iPhrenzy
by Giles Turnbull
The iPhone launch hype is gathering momentum, and with the hype comes a frenzy of excess, hyperbole and silliness.
Is Apple guilty of raising expectations beyond the norm? Some say it is:
Even for a company that’s mastered the art of product-launch hype, Apple Inc. has propelled iPhone hysteria into the stratosphere.
But don’t forget, knowing in advance when a new Apple product is going to go on sale is something of a novelty. Usually they are simply announced, “shipping today”, and the hype is restricted to just uninformed speculation prior to a keynote speech by Steve Jobs.
This time, though, we know exactly what’s coming. Apple’s been more forthcoming about the iPhone than any other product. It needs to be, because the iPhone has to be seen to be doing well. Apple wants people queuing up to buy; it wants stores to run out of stock over the weekend. It wants demand to be so great that the clamour for iPhones continues long after launch.
Anyway, if you’re too lazy, or not sufficiently fanboy enough to do your own queuing, there’s plenty of other people who’ll do it for you - for a 1000 bucks.
And once you’ve got your paws on an iPhone, there’s another queue of people ready to sell you add-ons, cases, and related doodads. You know, just in case you had some more money to spend.
John Dvorak says he’s fed up with it all:
I am sick of it. It’s all anyone talks about. It dominates the news. It dominates the podcasts and videocasts and magazines. Hitler got less coverage when he invaded Poland.
But he would say that, wouldn’t he?
7 Comments
Andy 2007-06-26 05:30:57 |
I don't see Apple hyping the iPhone much - not a patch on the efforts Microsoft goes to with things like Vista, the XBox or the Zune. The people hyping the iPhone (and being incredibly negative about a product nobody has even used yet) are the people who get paid for writing blogs and magazine articles.
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giles 2007-06-26 05:47:03 |
Andy: heh, I'm guilty of adding my tuppence worth, that's true. For the record though, I've not been negative about the iPhone yet. I'll wait until it's out before making any judgements. And since I'm in the UK, I'll have to wait longer than most - so to begin with, I'll be depending on other people's judgements.
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pauldwaite 2007-06-26 05:50:10 |
Andy: so true. I love the way Apple does so little (compared to other companies) in terms of PR work, and gets so much mileage out of it.
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l0ne 2007-06-26 07:14:59 |
For something to feed up Dvorak...
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TheMas 2007-06-26 08:19:26 |
Remember the G4-Ads? Where the tanks sorrounded the Mac? Shipping - 3 months later. The difference is not that big. So I personally believe the main reason for the hype is Apple invading the handy trade. |
BoC 2007-06-26 14:45:42 |
Lots of people are irritated that Apple is...well...Executing Successfully, to date, and the complainers are sick that their favorite company (amongst a dozen or so) has not scooped the whole crowd of handset makers.
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Mel 2007-06-26 15:09:28 |
"The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about." -- Oscar Wilde
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