Is there a more successful story in marketing and branding than Apple’s? Few companies can generate such immense buzz with an announcement of an announcement. Apple has teased us with bits and pieces of what to expect at their June 2 event, but for the most part, all we have is speculation.
Apple has always been as much about personality, identity, branding and style as it has been about function. If you want to know what the next new thing is in technology and computer science, you have to look at what DARPA is doing, you have to look at NASA. If you want to see how that technology is going to be packaged in a way that’s fun, cool, and fashionable, you go to Apple. Apple generates buzz because they produce consumer grade tech for exactly the kind of people who perpetuate buzz (that their favorite tech brands are a deep-rooted part of their identities doesn’t hurt, either).
Case in point: here we are three paragraphs into a story about Apple and we don’t even have any information on their new products yet.
Part of the reason every new Apple announcement is so exciting is actually the potential for failure. Steve Jobs couldn’t lose. His guidance took Apple to unimaginable heights. A controversial figure, the fact that he was said to be something of a jerk in daily life, parking in the handicap spot at Apple simply because they didn’t have assigned parking spaces, only added to his legend. Every new product launch was something we hadn’t quite seen before.
Now that Jobs is out of the picture, now that they’ve more or less rolled out the last of their reserve of products that Jobs had gotten started, the potential for failure is there. This actually makes every new announcement that much more exciting because they might release a dud. For all of his hard work, Tim Cook hasn’t quite proven himself to the consumer tech market in the way that Jobs has, and we can’t expect for Apple’s unbroken win-streak to continue forever. Every new announcement brings with it the possibility for the entire consumer-tech scene to change overnight. One bad product and the Android line may reign supreme.
All of this being said, can we really help ourselves but to speculate at what Apple will be unveiling this June?
The IWatch
This is the big one. All reports so far suggest that the iWatch will not be a standalone device so much as a “satellite” to go with your tablet device. Don’t feel like dragging your iPad out of your bag to look at your stocks? Don’t want to reach into your pocket just to check what time it is? Take a look at your wrist. By giving us an experience somewhere in between staring into your phone all day and turning it off, the iWatch may have the potential to revolutionize wireless devices just as the iPod, iPhone and iPad have in the past.
IOS 8 Mobile
A new operating system was recently leaked, and is a strong contender for showing up at Apple’s June event. The possibility remains that this is a hoax, or just a prototype that isn’t quite ready yet. We’ll find out this summer.
In-Betweeners
The iPhone isn’t powerful enough for some, while the iPad is a little too big for others. Rumors of a larger iPhone with capabilities somewhere between the two products have been floating around for awhile now and have been all but confirmed recently.
Apple can be more or less regarded as the brand that got the public to care about technology. With the iMac, your computer became a fashion statement. With the iPhone, you could pack your PC, television and stereo into a wallet-sized device.
“Apple knows how to generate buzz,” said Jason Hope, Scottsdale entrepreneur, (http://sens.org/outreach/outreach-blog/release-internet-entrepreneur-jason-hope-pledges-half-million-dollars-sens) “…that hasn’t changed since Jobs’ tragic passing. It only remains to be seen whether the brand can live up to his legacy in the area of product launches.”
They say never to step into a great man’s shoes, and Steve Jobs’ shoes are a big fit. We’ll see if Tim Cook can live up to Jobs’ legacy while marking his own path, as well.
About Author: Amy Taylor is a business and technology writer. Amy began her career as a small business owner in Phoenix, AZ. She enjoys writing about business technology trends. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys hiking with her Alaskan Malamute, Sam.
