Brand Rehab

It's been an interesting watch to see how Apple has been dealing with the negative press around the iPhone, the related firmware updates and MobileMe. Part of it has been of their own making. My impression is that Apple bought in the their own halo spin and elevated their arrogance and just plain unrealistic hype.

The latest example of Apple in brand rehab is their something Apple has not been very good at... Communication. Their great at image, but actually having a dialog is new for them. They are used to telling companies and people how it is, not actually listening. It will be interesting to see if Apple maintains this over the long haul. Only time will tell.

Another thing that they have been doing is acting "humble." The MobileMe team has repeatedly admitted they "screwed up." Recently Apple without any special request gave users who signed up before August 18th another 60 day extension. In an email they literally said, "MobileMe was not up to our standards," and stated that they have been working diligently to make things better. This is un-Apple-like and is a major shocker.

I can say this first hand, because I've had at least three horrendous experiences with Apple over the last 7 years I've been using their products. One time I was so made, I literally almost poured lighter fluid over my laptop to set it on fire. thank gdness my wife took away my lighter fluid and matches.

A finally Steve Jobs made a startling admission as to "buggy" iPhone firmware stating that by September they will deliver "crash-free," software. That was amazing that Jobs did that and nearly unheard of. He is a CEO who is not glossing over things , trying to hide or send some fool out to the masses to repeat what he needed to answer to himself. Finally a CEO earning his money and taking responsibility.

All-in-all is appears that Apple is making a "serious" good-faith effort to get things right and live up to a more positive reputation. Instead of being considered the champ, they seem interested in living the role. That's a refreshing change. They are definitively on the move to rehab their brand. Why? Maybe their realize that they really do need their customers, if they intend to move forward as a global corporation.

// Jaye