Tag: iPhone 6

Apple by Joe WilcoxSep 22, 201411:49 am

Apple’s Magic Formula is Secrecy and Rumors

Apple’s longstanding perchant for secrecy is legendary. It’s also a myth. Granted, the company has a strict no-comment policy about future products, which isn’t so much about keeping information from seeping out but controlling who disseminates it. Something else: Secrets are impossible to keep when a company produces physical products overseas and depends on so many third-party suppliers. Controlled leaks, or strictly managing those that aren’t, lets Apple maximize marketing advantage.

The value cannot be understated, because Apple’s business model in 2014 isn’t much different from 2001 or 1995: Reselling to the same core group of loyal customers. The Mac faithful mattered when the company struggled to survive against the Intel-Microsoft duopoly and made the majority of profits from selling computers. Cofounder Steve Jobs wisely chose to expand into new product categories—iPod (2001), iTunes Music Store (2004), iPhone (2007), iPad (2010)—that freed Apple from monopoly bondage. But the core philosophy of selling to loyal customers, even while trying to grow their numbers, remains the same.

Gear by Joe WilcoxSep 18, 201411:05 am

Moto X deserves More Respect

Moto X should be one of the most hotly-demanded smartphones on the planet. But Motorola lacks Apple’s skill cultivating core groups of bloggers and journalists who swoon ecstatically and influence others to do the same. For example, I thought Stephen Fry’s outrageously over-the-top adjective-rich iPhone 6 review was hilarious until reading The Register’s parody, which is almost believably genuine.

Motorola bets on voice interaction over touch, making Moto X more like a device from Star Trek than the early 21st Century. Touch is oh-so 1980s—what Apple pitched with the Macintosh 30 years ago—whereas touchless is the next big thing. For people queuing up for iPhone 6 on September 19, welcome to the past. You should consider second version Moto X, which is available for preorder, if reaching to the future.

Apple by Joe WilcoxSep 17, 201411:02 am

In Good Design, Balance of Benefits is Everything

Well, the first iPhone 6 reviews are in, and they are unsurprisingly glowing. Apple’s handpicked group of preferred, early reviewers don’t disappoint in their enthusiasm. Not that anyone should be surprised by that. But reading them all—and I did just that last night while waiting at the hospital with my 92 year-old father-in-law—common observations tell a story about Apple’s newest handset. This is one Once Upon a Time that anyone buying gadgets or manufacturing them should listen to. It’s a morality tale about putting benefits before features and the fine art of achieving balance.

Among the many missives from Apple’s love children: “iPhone 6 Review: It’s a Winner” by Walt Mossberg; “Reviewed: iPhone 6 Is a Thin, Sexy Phone with a Killer Camera” by David Pogue; and “iPhone 6 Review: Apple’s Cure for Android Envy” by Geoffrey Fowler, among many others. These reviewers really like the device, which by most definitions is exceptional—and that will surprise fanboys waving around spec sheets and yelling “copycat!”.

Apple by Joe WilcoxSep 11, 20142:55 pm

iPhone 6 Plus follows the Leader

I am a Mac user again. After two years of using Chromebook as my primary PC and going “Microsoft All-In” for the summer with Nokia Lumia Icon and Surface Pro 3, at the end of August I returned to my first love—despite my reputation for hating it. I’m not anti-Apple. Fanatics who try to silence me, and other journalists not glowing about the fruit-logo company, just want you to believe that I am, by insisting bias where none exists.

Before Tuesday’s splashy media event, I anticipated buying a new iPhone—to fit into my renewed Mac lifestyle. But the size really bugs me. Last weekend, I asserted that September 9 would start the Tim Cook era—that it would define where the CEO will take Apple. I used iPod nano as example of a product that defined Steve Jobs’ leadership style. But Cook soiled my anticipation that he could be so bold. iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are too much me-too devices, and they’re not what I expected from the great innovator.

Apple by Joe WilcoxSep 9, 201410:08 pm

Hitler finds out about Apple Watch and iPhone 6

In this—one of the funnier Hitler parody videos—the dictator says: “If Apple sold Jony Ive’s gym sweat, millions would also buy that!” (Ive is Apple’s chief designer.)

Apple by Joe WilcoxSep 9, 20147:41 pm

My Real-Time Reaction to Apple Watch and iPhone 6

The big event is over. Today, Apple announced iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, with 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch screens, respectively; Apple Pay; and Apple Watch. What we don’t know is as important, if not more, than what we do. For example, Apple didn’t pinpoint when in 2015 the smartwatch would be available or how long the battery will last. But Cook did discuss the ease of charging overnight, which probably indicates enough.

As I suggested three days ago, today’s media event marks the beginning of the Tim Cook era, as he does things his way rather than Steve Jobs’. Notice how the CEO favors emphasizing the company brand over “i” this or that in product names. He also shed typical stern look for big, bold—and frequent—smiles. This is Cook’s day.

Blogging by Joe WilcoxSep 9, 20148:34 am

Sam Biddle is Lucky

Link love: Apple PR Insider: ‘You have to be able to control the journalist’ I envy Sam Biddle, who has just about the best job in blogging and journalism. Who else ahead of Apple’s big […]