Do Apple normally heavily promote soon to be outdated products?

[Tomato910]

I've recently noticed a bombardment of television advertising for the iPad in the UK. About the same level as when it first launched.

As we all know here, the iPad 2 seems set for launch within a few months (and now the iPad 3 doesn't seem that far off according to the latest rumours). The general consumer however, would not know this. Does Apple normally do this? I've never seen them promote a product so heavily when it's coming to the end of it's lifecycle.

 

[Chris.]

They are trying to clear stock, I guess.

 

[Piggie]

It may also be for another reason.

They know it's only a short time now before a LOT of Honeycomb Tablets from well known makers hit the shops, so I guess they are desperate now to shout as loud as they can about the iPad before all these other tablets come out.

They know they don't have long to enjoy their pretty much safe position they have enjoyed over the past year and they are going to have to compete with others soon.

This is why I think we can look forward to better upgrades, If Apple don't get a kick up the backside from others they will do as little as they can and milk old tech for every penny they can manage.

We have the competition to thank for forcing Apple to move forwards faster than it otherwise would.

 

[Michael CM1]

We don't "know" anything about the future iPads. We're just going on bits and pieces of info and past trends. For all we know Apple could be delaying the iPad 2 until the fall or could be shipping it tomorrow. I also wouldn't put too much stock into the iPad 3 rumor, mainly because it would be a huge change from past trends for Apple. The only thing Apple has made revisions to more than once a year in probably the past decade is Mac products. Those are usually spec bumps to keep up with the rest of the world. The one exception to that is when the original iPhone was bumped up to 16GB in January. Or maybe it was the 3G. It was one of those two, but it was quite the exception.

Apple is trying to sell whatever is on the shelf. That's what everybody does. Hell, I still saw the old model iPod nano at Target a couple of weeks ago. I see outdated computers and other such products sitting in stores at full prices all of the time. Don't forget that we're a country that accepts bottled water priced the same as a bottled soft drink. Yes, we pay a buck for water.

 

[maflynn]

I hardly see any apple commercials here in the US. Perhaps its more my viewing habits, and less apple's marketing.

 

[chrono1081]

I've recently noticed a bombardment of television advertising for the iPad in the UK. About the same level as when it first launched.

As we all know here, the iPad 2 seems set for launch within a few months (and now the iPad 3 doesn't seem that far off according to the latest rumours). The general consumer however, would not know this. Does Apple normally do this? I've never seen them promote a product so heavily when it's coming to the end of it's lifecycle.

Every company does this. Its nothing new. If you have a product, you advertise it.

 

[EssentialParado]

I also live in the UK and I haven't noticed an unusual rise in their TV advertising. It's been pretty consistent since the iPad launched. Maybe you just started watching TV more often, or different shows?

And yes, Apple have always advertised end-of-life products, right up until they announce a new model. Because even if the new gen iPad is due to come, the marketing influence will still carry across to the new generation.

Besides, as far as most of their customers go, an iPad is an iPad.

 

[sim667]

I havent noticed an increase in adverts lately.....

I think what they may have started doing is showing more ipad ads than iphone ads.

 

[drjsway]

Any ad for the iPad isn't just promoting iPad 1, it's promoting the iPad brand.

 

[poloponies]

Any ad for the iPad isn't just promoting iPad 1, it's promoting the iPad brand.

And as you also see with Blackberry and Android phones (and the Galaxy Tab), the commercials focus on apps and what you can do with the device rather than specifics of hardware.