Why does Apple succeed?

When Apple introduced it's iPod technology, it was 22 months late to the digital music revolution. Creative was famous for taking audio from a computer harddrive and outputting it onto desktop speakers. It developed the world's first readily available mp3 player.

Portable music had been available for over 25 years after Sony invented the Walkman and subsequently the Discman. But the major challenge consumers had with both devices was the limit of music selection that could be carried.

Creative's NOMAD changed all that. Now a listener could have as many songs as they wanted  on a 5GB portable harddrive.

You've probably never heard of NOMAD. Everyone, including my mother-in-law who believes the definition of technology is having a cordless telephone in her house has heard of iPod. Apple did not have the benefit of "first-in" strategy. Apple wasn't known as a music company. They were a computer company.

What did Apple do different from Creative to overtake a multibillion dollar industry? It was simple. They answered the question consumers had, while Creative answered the questions no one was asking.

In reality Apple products aren't necessarily better than the other options.  They are a better at marketing their products. They are better at asking the right questions in order to give the right answer. Apple knows its target audience better. Apple consumers are fanatics. It's Apple or nothing.

Apple is so strong in the mp3 industry, it has elevated itself to genericized trademark status. We no longer use mp3 players. We use an iPod or its successor iPhone.

Creative went wrong as it promoted itself through features and specifications. Creative had 5 GB of harddrive space, it was lightweight, it could be dropped.

No one was asking those questions.

Apple's iPod put a thousand songs in your pocket. It had the other stuff too. But who cared.

The question was how many songs could I put on the device.
And that's the secret to Apple's success. They give consumers what we want.
Appeal to the heart and the mind will follow.

Think about that the next time you have to market yourself or your business. Features and specifications are only used when there is no perceived difference between choices. Find out the real question your prospect has.

Then answer the question like you were Apple.