Rabid Apple Secrecy

dhagan4755dhagan4755
Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
Many have questioned -- more so recently with the music service rumors and 970 rumors -- why Apple is so tight-lipped; so secretive about future products/strategy.



I would like to hear what you think about this.



My thoughts:



* Apple has been burned by companies that rip-off ideas/designs on products that ARE ALREADY in the market. eg: Microsoft with the GUI, eMachines with the iMac knock-off



* Apple's product demand is shallow, hardware is weak. Apple hardware is not strong enough to support a roadmap.



* Apple is internally reinventing itself, fruits of major initiatives that will well to the surface over time to form a greater picture on how Apple will compete to increase marketshare.



Your thoughts...

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 6
    rampancyrampancy Posts: 363member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by DHagan4755

    * Apple has been burned by companies that rip-off ideas/designs on products that ARE ALREADY in the market. eg: Microsoft with the GUI, eMachines with the iMac knock-off



    * Apple's product demand is shallow, hardware is weak. Apple hardware is not strong enough to support a roadmap.



    * Apple is internally reinventing itself, fruits of major initiatives that will well to the surface over time to form a greater picture on how Apple will compete to increase marketshare.







    I've thought of that myself, and it leads me to the question: is Apple any better off now that it's become so rabid with respect to secrecy? (As opposed to its relative openness during the pre-Jobs regime.)



    From what I've heard, the original iMac was so secret that only a select few even knew it existed up until it was unveiled. If Apple had pre-announced the iMac like it did Copland, or CHRP, would it have had the same impact as it did when it came right out of the blue they way it originally did? I don't think so. (And perhaps, if Copland or CHRP would have shipped, they would have made almost as much a dent in the computing world as the iMac did.)



    My thoughts are that Apple is hell-bent on secrecy not so much because it wants to defend its intellectual property or because it wants to avoid a meltdown in current Mac sales (though I'm sure those are both extremely significant factors), but primarily because it (read: Steve Jobs) wants to surprise people. Apple wants to give the public, both the Mac faithful and Joe Sixpack something they've never seen before, or would have ever thought possible. Doing the whole "shock-and-awe" thing is just not possible if you've telegraphed all of your incoming moves.



    Well, it's just my $0.02. (Adjusted for inflation, of course.)
  • Reply 2 of 6
    m01etym01ety Posts: 278member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by DHagan4755

    Many have questioned -- more so recently with the music service rumors and 970 rumors -- why Apple is so tight-lipped; so secretive about future products/strategy.



    I would like to hear what you think about this.



    My thoughts:



    * Apple has been burned by companies that rip-off ideas/designs on products that ARE ALREADY in the market. eg: Microsoft with the GUI, eMachines with the iMac knock-off



    * Apple's product demand is shallow, hardware is weak. Apple hardware is not strong enough to support a roadmap.



    * Apple is internally reinventing itself, fruits of major initiatives that will well to the surface over time to form a greater picture on how Apple will compete to increase marketshare.



    Your thoughts...



    All of the above.
  • Reply 3 of 6
    paulpaul Posts: 5,278member
    Quote:

    If Apple had pre-announced the iMac like it did Copland, or CHRP, would it have had the same impact as it did when it came right out of the blue they way it originally did?



    ummm apple did pre-announce the iMac
  • Reply 4 of 6
    rampancyrampancy Posts: 363member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Paul

    ummm apple did pre-announce the iMac



    What I meant to say was that Apple didn't let anyone know they were working on the iMac up until it was introduced. It was a totally secret project up until then. The iMac's pre-announcing was its unveiling, right?
  • Reply 5 of 6
    frawgzfrawgz Posts: 547member
    Also because Apple gets so much attention (from fanatics and the media alike), it's better not to say anything at all than to promise something and then not deliver it perfectly. Or perhaps pre-announce something, and then have it get delayed repeatedly. (Duke Nukem Forever)



    And we mustn't forget Steve's Santa Claus Complex.
  • Reply 6 of 6
    xmogerxmoger Posts: 242member
    Apple is playing to their marketing strength. If you first read about new products at cnet or slashdot, Steve couldn't hype up the products and create the image they're going for, for each device. An article would include a short feature list, a few negatives, and maybe info about competing products. At the Stevenote, theres lots of hyperbole, carefully planned lighting, presentation slides, etc.



    Apple has something of a reputation as cult. You can't sway the herd without editorial control.
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