Why did Microsoft’s Surface RT fail while Apple’s Ipad is still going strong? And why is important for marketers to take note? I never really thought about it until I read Nick Bolton’s blog post in the Times last week.
Microsoft has had so many recent miss steps, the tablet’s demise slipped by largely unnoticed. (i.e. Office for the iPhone). At its launch Steve Ballmer extolled the Surface’s many virtues—additional ports
Unlike Apple, Microsoft operated under the premise that more is more. When in fact, what’s really wanted is more with less. Apple’s many innovative products not only surprise and delight but offer, USB drive micro SD memory card slot, flip stand and stylus/pen—but for some reason they didn’t generate excitement. Actually, quite the contrary was true. Customers viewed the options as just more technology to mess with and mess up? And the fact that the RT was selling in the same channel as other Microsoft tablets only confused and angered customers who thought they were getting a Windows iPad type device. As Forrester’s Sarah Epps notes in her column, “Microsoft became its own worst enemy.”
Unlike Apple, Microsoft operated under the premise that more is more. When in fact, what’s really wanted is more with less. Apple’s many innovative products not only surprise and delight but offer “plug and play” technology that is seamless and requires almost no decision making on the part of the consumer.
So what are the 5 takeaways?
- Identify the needs of the ones you aim to please
- Manage consumer expectations with a compelling strategy
- Try not to dilute your campaign by competing with yourself
- Remember that too many choices can be overwhelming
- Deliver the goods as promised
A recent update from the New York Times
