Learn from the best in Product Creation and Launches: APPLE! (not how they name iPad though!)

4 replies
Hello Warriors,

Just thought of sharing something that caught my eye as I was surfing some business related sites.. (at work, shh!)

It's quite an interesting article: [Source]

So yeah, Apple has launched the new iPad. Personally I feel the name is rather hilarious: (an iPad, seriously..?!)


Joke aside, the iPad launch is seriously a stellar model for all businessmen and entrepreneurs who wants to create their own products in any market and also to orchestrate their product launch.

Afterall, we're talking about a multi-billion dollar company that is Apple.

The iPhone practically created Apple ~3.5 billion dollars in just a short 3 years.

...

For internet marketers out there: remember that online business is still business: core fundamentals of business is still of the essence.

The short yet insightful article offers some very useful business, entrepreneurship and marketing advice:

1. Consider future applications of current products as they are developed.

Great research work has been done to ensure that Apple products that are created will be 'future-proof', that is, still relatively functional and powerful even in the future.

More notably of course, for their future products!

An example from the article is the iTunes software and the App store.

Originally made for the iPod, it went on to be the user interface for the iPhone and the gateway to the App Store, of which made the iPhone so popular. Now, the App store also caters to the upcoming iPad in delivering it's applications.

What's more, the new product is more like an 'upgrade' of the old product! [iPod -> (+ phone function)= iPhone -> (+ big screen) = iPad] (I know, iPad doesn't have phone functions!)

How can we apply to 'typical internet marketing': When creating your products, perhaps you ought to take some time to think ahead - and think far.

If you're thinking of creating a WSO teaching users how to write articles that have high click through rate for example, you may want to plan ahead to have another upgrade service that you run to help users who wrote these articles to submit them to various article directories after teaching them how to write compelling articles.

From there, you can create another upgrade service on SEO and help backlink or promote their article directories submissions to increase their SERPs.

This basically gives you a more and more robust update of your initial product, while allowing you to charge higher prices while at the same time offering more value.

At any point of time, users of any these services can tap onto the previous services or products to overall increase their traffic to their sites..but by purchasing the overall package do they 'get more satisfaction.'

2. Crowdsource hype and, perhaps, even ideas about pricing.

Definitely an interesting point here and one that you see many, many 'gurus' using too.

They garner hype by releasing teaser videos as part of the product launch. They tease you and toy you around..but they refuse to tell you the price.

"Man, these proof of the results he is getting, this is gonna cost at least $2997 knowing them Gurus."

1 Day before launch and still no news of the cost. All comments and questions related to 'How much is this gonna cost???" are politely ignored.

Meanwhile, you stand at the sidelines reading and observing the price points rumours...

Then on launch day: BAM! A commonly seen cost reducing marketing technique is employed to blow your expectations and your mind off..

"This is probaby worth $3997.."
"But today, I'm letting it go for not $2997.."
"No, it's not even going to cost you $1997.."
"It's only going to cost you..$997."
"BUT WAIT! If you get it today..and today only..you pay only.."
"$497."


Yes, this is marketing (probably not at it's best).
Yes, this is overused.
Yes, this STILL works. And WILL work.

Remember: You're not lying nor falsifying numbers.: you're simply using the market's perception of your product value, and THEN adding in some marketing hype to reduce it to your actual price. Heck, if I feel it's really worth $2997 and it's reduced to $497, I'm grabbing it.

3. Don't focus on being the first; focus on being the best.

So, so, so true.

Remember the internet marketing adage: "You're not the market."

Basically, what YOU think the market wants may not sell, but what the market think they want, WILL sell.

Honestly speaking, how many great products were the first of it's kind?

In the article, even the iPhone wasn't the first of it's kind to be a touchscreen smartphone (I see surprised faces..).

Look, innovation is good. Creativity is awesome.

The thing is, the market may NOT yet be ready for your new product and your new ideas. There is inertia, and unless you are a well known authority figure in your niche or specialization, the market may not react as strongly as you want them to.

So what should you do?

Say you got a Problem A. Everybody has been using Idea A to solve it.

Instead of thinking a completely new and radical idea to tackle Problem A, hoping it will be better than Idea A...

..why not think of HOW to IMPROVE Idea A to create Idea B?

Users will be familiar with Idea A, and by being exposed to the same fundamentals and concepts, but an IMPROVED one, users will see NO reason to stick to Idea A anymore with Idea B being an improved version.

Tip: Play the pricing right and you could take over a large portion of the market share with Idea B.

...

That's all from me. Hope you guys enjoyed reading and learnt something from this thread!

Cheers
Jeff
#apple #creation #ipad #launches #learn #product
  • Profile picture of the author Desmond Ong
    honestly, i thought they are going to name it "iTab" after the word "tablet".

    but "iPad" makes sense.

    It causes everyone to talk about its name and almost everybody knows about it even though iPad doesn't stand out much compared to previous launches like iPhone 3GS, iPhone, iPod Touch and Macbooks.

    The purpose of this launch is probably about getting the "Apple" brand viral.

    Just a thought from someone who does product launch. :-)
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  • Profile picture of the author JeffLam
    There is yet another guideline: Create controversy and be remembered for what you say and do. Simply adding value nowadays is not enough!
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    • Profile picture of the author Dan C. Rinnert
      Apparently, Apple and Steve Jobs figured that most of the world had graduated from junior high school.

      Do people giggle whenever someone mentions a keypad? How about a gamepad? Ever used a notepad around the office?

      What about a mousepad? Is that the butt of jokes? A graphics pad?

      Are football players embarrassed to wear knee pads? Shoulder pads? Are people too ashamed to wear an elbow pad?

      Do people snicker when NASA moves the shuttle out to the launch pad?

      Do emergency workers laugh each time they make a landing at a hospital's helipad?

      Musicians can't keep a straight face when they use a synth pad?

      Windows has a Notepad program. Do PC users laugh every time that open that up?

      The mockery of the name says more about the mindset of the critics than of Apple's choice of a name.
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  • Profile picture of the author JeffLam
    Not sure if you meant it in an offensive way, but do note that I'm just joking on the pad name. But you do bring up a very good point!

    My reason as to why the iPad is the brunt of pad jokes? Because the 'i' in 'iPad' makes it personal. The 'i', regardless what it is suppose to represent by apple in their products, is widely taken as a personal adjective of sorts. 'iPod' gives people the motion that it's THEIR personal music pod, etc.

    Hence the 'iPad', if following the similar notion and portrayal of apple's products being named as such, is your PERSONAL pad.. And in this case, this pad is really personal..

    And all the pads you mention have a logical adjective ahead of it. Even the actual sanitary pad is seldom used in jokes. But say 'pad' and most people think of the sanitary pad. Again, the 'iPad' isn't really meaning anything behind it, hence the indirect joke.

    Not sure if you got my meaning but yup.

    Honestly, no one thinks this article on product creation and launch is more interesting as a learning point? Perhaps I should just delete the pad joke and video.
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