Category Apple
Apple, The Inventor Of The “Killer App,” Suddenly Finds Itself Without One
If you work in tech, when was the last time you thought about or even uttered the words “killer app?” It wasn’t that long ago when every consumer-facing ecosystem obsessed over them. Just as the first-person shooter Halo single-handedly drove sales of the Xbox game console, a killer mobile app makes consumers lust for the hardware that supports […]
The App Store And iTunes: Growth Drivers And Drags
43.62% 9.55% 7.24% 28.22% This is the growth rate in Apple’s revenues over the last four years, for an annual average of 21.7%. In 2015, the company racked up more than $231 billion in sales. High rates of growth aren’t typically associated with such a large revenue base, yet Apple has defied convention. That’s what makes what […]
The Battle Between Apple And The FBI Is A Microcosm Of The Great American Political Divide
Apple, led by its CEO, Tim Cook, has defied a court order to unlock an iPhone used by one of the two alleged terrorist attackers in San Bernardino. For the writer in me, I cannot imagine a more fascinating story. I’ve been itching to write this column all week even though I’ve known how hard it […]
Apple’s Mobile Marketing Dilemma
Within Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino, California, you’ll find a company with a loathing mistrust of modern advertising. Earlier this year, CEO Tim Cook said of companies such as Google, Facebook, and Twitter, “They’re gobbling up everything they can learn about you and trying to monetize it. We think that’s wrong. And it’s not the kind of company […]
It’s Time For Apple To Fix Its Announcement Fatigue Problem
If you haven’t done so in awhile, watch Steve Jobs present the first ever iPhone in 2007. In spite the hardware specs that have long been obsolete, it’s still one of the best instructional videos on how to deliver a keynote address at an event of consequence. Fast forward eight years, and Apple still announces […]
The Apple Ecosystem Giveth, And The Apple Ecosystem Taketh Away
My one and only time working with Apple came around 2000, before the iPhone or even the iPod. Back then, the company endured questions about its relevance not unlike those that dog Microsoft and its smartphone platform. With just a sliver of the PC market, many developers just didn’t see a return on investment sufficient enough […]
“Apple Motors Inc.” Isn’t Such A Pipe Dream
These days, it’s easy to forget that one of Apple’s first forays into smartphones involved a 2004 partnership with Motorola to bring iTunes to certain Moto phones. That arrangement didn’t last – and remains unimaginable today – because it runs counter to Apple’s core philosophy, which is to own the hardware and the software experience. That’s what […]
Apple Pay Won’t Change Everything, But Smartphone Payments Are The Start Of Something Bigger
As large as e-commerce has become, it still represents only a small portion – about 6 percent – of total US retail spending. That makes brick and mortar a much more attractive target for companies looking to revolutionize the way we shop. Of all its announcements last week, Apple Pay was the company’s most significant headline because […]
Why Mobile OS Updates Are The Right Time To Amplify Your Marketing
Marketers love big occasions. Product anniversaries, major holidays, national elections, the Olympics, the World Cup, the Super Bowl, and the Oscars all give marketers a platform upon which to engage and excite their customers. Even if a company doesn’t officially sponsor one of these events, marketers have figured out ways to draft off their momentum to […]
Mobile App Metrics: How To Select The Right Ones For Your App
Most marketers have adopted the view that nothing is worth doing if it can’t be measured. That’s good. It forces us to articulate what success looks like and invest in those programs that are most likely to achieve that success. It also forces us to think carefully about what we should measure. Sometimes, that’s easy. […]
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