Why the obsession with Macworld? The iPhone is hot, of course, and Macs are great machines. Steve Jobs is the 21st century genius of tech marketing. But there has to be something more fundamental to explain how Macworld can simultaneously overshadow the entire consumer electronics industry at CES, and the retirement of Bill Gates.
I think everyone’s crazy for Apple because people are desperate for consumer electronics innovation. Exciting, innovative, easy-to-use software was supposed to be the future of consumer electronics. But who else besides Apple is really delivering?
The Wall Street Journal argued a few years ago (“Power Switch”, 3/10/05; see my letter to the editor published in the WSJ here) that American companies were finally making headway in the Asian-dominated consumer electronics industry because of their superior software skills. They provided three examples: iPods, Kodak EasyShare cameras, and Palm organizers. Fast forward to 2008, and it looks like Apple is the only game in town.
The consumer electronics companies are giving us 150-inch plasma screens and screaming fast wireless routers, but where’s the software innovation? Which universities are providing the great ideas? Which venture firms will touch the consumer electronics space? Which companies are focusing on important consumer tasks, and making them easier from start to finish? People want iPhone or iPod-like design in their future, not the nightmarish menu system on my new big-screen monitor.
I agree that the nation is “Mac Crazy” because it is new and innovative but I think it goes beyond that. My personal belief is that Mac is selling an image. The image is a cool and hip concept that captures a much larger market than others have been able to capture. Buyers of Mac are interested in this image and how it conveys it. Its like any other form of retail. This is whats “in” and people want to be seen as cool.