The iPad: …a giant iPhone yes, but what publicity!
So there you have it: Steve Job's latest toy is a massive iPhone; too big for a pocket, too small to be a desktop computer…not quite a laptop.
Judging from savvy journalists and bloggers, the gadget only persuades when you start messing about with its 'highly addictive' interface. Get your hands on one and you are hooked - or so they say.
But let's leave aside the i-Pad's technical merits for a moment and consider instead the sensational PR campaign that accompanied this much-hyped launch.
The media coverage is phenomenal: front page news across the world's broadsheets, 24/7 TV and radio coverage; blogs and twitter feeds have gone orbital. The value of all this coverage is almost incalculable and it has certainly got people talking.
How did Mr. Jobs pull this off?
Well, Jobs and Apple have an outstanding commercial track record and given the huge success of the iPhone, Apple's next offering was always going to be eagerly anticipated.
Announcing a launch date created a focus for frenzied expectancy and also kept the story in the news in the run up to launch day. Add a splash of secrecy regarding the product itself and hey presto, you've got the world's media hypnotized.
Like the Pied Piper of legend, Jobs hummed the tune and journalists came-a-flocking to San Francisco. Throw in a bundle of freebies, a flawless technical presentation from 'Jobs in person' and the promise to be one of the first to mess around with his new toy and hey presto: column inches and media 'noise' by the bucket load.
And will the PR success translate into sales? Ultimately, the market will decide, but for today at least, it's a big hats off to Steve Jobs and his PR advisors.
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