient. As for the ads, Apple ran a series of "switch" ads for the Mac years ago using ordinary customers, so this campaign concept is not new to them. You write that Apple “reversed course” about developing for iPhone What evidence do you have that Apple did not intend to have third party developers write native applications to run on iPhone? I don’t believe Apple ever said that. In Jan 2007, in a John Markoff NYT article, Jobs’ comments indicate Apple was thinking about and working on a secure solution for such applications, altho all they announced for immediate use was a Web/AJAX solution. In May 2007, at AllThingsD, Jobs reiterates the secure sandbox concept and asks everyone to be patient and that a solution looks possible. In interviews after launch in June 2007, Jobs repeats it again. Finally, when the knotty issues were worked in finishing OS X Leopard (which is the basis for the iPhone SDK), Jobs announced its availability in Feb 2008, and repeats the same security concern in explaining the delay. I do not see at any point that Apple “reversed course”; rather, people/developers were very bad at listening and impatient.

As for the ads, Apple ran a series of “switch” ads for the Mac years ago using ordinary customers, so this campaign concept is not new to them.

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