I was fully aware Apple planned an announcement Tuesday about its latest iPhone version. Rumors were circling for months. Bloggers were competing to report the latest tidbit to slip out of Apple headquarters. People even ranked the quality of rumors. Others analyzed words from Al Gore that indicated he somehow knew the world could expect not one but two new versions of the iPhone. When the big moment arrived, I imagined the wires and circuits of Twitter sparking with the overload of people offering play-by-play. Techies national and local were Tweeting each important revelation while also describing the mood of a crowd on the edge of their seats.
For the most part, Apple has perfected the art of getting the world to join the conversation about its new products. The buzz emanating from its brand is so strong, most advocates forgive any bumps in the road for Apple. And before its big announcements, Apple says little to spark the electricity. The PR machine fuels itself. But did the machine sputter a bit this time because Apple is too good for its own good?
Experts were so persuaded Apple was going to announce a so-called iPhone 5 that when one didn’t fall from the tech tree, people on Twitter still used the term “iPhone5” to refer to the day’s events. Let it go people! Apple announced big advancements to its latest iPhone, dubbed iPhone4S. The new old phone is so tricked out, about the only thing it doesn’t do is help you out in bed. And I bet if I looked hard enough, I would find an app for that. Yes, many folks discussed the new, exciting features and focused on all the positives. But because of all the hype for an iPhone 5, you would think some fans just learned Apple unveiled two cans attached by a string.
On Twitter, The Huffington Post wrote “No iPhone 5. Will you survive?”
Slate Tweeted “Wow, the new #iPhone is incredibly disappointing.”
And someone I don’t know typed out “Wtf is a iPhone 4s? Might as well get a baby nokia wit a phat farm cover -___-” I’m not even sure I fully understand what that last one means.
Several people argue Apple should have simply called the phone an iPhone 5 and no one would have really known the difference. A friend of mine in the New York media tried to put the whole experience in context by Tweeting “What would the iPhone 5 have had that the 4S doesn’t? Bigger screen, NFC, 4G (?) I guess. But how much of the letdown is about the number?”
I’m reminded part of my job sometimes is to temper expectations for a client. “No, I probably can’t get you 100 new Facebook fans by the end of the week. That’s not important anyway.” Politicians who are poor debaters lower expectations so when they lose the war of words, they actually win in the public’s mind. The football coach whose team is favored by 100 points against the small college Northwest Arizona Tech State Community College tells the sports media how the opponent is really scrappy and “we can’t look past them” in an attempt to pretend the teams are on an even playing field.
Apple knew it wasn’t delivering an iPhone 5. It should have known how tech town and its suburbs were anticipating an iPhone 5 and had moved on to debating whether it would be able to deliver our groceries. Should Apple have lowered expectations? Should the company have leaked the information out? I imagine the iPhone 4s is fantastic. But highlighting its features is sort of playing defense when fans expected to score something else.
I don’t have the answer, at least not yet. Apple is in a branding, public relations category of its own. The answer will reveal itself over time. How will Apple’s stock perform? How will the new old phone sell? Will this open a door for competitors to seize some of the buzz by introducing their own, fantastic phones that will transport us to new dimensions and allow us to never leave home? We’ll see how the Apple grows or falls.
How would you have handled the situation before the big announcement? Can you share similar situations involving other events or companies?
Subscribe via email to our blog, join us on Facebook & follow us on Twitter.