Apple is sharing a peculiar relationship with the consumer at the moment.
While the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus launch was the most successful in the company’s history, a huge backlash surrounding the troubled iOS 8 launch and Microsoft’s impressive unveiling of Windows 10, which may well serve to undo the bad publicity generated by Windows 8, have served to put them on the back foot.
But that’s not to say the company is in a bad position – quite the opposite, in fact. However, there have been a number of missteps lately that have forced the company to perform some intense PR work. Let’s take a look at where the company is going right and wrong.
The promise of iOS 8, the terrible launch and iOS 8.1
Apple does a great job of making all of its hardware and software sound downright revolutionary, and the same could have been said for iOS 8.
With an overhauled Photos app, a new Health app that collated data from users’ existing fitness applications and a messaging system that closely followed in WhatsApp’s footsteps in terms of functionality and ease-of-use, it seemed likely that the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus would launch with one of the most feature-packed and proficient operating systems ever. But then came the launch…
The first problem was the size of the damn thing. While iOS 8 only packed 1GB of files, those who hadn’t purchased the iPhone 6/6 Plus that came with the operating system pre-installed were forced to free up between 3GB – 5GB of storage space, depending upon how up-to-date their devices were. This means that some iPhone owners are still not running iOS 8 – not out of choice, but because they simply cannot cannot find enough room on their device to do so.
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After the fiasco surrounding the download size of the new operating system, Apple would swiftly follow up its launch with the iOS 8.0.1 update. This is when things started to really go downhill, as users found that it rendered their phone’s service and its Touch ID feature completely useless. Apple would pull the update within an hour, swiftly going back to the drawing board before returning with iOS 8.0.2. But now they’ve released a fully-fledged, large-scale update to the OS in the form of iOS 8.1, which features the following improvements:
- The Photos app has been improved, with Apple restoring the Camera Roll album that was sorely missed by users
- Apple Pay support has been introduced, though for now it’s only available to iOS 8 users in the US
- You can send and receive SMS messages from a Mac or iPad
- HealthKit apps can now access data in the background
- A WiFi performance issue has been rectified
- AirDrop support has been added for Passbook passes
- Users can now choose from 2G, 3G and LTE networks when using cell data
- A ton of accessibility improvements have been introduced
The iOS 8.1 update can be downloaded now by going to Settings, then General, then Software Update. It’s certainly a big step in the right direction, but the question remains: how on Earth did the huge issues plaguing the iOS 8 launch slip through the cracks in the first place?
Bowing down to the throne that Steve Jobs built
While I strongly oppose the whole ideology behind brand loyalty, Apple has built an entire business out of it. People bow down to the throne that Steve Jobs once sat atop, basking in the white glow of the Apple Store and breathlessly awaiting each new hardware and software release from the company. An ill-devised update such as iOS 8.0.1 is something that shakes the trust of consumers, something which Apple has always been keen to avoid.
There are also the people on the other side of the fence who are awaiting the fall of Apple. A company that was once seen as the plucky underdog when pitting the Macintosh against the indomitable PC, since the launch of the iPod the company has made large successive strides in improving its public image, becoming the go-to provider of sleek, impressive-looking tech. However, there are many PC and Android users who lament the popularity of Apple – the disproportionately expensive cost of Macs when you consider their specs, the “borrowing” of Android features for their own iPhones (though both parties are inarguably guilty of this) and the hyperbolic launch events.
Such fervent naysaying is only fueled by Apple making such a large blunder, and it is this naysaying that inevitably leads to the circulation of news pieces pointing out the company’s flaws. While no business is ever going to maintain a perfect record with its products, the issues plaguing iOS 8 have marred what should have been a thoroughly successful launch for the company. Now they’re almost in the same position as the one Windows found themselves in with the launch of Windows 8, which was panned by users despite its 8.1 update actually being rather good. Apple will be hoping that the negative publicity surrounding its new iOS won’t prohibit many users from making the jump.
Apple events and the drooping sales of the iPad
No one can do product unveilings the way that Apple can. Their reveal of the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and Apple Watch was a gloriously over-the-top affair, full of industry buzzwords, bluster and slideshows.
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As the company continues its push towards wearable tech, their unveiling of the Apple Watch couldn’t have been more successful. Though the product will invariably have its detractors (as someone who isn’t a fan of wearable tech in general, I rank myself as one of them), it’s undeniable how well that the company handled its reveal, even managing to sway consumers who had no prior interest in purchasing a smartwatch.
On the other end of the spectrum, the iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3 were recently unveiled in an uncharacteristically subdued manner, and this comes at a time when iPad sales are dropping.
Some have claimed that this could be the end of the Apple tablets altogether, with analysts predicting that sales could plummet to 13 million, marking an 8% fall year-on-year. Consumer interest in the two new iPad models would certainly suggest as much, with many suggesting that the iPad Air 2 and Mini 3 are little more than updates of existing models.
However, the iPad has essentially created an entirely new division within the tech realm almost single-handedly, and it would be unwise to suggest that Apple isn’t aware of this. The quiet revealing of the iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3 would suggest that these models aren’t going to revitalize Apple tablet sales in the short-term, but there has to be a larger iPad release around the corner… preferably the iPad Pro.
The mysterious iPad Pro
The iPad Pro is (at the moment) merely the stuff of internet legend, spurred on by alleged leaks of photos and specs. Reportedly set to boast a whopping 12.9-inch screen, it is being suggested that the iPad Pro will serve as a hybrid between a tablet and a laptop (feel free to point to the existence of Chromebooks). The iPad Pro is touted for an early 2015 release, but obviously nothing is set in stone as Apple hasn’t even announced the darn thing yet.
If the iPad Pro is a real thing though – and it certainly sounds like it could be, given Apple’s desire to “go bigger” with its devices – then there is no doubt that it would boost the sales of Apple’s tablet division immensely. This is exactly the kind of thing that the market wants right now, and Apple surely knows it.
225 million iPads have been sold in the past four years.
For those who frequently discuss the “pointlessness” of tablets in general, one need only look at iPad sales over the course of the past four years to determine that’s not true. With Apple CEO Tim Cook revealing that 225 millions devices have been sold since 2010, a decline in sales is expected given the huge numbers the tablets have been raking in year upon year. If and when the iPad Pro rears its pretty head, expect those numbers to shoot up and the accusations that Apple is leaving its tablet division by the wayside to swiftly dissolve.
The bottom line
Apple is doing well. Sales of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus have been remarkably strong, and while the company has suffered a few PR disaster and is is facing stiff competition in their non-smartphone divisions, you can’t help but feel that they’ve always got something new just around the corner. Its new iPad announcements may have been lackluster and the launch of iOS 8 a big misstep, but if nothing else, Apple is a company that you can count on.
