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Abandoning Focus Groups, Apple Listens To Consumers Everyday.

2011/3/31 11:46:00 92

Technological inspiration

Innovation consultants are fond of repeating some professional terminology such as "user centered innovation", "mass collaboration" or "crowdsourcing".

All these jargon revolves around a core idea that consumers should be closely watched, so that consumers can directly participate in the development and implementation of new products or new services.

You never hear Jobs talk about these new words, but they are often referred to by the so-called innovative experts.

This phenomenon tells you that experts do not really understand innovation.

Jobs was indifferent to these terms, and really moved him to create simple, cordial, beautiful products that could help Apple consumers improve their lives.

Apple

They listen to their customers everyday.

However, the true hidden behind the apple, the "I" word of innovation, is not from the voice of the user, but to guide consumers to think about the solution in a new way.

That's what Jobs said about Apple's abandoning the focus group.

He is not suggesting that you should not listen to the aspirations of consumers.

What he really advocates is to get close to consumers, so close to each other, to tell them what they really need before they realize it.

Italy

Professor Robert Verganti, a management professor, has a very persuasive assertion that companies that bring major innovations will come up with a vision, or what he calls "advice", to tell us what we should pursue.

"The insight of this insight is not from the user to the apple, but by the opposite path. We listen to the apple more than it listens to us."

Verganti said, "listening to consumer suggestions is feasible for gradual innovation, but it is difficult to make a major breakthrough."

If we find a word to better describe what Apple has brought to us, Verganti puts forward a concept of "technological inspiration".

This is a vision of what consumers want in the future.

Apple has changed your perception of the world in this way.

Verganti believes that apple is not so much driven by a user centered innovation driven mode, but rather a deeper one.

Pattern

Drive, that is, consumer value.

If you focus on how to be proud of the products that you provide to your customers, your company will eventually succeed and shareholders' interests will naturally be reflected.

Many CEOs and front-line managers pay too much attention to shareholders' equity so that the ultimate source of profits - consumer value will be left behind.

Even in terms of money, apple is a super successful company because it focuses on the needs of core consumers.

Jobs used Apple II computer to inject the inspiration of technology into our brain. Until today, he has inspired his inspiration in the most attention areas of music, telecommunications and mobile processing.

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The magic of digital music

Apple's launch of iPod in 2001 was not intended to launch a revolution; it was born to solve the pain of consumers.

The digital music players of that era relied on those tiny pieces of memory, and could not store several songs, much less powerful than portable CD players.

There are several products based on the 2.5 foot Fuji hard disk that can hold thousands of songs, but there is one fatal flaw: the speed of importing files from computer to player is suffering.

Apple has brought its solution: FireWire.

In October 23, 2001, Jobs released the first iPod to everyone: "one thousand songs in his pocket".

He described it as a leap in the enjoyment of music, because the listeners were equivalent to the entire collection of music in their pockets.

In his speech, Jobs spent a few minutes talking about FireWire, demonstrating how iPod solved the painful problem of slow pmission.

Apple developed the technology of FireWire in 90s, making it a high speed data pmission scheme between digital devices.

By embedding this technology into the new music player, Apple has solved the eternal pain of music fans.

When Jobs unveiled the solution, he said:

"Apple invented the FireWire and used it on every computer we made, and it was also implanted in iPod.

This is the first and the only music player with FireWire.

Why?

Because it's fast.

You can download the entire CD to iPod in only five to ten seconds.

Let's make a comparison with USB.

Let's take one thousand songs as an example.

The iPod with the firing line takes less than ten minutes, while the USB player takes five hours.

Can you imagine?

When it downloads songs, you have to watch it for five hours.

IPod but less than ten minutes!

It is thirty times faster than any other MP3 player. "

Of course, there are other points to be noted about iPod.

For example, it has a sliding wheel which is very convenient to navigate, ten hours battery life, small size (equivalent to the size of a stack of cards), and other classic design elements of Apple products.

In short, iPod is a much more powerful digital music player.

"Technology inspiration" is again reflected in the iTunes music store after two years.

In April 28, 2003, Jobs redefined the way to acquire and enjoy music.

In Verganti's words, Jobs put forward a proposal to his consumer - a suggestion that no focus group would make: consumers can get a more comfortable and enjoyable music experience with just 99 cents.

If he is allowed to listen to consumers' opinions, no one will say they are willing to pay for music.

Jobs knew that he had to change people's previous understanding of musical experience.

He first said from history: "we all know that in 1999, the hottest thing is Napster.

It was forced to close in 2001, but it proved to us that the Internet was born to pass music.

Its products, like Kazaa, are still alive and well.

There is a good side and a bad side.

On the bright side, users can get instant pleasure and satisfaction from it, at least when compared with the fact that they run to a record store in person.

The bad thing is that it is a theft.

So let's take a look at it from the perspective of users.

Next, Jobs listed the benefits of users in real situations without hesitation.

The wide range of music choices is far superior to any audio-visual shop on the planet.

Unlimited CD burn

Music can be loaded into an unlimited number of MP3 players.

Absolutely free!