Just finished watching the Google IO 2012 Android Keynote, and It’s made me wonder, Does Apple have a heart?
Apple are very notorious in how they conduct their keynote events, so much so that Google, Microsoft and the rest try and emulate Apple in presentation. Apple are very slick every single word is carefully selected to be informative and portray the correct information – same came really be said about Google today. Whilst there was a clear script, there could have been a better structure.
Google’s presentation was all about people, and how their products work in the real world. So much so that genuine photos from Google employees where used, from family photos to a wedding ceremony. Apple on the other hand do try and create the ‘people’ feeling, but fail pretty miserably.
Apples demo reel is about showing their users how they should use Apple products and telling them why they want to use them. From the iPad reel with the product being used in a hospital to a Facetime video call with a ‘family’. It’s all a Hollywood production, and an clean and boring one at that.
Don’t get me wrong, I prefer Apple’s way of working, I lost count of how many times I got ‘bored’ watching the Google keynote just an hour or so ago. Google reach out and do something important though, they don’t tell you what you want to see – they let you decided what you want and allow you to become attached.
This is at the core of the companies, Apple is all about selling you a fancy new computer that you think would be perfect for you because you own a fancy camera, but its not what you NEED, and often because of the price tag It’s seen as an important investment.
Google present you a online documents editor, they don’t tell you you want this because It’s better than everything else, they create a product because It’s what they feel people would want, present it, and allow the masses to decide if they even want to use it.
It may seem like a silly comparison, but again, at their cores the important part is that you really do want to use their products because you like them emotionally, not because you have already invested.
I love my iPhone and Mac, not because of the investment, because they are good. My fear is though, that there’s not connection between me and Apple. Tomorrow I would be more than happy to replace my Mac with a Windows 7 Tower and pick up an Android phone to replace the iPhone. After all, the functionality is still the same. Even if the methods are slightly different.
So maybe after all It’s just me, but I present to you the question, Does Apple have a heart?