Battle of the buzzwords: Apple vs. Microsoft
Apple's Schiller and Microsoft's Turner. Photos: Apple, Microsoft
Apple (AAPL) is awesome. Microsoft (MSFT) is muscular. Apple execs speaks in adjectives; Microsoft's in gerunds. Cupertino wants to show us how cool its products are, and how easy-to-use. Redmond wants us to know how hard it's going to compete to grow its market share.
That's the take-away message from the pair of videos pasted below the fold.
The first — Apple's Sept. 9 "It's only rock and roll" presentation boiled down to just the adjectives — has been viewed nearly half a million times since it was posted last week by justanotherguy84.
The second — which we put together Sunday morning at the suggestion of TechFlash's Todd Bishop — is Microsoft COO Kevin Turner's July presentation to analysts boiled down to just the buzzwords. Turner is, as Bishop promised, a modern master of techno-business jargon.
Let's go to the videos. Each is less than two minutes long.
See also:
Todd Bishop's speech seemed odd to me if for no other reason than the focus was growing market share. That would be a great speech if your company's market share was, say, 50-60%. When you own about 90% of the market, just how much more can you grow that? Unless he was referring to their side businesses like search engines.
It was revealing too in that it seems 90% market share is not enough. Microsoft really wants to own the world and be a monopoly. If that does not scare you, it should.
ex ped: Todd Bishop? Did you mean Kevin Turner?
Funny, had this quote been been taken from an Apple exec, the comment would've been somewhat like:
"…well, Apple is a publicly traded corp. and they owe it to the shareholders to have the most marketshare possible in order to maximize the return on their investment…"
Todd Bishop's speech seemed odd to me if for no other reason than the focus was growing market share. That would be a great speech if your company's market share was, say, 50-60%. When you own about 90% of the market, just how much more can you grow that? Unless he was referring to their side businesses like search engines.
It was revealing too in that it seems 90% market share is not enough. Microsoft really wants to own the world and be a monopoly. If that does not scare you, it should.
ex ped: Todd Bishop? Did you mean Kevin Turner?
And this shows what? Are you sure this blog is "outside the distortion field"? Because I haven't seen one shred of skepticism in any post. If I want this kind of "analysis" I'll go to a apple fanblog. I would suggest anybody reading this blog to look at endgadget.com. They criticise Apple & Microsoft when they deserve it and praise both when they deserve it and their commenters are a nice mix of Apple fans and non-Apple fans.
All of you are taking this completely out of context. The sources for these two presentations were entirely different. Microsoft's presentation was at a business conference vs Apple's presentation being more to users. That would be like comparing the State of the Union address to a campaign speech. Hence microsoft using business buzzwords and apple using "fun and exciting" buzzwords.
Buzzwords ultimately come down to customer segmentation. This type of philosophy is introduced into every product category that exists. However, there are very few companies that work together so flawlessly to execute symbiotic customer segmentation.
By creating a divide in the market and creating an “us” versus “them” mentality a company can boost sales on either side of the fence. All of us have it in our nature to want to belong with others. It is just what side of the fence you choose. Microsoft and Apple have worked flawlessly together over the last several years to create defined consumer segments that individuals can identify with and fight for.
Based on the feedback on this page it looks like the segments are Extreme Customizability versus Fashionable User Interface.
To simplify this one step further. This strategy could be taking us all back to the days of high school when Jocks felt fashionably superior while Nerds felt intellectually superior. Would you rather have a device that makes a statement about you or a device that allows greater customization to show off your ability to build a new toy?
Your answer really doesn’t matter. Either way you fit into one company’s marketing strategy thus enhancing sales by leveraging this segmented symbiotic relationship. Microsoft and Apple need each other’s customers to have such passion for their products to create a divide and increase each other’s sales.
I guess you PC fans actually own stock in Microsoft. Sorry for your losses. Maybe you should invest in a company that does not have a crazy guy go ape on an iphone.
Why is CNN/Money treating blog post as if they were news?
To PC fans, is the term "Mac/Apple fanboy" supposed to be a derogatory term meant to hurt our feelings? It doesn't bother me, but It does seems a little immature.
It didn't take long before the PC-hating Apple fanboys decided to chime in. Seriously, does it always have to boil down to this?
LOL! Who's idea was it to compare Apple's highly publicized media presentation to present product enhancments with a Microsoft market analyst presentation designed to communicate their corporate fiscal plans as an apples to apples comparison? Sure seems like someone at CNN is trying to inflate their Apple shares.
"It's pretty clear that Apple has no interest in dominating market share,"
Sean – what is the color of the sky in your world?
Jobs and Apple would LOVE to dominate every market they are in – as they have done with the iPod. Apple's business strategy is geared to doing the things they think will get them that domination – from their products and innovation to their ad campaigns. Do try to fool yourself that they are doing otherwise.
It's pretty clear that Apple has no interest in dominating market share, unlike Microsoft. Apple would rather create great products that are easy and fun to use, while Microsoft continues it's quest for world domination through market share.
The funny thing is that Apple spent their time actually showing innovation while Microsoft continues to dream of such things.
Hilarious! Best laugh I've gotten from this column yet.
Watching these two videos, I am reminded of Apple's 'I'm a PC/I'm a Mac' commercials. These two videos pretty much reinforce the philosophies that those commercials portray: PC is stodgy, stiff and all business, while Mac is user-centric and targets the emotions by offering products they love and think we will love too.
@Dan : Like how Apple wants iTunes to work with the Palm Pre?
Uh, did you know that there are many non-iPhone devices that can indeed get music from iTune? Or are you behind the times? Many of us are already doing that just fine, and we do not need to cheat or lie about it like Palm.
The Palm Pre masquerades as an iPod when it talks to iTune and basically "lies" to synchronize with iTune as though it is an iPod. No one else out there is doing this.
So you think Palm is OK to do this?
@Dan
Why should Apple allow a direct competitor to use its technology as a selling point? Apple has spent a lot of time, energy, and financial resources to develop iTunes and the store. Just because its cool doesn't mean they have to share it. Take it further.. should I be able to by Starbucks coffee at Peets?
Each appeals to different hemispheres of the brain. Only one celebrates the undeniable human factors of users interacting positively with technology. Different messages delivered to divergent audiences, yes; but, apart from those looking for explicit assurances that the subject organization is fully committed to "growing (its) market share" and delivering "operational excellence," which is the message that has the effect of inspiring and firing up imagination, of celebrating human technological achievement? The answer is self-evident. As is the near-guaranteed success of the responsible message-giver.
@Ken
"Apple talks about how its products work with its competitors' products."
Like how Apple wants iTunes to work with the Palm Pre?
No more questions, your honor.
Yes, they have different buzzwords, but what's more important is that they are talking about different things.
Apple is talking about its products. Microsoft is talking about its sales strategy. Apple talks about how its products work with its competitors' products. Microsoft talks about how they are going to beat a specific competitor by advertising products they don't manufacture or sell (computers).
Microsoft is talking like the underdog. With that sort of mentality, it won't be long before that becomes their public corporate image, and then a self-fulfilling prophecy.
@Dan: "Like how Apple wants iTunes to work with the Palm Pre?"
Apple stops the Pre from syncing directly through iTunes a move which breaks USB-IF standards (which vendors, including Palm, agree to) and puts the onus of support for Pre syncing on Apple. Apple doesn't stop third-parties from syncing via their own software. Palm is just being lazy and trying to piggy-back off iTunes.
You should understand the nuances of these issues before attempting to mock those involved.