Apple Does It Again......Or not?

On Wednesday Apple Inc. unveiled the new line of iPods & iPhones to us all. The products are great, and of course Apple pushed the level a little higher with new interface design and WiFi capabilities. I wish I had the time to go into the detail of the products, but that's not on the agenda. What is on the agenda is the crowd. This may not be the first time that you've heard about the special events from apple, however, in the 90's when Apple's stock was in the $8 range the crowd was different. When Steve Jobs showed the world the Power Mac G3 the crowd was so enthused that he had to stop the presentation to let the ovation continue. The product itself was awesome. I didn't own one, but I did work with one. These were the "Pre-iPod" days and thing at Apple were not all rosy once Steve re-emerged as the CEO. My associates and I (my friends) suspected that Apple would take a shot at the PC market share guerrilla style. I was right that they would do a great job of putting "Apple" in your pocket. Apple is in your pocket and everywhere else on your body. Mission accomplished! The OS(Operating System) front was a tricky one, but by teaching people what Apple was through the iPod the brand began to seep through. Fast forward to now and back to the crowd. I download every special event because there are always gems to see in them. Early this summer there was an event where the new iMacs where unveiled. The crowd was into it as usual, but not impressed. Every iPhone preview was always extraordinary for me, because the rumors had been going around for so long. The demo where the guy is talking to Steve always seemed hokey, but it gave me chills to think that there were more business and investor types in the crowd versus the geeks that used to be there that were enthused about the brand. At Macworld, I was shocked to now see Steve crowd surf when he unveiled the iPhone. As Apple become more mainstream can it be that the crowd is less impressed with Apple, Steve, or the product? This makes me think of what comes next? I think Apple has lost its ability to out maneuver its market. The brand itself is always above the curve, but I don't see the raving fans (i.e. Tom Peters and the like) that the crowd used to be. I think that its the trimming down of the steps between you and what you want. The deal with Starbuck's is going to set fire to how Apple will take another small step towards immersing us with their presence and simplicity. Now your store will reach out to your iPod and ask you if you want its music or product. Sneaky little bastards!