Apple Ware

MacBook Air made its debut with lots of hype. There was even a near arrest (okay – so the guy at the airport was only detained because security had NO IDEA what the contraption was). But even I – who am in no way a computer genius – guessed that the hype would be about all there was.

The starting price for the MacBook Air is way more than most people would ever consider spending on a notebook computer. To make it even more undesirable, the ones who WOULD spend that kind of money are going to be disappointed by the lack of features available.

This got me to thinking – is it really possible to put all the power into less space? There has to be a point when things just can’t get any smaller and still is able to retain their speed, memory and options. The MacBook Air may look cool and it may even be good for come tasks, but it just doesn’t have the power that its larger and heavier cousins offer.

The MacBook Air may be a great addition to some businesses, but for my own personal use I need more. If I’m going to pay more money, then I need something that will do more than fit into a smaller package.

Apple products tend to be some of the best on the market - and the price you pay for them will prove it. The company also seems to have touched a nerve with the younger generations. Like many companies before them, Apple now runs the risk of not holding up its standards to those that consumers have come to expect.

Customer service is often one of the first places that companies falter. Apple offer the convenience of product stores, but if you don’t live near one a quick visit to the company website will often give you the answers that you need. But for complex needs, Apple has outsourced their customer service - one of the first sure fire steps to disaster (IMHO).

Some of the electronic devices that Apple currently offers are just not as durable as you might want. The iPods are not for the overly active (therefore would not make a great Christmas gift for active, preteen boys) because a hard jarring can cause the device to no longer work properly.

As for innovation, Apple is still King. It seems to have a finger on the pulse of consumers’ desires and it meeting them beyond expectations. Less just hope that the King continues to understand that without the peasants its kingdom will fall.

My father has always been a traveling salesman. He started out with a regional job and over the years has moved closer to home for his territory. The advent of the cell phone, PDA, and notebooks has made his life much easier, but he keeps his focus on work and doesn’t look at what else his products might do for his life.

I recently broke down and got a notebook. Work was the first thing I thought about, but I’m quickly learning that having a portable computer can translate in to so much more than a portable office. That’s exactly what Apple is trying to get across to the general public.

The iPhone came out with much fan fare and a HUGE price tag, but people still lined up (some times for days) for a piece of the action. The attraction is not that the iPhone is just another smart phone. It’s that it is capable of so much more. The iPhone is as much about entertainment as it is about practicality.

When it comes to dropping big money on electronic devices, the more the buyer can get from the device, the more valuable it becomes. As Apple continues to stretch the limits of portable computers are for and can do, the company will continue to see its market share grow.