Earth to Apple, Earth to Jobs: You're not listening

Stan Beer
Wednesday, 16 January 2008 05:57

Opinion and Analysis

The fact that a 3G iPhone is still not on the market suggests that it may be a technical issue for Apple. Perhaps a problem with the non-removeable battery life? Whatever the reason, a 3G iPhone is way overdue - in the mobile telephony market, this technology is no longer rocket science. For a product with the potential capabilities of the iPhone, not having access to a fast data network is ludicrous.

For the past 18 months, loyal Apple users have been practically screaming for their beloved vendor to release a smaller form factor notebook than the MacBook. An ultra-portable with a screen around 10 inches or smaller, maybe a tablet style device, something they can easily take with them on a trip, is what they've been asking for. What do they get instead? A pancake. or to be more exact - a weak ultra thin crepe.

The MacBook Air may ultimately prove to be a useful computer for some users but it's not what the market has been asking for. They didn't ask for an ultra-thin notebook with a soldered in battery, just one USB port and a small hard drive. They didn't ask for a notebook that can fit in an envelope - why is that important anyway? What they wanted was a small form factor sub-notebook, not a normal form factor ultra-thin notebook with limited connectivity.

I hate to be yet another writer to invoke the outstanding success of the Asus Eee PC, but surely that together with the pleas from its customer base should have been enough to steer Apple in the right direction. Obviously not.

Apple has made a fortune out bringing to market innovative products and services such as the iPod, iTunes, the new Intel Macs and most recently the iPhone. In the past five years the company has enjoyed such phenomenal success by managing to tap into the vibe of its user base, that it's easy to forget some of the spectacular failures of the past.

The market, however, is not concerned with the past just the here and now. The message after Jobs Macworld 2008 speech was loud and clear - not impressed Steve. Apple stock dropped sharply.

Some analysts may postulate that the market will come to appreciate the MacBook Air when they touch it and feel it. However, the market knew what it wanted and it didn't get it.

The iPhone was a perfect example of what can be achieved if a company listens to the needs of its customers. Hopefully Apple hasn't forgotten how to listen. If so, perhaps Steve Jobs could take a page out of Michael Dell's book and set up an uncensored company blog like IdeaStorm? I wouldn't hold my breath on that one though. Apple hasn't exactly demonstrated a fondness for bloggers.