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Apple Asks Retail Employees for iPhone Sales Advice
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1. Slow down worrying about 'lighter'. The iPhone is light enough. Keep it the same weight but make it more durable. A shatterproof iPhone = holy grail of the smartphone world. My sister will buy this phone for sure.
2. Slow down worrying about thinner. The iPhone is thin enough. Bump up the battery life aka Haswell Macbook Airs. Make it so you charge your iPhone once every two days. I want to go to bed on a weeknight with 60%-70% left in my battery so that on the weekends, I don't get stuck in town with 1%.
3. Know that you're an underdog. Act like one. Work harder. Stop rehashing old designs aka iPhone 3G-3GS, 4-4S. Spend more on R&D.
4. Get better ads. You're turning into a Nike - intersection of science and art. Not board rooms and science.
2. Slow down worrying about thinner. The iPhone is thin enough. Bump up the battery life aka Haswell Macbook Airs. Make it so you charge your iPhone once every two days. I want to go to bed on a weeknight with 60%-70% left in my battery so that on the weekends, I don't get stuck in town with 1%.
3. Know that you're an underdog. Act like one. Work harder. Stop rehashing old designs aka iPhone 3G-3GS, 4-4S. Spend more on R&D.
4. Get better ads. You're turning into a Nike - intersection of science and art. Not board rooms and science.
the person with the best idea gets a free $100 gift card, the exec who takes that idea millions in bonus!!!
Please bring employee discounts to the Apple Store! It's the only reason I bought my iPhone at AT&T :/
Aside from your ****ing tantrum, you're half right. Many great ideas can indeed come from customers. So while you're calling people names you should look to yourself because customers can be goldmines when it comes to ideas. As for as arrogant, never have I seen more arrogance in a retail employee than I have at Apple (short of may Nordstrom). That doesn't make them ****ing idiots, they're just unaware.
I don't think this is a bad sign at all, I don't think it has anything to do with being lost after SJ died, and I don't think it means they're out of ideas. Maybe Apple wants to know what customers want for a change.
Add attachment!
Please for the love of all that is holy allow me to attach a photo to an email that I have already starting writing!
Please for the love of all that is holy allow me to attach a photo to an email that I have already starting writing!
They aren't doing this because they have trouble selling iPhones in general. They're doing this because majority of iPhones are sold by Carrier Stores instead Apple stores. That in itself isn't a failing on Apple's part but rather general consumer associations; "if you want to buy a Mac go to an Apple store, if you want to buy an iPhone go to your local Carrier Store".
But of course everyone will jump of the "Steve Jobs is dead so they're out of ideas" train
Of course they will. How else will the people who took out options on Apple's stock make their money?
Steve Jobs' spinning just surpassed 10,000 rpm.
Competing into existing market segments and asking retail staff how they think that Apple's marketing and branding machine should work was never, ever Apple's way.
As many others have posted, it signifies a company that has lost direction. Trying to reinvent itself as "a better Samsung than Samsung" is not going to end well.
Competing into existing market segments and asking retail staff how they think that Apple's marketing and branding machine should work was never, ever Apple's way.
As many others have posted, it signifies a company that has lost direction. Trying to reinvent itself as "a better Samsung than Samsung" is not going to end well.
I don't get it. The way to making the iPhone MORE competitive/increase sales is NOT to ask folks inside the same corporate bubble for ideas, but rather is to ask those using the competitors phones what the iPhone lacks in comparison (ie what would make them switch).
At this point (in product maturity), Apple needs to be making the iPhone as similar in features to Samsung's phones and let the prime differentiators be ecosystem, ease of use and customer service....Oh and SECURITY (of course, price could be a problematic factor). Couple this with a more effective ad campaign that goes on the offensive to define/defend the brand and you will capture more market share.
...I also agree that Apple utilizing these forums to get insights would more effective then polling their employees.
At this point (in product maturity), Apple needs to be making the iPhone as similar in features to Samsung's phones and let the prime differentiators be ecosystem, ease of use and customer service....Oh and SECURITY (of course, price could be a problematic factor). Couple this with a more effective ad campaign that goes on the offensive to define/defend the brand and you will capture more market share.
...I also agree that Apple utilizing these forums to get insights would more effective then polling their employees.
"Uh, boss; I know it's really busy today, but I need to go in the back and think about my iPhone idea for a while."
"Can' t innovate anymore, my ass" Phil. Quoted from last WWDC.
Of course it's not a bad think to ask for ideas to employees. But this is just no match to their "DNAs".
Like it or not, right or wrong: First thing that comes to people minds is "hey looks like they really having a hard time to innovate?" after reading the article.
Asking employees for ideas isn't a focus group or market research. Asking employees if they what they think about Idea A vs. Idea B is a focus group.
And as for the iPhone, recall that originally Steve's idea for apps was web apps, not a vibrant dedicated App Store. The whole idea for dedicated Apps came from "jail breakers" who were disatisfied with mere web apps. Funny how that worked out for Apple. Another example of taking other's ideas and cultivating it. Dare I say, the iPhone wouldn't be the same today if it only had web apps.
I don't know why so many of you think Apple's idea machine exists in a vacuum one 1 Infinity Loop.
They might not be lost, but this is something Steve would have NEVER done in a million years.
"You can't just ask customers what they want and then try to give that to them. By the time you get it built, they'll want something new." -Steve Jobs
"You can't just ask customers what they want and then try to give that to them. By the time you get it built, they'll want something new." -Steve Jobs
So? Steve Jobs isn't President or CEO of Apple anymore. What he would or wouldn't have don't is irrelevant. (But Steve did private get ideas from employees, he just wasn't public about it because he liked to grab the spotlight).
But this is Tim Cook's Apple now, seems to me he wants more employee involvement, and a less arrogant attitude from the top. It seems in line with his style, I see it as a good thing...
Yeah this is how I understood it. I don't think this is a customer survey to find out what features people want in the next iPhone.
There is a difference between a revolutionary and evolutionary idea. All those features (horizontal keyboard, web apps, modified notification center) are all evolutionary, and yes 'market research' works for that.
But for example, the iPhone itself was revolutionary, people couldn't see beyond a touchscreen with a stylus. RETINA is revolutionary, no one complained the resolution on their phone was too low
.
And for the record, web apps are the future; Steve's vision was way ahead of its time.
This is not necessary an evolution.
This isn't a customer survey. It's asking employees to provide feedback on how to generate more iPhone sales at Apple stores.