PERCEPTION

Sometimes people get so into earns and revenues by companies, and follow these stats like a religion, but they still do not understand that business in particular, technology business is surrounded by an inexact science. Technology has some many ways to approach a problem and still get a solution. Taking this into account many business men and CEO of technology companies still do no get the message.

We have seen in these past 5 years a great comeback of Apple in part by the revolutionary Ipod. Apple a company that almost went bankrupt in the 90’s; today is probably one of the most desired stocks in NASQAD. With this entire “buzz”, it seems like Apple is taking over the world, but once again if we go by numbers Steve Jobs Company just represents 5% of the desktop market in the USA and around the world is even smaller, but the executives of Apple lead by Steve understood a very important ingredient in the business, this is perception. Probably one of the most underestimated ingredient in companies today.

Apple has focused in presenting a “cool” and attractive device, even that sometimes are not translated the same in functionality. The best example of this is the Apple Iphone. I have to go years back to remember a device that has made so much noise in the tech community. But the reality is that the Iphone has left out many features that any other regular “Smartphone” will include. For instance, this device lacks MS Office support which is a key to get in the corporate business, or include a 3G technology for United States. Having that said, the Iphone has something that the competition does not have, the looks and the “woo” impact.

Apple with their premium products has been allowed to tag a high price which consumers pay happily; more important than the performance, for perception. For example, users of Mac believe that the systems don’t get viruses, or that it’s not possible to get hacked. Once again, its all about perception. In the MacWorld magazine of July 2007 on page 26, Thomas Krinstensen the chief technology offices of security- research firm Secunia agrees: “Mac systems are as vulnerable as most other operating systems, so anyone with reasonable skills should be able to compromise them”.

In conclusion Apple is a company that has understood the computer business and how perception is a very important factor in the consumers final decision, others companies like Dell finally got the message and introduced “vivid” colors to their new laptops and HP with innovating designs to attract the eyes of ordinary consumers. Even Microsoft has been force to remake the whole GUI of the operating system vista to create that “wow” and throw to the garbage their Windows Classic graphic interface.