Apple fatigue has officially set in

It’s a factor Apple has cited as a potential stumbling block to future success.

No, it’s not Microsoft or any of the large cell phone producers. Nor is it Dell or Hewlett-Packard.

Instead, it’s Apple fatigue. I am tired of the dizzying number of product releases and price cuts and assorted other news meant to stoke interest in the company.

This epiphany of sorts happened this week as the Apple rumour mill and hype machine cranked itself up yet again. Apparently, there is an event in New York City scheduled for some day next week where the modern day ringmaster Steve Jobs may unveil an iPhone software developer kit, new MacBook Pro models and a 3G-capable iPhone model.

Others say Apple is going to release some sort of tablet PC not unlike the Newton product of yesteryear.

Yawn. It is all too much. Apple needs to turn down the volume or risk having people tune out.

Luckily for Apple, people like me are still a rarity - one need only look at the company’s results and the white earbuds dangling from people’s heads during a Toronto rush hour one weekday for proof. People still seem to care about Apple’s every bowel movement.

But consumers are fickle. It was this point last year that I was legitimately excited by the prospect of what was then the soon-to-be released iPhone. I even bought a 4GB device on the first weekend it went on sale at an Apple store in Troy Michigan (for roughly US$540, which I later sold for nearly full value). But having watched my iPhone become irrelevant in less than two months and my 80GB iPod become a "classic" device in less than a year, I have decided to forgo further Apple product purchases. I am no longer a preposterous cult member as one Globe and Mail columnist recently stated.

Apple needs to have consumers foaming at the mouth - its growth is based in large part upon the translation of customer excitement into sales. But it needs to tread carefully as excitement can easily turn to disappointment or worse yet, apathy.

My condition, some may say a virus, probably isn’t isolated and could easily spread.

February 21, 2008 | Filed Under News Items and Commentary

Comments

12 Responses to “Apple fatigue has officially set in”

Mark Evans on February 21st, 2008 4:29 pm

I like the new blog’s new design. A huge upgrade over the previous one!
Kevin Restivo on February 21st, 2008 4:45 pm

Thanks Mark - appreciate the suggestions and comments.
I may yet find another theme that does not have an irrelevant photo of a mountain range.
All comments are welcome.
Kevin
bdk on February 21st, 2008 5:21 pm

I’m not sure I agree with this article. Apple keeping secrets isn’t really the problem, it’s people that can’t wait to crack those secrets open. Area 51 is a household name because the government remains silent about it and it’s the public that keep it going.

Now if there’s one thing that has absolutely burned me out is the media saturation of every little screw in the devices Apple designs. I have read so much of the same thing about the AirBook, over and over in newspapers, blogs, technology magazines and word of mouth that I don’t even want one anymore. I saved myself $500 because I didn’t need to buy an iPhone. I read so much about it and saw so many pictures of it assembled and disassembled that I had one operating in my head.

No, it’s not hype that endangers Apple. It’s over-saturation.
Kevin Restivo on February 21st, 2008 8:29 pm

Hi BDK,

Sounds like the start of a form letter huh?

Sorry for the formal tone but don’t have another frame of reference for you.

As for your comments, I can’t say I disagree. In fact, I think we’re kind of saying the same thing though worded slightly differently. Correct me if I’m wrong.

Thanks for reading,
Kevin
Jack Swift on February 21st, 2008 9:31 pm

Lately I’ve been suffering from Internet fatigue. Perhaps it’s time to step outside and get involved with life instead of technology.
JS on February 22nd, 2008 1:43 am

I’ve been suffering from blog fatigue…everybody & their brother has an uneducated opinion that amounts to a bunch of white noise…here’s the trick, I don’t have to read it or listen to it. It’s my choice…it’s your choice also.
Kevin Restivo on February 22nd, 2008 2:31 am

Dear JS,
Odd then that you’d even bother to comment on my blog post no?

KR
» The zealotry of Mac users Kevin Restivo’s Tech Blog: Thoughts on the Wireless and Consumer Markets on February 22nd, 2008 2:42 pm

[…] by Kevin Restivo in News Items and Commentary The overwhelming response to my post yesterday about the seemingly endless stream of Apple product launches was surprising to say the least. This here blog/site received 10x its daily average traffic. (Most […]
JS on February 23rd, 2008 4:41 am

No. I chose to…get it.
Denis on February 26th, 2008 3:48 am

Kevin, I wonder where you get the authority to “officially” declare Apple fatigue.
It’s Raining Apples! | Mark Evans on February 26th, 2008 6:36 pm

[…] couple of days ago, my friend, Kevin Restivo, had a provocative post that politely chided Apple for “the dizzying number of product releases” that was […]
mark on February 28th, 2008 5:20 am

Maybe you have Apple fatigue, but there’s a whole world out there that barely know Apple, and there’s many more markets that Apple hasn’t even entered yet. Although not many care, Nokia releases, on average, a new phone every two weeks; that’s not faceplates but a new phone model. You just don’t hear about it. So you just need to tune out of the Apple blogosphere for a while.

By the way, Apple has released at least one product or upgrade (hardware or software) every Tuesday since Jan 8.