We happen to have such a teacher around us: Apple. More than 20 years ago, IT was it that led us into the IT hall. Over the years, it has never gone far. It can even be said that we have been accepting the "baptism" of Apple. Do not believe you see:
A few years ago, the iPod revolutionized music players. Not long after, domestic brands of MP3 and MP4 were sold in the streets of various cities in China, and at the same time they quickly and thoroughly "stinked"; IPhone redefines the concept of smart phone. In China, almost as many companies participate in mobile phone manufacturing; IPad has gradually made tablet computers a trend, and many domestic shanzhai PADs, large and small, have followed suit and then declined. In the past 10 years, every product of Apple was revolutionary. This small company, which survived in 1997 with the investment of $0/500,000 from Microsoft/kloc-0, has now proudly surpassed Microsoft and become the technology enterprise with the highest market value in the world. According to media reports, peter oppenheimer, the chief financial officer of Apple, may be the most enviable chief financial officer in the world. And a large number of IT business owners in China have been worried about the dry cash flow; Apple Pudong Retail Store officially opened in July this year 10, which is Apple's second retail store in China after Beijing Sanlitun Retail Store. As early as the night before the store opened, hundreds of people lined up to enter. People have long been accustomed to this landscape, and the enthusiasm of "fruit powder" can be seen; And China's own brand of IT products, whether hardware or software, this sales scenario, don't even think about it.
What supported Apple's rapid rise from a little-known company that was once close to extinction and became a dazzling industry star? Among them, how many are the winning secrets that deserve us to calm down, savor carefully and learn modestly?
Perhaps, as disclosed by some media, Apple's success is nothing more than four points: discipline, attention, long-term planning and contempt for industry practices. Let's appreciate Apple's rules of the game together, and uncover this mystery one by one in comparison with ourselves.
1, unique
Twenty-four years ago, I first saw the true face of the computer, which happened to be APPLE-II. To this day, the shape of the apple that I don't know who bit off is still lingering in my mind. But with the passage of time, Apple's unique trademark, with its simple white appearance, exquisite details and even unusual display fonts, has become more prominent. In fact, Apple is unique, from business philosophy to work style, from corporate executives to ordinary employees, from every product to the office, wherever it goes. This super penetration even affected Apple fans.
The door of Apple's office is always locked. What happened behind the door? What happened? "We can't talk too much." William Oho, the chief designer of Apple, used some ambiguous words to describe the work behind this door, such as "redefining elegance", "ensuring the integrity of design" and "making products heroes".
Locked offices protect designers and researchers who are vital to the company. Such an office, appearing in Apple's global branch, is also a symbol of its fanatical secrecy system. This practice is not paranoid. For Apple, there are too many noises from outside. Only when it comes to home visits can designers and researchers keep their ears clean and concentrate on their work.
Jobs never cared what the industry said. When Apple Computer was first established, Jobs showed unconventional characteristics. He often threw one novel idea after another to engineers. Once he saw a food processor in a department store and thought its design was excellent, so he asked the designers of Apple to imitate it. Jobs had hoped that Apple computers would look like Porsche sports cars. For Apple, computers should be like sports cars or high-end kitchen appliances, because high-end people, those who can afford or are eager to buy Porsche are their marketing targets.
Apple is unique, and there are two things that deserve serious taste: one is unique, and the other is to look at customers. These two points are interrelated.
It's not hard to understand being maverick. As early as when Apple designed the first Macintosh computer, Jobs made up his mind to inject the calligraphy he had learned into the computer, making it the first computer in the world to use beautiful printed fonts, and paving the way for Apple's persistent pursuit of beauty in subsequent products. No wonder every apple product we see is so different; No wonder in the eyes of many professional artists, there is no computer except Apple!
Identifying customers is another manifestation of Apple's unique intention. Their well-designed IT products are specially designed for those who pursue elegance, fashion and quality of work and life. These people are often economic and fashionistas. They buy these fine products at no cost and enjoy the sweetness of apples in both material and spiritual fields.
Unique products are only suitable for you who are unique. One is willing to study production attentively, and the other is willing to spend money to buy and enjoy it. Once this positive incentive is formed, it is beneficial to both enterprises and customers. No wonder Apple has gone from one success to another. On the other hand, some of our IT companies often have neither maverick pursuit nor their own customers. Inevitably impetuous, homogeneous low price, vicious competition, bleak management.
2. Arbitrariness
Now the scientific and technological circles seem to advocate comprehensive and bottom-up innovation more. The more people participate in the reform, the more remarkable the results will be. Apple is completely different. Here, all the product ideas come from a few high-level, even Jobs' own opinions. In fact, Jobs can be regarded as the actual planner and executor of every important product of Apple. He meets with developers once a week, urging them to maximize their creativity.
Apple is a big company. Is it too risky to let a few people act arbitrarily? Apple replied with years of practice and fruitful results: this practice made Jobs and his team know what they really wanted, and there were few conflicts between companies.
This reminds me of an old saying: there are not many leaders, but they are strong. For an IT team, it is very important to have a leadership core with unique vision, clear goals, proper strategies and even some toughness. Some of our IT enterprises lack a relatively stable core leader for a long time, and their goals are erratic, so they cannot form a unified will. They not only miss opportunities, but also fall apart easily when they are in trouble. Such examples are not uncommon.
Step 3 pursue practicality
Criticism of Apple is always endless. Fortunately, Apple doesn't care about this. It only focuses on two points: launching good products and bringing better user experience. Apple is like a result-oriented enterprise, not a dogmatic university professor. Apple readily accepted the copyright protection requirements of the music industry because it helped Apple successfully launch the iTunes music store.
Third-party software developers are also complaining, because if software wants to enter the Apple App Store, it must be approved, and the rules formulated by Apple are often arbitrary, opaque and frequently changing. But the success of the app store can't be ignored by anyone. Even the fiercest opponents admit that Apple provides users with a simple and interesting way to find more reliable, useful and high-quality content to enrich their mobile phones and tablets. This is the real attraction and the only philosophy that Apple values.
Apple tells us that IT product development and marketing is not about drilling into an ivory tower to make a fuss. In this cruel and protracted war, only the result is the most important, and nothing else, including the process, is important except the result. The strategy of keeping an eye on the result is the strategy of keeping an eye on the target. Practice has proved that this is also a successful strategy. Therefore, our IT enterprises should gain something. The goal should be clear, and every effort should be made to launch good products and bring better user experience. Only in this way can we win the favor of customers and seek survival and development.
4. Pursuing simplicity
An Italian student designed a new computer for Apple, which can bend and has the function of a notebook computer, a 13 inch screen and even a desktop. This new product has six peripheral interfaces, a stylus and two colors to choose from. However, it missed the listing. Reason: Although these designs are beautiful and some of them are practical, they have a fatal shortcoming, and they have too many functions. This is not Apple's design style. Apple has always pursued simplicity.
At Apple, one of Jobs' main jobs was to reject all complicated designs. He is like a filter. Every day, a large number of new products and ideas are presented to Jobs, and his answer is basically "no". Jobs said "no" because he hated complicated things. Saying "no" to new products and functions can maintain low production costs and win high profit margins; Removing some functions is also beneficial to the next generation of products. The biggest advantage of omitting some functions is that consumers will become more eager for them, and they will even be happier when you meet certain requirements in the new version.
Some people say that the iPhone didn't launch some basic functions until the fourth generation, which is a trick for Apple to attract you to buy its next generation products. I don't think so. This is Apple's consistent style of pursuing simplicity. I have suggested that many software companies greatly streamline their software interfaces and functions, and also assisted some software companies to streamline the buttons in a software interface they developed from dozens to four or five. A software interface, which lists dozens of menus and buttons, is full of useful and useless information. At first glance, users are not eager to use it, but go with the wind. How can such software attract and impress people and bring a good user experience? What's more, the software with complex functions and interfaces depends on huge R&D and subsequent maintenance costs, which is really not worth the candle!
Step 5 focus on customers
This move, for Apple trapped in the "antenna door", will have some doubts. But overall, Apple's customer philosophy is still relatively tough. No matter how good the product is, it is inevitable that it will break down. According to the traditional customer service theory, only in this way can users really see a company clearly. In recent years, all kinds of enterprises, especially Apple's competitors in the field of computers and mobile phones, have adopted evasive strategies for customer service. They spend little money to outsource this business, send users to operators who can only read words, and even let users read "frequently asked questions" online. The result was soon abandoned by angry customers.
Ten years ago, when Apple designed its retail strategy, it had only one most important goal: a retail store that provided users with a completely different experience from the traditional computer industry. To this end, Apple hired executives ron johnson and George Blankenship from Target and GAP, respectively. After extensive investigation, they found that most consumers like the hotel service desk. Inspired by this, Apple's "genius bar" came into being.
In Genius Bar, no matter where you buy Apple products, Apple's customer service staff will provide you with free services. They will not only fix some software problems unrelated to Apple, but even help users complete some requirements unrelated to technical support. Only the goods that have passed the shelf life will be charged, and the clerk has the right to decide whether to waive this fee. Apple is so generous just to attract customers. Apple is optimistic that people come in just to ask for help, but they may decide to buy something when they go out.
Customer first, platitudes. Many friends in IT companies will feel this way. Unfortunately, not many people really do this. Recently, I consulted two companies about an IT product. In my opinion, this software is sold to a special target and customers with limited financial resources. If IT companies really adhere to the business philosophy of customer first, they should choose products with better cost performance when choosing related hardware. The result is not ideal. Some enterprises even know that a certain product has been discontinued by foreign enterprises, and they are still scouring the tail goods in the market for customers at a higher price. This practice really shouldn't hurt not only customers, but also enterprises themselves.
6. Pay attention to marketing
The smell of wine is afraid of the deep alley. What's more, the wines brewed by apples are all spirits that can't be cellared. In fact, Apple's products are like two sides of a coin, which has its successes and shortcomings. So it is always accompanied by controversy. Some netizens criticized: Apple phones can't make calls, laptops can't use network cables, desktops can't play games, MP4 can't see videos clearly, MP3 has poor sound quality, and tablets can't read USB flash drives. ...
At this time, Apple's marketing art came in handy. Apple is always bursting with the latest hardware changes, software updates and various tidbits. Including China CCTV's News Network, most media around the world are willing to help Apple do marketing, and every Apple product can become the focus of media attention. Apple has so many fans and great influence that it even becomes a symbol, so that any media will appear if it does not follow up in time.
In fact, Apple has been cultivating the religious enthusiasm of its fans (also known as believers) in some ingenious ways, including mystifying and suggesting that users are the chosen ones. Perhaps more importantly, Apple's love of symbolic information. Think about the white headphones of the iPod, the sound of the Mac's boot and the distinctive back cover of the MacBook. Apple is well aware of the power of this continuous perception of cues and spares no effort to use all methods to enhance users' memory for brand promotion.
This idea also extended to the launch conferences of major Apple products. If you put your heart into it, you will find an interesting phenomenon. A few months or even years before the official release of Apple products, relevant news was vividly "leaked". The real release day will be carefully designed, just like reviewing the army. On the day the iPad was released, Apple bought all the bus stop signs around the venue. When Jobs took the stage to give a speech, all the posters were replaced. 65438+1On October 27th, when consumers arrived at the iPad conference site, everything remained the same on both sides of the street. When consumers leave, you will be surprised to find posters of iPad everywhere! Besides Apple, which company's brand promotion can be so detailed?
You might say, with the influence of Apple and the promotion of iPad, you don't have to invest so much energy and financial resources, right? This is the mystery of apple. Apple knows what the media and consumers think. They also know that there is no other way to capture the hearts of the media and consumers except "heart". Only with your heart can you leave the mark of your heart. Only the mind can perceive the mind. Apple firmly believes that its good intentions will not be in vain, and consumers will find it.
Well, think about your IT software and hardware products. What elements have you painstakingly designed and prepared to impress consumers with the power of hints and marks? Think again about the blue and white porcelain in China. Do you feel anything?
7. Love the new and hate the old
On the road of innovation, the past may mean a burden. Looking at the past, taking into account the past, you need to pay multiple costs, and often even stumble forward. Apple should have a deep understanding of this, so it completely ignores the concept of backward compatibility. In its short history, the operating system and the underlying chip architecture have been updated many times, and each upgrade will immediately eclipse its existing products. Jobs abandoned the floppy disk in the iMac, and with the launch of the MacBook Air, the optical drive also withdrew from the historical stage. Now, touch screen technology makes it abandon the mouse. You know, the popularity of the mouse benefited from the vigorous promotion of Apple in the 1980s.
In most cases, Apple's abandonment of the past practices will enable it to make better products, and it will also allow Apple to move forward lightly and always stand at the forefront of technology. If there is anything wrong with this, it is that Apple's loyal fans have to spend money again and again to eliminate old love and buy new love. We don't know how many early Apple fans will complain about this. Fortunately, Apple fans are used to this style of play, which may coincide with Apple's original intention: constantly innovating new products, cultivating the consumption habits of Apple fans, and making them feel that the world should be like this.
Interesting! IT turns out that consumers' consumption habits can be shaped by IT enterprises. It depends on whether you have the awareness and courage. Some IT enterprise managers complained to me that after users bought one of their products, they seemed to have decided to "stick to it", and there was no upgrade for three or five years. Good Moore's Law doesn't work in China! I don't think so. Because of the vicious competition of IT enterprises, an industry advertised "three years or even life-long free" when bidding, but users quite understood this custom. After that, the project simply wrote "three years free" into the bidding documents. No wonder Moore's law failed. The new products developed by some IT companies are second-hand goods at first glance, which are nothing new, and the aesthetic fatigue of users is too great. Where can there be an interest in "moving easily"? No wonder customers miss the past. It is really that IT companies are conservative and can only admit that they are unlucky.
8. Turn ideas into inspiration
Henry Ford famously said: If I ask customers what they want, they will tell me,' A faster horse'. Jobs often used this sentence to defend Apple's refusal to listen to users' suggestions, even the most enthusiastic users. "The whole idea of Apple is that people don't really understand what they need. They will tell you a bunch of things you want, but when you do, you will find that you have done something wrong. "
Does Jobs really ignore customer complaints? Actually, not necessarily. His ears have never been idle, but he listens more attentively and regards the opinions of users as inspiration, not direction; As a means, not an end. Since the rise of netbooks, many people have been begging Apple to launch similar products. This small and portable product is the fastest growing field in the personal computer market. But Jobs was very determined. When talking about the future of netbooks, he said, "I don't know how to make a 500-dollar computer instead of garbage."
However, on October 20 10/0,65438+10, Jobs brought a computer iPad with a price of $500, and it was not junk. Essentially, the iPad is not a netbook. It lacks some functions of netbooks, but it also has some advantages. In other words, it is not just a faster horse.
Listening is of course important. If you don't listen, it is like passive water, which is difficult to run for a long time. In the field of IT R&D, if you don't listen, you will lose motivation. However, listening is also hierarchical. What you will listen to is inspiration, something higher and more valuable. I won't listen. What I heard was noise, not trouble. Different from Apple people's hearing, some R&D personnel in our IT enterprises are either unwilling or not good at listening, and some software products developed are even replicas of customers' backward working methods. No wonder customers complain that "high technology is taking off pants and farting". Such software products are spiritless, useless and frustrating, and their producers will inevitably fall into the quagmire of customer complaints and cannot extricate themselves.
9. Recreate
"Revolutionary" is one of Jobs' favorite words. Jobs believes that every invention of Apple has unique and original features. Critics insist that these products are just combinations and copies of existing technologies. In fact, before the birth of the iPod, music players already existed, and the birth of smart phones predated the iPhone. In fact, this is the wisdom of Apple. Apple people attach great importance to collecting the best ideas in the technology industry and turning them into their own things. Apple is also a great repairman who can improve the shortcomings of existing products. The iPad is a good example. There have been many functions before. Bill Gates showed a tablet computer based on Windows at 200 1 and predicted that it would become the leading product in five years. But Microsoft's tablet computer soon failed. Why? Microsoft has not completely reformed the desktop interface. It needs a crappy stylus to complete all tasks. Gates also encouraged developers to develop applications specifically for tablets.
Jobs is different from Apple. On the operating system, Apple iPhone has solved this problem and won a full house. On the interface, the multi-touch of iPhone doesn't need a stylus at all; In application, online stores make many developers enjoy it. All this, coupled with a lot of thinking about design and marketing, has created this tablet computer that the whole world wants. Does it really matter whether the iPad is really a "new" device? The product sold 2 million units in 60 days.
Apple's cleverness is once again proved here. In order to improve the wealth of Apple and the strength of R&D, we must "win it". What's so polite about our IT company? Only if you bring this, you should also pay attention to a subject, besides not breaking the law, you should also pay attention to an art. The artistry of "bringing" apples is euphemistically called "re-creation". As primary school students, we should simply call it "re-creation" instead of taking a more profound name. What kind of re-creation method, Apple has also made it like this: open your eyes, search for good ideas and things inside and outside the circle, choose good ones, that is, what users need, make appropriate improvements and packaging for their defects, and make them marketable "new" things. This technology, our IT enterprise has a little foundation, and it should be easy to get started.
10, play your own world
A few weeks after the iPad went on the market, HP decided to postpone the redevelopment of Slate tablet. Almost at the same time, Microsoft also canceled the listing plan of Courier tablet, and RIM also postponed the tablet plan to 20 1 1 year. They were previously considered as promising products to challenge Apple's "Jesus Tablet".
What forces keep these products out of the market? To tell the truth, this is the random design of R&D personnel in these enterprises. These products are more complicated than the iPad-only fully functional computers will be produced in the form of tablets. Due to the strong market response of the iPad, they had to "redesign".
Although there are many competitors, Apple has been advancing at its own pace, and the product release plan has been steadily advancing around its own strategy and goals. Apple was able to do this partly because of Jobs' prominent position. The average term of office of American CEO is less than six years, and it is still declining. Many CEOs were even fired after only a few months. Only Jobs will hardly fail, so he will be free to make long-term development plans, meet Apple's high standards and make huge profits.
Apple's long-term focus has enabled it to do something more complicated: expand the future with existing products. In the past 10 years, the company launched a series of platforms, such as Mac OS X, iPhone OS, iTunes, retail stores and app stores. The IPad is the epitome of these products. Its glass screen, interface, once-formed structure, operating system and application store all come from other Apple products. On the iPad, Apple's prospects for future products and services are fully revealed, although we can only discover this after the event.
Apple's ability and determination to focus on long-term goals is its greatest advantage. The company has its own plans and is moving in the right direction, which will further stimulate Apple's confidence and ambition. It is also in practice, which is why Apple has become an apple.
If you don't have your own world, you have to live in a world designed for you by others. Apple has its own world, and it successfully lures people from all over the world into his world, fascinated, crazy and happy. We IT companies might as well learn from Apple and try to plan a world for ourselves. The world is a world and a stage. IT enterprises themselves, users, upstream and downstream enterprises and competitors are all your partners. Think more, choose a better theme song and be bold. Maybe it was a little stiff and messy at first. It doesn't matter. As long as we stick to it with our heart, our dance steps will be smooth sooner or later. At that time, our world will be full of sunshine, birds and flowers.