Re: Big Deal
Originally posted by NoCleverSNForMe
Oh, yeah...big deal.
AOL is ending its relationship with everyone. They've had so many setbacks because of broadband and other dial-up ISPs. The reason being there's nothing special about AOL anymore. I can get everything I got from AOL for $15 less. (Juno costs $9.95 and I use iChat to access AIM)
Their problem is that they haven't realized this. They charge $23.95 for dial-up access and for some reason, $14.95 ($9.95 for now) for bring-your-own broadband access. So tell me, why would I pay $40 for cable or DSL and then pay an additional $15 for AOL? And why would I pay $24 for dial-up when I get the same thing for $10?
This company is having a lot of trouble catching up with the times. They have to come to terms with the fact that they aren't special anymore.
I'm glad there's no relationship between AOL and Apple. AOL might have brought down its allies with it.
I couldn't agree with you more! The company is really going down the tubes (AOL that is). Sadly, the most useful thing AOL ever did was the one to weaken it most: Making the AIM database available to other companies. It made AIM oust Yahoo and MSN, but the problem here is: It's free! Boosting brand recognition has marginal benefit to AOL and few people switch to AOL's pay-services after using AIM.
Anyway, back to the topic. I am still a little bit wary of this. Although AOL is on its way down hill, that is going to be a small-incline process. It's not tanking anytime soon. On the contrary, it still has a huge customer base, mostly PC users, many of whom are totally clueless.
Apple is taking too long to sieze this audience. It doesn't matter who is the best, only who is the first and who is the loudest. Apple's marketing has always sucked. I want to see more commercials on television, more ads online and in papers, etc. Let me reiterate, MORE COMMERCIALS ON TELEVISION. This is where you get to the heart of the mindless masses. AOL is going to advertise like crazy, and they've got millions upon millions of people in a captured audience. This is where the strength of AIM actually will help: They'll advertise on the AIM client. For a noncomittal service like this, that could actually work.
Apple, on the other hand, may end up sitting on its duds with a brilliant system that no one hears about. OR, it may enter the game too late. Either way, it is in trouble if it does not act fast and act loudly.
Enough PC users should know about iTMS now before they have it that they crave it until they can get it. That's what happened with the iPod and it worked. We need to make this a household name, at least around the somewhat-computer-capable circles. That's what the iPod was. Sadly, the iPod's fame probably came more from 3rd party publicity than Apple's own efforts. Apple needs to take ownership of the marketing process and get iTMS's name out there.
But as far as no alliance with AOL, that's probably not a bad thing. If anyone remembers, AOL got its start under a different name, which I believe had the word "Apple" in it. That's right folks, AOL was Mac only and had the same interest in a user-friendly interface. For a while its interface was more user-friendly than anyone else's (LONG time ago). But that's besides the point. Anyway, this Mac-only ISP decided to explore the Windows market as well, and, indeed, today, it neglects its Mac users. They don't even update their client for Mac anymore, I do believe, and if they do, it has many less features than what they pass out their Windows brethren.
Talk about stabbing people in the back. Without the Mac community's initial support, that company would have died a quiet death over a decade ago. Of course, there's no gratitude or loyalty anymore.
Apple would not want to partner with those who betrayed its platform in the past.
