dispatches from the new world of work

Brand Bleed-through

A confession first ... I came late to the Apple brand and I fell hard. I love the design, and the products always work beyond my expectations! I have one iPod for running, one for biking, and a waterproof one for swimming! I didn't feel the need to stand in line for the iPhone on Friday, but I had one in my hands early Saturday nonetheless. It is as beautiful a design as I have come to expect from Cupertino.

Then things when south. My experience with AT&T/Cingular has not enamored me to their brand. The simple iTunes activation was just that—until we got to the AT&T part. Disaster. My pre-approved credit authorization at the store wasn't accepted online. I called the help line. Long wait only to be informed that I had to return to the store. (Seems the long wait had to do with them being overwhelmed with the volume of customers ... don't they read the business press? DUH.) People at the store told me to call AT&T support. I asked to speak with a supervisor at AT&T help desk. She had several calls in the cue for her. (Big surprise.) I hung up. The store tech called back with a workaround, but I would have to sign up with a Tennessee phone number (where I bought the phone) and I live in Michigan. No thanks. Eventually I just ignored all the pre-authorization work I had done at the store and started fresh with the activation. It worked. Final glitch: The AT&T/Cingular service map clearly showed I was in their service area. Well, my front room is, but the kitchen apparently isn't (I have a small house!). Signal strength is terrible. Enough bitching.

Here is the issue to me. By entering an insane agreement with AT&T as the sole carrier for the iPhone, the Apple brand is intimately connected to them. I believe after the early adopters, sales will fall if AT&T doesn't get their act together. I am greatly surprised at Apple, as I have found they are really careful not to release products before their time. I would have thought they would have made sure AT&T was ready. So now I will sum it up this way ... great iPod, lousy phone service.

Mike Neiss posted this on 07/05/07.

Comments

Having followed the iPhone branding in some detail, the bottom line is that ATT/Cingular was not Apple's first choice. Unfortunately, they were in many ways Apple's ONLY choice, the only carrier willing to let Applie drive major portions of R&D that historically the mobile carriers had sole ownership of.

As a Cingular customer, I am amazed and appalled every time they stomp over customer service with Army boots on, and then grind the football cleets in my face for good measure. Will ATT get it's act together now, after years of failure due to the Monsters of Business Administration "leaders" who destroy everything they touch? If only Apple had such a Midas Touch. I'm not holding my breath, but you've got my sypathies, Tom.

Posted by David at July 5, 2007 3:54 PM

The beauty of Apple products is their simplicity. Telecoms = not simple. Making the i-phone work was always going to test the usual legendary user-friendliness that Apple is (deservedly) loved for. Hey, at least you can get it - in the UK we'll be waiting unti Christmas!

Posted by Jeremy at July 5, 2007 4:03 PM

I have spent the past 6 weeks attempting to recover our main business phone number from AT&T, following a terrible experience with the awful CallVantage service. Like you, I had activation troubles with which AT&T was not at all helpful. Fortunately I was able to get it working with a prepaid plan, which leaves me without a contract and able to leave the second another carrier gets the phone.

Given the masterful job that Apple did with the product, it's disheartening to see AT&T screw up so badly. I love my iPhone. I hate AT&T. Guess which company gets my loyalty!

Posted by Jim at July 5, 2007 7:03 PM

Mike - Sometimes I'm just so happy that I don't tend to be an early adopter.Second wave works for me: no long lines, the price is lower, and the kinks are generally worked out.(But I do have to admit that if there's one glittery new thing I've been lusting after, it's the iPhone. The second wave can't come fast enough for me.)

Posted by Maureen Rogers at July 5, 2007 7:24 PM

Hello Mr. Neiss:
Read the comments. So, why did you need this product? Why did you need it immediately? You're like my 69 year old Dad. Buys Apple stuff immediately upon release and bitches to me till the cows come home because it doesn't work. Calls/writes the company and bitches that the product doesn't work and explains what doesn't work.
Wait! We need people like that. People who buy and bitch. And the rest of us who read/listen to the bitching, wait for a fix and then plunk down our money.
Side note, a tv station here in the DC area shamelessly waved it around and bragged on camera about their new iPhones during a "newscast." The tv stars can afford it.

Nauseated, I'm not buying a $500 phone.

But, it IS cool....

Posted by nextgenradio at July 5, 2007 7:50 PM

Folks...three days in and I love the phone. It just strikes me that a company hell bent on innovation and design would choose a dinosaur to pilot with. Interestingly, it only took two days for someone (skype for one) to figure out how to utilize the wifi for calls and not need ATT. I love this product....

Posted by Mike Neiss at July 5, 2007 7:50 PM

heh next genradio...I hear you. However, my service contract on the old phone was up....this was not impulse...but a statement of faith and sheer pleasure in being a late, but loyal convert to Apple.

Posted by Mike Neiss at July 5, 2007 8:01 PM

So maybe I am just wierd - but I just don't get the Apple thing at all. Sure their products are well designed and look great but they do have their problems. People still seem to love them though.

This has set me thinking - if Branding starts to be based too much on emotion/fashion does that make the brand actually more fragile? If the trend moves on what else have they got?

Posted by PaulH at July 6, 2007 2:33 AM

Lemmings. Steve Jobs told you all you "had" to have it and you followed each other off the cliff. Early adopters, second wavers, you're all buying into the hype as if it really were something you NEEDED TO LIVE. You make me want to puke, all of you. Grow the hell up.

Posted by Red Island Rhodes at July 6, 2007 6:20 AM

Jackie Huba over at Church of the Customer has a great point about people lining up at Apple stores when they could walk right into AT&T stores. Check it out: http://www.churchofthecustomer.com/blog/2007/06/iloyalty.html

Posted by Shelley Dolley at July 6, 2007 10:28 AM

Wow! I am a bit surprised at the responses - I would have thought that folks on TP's blog would be a bit more Apple centric.

I am perfectly comfortable in both the Mac and PC world - but do believe in the core truths underlying the recent I'm a Mac advertising.

Unlike you Mike, I came early to the Apple brand - owned at least one - and as many as four of their computers - i am now up to five ipods and an Iphone.

A couple of points:

1. The choice of a carrier/partner was - as has been pointed out elsewhere - driven by some key requirements. AT&T's EDGE network which has been much maligned in the media actually is an advantage. The drain on the Iphone battery from the required hardware is signigicantly LOWER with EDGE than it would have been with 3G - ie Sprint...

2. Moving the activation process AWAY from the retail location was brilliant - it reduced service time and frustration greatly for
most of the Iphone buyers. I was up and running in well under 10 minutes.

3. The email interface is great - and far better than my old Treo or the Blackberry that I had a couple of years ago.

4. The web is pretty darn close to a real internet experience - no flash for now - but that can happen [and news and info sites have over done the whole flash thing IMHO}

5. True cost of ownership over a two year span is very competitive with other voice/data plans - I have seen
several that suggest the Iphone is actually cheaper - but
yes it is an expensive PHONE - it only becomes a value
when you add the DATA component.

6. Last but not least. I just returned from a two day business trip. I was able to leave my laptop [yes it is a mac - powerbook] behind and frankly never missed it. Yes I would love to be able to build small word and excel documents - and a powepoint player for the thing is just too obvious and can't be long in the making. But the ability to lighten the load and enjoy great video and music - and photos of the grandkids were awesome.

So here is hoping that over time Apple can help AT&T become a better service provider - I am sure the meetings between the two have been testy at times.

The nature of us early adopters is such that they should have a year or so to move them to significant improvement.

Innovation is what drives truly sustainable growth - and Apple
is the leader in innovation in the consumer market!

So all of you Apple haters - take a deep breath - stop by
the Apple store and give one a test drive - they are truly
different - and revolutionary.

Bruce
Port St Lucie, FL

Posted by Bruce Humbert at July 6, 2007 6:45 PM

Bruce...I couldn't be more pleased with my iPhone. And I am a 4 mac family...Have never been disappointed.

Posted by Mike Neiss at July 9, 2007 7:35 AM

AT&T/Cingular is why I don't own an iPhone - otherwise I would.

Posted by Bob Reck at September 29, 2007 10:28 PM