Round three, anyone?
I ruffled some feathers earlier this week when I pointed out how Apple 's (Nasdaq: AAPL) arrogance in the face of success reminds me of Iomega circa 1995.
Tim Beyers quickly countered, suggesting that unlike Iomega with its once revolutionary Zip storage, Apple is no one-hit wonder.
"Comparing Apple to the no-longer-independent Iomega is like comparing The Beatles to A Flock of Seagulls, or Men Without Hats," he writes.
Apple is cool. Apple is great. Apple is most certainly not The Beatles. Why would my friend Tim compare Apple to one of the few bands that refuse to have their songs sold through iTunes? The Liverpool rockers even sued Apple over its very name when it began to make inroads into music. That trademark infringement lawsuit was finally settled last year.
The Beatles are the best-selling band of all-time. Is that really Apple? Research In Motion (Nasdaq: RIMM) has a much wider smartphone base than Apple's iPhone. Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ) and Dell (Nasdaq: DELL) have larger PC bases. Apple is the top dog with its iPod, but what does that mean exactly? If it's the undisputed leader in portable media players, doesn't it just make it the new Sony (NYSE: SNE) as the heir apparent to the Walkman? Yes, the stakes are substantially higher given Apple's iTunes ecosystem, but you're missing my point. Apple may be greater than Ringo, but it's not even close to The Beatles.
I can think of dozens of bands that would be a better fit for Apple.
Let's start with The Police. Like Apple, they came together in the 1970s, rose to fame in the 1980s, and sort of disappeared in the 1990s before coming back together to rock again on this side of the millennium. Either way, they both end with a Sting.
A better fit? Van Halen. Not only is it a similar rise and fall timeline to The Police and Apple, but this band also booted its lead singer before welcoming him back lately for a series of sold out shows. Yes, I just compared Steve Jobs to David Lee Roth. Live with it, Tim.
I still think that Apple's biggest problem -- if I can keep rocking and rolling with the musical metaphors -- is that it's going through that awkward phase of going from a niche band with a cult following to a mainstream headliner.
Everyone loved Apple when it was Phish. The tastemaker critics loved Apple when it was Radiohead, Beck, or Modest Mouse. How will they feel now that Apple has no choice but to sell out to reach the masses? How will those same fan boys feel when they wake up one day to find that Apple is The Jonas Brothers?
Can't you see it happening already? The fact that Apple Stores are perpetually crowded should irk old-school Apple fans. Apple slashing iPod prices into the double-digits -- and laptops into the triple-digits -- are just a sign of things to come.
Yes, folks. The Jonasization of Apple is already happening. Swoon, pre-teen girls. Swoon.
Copyright © 2008 Universal Press Syndicate.
I love it!
I love this article!!!!
I own an entertainment company and have been a die hard fan for many years up until the big shift came when Apple brought out it's hairy middle finger to me, the die hard fan that owns six figures worth of their servers and towers....the release of the iphone.
Of course i bought it on the first day only to be bitch slapped by Mr. Jobs ridiculous price cut only weeks after i paid 600.00 US for it. Is it the money that pisses me? Only slightly, it was really his unapologetic "get used to it and piss off" letter that he wrote to me and the rest of his die hard and core consumers at the time. I have single handedly converted legions of my friends to the apple over many years and at the point in time when Mr. Jobs let me know how he really feels, the switch began.
Since then, i avoid giving Apple money AT ALL COSTS!!!!! I denounce the iphone to anyone i speak to about it, and never buy any equipment directly from the company for ANY Reason.
Apple's arrogance and disrespect for their original fan base is OUT OF THIS WORLD.
Their brand is doomed to be the jonas brothers and basically already is.
Good luck Apple....keep up with your whorish ways....I just know that you have turned your most passionate and original fans AGAINST YOU!!!
To the author of this article....YOU ARE NOT ALONE!