So, Just What Makes Apple So Trend Setting?

Eric Benderoff, writing for the Chicago Tribune, has this to say about the MacBook Air:

"I adore Apple's MacBook Air so much I'm starting to think I can live with its shortcomings. At 3 pounds and about as thick as a weekly magazine, this is the most endearing laptop I've ever used."

Eric is not alone on this, which really surprises me, as I tended to view it much the way many did soon after the MBA was announced.  It was criticized by every body, it seemed, and yet, the little laptop that could has been proving that it can - it can still win over customers,  and customers that are buying it in droves and loving it despite what all the nay sayers had been saying.

Eric goes on to add:

"But then you pick up the Air and hold it. "Wow. This is awesome," you think. Then you fantasize how you could fit it into your computing life."

How true, as I did the very same thing when I first saw the little darling just sitting there at a local electronic shop. It didn't have all that I would have liked, but still..... it was just so darn pretty, that I was soon completely engulfed in lust, just like all of the many people who were stopped in their tracks as they walked by! You could just see their lust and desire for the thing, and especially so after they held the little precious in their hands.

Eric Bederoff isn't the only one, of course, working for a major news organization that feels the same way. I have read many such reviews, that despite all of the shortcomings of the MacBook Air, still, none-the-less, over all ended up praising it. You can Google for MacBook Air reviews, and you find that a lot of reviewers, seem to be impressed with the unit, such as Register's Hardware.


So, we all know that the MBA is sexy, but is it worthy of becoming your primary machine? Not according to most of the reviews, but that's because, as a lot of people have noted, it never was intended to be. No, this is a secondary computer, one that fits a person that is on the run a lot. A frequent traveller, for example, will really appreciated the weight, style and basic functionality that this tiny little sucker offers.

The really interesting thing about the MBA is that it seems to highlight, for me at least, that when it comes to setting trends, nobody, and I mean nobody, seems to have quite the edge that Apple does. When Apple introduced the graphical interface - the world followed; Intel might have invented USB, but it wasn't until Apple brought it to their original iMac - that the world followed; when Apple introduced CD's into computers, again - the world followed; when Apple, to much criticism, removed the floppy drive - the world again followed! Mpeg music players weren't getting much traction, until, that is, Apple introduced the iPod, then again - the world followed. After Apple introduced iTune's, well, you know the story - the world again followed in it's footsteps, and started a trend that goes on today.

So, just what is it about Apple that seems to be so trend setting? What exactly is it that makes Apple so influential and trend setting in the world of electronics, and other areas? That answer is truly the $64,000,000 question. If you can answer that then you could be on your way to earning yourself a fortune. Of course, there are many sides to this question. Some of these, I believe, are as follows:

Passion, and Apple has it in droves.

"Think Different" is an Apple slogan that has a lot to do, in fact, with Apple's success and influence. Thinking different enabled Apple to go and do things that other companies would never have thought of because it simply wasn't in their mindset.

Ability to face the truth. Yes, I remember Jobs admiting that Apple had certain (and extremely serious) problems, and by doing so and by admitting  them, well Apple was able to face them and then take the necessary steps to address them. One problem that comes to mind was that Apple had to many things on the burner, all which tended to sap the direction of the company, such as the ill fated Newton - the world's first hand held device of it's kind. 

Innovation. Ah, now this is a biggy, and it's the very DNA and bloodline of Apple. Apple just exudes innovation in just about every direction in which you may wish to look, as is evident by the MacBook Air itself and many other Apple products and services.

Great employees. This is another biggy and one that Jobs has stated and given much of the credit for in Apple's amazing comeback.

Leadership, leadership as exemplified by Steve Jobs himself. Yes, it is leadership, after all, when it's all said and done, that brings all of the points above and allows them to work together to produce the business and marketing miracle that is known today as Apple Inc. After all, before Steve Jobs returned to Apple, it basically had all of the above factors already in place, just minus the leadership. Once Apple regained that leadership the world was left to witness a very obvious fact - that great leadership is crucial to any successful business, or for that matter, to just about anything else in life.

Apple, like all companies, organizations and individuals, is not perfect, and by no means does Apple's past or current success guarantee it's future success. However, as long as Apple continues to "Think Different," as it has shown with the MacBook Air, then I think it's safe to say that Apple will continue to mold future trends and it's influence will remain, and no doubt, grow to an even larger extent than it is today. If it doesn't Apple, will, like many great companies of the past, simply fade off into the sunset. In fact, it almost did - and not that long ago!

Let's hope not; let's hope that Apple will continue to apply the principles that has made it so great, because if it does, it will not only continue to influence and set new future trends, but in doing so, it will end up benefiting all of us, be we Apple users or not.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this first post of the week, Monday, April 14, 2008.

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