It’s time to get social Apple!

Charlie Kindel has written an interesting article about Why Nobody Can Copy Apple and his conclusion is very simple:

It only focuses on one customer: The Consumer.

I see this like a wholeness where it’s not only about seeing the market as business or customers but also about seeing the customer as both a private person and a business person. That’s how I started to think after reading his article.

This goes hand in hand with the development with social media. The old way is to think of business and work like something separate from your private life. In social media the tendency is to let them melt together and become one. We do business with persons, not with companies or brands. A lot of people haven’t yet understood this and are afraid to show themselves in person on Facebook. But we, as being customers, expect to see the person behind the business more and more.

Except from companies like Apple, which is a paradox. Imagine how cool it would be to follow Tim Cook or Jony Ive on Twitter, Facebook or a blog? Actually, that might be what’s missing right now? The shareholders want to get the feeling of what’s happening and all they can rely on are rumors and rare interviews and speeches. And we all need to fill in the empty space after Steve Jobs. I always thought of Apple as an exception from social media but now, starting to think like this, I actually got scared. I think Apple needs social media right now! I don’t think that Samsung’s CEO is blogging or anything, but imagine if Tim Cook could be the first in this business to do it? He would for sure be one of the most interesting persons to follow…

It’s not like one has to reveal secrets just because you have a blog. People want to feel connected to the persons behind the products today. Steve Jobs managed to create that feeling without social media, but Tim Cook who seems to be a really nice and clever man doesn’t have a similar strong connection with the customers and fans. A blog would be an excellent channel for him. He could connect with the customers.

Also, another thing that Apple does against ”the rules” is the system for feedback. I understand that Apple is big, but it is another paradox to think of the extreme high level of customer care in Apple Stores in contrast to the dull system for feedback online. I send in suggestions and feedback all the time but never get a simple ”thanks”. When I send feedback to other companies they often answer me and make me feel like if they listen to me.

I think the Apple Communities could get a more friendly tone and also it would be great to know if someone at Apple actually reads what goes on there in the discussion. That’s also a place where it would mean so much if people could feel that they participated in developing Apple’s products to get even better. Of course, it’s all the designers and engineers at Apple who does 99,9% of the hard work, but even so, it wouldn’t hurt to emphasize the feeling of ”all us Apple users are a big family and we help Apple as much as we can”. 

You know, I think that’s how it all begun? I remember that there were some kind of Apple groups in Växjö (Sweden) and there were more of them all over the world. Today I don’t know what has happened with those groups, I never hear of them. But today we could create that feeling of belonging to a group on the internet.

And I think we are a lot of persons that long for ways to connect with Apple in ways like this.

So, please Apple: consider becoming more social online!