The Apple Brand Hits another “Tipping Point”
The Wall Street Journal feature about the Mac landing on more corporate desks is more than just an opportunity… it is a tectonic shift that will open up the business market for Apple in amazing new ways. It is truly a tipping point of amazing proportions.
If I were you, I’d buy Apple stock today… believe it or not, it’s just a leap to another plateau.
The Tipping Point, best known from Malcom Gladwell’s 2000 book of that name, is defined as “the moment of critical mass, the threshold, the boiling point.” The very public acknowledgement by GE that it is making Apple products available to GE employees is, in our opinion, a “tipping point”.
Just think about it. For years Apple had less than a 10% share of the computer market, and found it impossible to crack the business market in a meaningful way. This was a result of many factors, including corporate concerns around the “security” of an Apple computer, the perceived corporate costs to re-train an employee base who were on a PC platform, and the myth/reality that Apple products did not handle the heavy duty corporate computing, among others. In addition, Apple’s acceptance and use by the creative and educational community built a perception that it was not as mainstream as the prevailing PC hardware and software.
So this became a barrier that was almost impossible to break… but Apple has just shattered that roadblock.
The emerging acceptance of Apple products in the corporate workspace has truly opened up amazing new business opportunities. Through the broad and loyal acceptance of the “i” series (iPod, iTunes, iMac, iPhone, iPad, etc.) so many users have now realized that the Apple Mac is not only as good as any PC, but much easier to use and more stable. In other words, the emperor’s clothes have been called out. Anyone who uses an Apple product almost always has an amazing revelation about how easy and fun it is to use.
Apple is a brand that has done it right… great products and technology that are easy to use, world-class training and customer service, and a unique product form and style emerging from their DNA. They are not just a manufacturer, but a company fixated on their brand and it’s relationship with customers. That is why they have a deeply loyal fan base.
So invest in Apple, no matter how high you think the stock price is. It will go higher as the global corporate market kicks in with revenues coming from Macs, iPads and other Apple products providing a new source of volume and profits.
