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I'm the lone Mac user among my circle of friends. This makes me a
bit of a black computer sheep for some reason or other. Occasional
digs from my PC friends are lobbed my way - along with the
inevitable questions regarding how to get their Wintel boxes to work
correctly.
These friends are well-educated and normal folks (for the most
part). They are, I believe, right in Apple's target market. Decent
disposable income, more interested in the computer as a means to an
end instead of an end in itself, and keen to avoid computer
"issues."
So why is it that I still hear the tired old "problems" with the
Mac from this crowd? These aren't necessarily attacks on the platform
but more curious questions that should have long ago been laid to
rest.
A sampling:
"Aren't Macs more expensive than Windows machines?"
"I have a Windows machine at work. Can I use a Mac?"
"Is there any software available for the Mac?"
Now, the answers to these questions are easy enough (No, Yes, and
Yes, if you're wondering). The problem is why am I still answering
questions that I've been answering for the last five years? There
seems to be something fundamental missing from the Apple marketing
equation that is letting a lot of folks fall through the cracks.
It's not that Apple advertising is missing these folks, but the
fact that the advertising seems to be doing a poor job of debunking
the myths. What more can Apple do to turn things around?
While ads are great, it's hard to get the message across in 20
seconds.
Perhaps Apple should consider being a little more direct with
their promotions. For example, they could have a nationwide Apple
store demo day where they could challenge users to walk into any
Apple store with their best Apple myth and have it debunked. Perhaps
users could bring in a peripheral that's giving them trouble and see
if it actually works better on the Mac. Apple could even challenge
users to send documents from software programs and open them in the
store for customers to prove that Mac software is compatible.
This aggressive marketing style would likely drum up a fair amount
of buzz and would bring people into the Apple stores. The downside:
It would likely bring in a bunch of biased Wintel goons out to make
some kind of statement.
In any event, Apple has to be more aggressive in debunking myths
regarding the Mac.
Has anyone seen a rise in Apple market share in the last few
years? I suspect that misconceptions regarding Apple are holding them
back.
Then again, I might just be impatient. Apple is making decent
inroads into the corporate sphere and definitely winning fans across
the board.
I just wish I didn't have to keep repeating myself when it comes
to Mac questions.
Stephen Van
Esch is the founder and president of
the
E-learning Foundry, an online training
resource for Mac users. Steve loves the Mac and is doubly bilingual,
since he's also fluent in Windows and French.
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