Sunday, January 16, 2005
An open letter to Apple: here's what you can do to clean up the Mac Mini mess
Dear Apple,
So you've gone and made a mess of your consumer desktop line with the introduction of the Mac Mini, and there's no going back now. But lucky for you, you're not shipping the product or placing it in stores for another week, which means you've still got time to take some steps to minimize the damage and perhaps even turn this whole thing into a success after all:
Bundle the keyboard and mouse by default. Offering a Switcher the option of re-using his old keyboard and mouse is an interesting notion, but it should be just that: an option. In order to prevent the perception that you're trying to rip customers off by shorting them a keyboard and mouse, go ahead and include them as part of the default configuration. I know, you're married to the $499 advertised price point now, so bundling the keyboard and mouse for that price would dip into the profit margins, but so be it. You've got plenty of cash on hand, so you can afford it. And if the mouse and keyboard are bundled by default, then it gives you the opportunity to "reward" those who choose not to take the keyboard and mouse by offering them store credit toward other peripherals, or an iTunes gift card.
Include a dual PS/2-to-USB adapter in the box. Contrary to what many of the geeks on the Mac Web seem to think, most regular folks wouldn't know the difference between USB and PS/2 if their life depended on it. And right now, purchasing a Mac Mini requires that the customer take a look at which connectors his keyboard and mouse use before he buys a Mac Mini. But you're banking on mall-going Windows iPod users wandering into the "iPod Store" and then ending up walking out with a Mac Mini on a whim, and these customers are not going to know whether they need a keyboard and mouse or not, which will only lead to confusion and/or frustration. Do you really want to have to tell them to go home and check which kind of connectors they have, and then hope that they'll come back to the store? The solution is, simply, to include a PS/2-to-USB adapter with every Mac Mini. It won't cost you more than a few cents per unit, and it will allow customers to feel confident in purchasing the Mac Mini because they'll know for sure that their keyboard and mouse will work. It will also greatly reduce the percentage of customers who angrily try to return their Mac Mini for a refund because they couldn't make a round plug fit into a sqaure hole.
Include stickers for re-mapping a Windows keyboard. Switchers who try to re-use their old Windows keyboard are going to repeatedly run into problems with the key mappings. They'll be told to press the "Apple key" or "command key" by a fellow Mac user or a Mac help book, and not all of them will be able to translate this to mean that they're supposed to press their "Windows" key. Same thing goes for the option key as opposed to the alt key. The solution, while hokey sounding, is simple: include a set of stickers that the customer can place on certain keys on his old keyboard so that they'll display the correct names. Since this will cost almost nothing, you might as well include both a black-letters-on-white-background set as well as a white-letters-on-black-background set. This way, they'll be able to preseve the color scheme of their "modified" keyboard.
Make the eMac a legitimate option. Contrary to what many geeks out there seem to think, most regular folks fully expect their new computer to come bundled with items such as a keyboard, mouse, and monitor. If a Switcher's old PC is new enough that the keyboard, mouse, and monitor are worth being re-used, then the customer will likely want to sell the old PC to an acquaintence, hand it down to a relative, or put it in the bedroom of their teenager. The problem is, of course, that doing any of those requires that the old keyboard, monitor, and mouse remain with the old CPU. And on the other hand, if the CPU is so old and outdated that it's going in the scrap heap, then the same is likely true of the keyboard, monitor, and mouse. Either way, there's likely to be almost no one (outside of the geek world) who actually wants to buy a Mac CPU without a keyboard, monitor, and mouse bundled with it.
The good news is that Apple has a solution for that problem, and its name is eMac. The bad news is that it appears to be $300 more expensive than the Mac Mini. You see, I don't have a problem with you using deceptive pricing with the Mac Mini. It's what nearly all of your competitors do, and you're just trying to play ball. The problem, though, is that your other products, which all have impeccably honest pricing, now appear to be overpriced in comparison. How do you fix this? Well, you're going to have to lower the eMac's price and simply take a hit on the profit margins. Drop the $799 eMac to $649, and drop the $999 eMac to $749. That way, potential switchers who don't want to have to re-use their keyboard, monitor, and mouse will see the eMac as being a legitimately priced alternative to the Mac Mini.
You need to cut costs on the eMac in order to lower its price? Then consider making moves such as downgrading the 5400 RPM hard drive in the eMac to match the 4200 RPM hard drive in the Mac Mini. If 4200 RPM is fast enough for the Mini, then it's fast enough for the eMac. The bottom line is that the eMac and the Mac Mini should simply be mirror images of each other, one with a built-in monitor, and one without. Make both the features and the pricing bear that out so that customers will see it that way.
And while you're at it, re-design the eMac to make it look more attractive, as the only reason it's so generic-looking right now is that it was designed only for use in schools. Also, give it a new name. The "e" in eMac originally stood for education, which doesn't make sense anymore. There's nothing else in the Apple product line that begins with an "e", and far too many people confuse the term "eMac" with the term "eMachine". So give the eMac a new, more attractive name (just don't call it the Mac Maxi). And don't hide the eMac back in the far corner of the Apple Store, as you're probably planning on doing. Instead, put it right next to the Mac Mini so that customers can clearly see that whether they want to take their old keyboard, mouse, and monitor with them or not, they're all set either way.
The bottom line here is that the eMac, with its built-in keyboard, monitor, and mouse, is the computer that appeals to most potential Switchers (outside of the geek realm), not the Mac Mini with its lack of all three. Clearly, you think the opposite is true, but if you're so sure you're right, then why not put the eMac in a competitive position and let the people choose which one they want? That way, regardless of who's right and who's wrong, the customer walks out with a new Mac. That's the goal after all, right?
Offer inexpensive third-party 17 inch CRT monitors in Apple Stores. There's nothing more ludicrous than asking a customer to buy their CPU from your store and then stop on the way home and pick up a monitor from some other store. If you suddenly believe so strongly that customers want an external monitor, then at least allow them the option of buying one from the same store that they buy their Mac Mini. Although the geeks out there seem oblivious to it, the fact is that many low-end PC users are in possession of an aging low-quality 15 inch monitor that they have no desire to connect to their brand new computer. By not offering an external monitor in Apple Stores for less than $1000, you're giving the impression that anyone who buys a Mac Mini has to retain their old monitor, no matter how crappy. The solution is simply to offer a low-cost 17 inch CRT monitor in Apple Stores. Those Mac Mini buyers who want a complete package will buy one, and those who prefer to do their own monitor shopping elsewhere will at least be able to plainly see that you can in fact use a third-party monitor with the Mac Mini.
Offer the eMac without a keyboard or mouse. If you're so sure that potential switchers want to take their keyboard and mouse with them, then why not give them the option of doing so if they choose the eMac? Include them by default, but give customers the option of declining them and receiving store credit or iTunes gift cards instead. Now you'd have a consistent strategy on the low-end: both the Mac Mini and eMac would come with a keyboard and mouse by default, but in both cases the customer could decline them and be rewarded for doing so.
Add more USB ports. Most Macs come with three USB ports on the CPU, which is plenty because the included Apple keyboard has two additional USB ports for a total of five. But the Mac Mini has just two USB ports on the CPU. This means that if the customer re-uses his USB keyboard and USB mouse, and if that keyboard doesn't have any additional USB ports on it (most don't), then the keyboard and mouse alone will take up all of the customer's available USB ports. The simple act of plugging in a printer (let alone a digital camera or an iPod shuffle) will require the customer to either temporarily unplug the mouse, or to buy a USB hub. It's not that USB hubs are expensive, but you're asking the customer to go and buy one just for the "privilege" of connecting a printer to their computer. That's just beyond silly.
Clearly, the next iteration of the Mac Mini needs to have at least two more USB ports on the CPU. In the mean time, you'll want to throw a cheap four-port USB hub in the box with the Mac Mini. Sure, I realize that throwing in all these little extras is going to ratchet up your costs. But you've blabbed about the $499 price point, so now you're married to it. As a result, you're going to have to include all sorts of "fixes" such as a bundled keyboard and mouse as well as free adapters, stickers, and hubs in order to make sure that customers aren't afraid to buy the Mac Mini, and so that they won't come storming back into the store later demanding a refund. You're also going to have to give up profit margins on other Macs such as the eMac so that your consumer-level pricing will appear to be sensible. You're even going to have to waste valuable display space in those tiny Apple Stores in order to make room for cheap third-party monitors. But these are the kinds of moves you're going to have to make in order to prevent the Mac Mini from being a train wreck and to instead turn it into a success story.
Listen Apple, I know I knocked you around pretty hard last week, but it's because I'm always rooting for you, and I saw you make one of the most boneheaded moves in company history. It's been a long time since I've seen you make such a short-sighted move with so many obvious and unneccessary pitfalls. But that doesn't mean I want the Mac Mini to fail -- just the opposite, in fact. Although the Titanic sets sail in just six days, I believe there's still time left for you to do some reinforcement work on the hull, if you know what I mean.
I believe the above list of ideas shows that I'm hoping that you can find a way to make this mess work, and I'm rooting for you to do so. And if you can somehow make enough changes to the current absent-minded gameplan in order to pull it off, then not only will I be the first one to applaud you, I'll be cheering you all the way -- just like I always do.
Sincerely,
Bill Palmer
Mac user of twelve years
Mac enthusiast for just as long
Dear Apple,
So you've gone and made a mess of your consumer desktop line with the introduction of the Mac Mini, and there's no going back now. But lucky for you, you're not shipping the product or placing it in stores for another week, which means you've still got time to take some steps to minimize the damage and perhaps even turn this whole thing into a success after all:
Bundle the keyboard and mouse by default. Offering a Switcher the option of re-using his old keyboard and mouse is an interesting notion, but it should be just that: an option. In order to prevent the perception that you're trying to rip customers off by shorting them a keyboard and mouse, go ahead and include them as part of the default configuration. I know, you're married to the $499 advertised price point now, so bundling the keyboard and mouse for that price would dip into the profit margins, but so be it. You've got plenty of cash on hand, so you can afford it. And if the mouse and keyboard are bundled by default, then it gives you the opportunity to "reward" those who choose not to take the keyboard and mouse by offering them store credit toward other peripherals, or an iTunes gift card.
Include a dual PS/2-to-USB adapter in the box. Contrary to what many of the geeks on the Mac Web seem to think, most regular folks wouldn't know the difference between USB and PS/2 if their life depended on it. And right now, purchasing a Mac Mini requires that the customer take a look at which connectors his keyboard and mouse use before he buys a Mac Mini. But you're banking on mall-going Windows iPod users wandering into the "iPod Store" and then ending up walking out with a Mac Mini on a whim, and these customers are not going to know whether they need a keyboard and mouse or not, which will only lead to confusion and/or frustration. Do you really want to have to tell them to go home and check which kind of connectors they have, and then hope that they'll come back to the store? The solution is, simply, to include a PS/2-to-USB adapter with every Mac Mini. It won't cost you more than a few cents per unit, and it will allow customers to feel confident in purchasing the Mac Mini because they'll know for sure that their keyboard and mouse will work. It will also greatly reduce the percentage of customers who angrily try to return their Mac Mini for a refund because they couldn't make a round plug fit into a sqaure hole.
Include stickers for re-mapping a Windows keyboard. Switchers who try to re-use their old Windows keyboard are going to repeatedly run into problems with the key mappings. They'll be told to press the "Apple key" or "command key" by a fellow Mac user or a Mac help book, and not all of them will be able to translate this to mean that they're supposed to press their "Windows" key. Same thing goes for the option key as opposed to the alt key. The solution, while hokey sounding, is simple: include a set of stickers that the customer can place on certain keys on his old keyboard so that they'll display the correct names. Since this will cost almost nothing, you might as well include both a black-letters-on-white-background set as well as a white-letters-on-black-background set. This way, they'll be able to preseve the color scheme of their "modified" keyboard.
Make the eMac a legitimate option. Contrary to what many geeks out there seem to think, most regular folks fully expect their new computer to come bundled with items such as a keyboard, mouse, and monitor. If a Switcher's old PC is new enough that the keyboard, mouse, and monitor are worth being re-used, then the customer will likely want to sell the old PC to an acquaintence, hand it down to a relative, or put it in the bedroom of their teenager. The problem is, of course, that doing any of those requires that the old keyboard, monitor, and mouse remain with the old CPU. And on the other hand, if the CPU is so old and outdated that it's going in the scrap heap, then the same is likely true of the keyboard, monitor, and mouse. Either way, there's likely to be almost no one (outside of the geek world) who actually wants to buy a Mac CPU without a keyboard, monitor, and mouse bundled with it.
The good news is that Apple has a solution for that problem, and its name is eMac. The bad news is that it appears to be $300 more expensive than the Mac Mini. You see, I don't have a problem with you using deceptive pricing with the Mac Mini. It's what nearly all of your competitors do, and you're just trying to play ball. The problem, though, is that your other products, which all have impeccably honest pricing, now appear to be overpriced in comparison. How do you fix this? Well, you're going to have to lower the eMac's price and simply take a hit on the profit margins. Drop the $799 eMac to $649, and drop the $999 eMac to $749. That way, potential switchers who don't want to have to re-use their keyboard, monitor, and mouse will see the eMac as being a legitimately priced alternative to the Mac Mini.
You need to cut costs on the eMac in order to lower its price? Then consider making moves such as downgrading the 5400 RPM hard drive in the eMac to match the 4200 RPM hard drive in the Mac Mini. If 4200 RPM is fast enough for the Mini, then it's fast enough for the eMac. The bottom line is that the eMac and the Mac Mini should simply be mirror images of each other, one with a built-in monitor, and one without. Make both the features and the pricing bear that out so that customers will see it that way.
And while you're at it, re-design the eMac to make it look more attractive, as the only reason it's so generic-looking right now is that it was designed only for use in schools. Also, give it a new name. The "e" in eMac originally stood for education, which doesn't make sense anymore. There's nothing else in the Apple product line that begins with an "e", and far too many people confuse the term "eMac" with the term "eMachine". So give the eMac a new, more attractive name (just don't call it the Mac Maxi). And don't hide the eMac back in the far corner of the Apple Store, as you're probably planning on doing. Instead, put it right next to the Mac Mini so that customers can clearly see that whether they want to take their old keyboard, mouse, and monitor with them or not, they're all set either way.
The bottom line here is that the eMac, with its built-in keyboard, monitor, and mouse, is the computer that appeals to most potential Switchers (outside of the geek realm), not the Mac Mini with its lack of all three. Clearly, you think the opposite is true, but if you're so sure you're right, then why not put the eMac in a competitive position and let the people choose which one they want? That way, regardless of who's right and who's wrong, the customer walks out with a new Mac. That's the goal after all, right?
Offer inexpensive third-party 17 inch CRT monitors in Apple Stores. There's nothing more ludicrous than asking a customer to buy their CPU from your store and then stop on the way home and pick up a monitor from some other store. If you suddenly believe so strongly that customers want an external monitor, then at least allow them the option of buying one from the same store that they buy their Mac Mini. Although the geeks out there seem oblivious to it, the fact is that many low-end PC users are in possession of an aging low-quality 15 inch monitor that they have no desire to connect to their brand new computer. By not offering an external monitor in Apple Stores for less than $1000, you're giving the impression that anyone who buys a Mac Mini has to retain their old monitor, no matter how crappy. The solution is simply to offer a low-cost 17 inch CRT monitor in Apple Stores. Those Mac Mini buyers who want a complete package will buy one, and those who prefer to do their own monitor shopping elsewhere will at least be able to plainly see that you can in fact use a third-party monitor with the Mac Mini.
Offer the eMac without a keyboard or mouse. If you're so sure that potential switchers want to take their keyboard and mouse with them, then why not give them the option of doing so if they choose the eMac? Include them by default, but give customers the option of declining them and receiving store credit or iTunes gift cards instead. Now you'd have a consistent strategy on the low-end: both the Mac Mini and eMac would come with a keyboard and mouse by default, but in both cases the customer could decline them and be rewarded for doing so.
Add more USB ports. Most Macs come with three USB ports on the CPU, which is plenty because the included Apple keyboard has two additional USB ports for a total of five. But the Mac Mini has just two USB ports on the CPU. This means that if the customer re-uses his USB keyboard and USB mouse, and if that keyboard doesn't have any additional USB ports on it (most don't), then the keyboard and mouse alone will take up all of the customer's available USB ports. The simple act of plugging in a printer (let alone a digital camera or an iPod shuffle) will require the customer to either temporarily unplug the mouse, or to buy a USB hub. It's not that USB hubs are expensive, but you're asking the customer to go and buy one just for the "privilege" of connecting a printer to their computer. That's just beyond silly.
Clearly, the next iteration of the Mac Mini needs to have at least two more USB ports on the CPU. In the mean time, you'll want to throw a cheap four-port USB hub in the box with the Mac Mini. Sure, I realize that throwing in all these little extras is going to ratchet up your costs. But you've blabbed about the $499 price point, so now you're married to it. As a result, you're going to have to include all sorts of "fixes" such as a bundled keyboard and mouse as well as free adapters, stickers, and hubs in order to make sure that customers aren't afraid to buy the Mac Mini, and so that they won't come storming back into the store later demanding a refund. You're also going to have to give up profit margins on other Macs such as the eMac so that your consumer-level pricing will appear to be sensible. You're even going to have to waste valuable display space in those tiny Apple Stores in order to make room for cheap third-party monitors. But these are the kinds of moves you're going to have to make in order to prevent the Mac Mini from being a train wreck and to instead turn it into a success story.
Listen Apple, I know I knocked you around pretty hard last week, but it's because I'm always rooting for you, and I saw you make one of the most boneheaded moves in company history. It's been a long time since I've seen you make such a short-sighted move with so many obvious and unneccessary pitfalls. But that doesn't mean I want the Mac Mini to fail -- just the opposite, in fact. Although the Titanic sets sail in just six days, I believe there's still time left for you to do some reinforcement work on the hull, if you know what I mean.
I believe the above list of ideas shows that I'm hoping that you can find a way to make this mess work, and I'm rooting for you to do so. And if you can somehow make enough changes to the current absent-minded gameplan in order to pull it off, then not only will I be the first one to applaud you, I'll be cheering you all the way -- just like I always do.
Sincerely,
Bill Palmer
Mac user of twelve years
Mac enthusiast for just as long
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