All Brand New
Just like my classmate Natasha mentioned in her blog, it seems that nowadays getting ahead in business is all about being different and not necessarily being better. I agree with her on the point that brand image has become even more important lately in an age where image is all about being first on the scene. People pay more attention to who is innovating, especially in the technology sector.
Take, Hewlett-Packard for example. I’m sure their PCs haven’t gotten any worse since they started making them, yet their name doesn’t even come up when you’re talking about the top tech movers-and-shakers. Whose names do come up? Google & Apple.
Apple didn’t invent the PC obviously, but they made it cool. While Microsoft and HP were waxing on about functionality, Apple created products designed like no one had ever seen. And everyone hurried to catch up.
- This is exactly the problem.
Unless HP starts reallocating funds back into R&D and either produces something new or puts a shiny, new exterior on something old, then they’ll forever be playing catch up. The game isn’t about functionality anymore; you can buy a decent laptop/tablet/PC anywhere. I truly believe that quality isn’t as much a point of difference with average tech consumers anymore. They just want something new and different that’ll make them stand out, which explains why people will buy generations of products when there’s little functional difference between them.
Image from Syracuse.com at http://blog.syracuse.com/technofile/2007/08/why_apple_isnt_worried_about_h.html