Another Steve Jobs keynote comes to an end and already the Twittersphere is up in arms. iPod Nanos and iTunes 8? Is that all? Where were the surprises? How can I give Apple more of my hard-earned cash without a new must-have gadget?
This is the problem that Apple now faces. Having achieved so much innovation in the last few years and managing to create a huge buzz before and after every new announcement (not to mention a very loyal, dedicated (and vocal) following), the bar has been well and truly raised.
At every event, fans (and increasingly the public in general) are hoping, expecting, demanding something ‘remarkable’. If its not as groundbreaking as the (first) iPod, the iPhone or the Macbook Air, then it fails to resonate (to a certain degree obviously).
Apple knows how to launch a product and it is pretty damn good at continually refreshing and innovating existing products ad infinitum. BUT, as every marketer and PR (especially in the agency world) knows, the more successful your campaign, the harder it will be to beat next time round.
Apple is in the fortunate position of not being able to get new products out quickly enough to satisfy the demand! As long as Steve Jobs survives, I am sure we will all have something to cheer about again soon…