Has Switch Failed?
Posted on Thursday, July 24th, 2003 at 8:00.
Has Switch, Apple Computer‘s advertising campaign directly targeted at Microsoft Windows users, failed? The answer is the topic of much discussion after three different market research firms reported that Apple’s marketshare fell in the past year, while competitor Dell saw double-digit growth.
Preface: Jobs Knows Best
I wager that Apple Co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs is tired of the commentary that abounds on how he should do his job better. My thoughts are only in defense to the Switch soothsayers, many within the Macintosh community.
Flip the Switch: Get Out of your Windows World…
Apple may have a brand image of cool and trendy with the younger market, but the brand also carries an isolationist stigma with the market that actually has money to spend. Switch set the stage for another message that would show, as opposed to tell, that buying an Apple computer does not prevent you from using familiar applications, exchanging files, or joining Windows-based networks. Switch is the bait and the Apple retail stores are the hook. Based upon the traffic reports to the Apple retail stores and the sales reports for first-time Macintosh purchase volume, this strategy works.
…It’s Not Worth It
Most computer users are not educated computer users. They think linearly and do not fully understand the document, application, desktop, OS user interface metaphor. Crashes, freezes, and random problems are a normal part of their computer experience and they accept this because everyone else they know (all Windows users, of course) has the same experience. Buying a Macintosh seems like a step backwards to these users because all of the Apple customers they have encountered are graphic artists, teachers, and/or lunatics who come off as eccentric and not technically savvy enough to make an informed computing decision. Switch‘s friendly faces, proclaiming that Apple has the answer to everyday computer annoyances, garnered significant news media attention, imitations, spoofs, and conversations among average computer users. This infection of the dialogue is vital when a potential buyer ponders if purchasing a Mac is worth leaving the comfort of familiarity, even when familiarity is far from perfect. Downloading Windows drivers for a digital camera on Christmas may not seem worse than buying and reading a book on how to switch to Mac OS X.
Anti-Mac Sentiments are Primarily Ignorance
Apple’s former hardware tradition of being overpriced and underpowered was broken last year. The current product matrix is competitively priced when compared to Dell and Hewlett-Packard systems. Educational pricing, available to practically everyone (students, parents of students, teachers of students), makes Apple even more competitive with Wintel vendors. Admittedly, I can build a high-performance x86-based desktop for much cheaper myself, but I would still be stuck with the problems of Microsoft Windows XP or the awkward Linux options that are not viable in the mass market. Mac OS X and the supporting digital hub applications sell Apple hardware, even when that latter is perceived as aesthetically gorgeous but inferior in performance.
Onward: In Conclusion
Switch has not failed. Switch is part of an overall growth plan. Apple is still profitable and still producing the best computing experience through trend-setting hardware and software at reasonable price points. Outpacing the growth of other computer companies will be the biggest challenge to Apple as competitors secure exclusive purchasing deals with businesses, schools, and other organizations.
Sidebar: The Dell (Non)Comparison
Dell has a great product at a great price point with great technical support and a loyal customer base. But Dell is Microsoft’s lapdog and has the advantage of leveraging the demand for Windows-based computers dictated by Microsoft-trained I. T. zombies who understand that Windows’ problems are their job security. I am not purposefully jeopardizing my argument with a rather Apple-fanatic point because Dell’s success should be analyzed, understood, and learned from within the context of Microsoft’s market monopoly.
Hurting Your Cause
Sure, I would love to see Apple produce product intensive advertising, offer more expansion in the iMac, or lower prices overall, but these personal wishes are not keeping the mass market from switching. The incompetent editorial writers on the Macintosh web scene need to read Macintosh: The Naked Truth.
