The social life of documents: Apple Inc. and their latest events.
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Apple, a multibillionaire company, can be described as a document since it is part of the building factors of an online documentation platform. It is a “document” creator company based in the United States that manufactures and bring into existence gadgets that promote and sustain the social life of “documents”. The announcement of Apple on their latest release and launch of new iPhones and devices contribute to the formation of documents and the continuation of digital information in this era of digitalization and industrial revolution.
The press release by the company provided information on the upcoming events where new products would be released. This document’s life is essential but hasn’t gained as much significance as when the actual product will be launched. The company describes their upcoming event as a virtual event due to the ongoing widespread of the coronavirus pandemic (Gvili, 2020). The apple devices help keep information both personal and business safe and available for future reference. The lifetime of this document is made possible by the internet, which has brought a revolution in the storage and life sustainability of documents.
Apple’s latest events concerning new product launch and release is my “document”. The information given by the company on the upcoming release and launch of new products has the audience enthusiastic of the freedoms and the new work they are expecting and the details provided in the announcement forms the basis of a document that will be used by the user’s to compare and contrast the new product’s essential features and the promised features in the announcement. The company’s announcement document has much significance currently when the information being passed and preserved there are just mere promises. However, upon actual release of the new product, the document’s importance will diminish from its current position but still important information none the less. The birth of the internet has brought a revolution in the storage and life sustainability of documents (Peter et al., 2019). The internet gives a document a better lifespan rather than contribute to its death. As much as the company will develop other hashtags, and more viral documents that will capture the audience’s attention and will belittle the announcement of the new products, this document will still be available on the internet for current and future references.
The company’s recent events have been successful and drawn the attention of millions of people physically and virtually through the internet. These events include to mention but a few; “Apple Event on September 10, 2019 (Sartor et al ,2019). Announcing the new iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11, Apple Watch Series 5, and iPad. June 22, 2020 where apple was Announcing their biggest updates ever to iOS, iPadOS, watchOS — and the entirely reimagined macOS Big Sur. Apple Event on September 15, 2020, Introducing Apple Watch Series 6, Apple Watch SE, Apple Fitness+, the new iPad Air and iPad, and Apple One — the all-new Apple services bundle. Apple Event on October 13, 2020; Introducing iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro with 5G, MagSafe accessories, and Home Pod mini.”
Apple’s gadgets are integrated models of soft wares and digitalized equipment that support internet usage. For one to fully enjoy the company’s newest models and devices, the internet has to be a part of the equation. These gadgets enable users to create and preserve documents via online platforms and social media. What better way to promote and maintain the social life of documents.
The Apple company has preserved its “document”; on the internet, and this plays as one of its primary sources. According to Brown and Duguid’s publication, the social life of a document was a depreciating factor, but this was because the internet had not gained significance then. The document’s social life will indeed reduce in importance with time especially after the actual release of the new iPhones where the majority of the audience will shift their focus and attention to the products rather than the promise. However, the birth of the internet has brought a revolution in the storage and life sustainability of documents. The internet gives a document a better lifespan rather than contribute to its death. As much as the company will develop other hashtags and more viral records that will capture the audience’s attention and will belittle the announcement of the new products, this document will still be available on the internet for current and future references. This means that the document will live long on the internet.
A company that can have more than twenty peer-reviews on any of their advertisements or announcements either means that they advertise qualitatively or qualitatively. Apple Inc. is not an exception but knowing its history, they advertise with a pool of qualitative attraction. The quality of the products they are going to release and the upgrade from the existing work is what gets their audience attention. Vanessa Hand Orellana’s peer-review; “Apple event: Everything we expect to see today, from a new iPad to Apple Watch” is a document that describes the author’s enthusiasm of the Apple company’s new iPhone release which will integrate digital watches too. She writes “Though Apple hasn’t released an official statement about what we can expect, the company did warn investors in July that the next iPhone would be delayed by “a few weeks.”
This is a strategy best known to all that Apple Inc. uses that will get people talking now about their current products while they wait for the new release. Vanessa continues to add that “the company has a lot of outlets, including CNET and Bloomberg, have also suggested we won’t see an iPhone 12 until at least mid-October. But even with a new iPhone out of the equation, there’s still a lot left for Apple to announce on Tuesday. We’re expecting new hardware, software and subscription services at this event.” This peer review gives life and continuity to my document in that it has continued with the narrative and thus provide a series of spin-offs for my document, which in turn promote its lifespan and customer base.
Another illustration of Apple Inc. mode of documentation through peer reviews and blogs is the Juli Clover’s article on “Apple’s 2020 Event Plans: New Products and Software Coming in 2020” likewise to Vanessa’s provides continuity to my document and thus an interface of related information concerning the announcement of the release of new products by Apple. She writes “In an average year, Apple holds three to four events. There’s usually a spring event in March, the Worldwide Developers Conference in June, a September event that’s focused on iPhone and Apple Watch, and sometimes an October event if there are iPads or Macs expected in the fall.” This peer review gives life and continuity to my document in that it has continued with the narrative and thus provide a series of spin-offs for my document, which in turn promote its lifespan.
According to Brown and Duguid’s publication, the use of zines and indicates how much more volatile these new documents make the social worlds. This is a practical tool used by Apple Inc. in its advertisement and event announcements. This is an obvious response to the section on the essay prompt that talks about examining an individual or organization who has mastered these new forms of the document and used them to gain power, popularity, and/or influence.
Different people show different echelons of interpretation. One advantage of Apple’s advertisement methods is that unlike the other companies where the audience does not usually understand the exact emotion or feeling that was intended of the message it invests in making their readers and customers have a clear picture of what to expect, and this avoids instances where their information gets distorted and gives a different. Unexpected feeling that would, which would, in turn, change the entire meaning of the message.
Apple uses the 4P’s principle as a document of success in advertising strategies. These include; Apple differentiating aspect: (1) Apple Products (Sartor et al.,2019). “Apple products are innovative because they are designed after thorough customer research. Apple likes to think it knows what customers want and for the most part, they do. Here are the company’s main products; “Macintosh – The machine that started it all. The Macintosh was first released in 1984 and today is known simply as Mac. With the focus shifting to portability, Mac laptops such as the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro are some of the most popular laptops in the United States. iPod – The iPod along with its software iTunes revolutionized the music industry and the way we listen to music. While the Mac can be considered innovative today, the iPod was the first truly innovative product that would pave the way for Apple’s products.
iPhone – The iPhone was the first smartphone to use a multi-touch interface. This removed the need for styluses and keyboards. The iPhone is still going strong and is one of Apple’s leading product lines. iPad – While tablets were nothing new when the iPad first launched, it is usually credited with pushing tablets into the mainstream with other companies quickly following. (Sartor et al.,2019). The iPad was the most successful tablet when it launched and continues to be a strong product line for Apple. Apple Watch and Apple TV – Despite stiff competition from other brands such as Samsung’s fitness watches and Amazon Fire TV, Apple’s Apple Watch and Apple TV do see sales from loyal customers. The ability to sync with other devices is a crucial selling point for those already invested in Apple’s other product lines. Apple Software – iTunes, iCloud, iBook, and their MacOS are just some of the intuitive software that is available across all of Apple’s devices. Combined, they are one of Apple’s key product lines that really tie all their devices together.”
(2) Pricing. Premium pricing of Apple products is their strategy in that the customers don’t suffer fluctuating market prices of the apple products. The company provides premium pricing of its products until a new release of the product, which could interfere with the price patterns. This is a customer-oriented means of pricing.
(3) Promotion and advertisements- “Apple promotes their products through commercials and print ads, focusing on how their products are different from competitors. Commercial ads run when a product is first launched and print ads will run throughout the product’s life. Ads usually follow the same style using either white backgrounds to contrast the stylish black of their products (iPhone, iPad, etc.) and logo, or an inverse with black backgrounds and white text with a white logo. Ads are simple and to the point, usually focusing on one key feature of their product. One big component of Apple’s promotion is their yearly keynote speeches (Sartor et al ,2019). These events themselves are not only part of Apple’s overall promotion, but have become a part of their brand and image. They keep fans interested and provide information on upcoming products.”
(4) Place as the last P in the model- Apple is stringent on who and what retail sells and distributes their products. This gives them a qualitative, competitive advantage in that the is reduced instances of product counterfeits, and it gives the company control on the supply of their own products. This allows the company to have a direct reflection on their market patterns and develop strategies for an increased customer pool and market expansion. The company’s distributors include; “Apple Stores, Online Apple Store and App Store, Authorized retailers such as Telecom Companies.
In conclusion, Apple Inc. thrives on the social life of its documents. First, it creates documents in precise eye-catching manners that will attract the attention of its online audience, peer editors, bloggers and physical audience. The company, therefore, provides documents via the internet, which in this era is a great way of preserving the social life of all documents. The company’s advertisement strategies and marketing models provide information that forms documents that can be used by growing companies to develop themselves as the Apple company did. Maintaining the social life of its documents is significant to the company’s strategic model of growth. Availability of the company’s information in a timely, convenient manner creates a strong strategic position since Information is Power as time is money.
References
Johnson, K., Li, Y., Phan, H., Singer, J., & Trinh, H. (2012). The Innovative Success that is Apple, Inc.
Gvili, Y. (2020). Security analysis of the covid-19 contact tracing specifications by apple inc. and google inc. IACR Cryptol. ePrint Arch., 2020, 428.
Cooper, S. Y., & Henderson, B. J. (2020). The Impact of Electronic Nicotine Delivery System (ENDS) Flavors on Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors and Nicotine Addiction-Related Behaviors. Molecules, 25(18), 4223.
Juli Clover; “Apple’s 2020 Event Plans: New Products and Software Coming in 2020. https://www.macrumors.com/guide/apple-event/
Vanessa Hand Orellana; “Apple event: Everything we expect to see today, from a new iPad to Apple Watch. https://www.cnet.com/news/apple-event-everything-we-expect-new-ipad-apple-watch-2020-announcements/
Miotto, Y. E., Tessele, C., Czermainski, A. B. C., Porto, D. D., Falavigna, V. D. S., Sartor, T., … & Togawa, R. C. (2019). Spring is coming: genetic analyses of the bud break date locus reveal candidate genes from the cold perception pathway to dormancy release in apple (Malus× Domestica Borkh.). Frontiers in Plant Science, 10, 33.