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I don't understand Apple's ad strategy

iop said:
Ipads are great devices, there is no argument here. However, they are not PCs, and can replace a PC only for the most basic tasks (e.g., reading and browsing) because of the crippled operating system they are paired with. So why does Apple emphasize how powerful the ipad pro is in comparison with a PC? As far as I'm concerned, it can have petaflops of computational power, but unless i could use python, octave and R with it, it would never replace even a 2009 macbook pro. I think Apple should forget this whole "pro" bovine droppings ad strategy, and focus on how great the ipad is as a consumer electronics device. And if they really want to focus on the pro segment, they should come up with a way to run mac os on ipad pro.
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What percentage of the computer buying public need to run python, octave or R? Very small. So, there is the answer to your question.

The ugly secret is that most people mainly use their personal computers for content consumption and light productivity (email, calendar, notes, reviewing and editing documents). The iPad is fine for this stuff. Also, most people have a corporate computer provided by their employer for the real heavy lifting. In the old day, we all had desktop towers at home just to browse the web, answer email, store a few family photos, and play an occasional game. Today, you really only need an iPad to do most of the routine personal computing activities.
 
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PC's, personal computers. Of course the iPad is a PC. For some people, it can be there only computer. It is for me, and I manage a team of 60 people for a logistics company. Where it is not ideal is operational tasks, although that is slowly changing as better and better software is released. I don't get why people are always so short sighted when it comes to the iPad. Just because it doesn't work for you, doesn't mean it can't work for everyone. My iPad Pro is the best PC I have ever owned and iOS has a much brighter future than macOS. I wouldn't want macOS to touch my iPad.
 
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TiggrToo said:
Just because you don't get a justification for it, doesn't mean other's don't.
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This needs to be pasted at the very top of the iPad forum here at MacRumors.

The first thing you learn when doing UX (User Experience) is: The User is NOT YOU!

From the standpoint of advertising, people expect that Apple (or any other company) needs to cater exactly to them and their needs and wants. If it doesn’t then “this makes no sense”or “this ad sucks!” The fact is, there really quite a few people out there that are not you and are different than you are.
 
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TinaBelcher said:
The luxury of America. In Europe we are not allowed to return our purchased items once the package has been opened :( unless it’s bought damaged of course...
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Are you sure?! We return our devices within the first 14 days as well. I’m in the UK by the way.
 
iop said:
Ipads are great devices, there is no argument here. However, they are not PCs, and can replace a PC only for the most basic tasks (e.g., reading and browsing) because of the crippled operating system they are paired with. So why does Apple emphasize how powerful the ipad pro is in comparison with a PC? As far as I'm concerned, it can have petaflops of computational power, but unless i could use python, octave and R with it, it would never replace even a 2009 macbook pro. I think Apple should forget this whole "pro" bovine droppings ad strategy, and focus on how great the ipad is as a consumer electronics device. And if they really want to focus on the pro segment, they should come up with a way to run mac os on ipad pro.
Click to expand...
Their commercials/ads are about getting people to use a device and their imagination.
Pop into a today at Apple session for the iPhone or iPad. You may be very much surprised at how people are using their devices.
 
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What's python, octave, and R? I'd imagine the majority of people don't know or care what that is. Lacking one specific use case does not negate the usefulness of a device.
 
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akash.nu said:
Are you sure?! We return our devices within the first 14 days as well. I’m in the UK by the way.
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The UK is in its own bubble and do things very differently then the rest of Europe, in particularly compared to the Nordic area.
 
TinaBelcher said:
The UK is in its own bubble and do things very differently then the rest of Europe, in particularly compared to the Nordic area.
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bensisko said:
I know some people in France that have been able to return within 2 weeks even after opening.
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The 14 days return period is common across West Europe as far as I’m aware of. It’s the same in France, Spain, Germany, Italy etc.
 
TinaBelcher said:
The luxury of America. In Europe we are not allowed to return our purchased items once the package has been opened :( unless it’s bought damaged of course...
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That is not true. Apple accepts returns in Europe in the same time frame, open box, has for years.
 
DNichter said:
What's python, octave, and R? I'd imagine the majority of people don't know or care what that is. Lacking one specific use case does not negate the usefulness of a device.
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These are examples of software that can be run on any traditional PC. I understand that you and many others consider the ipad a PC in terms of functionality; however, the software paradigm of iOS devices is very different from that of personal computers. Ultimately, it doesn't matter what we call the ipad — if it does the job for you, why would you care whether it's a PC or something else?

The issue I have with Apple is that they position the ipad as a replacement for a traditional personal computer. Yes, it's a great alternative to a traditional personal computer for many users, but is it really a good idea to that to the customers? Instead of selling ipads and computers in different segments, Apple has now created a situation in which laptop sales are cannibalized. I believe it would make a lot more sense to focus ipad ads on how much the device can do without comparing it with personal computers. In other words, why sell this product or that product when you can sell both at the same time?
 
iop said:
These are examples of software that can be run on any traditional PC. I understand that you and many others consider the ipad a PC in terms of functionality; however, the software paradigm of iOS devices is very different from that of personal computers. Ultimately, it doesn't matter what we call the ipad — if it does the job for you, why would you care whether it's a PC or something else?

The issue I have with Apple is that they position the ipad as a replacement for a traditional personal computer. Yes, it's a great alternative to a traditional personal computer for many users, but is it really a good idea to that to the customers? Instead of selling ipads and computers in different segments, Apple has now created a situation in which laptop sales are cannibalized. I believe it would make a lot more sense to focus ipad ads on how much the device can do without comparing it with personal computers. In other words, why sell this product or that product when you can sell both at the same time?
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Yes I agree with you on that.

The challenge, I think, is to actually be able to show what an iPad can do without drawing any comparison. These are all computers and a lot of the operations can be done on either, so the comparison of A vs B is natural. In fact if people need a bigger screen then even an iPad is not really required, if they just hook up their iPhone to a screen and use a Bluetooth keyboard.

In general consumers aren’t really aware of what their devices can do.
 
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iop said:
These are examples of software that can be run on any traditional PC. I understand that you and many others consider the ipad a PC in terms of functionality; however, the software paradigm of iOS devices is very different from that of personal computers. Ultimately, it doesn't matter what we call the ipad — if it does the job for you, why would you care whether it's a PC or something else?

The issue I have with Apple is that they position the ipad as a replacement for a traditional personal computer. Yes, it's a great alternative to a traditional personal computer for many users, but is it really a good idea to that to the customers? Instead of selling ipads and computers in different segments, Apple has now created a situation in which laptop sales are cannibalized. I believe it would make a lot more sense to focus ipad ads on how much the device can do without comparing it with personal computers. In other words, why sell this product or that product when you can sell both at the same time?
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That’s fair, appreciate the reasonable response. Ultimately no, I dont care whether or not you call the iPad a computer. For me, it’s much better than any traditional computer I have used. The old narrative that it cannot be considered a computer though is laughable. People sometimes forget that there are uses for a computer out there besides coding and photo/video editing. To your last point, I think it’s a good technique by Apple. As someone else pointed out, most people use a traditional computer for email, web, manage pictures, communication, video, things like that. All which are bettter on an iPad than a traditional computer. I think they are offering both options because they have two types of consumers. Those who want a traditional computer and those who want an iPad. Both products are starting to converge though and we know which platform makes Apple more money.
 
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iop said:
The issue I have with Apple is that they position the ipad as a replacement for a traditional personal computer. Yes, it's a great alternative to a traditional personal computer for many users, but is it really a good idea to that to the customers? Instead of selling ipads and computers in different segments, Apple has now created a situation in which laptop sales are cannibalized.
Click to expand...

I don’t think it’s Apple’s laptop (or desktop) sales that are cannibalized (in fact, their laptop sales have increased). Apple is looking to cannibalize PC (Windows) laptop sales. The audience who would buy an iPad as a replacement for a laptop, by-and-large (Not saying ALL), would probably not buy an Apple laptop.
 
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akash.nu said:
The 14 days return period is common across West Europe as far as I’m aware of. It’s the same in France, Spain, Germany, Italy etc.
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...its also only applicable to distance selling (i.e. online, mail order, phone orders) not goods that you buy in person at a regular store: https://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/regulation/consumer-contracts-regulations

Even then, though, if the goods are faulty, not as described, or don't last a reasonable amount of time, the consumer protection in the UK and much of Europe is generally stronger than in the USA (although that varies state-by-state) esp. when it comes to the length of compulsory warranties c.f. the standard 90 days in the US. ISTR Apple have had their wrists slapped a couple of times for advertising AppleCare without mentioning the statutory warranty that you get without it.
 
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theluggage said:
...its also only applicable to distance selling (i.e. online, mail order, phone orders) not goods that you buy in person at a regular store: https://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/regulation/consumer-contracts-regulations

Even then, though, if the goods are faulty, not as described, or don't last a reasonable amount of time, the consumer protection in the UK and much of Europe is generally stronger than in the USA (although that varies state-by-state) esp. when it comes to the length of compulsory warranties c.f. the standard 90 days in the US. ISTR Apple have had their wrists slapped a couple of times for advertising AppleCare without mentioning the statutory warranty that you get without it.
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Indeed we can buy things from a brick and mortar store and return within 14 days, sometimes a month, during Christmas period it’s even longer.
 
bensisko said:
I don’t think it’s Apple’s laptop (or desktop) sales that are cannibalized (in fact, their laptop sales have increased). Apple is looking to cannibalize PC (Windows) laptop sales. The audience who would buy an iPad as a replacement for a laptop, by-and-large (Not saying ALL), would probably not buy an Apple laptop.
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i completely agree with this. Apple isn't looking to canibalize their own laptop sales, but they don't really offer any laptops in the lower end of the ranges (IIRC, their prices start around $1,000). You can get a windows laptop for $300. Apple is competing against these machines. For someone looking to spend $500 on a portable computer, Apple is saying 'Check out an iPad'. Granted some of the features shown are only available on the Pro, but even with that, you can buy a pro for less than a mac laptop. This puts them in the game for the under $1K laptop crowd.

People looking to buy a very inexpensive laptop are generally not using it for heavy duty work, but are just looking for something to handle their web browsing, email & light productivity work, which is right in line with what the iPad is built for (at least theoretically).
 
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TinaBelcher said:
It is true in my country. Don’t quote me anymore. Period. Ignored. Bye
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So then speak for your specific country next time. Your assumptions that what your country does must be the law for the rest of Europe has been proven wrong. Learn to accept feedback and the chance to widen your horizon.
 
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iop said:
These are examples of software that can be run on any traditional PC. I understand that you and many others consider the ipad a PC in terms of functionality; however, the software paradigm of iOS devices is very different from that of personal computers. Ultimately, it doesn't matter what we call the ipad — if it does the job for you, why would you care whether it's a PC or something else?

The issue I have with Apple is that they position the ipad as a replacement for a traditional personal computer. Yes, it's a great alternative to a traditional personal computer for many users, but is it really a good idea to that to the customers? Instead of selling ipads and computers in different segments, Apple has now created a situation in which laptop sales are cannibalized. I believe it would make a lot more sense to focus ipad ads on how much the device can do without comparing it with personal computers. In other words, why sell this product or that product when you can sell both at the same time?
Click to expand...

Apple's strategy is to show what can be done with iPad, not what can't be done. They're targeting people who identify with who/what's shown in the ad, and there are many of them. There's no way to economically justify a mass-market TV ad targeted to coders, whether for iPad, MacBook Pro, or iMac Pro. However, every school kid is now learning how to make simple videos and other multimedia productions, very often on iPads.

And while it's not quite a professional coding environment, Swift Playgrounds is iPad-only. So for all the kids (and even adults) who are getting their coding feet wet on an iPad, chances are that professional tools will be produced so they can continue to work on their platform of choice.

I happen to remember the days when no self-respecting programmer would work on a PC. "Real" programming was produced for and on minis and mainframes. It's just a natural progression. It's less a matter of capability than it is of having the available tools.
 
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TinaBelcher said:
The luxury of America. In Europe we are not allowed to return our purchased items once the package has been opened :( unless it’s bought damaged of course...
Click to expand...

Not true at all. I lived in the UK and I am currently live in Germany and I could always return the device after 14 days if not fit for purpose.
 
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