Apple Inc sold an amazing 700,000 ipads on launch day. That’s around $350 million in revenue in one day. Most of the eager purchasers didn’t have full knowledge of what the gadget was even capable of. Which makes me ask these simple questions:
(A) Is Apple the most trusted brand in the world with loyalists? (B) And if so what creates such zealotry?
Startup Blog Answers:
(A) Yes, I think so.
(B) Abridged answer: Over delivering to expectations on multiple occasions.
The only other brands I can even think of people buying into without knowing what they are actually getting is the ever lasting life that comes with most religions!
Startup blog says: Over deliver, be patient and get compound returns.
It’s easy – they provide a good experience at every layer… consistently.
Zealotry? Ha! I suppose you’re right… Hard to ignore their dedication to quality design, which inevitably drives desire: Well designed product, well designed interactIvity, well designed packaging and a well designed buying experience. They don’t deliver a half assed result at any point during the entire process, and everyone wins. From jc – zealot
I wonder how risky their current situation is however. They are in a generation-driven product (i.e. new format, new feature hurdles). What happens if and when the DO get it wrong? Will the zealots scream blue murder and be burning their iBras in the street?
At the moment it’s all working a treat, however. I would argue the biggest advantage they are building is around the vuirtuous circle of ‘lock in’ and ‘networking’ gains. Any platform that can hit the streets with 1m+ users from day one will be a magnet for complementary goods, and likewise having 1m+ fellow zealots to use it with makes it all worthwhile.
There also the fantastic trickle down effect for later adopters like myself, with all the mugs buying the 1st generation paying Apple to iron out the bugs for me…