swingerofbirch
macrumors 68040
As Apple started losing personal computing market share, they marketed more and more toward certain markets: creatives, education, science.
You used be able to go to apple.com/science, for example, to see how Macs were used in science.
When Steve Jobs returned, his focus was very much on getting a consumer device out the door.
The iPad was also originally marketed as a consumer device.
It seems Apple has been attempting a similar approach with the iPad in this commercial and also with the Your Verse ads as Apple used to with its Mac ads (PowerBook: The power to be your best; What's on your PowerBook?). Those older Mac ads showed very specific use-case scenarios, as these new iPad ads do.
I think the problem with the iPad ads is that as the viewer, I have no idea what's happening in the ad. There's a lot of chaotic activity, in which the iPad is present, and often it's not clear why the iPad is present.
Rather than having a feature, the iPad is being sold as a neutral platform upon which features (apps) can be added. It literally is a blank slate. That's hard to sell.
But it might be a bit clearer to come out with an ad that says, "Our iPad is literally a blank slate. What will you do with it?" And then perhaps more clearly show ONE specific use case scenario. That's more in line with the old niche Mac ads.
On the other hand, you could show a middle-aged woman on a sofa watching Judge Judy while playing Boggle on an iPad. I think that would be the Steve Jobs approach. And I think it would be better for iPad's sales.
You used be able to go to apple.com/science, for example, to see how Macs were used in science.
When Steve Jobs returned, his focus was very much on getting a consumer device out the door.
The iPad was also originally marketed as a consumer device.
It seems Apple has been attempting a similar approach with the iPad in this commercial and also with the Your Verse ads as Apple used to with its Mac ads (PowerBook: The power to be your best; What's on your PowerBook?). Those older Mac ads showed very specific use-case scenarios, as these new iPad ads do.
I think the problem with the iPad ads is that as the viewer, I have no idea what's happening in the ad. There's a lot of chaotic activity, in which the iPad is present, and often it's not clear why the iPad is present.
Rather than having a feature, the iPad is being sold as a neutral platform upon which features (apps) can be added. It literally is a blank slate. That's hard to sell.
But it might be a bit clearer to come out with an ad that says, "Our iPad is literally a blank slate. What will you do with it?" And then perhaps more clearly show ONE specific use case scenario. That's more in line with the old niche Mac ads.
On the other hand, you could show a middle-aged woman on a sofa watching Judge Judy while playing Boggle on an iPad. I think that would be the Steve Jobs approach. And I think it would be better for iPad's sales.