How to sell the iMac
by Thomas Ash
When Apple was founded on April Fool's Day, 1979, Steve Wozniak was the technical genius, and Steve Jobs the marketing one. Today, marketing remains Jobs' forté and Apple has cut back on R&D to concentrate more on marketing. While many people complain about this, I think it's a good idea - marketing has always been Apple's biggest problem.
  
Now marketing is a lot more than just advertising. Marketing is selling a product, and also making a product that sells. The iMac is a tour de force in making a product that sells (with a few exceptions.) Apple has realised that customers are willing to pay a premium for good looks, that first time buyers won't need a floppy drive and certainly won't need the extra cost that goes into including one, and that ease of use in the internet is what is wanted now. Also, amazing though it may seem, it has been proven that a product called something like iMac will sell 50% more than a product called something like Power Mac 7300/166 32/2GB. The iMac is a product made for first time buyers. Now all Apple has to do is sell it.

First of all, Apple has to broaden the number of outlets which sell the iMac. Apple has added Best Buy in the US and Dixons and Currys in the UK. But Apple has turned down Sears and Circuit City. Stupid. Of course, they may be worried that they might try and discourage customers from buying Macs again, but that problem can be solved with a bit of effort. Giving salesmen £20 for every Mac sold would be a start - all the other big PC manufacturers do it. On the subject of salesmen, Apple would to well to inform them of the benefits of the Mac, and come up with a standard sales pitch and a flashy demo to run on the Macs is the shops.

There is a huge psychological difference between $999 and $1299. If Apple cuts the iMac's price down to $999 by Christmas then huge new markets will be opened for them. They haven't got much time left. Nowadays $1299 doesn't seem to be that cheap at all for a home PC. Another thing which constantly annoys people (and I am no exception) is Apple's habit of preaching to the converted. 

Apple's "To everyone who thinks computer's are too boring, too expensive, or too beige" advert, designed to tell computer novices about the iMac wasn't particularly well placed in the pages of Mac magazines. Putting it in TIME, for example, would have made far more sense.

Meanwhile, the Microsoft anti-trust case goes on, and Apple testifies for the government, saying how it was bullied by Microsoft into making many concessions in last year's deal. Microsoft's high-paid liars (sp? ;-)) are pointing to Jim Barksdale's press releases and e-mails to employees. These say things like "Everything is going fine for us. We can stave of the Microsoft threat. No, we are not going bust." Obviously these were not intended to raise morale or get good press. Ask any historian where they go to find out the true, inside story on the goings on in a company and they are sure to say "the press releases of course."

Think Differently is also available on the Banana Network (a great internet directory of media and sites - http://surf.to/banananet), 
1984 Online (a likewise great Mac e-zine http://www.1984-online.com) 
Thomas Ash
<thomasash@hotmail.com>