Is Apple Losing Its Lustre?

Industry leaders by design, Steve Jobs and Apple have always found themselves perched rather comfortably along the cutting edge of personal computing, but lately it seems that the industry has caught up.  Windows phones, Android phones, the HP TouchSmart, Google Chrome, and a surprisingly good review of Windows 7 has put the pressure squarely on Apple’s shoulders to once again show us something revolutionary.  But can they live up to the challenge? 

Anyone with a TV has seen the very punchy “Droid Does” commercials promoting the Android phone by Motorola, and anticipation is high, particularly among the non-AT&T, non-Apple crowd sick of their Blackberrys.  The Android phone seemingly offers a myriad of features that the iPhone cannot match, and their ads make no bones about it, going so far as to openly mock Apple. Borrowing Apple’s typeface, clean design aesthetic, and indiepop music, the mcgarrybowen designed campaign hits all the right notes:

This ad brilliantly gives voice to the frustrations of most iPhone users, and does so unapologetically.  It instantly resonates by reminding us iPhone users what we’re missing.  Sadly, the campaign as a whole is messy, negative, and overdone, but what it does highlight is the bullseye on Steve Jobs’ chest.

Another brilliant campaign was made for HTC, which doesn’t take any direct shots at Apple, but instead focuses on our bond with our mobile devices, and how integrated they have become in our lives.  The unique perspective in the ad shown below is one of the best ads i’ve seen in a long time, and really makes the viewer think about our (perhaps unhealthy) addiction to portable technology. In fact just to day I hate a client agape when i told him i don’t check email on my iPhone… a fact i mused about here.

Here’s HTC’s ad, as produced by Deutsch LA:

Now this campaign does bear some thematic similarities to Yahoo’s new “You” campaign, but here the focus is clearly more on the the importance of the technology’s role that the value of self-expression. Combine that with the unique point of view capturing resonant moments makes the device feel like our childhood teddy bear or security blanket, which is why I give it such high marks.

All of this is quite interesting, particularly from a marketing standpoint, but the real question is: Where does Apple go from here? The competition has passed Apple, and fixed many of the issues found on the iPhone, all but guaranteeing the nextgen iPhone will address these issues… save for one – Open Development.  And this brings about a bigger dilemma for Apple… Not only has the competition’s hardware caught up, but soon the software will as well.  Many, in fact would argue that Android 2.0 OS is already far superior to Apple’s iPhone software, and being completely open to development makes it all the more accessible.  Will the rise of the Android mobile OS eventually lead to trouble to Apple’s desktop OS?

Windows 7 ACTUALLY got outstanding reviews, to the utter disbelief of most of us.  I’ve yet to purchase my NetBook and check it out in detail, but for once, I’m actually kinda excited, or at least give a crap about a Windows release (other than to completely and thoroughly mock it).  And with Google Chrome looming, and the market’s final acceptance of more open source development via Linux, a considerable amount of competition is about to come Apple’s way (you too Adobe, but that’s another story!).  Somehow I feel Google Chrome will disappoint. It may wow, but I’m not sure it’s impact will be as large as initially anticipated, particularly with the perceived success of Windows 7, but that’s not to say a more user-friendly, Apple clone of an operating system isn’t far down the line.  Given the rise of the Cloud, an open-source, web-based OS as slick and intuitive as Apple’s is closer now than ever.  And if it performs as well on cheaper, non-Apple hardware, there will be trouble ahead for the folks in Cupertino.

With Apple moving it’s hardware to Intel chips, we’ve already begun to see some consequences. Just last week I watched an online tutorial showing how to install Snow Leopard on a Dell NetBook.  Sure Apple’s Terms of Use specifically forbid this, and it is illegal, but somehow I doubt Apple’s legal department will be able to find or track hacked machines. We’ve already seen how easily iPhones can be unlocked, and the rise of rogue app stores for iPhone Apps denied sale by Apple. 

Trust me… this is just the beginning.