Apple have come a long way since their old 512k Macs. With the first commercial Graphical User Interface (GUI) hitting the market - it was no surprise that Apple has made the hit that it has. However, multiple changes have occurred since it’s foundation on April 1, 1976. This article will cover it’s design, advertising campaign and their products.
Design
Macs started with the same look as all other computers. However, it didn’t take long for Apple to incorporate colours to attract the viewers’ eye - especially those using Windows. This worked well while it lasted, however Apple decided there was a need to change to a simple, clean look: white. This was a very successful hit and quick made it’s way to all of Apple’s products. Their iMac’s, Macbooks/Powerbooks, iPods and accessories such as the Mighty Mouse were all transformed to white. Why was this a hit? Because it was simple, and effective. However, as of very recently, iPods have changed to a sleek black (in particular the iPod Touch and iPhone) and the iMac went aluminum in G6. The first Macbook to be released with the new aluminium look as apposed to white was the Macbook Air, released at Macworld 2008. With this new look going for them and reaching successful market share, it is likely that Apple is going to continue with this line of products.
Advertising and products after the jump…
Advertising
The most popular Mac advertisement campaign to date is without doubt the “Get a Mac” campaign. Displaying an overweight PC and a ‘cool’ Mac, these were an instant hit to Mac fans. With all sorts of scenarios, they were designed to convince the viewer to swap to a Mac for it’s functionality (although this has been disputed). There have also been individual product ads, some of the most popular being the iPod Nano ad (with Feist’s 1234) and iPod Touch ad (with Music is My Hot Hot Sex by CSS). The ‘Get a Mac’ campaign however has been dropped in the United Kingdom due to poor viewer feedback. Is this a sign for times to change and a new advertising campaign to launch? We’ll just have to wait and see.
Apple’s Products
Apple started with the first GUI. Now however, Apple is fast tracking their way in numerous areas. Two in particular are ultraportable products and multi-touch technology. Apple has, for quite some time, liked having their products small and compact, but at the same time: useable. Steve Job’s boasted the size of the iPod Nano G2 - stating it was designed to fit in the change pocket of your jeans. They moved to the iPhone, where they ditched a keyboard altogether. Their latest venture, however, is with ultraportable laptops. With the Macbook Air being released a month ago, Apple and Intel worked closely to develop a miniature Core 2 Duo chip to allow the laptop to be so compact. I won’t go into to much detail about that, as there are plenty of other blogs that list the Macbook Air’s features. With technology ever increasing, we can only see our gadgets getting smaller thanks to the starting push by Apple.
Secondly, Apple is leading the technology world in Multi-touch technologies. The first object launched with such capabilities was the iPhone, to an immense hit. This quickly moved to the iPod, with a new version being released altogether. The Macbook has always had multi-touch technologies with scrolling, and multi-tap, however with the release of the Macbook Air, multiple more features were added, one being the rotate feature. Within a matter of weeks the new Macbook Pro’s are scheduled to be released with the upgraded technology also. It’s only a matter of time until the Macbook’s themselves are given multi-touch.
So Apple is destined to keep rising with it’s constant new products and innovations. A major difference between Apple and Microsoft is the original thought process of what user’s want, and how they use their hardware/software. Where do you think Apple will focus most of their time in the near future? Leave a comment.
Like this article? Subscribe via RSS
