Steve Jobs | “people don’t know what they want”

You’re right, Steve Jobs did have a good grasp of what excites the target market. The really fascinating thing for me is the transition from utility to expression. All computers early on were business machines, right? They did ‘boring’ things like VisiCalc spreadsheets (although that was what they called a ‘killer app’ that drove hardware sales). When the business machine started infiltrating the home market, you really needed to know what you were doing to build this ‘thing’ from parts essentially. Even Dell focused more on personalization from a technical standpoint rather than an aesthetic one. So it wasn’t until Apple filled that ‘void’ and started making machines with design appeal that the transition to ‘expression’ began. It’s almost a fine art now. Where next? Thinner, faster, lighter, cheaper. It’s the same commodity story we’ve all heard a thousand times. Apple realizes this. That’s why I think they are shifting focus from a product-centric brand voice to a more ‘experiential’, ‘ethereal’ voice. From tangible to intangible. One that challenges us to contemplate our purpose, our passions, our beliefs — with the implied message that Apple products are the best complement for our lifestyles…but the product doesn’t lead the message anymore. That’s where, as Content Strategists, we need to direct our messaging also.