Less is More. And More is Definitely Less
I came across two very interesting articles today which, despite both featuring hugely successful technology companies - Apple and Microsoft - couldn’t have been further apart in their approach and ideology.
First up is Apple. I’ve been a relatively recent convert to Apple and their ‘iProducts’. I feel that everything they make just works. But I’ve always felt there’s something else to it; product reliability and excellent customer service are both great, but why is it that it’s so easy to convince yourself you want the latest product as soon as Steve jobs unveils it in one of his keynotes? Today, via FastCompany I read some excerpts from Carmine Gallo’s book ‘The Innovation Secrets of Steve Jobs’ which made it a little clearer. Their article includes a retelling of a presentation by Nike’s CEO, Mark Parker, at the ‘Innovation Uncovered’ conference earlier this year, at which he discussed a phone conversation which took place between himself and Steve Jobs shortly after he was appointed CEO;
“Do you have any advice?” Parker asked Jobs.
“Well, I do have some advice,” said Jobs. “Nike makes some of the best products in the world. Products that you lust after. Absolutely beautiful, stunning products. But you also make a lot of crap. Just get rid of the crappy stuff and focus on the good stuff.”
Parker told his audience, “I expected a little pause and a laugh. There was a pause but no laugh. He was absolutely right.”
This is so indicative of Apple’s philosophy - keep things simple and don’t bombard the consumer with choice and options. Something their counterparts in Redmond could definitely learn from. Take their respective operating systems as an example; Windows 7 comes in six different varieties, Windows Vista in eight. If you’re running a Mac, there’s one variety of Snow Leopard - if your Mac is listed on the back of the box, you’re good to go.
That’s it. Straightforward, clear signposting and easily informed consumer choices. It’s the same principle that Barry Schwarz covered in his 2004 book, ‘The Paradox of Choice; Why More Is Less’.
“The more options we have, the more information and effort we have to go into evaluating them, the more likely we are to be dissatisfied with the outcome.”
In essence, reduce anxiety for your customers by taking away the pressures of choice. A lot of parallels to a quote from Steve Jobs in Forbes magazine in 2008;
“Certainly the great consumer electronics companies of the past had thousands of products. We tend to focus much more. People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully.”
When Jobs came back to Apple in 1998 he reduced Apple’s core product range from 350 products to 10. These days its still at a modest 30. That’s it. Streamline the choice, remove the pressures of research and decision making. Make it straightforward for the consumer to choose your product. Jobs gets it.
Which is what leads me on to the other side of the tech fence; Ballmer-era Microsoft. Today, to much applomb, Ballmer presided over the Windows 7 Phone launch - the next in a long line of iPhone killers ready to try and get the better of the Cupertino giant. The OS itself looks great and I’m sure will be a success. Whether it will be enough to take a substantial wedge out of the iPhone (or Android) market remains to be seen.
One of the most interesting elements of Ballmer’s keynote was how clearly different Microsoft and Apple’s philosophies are at the helm of two very different leaders. It’s summed up almost perfectly in this photo;
There it is again. Bamboozling the user with options and variations that they need to research, assess and commit to. Then be disappointed with (even if its a great product!). Yes, I’m sure one of the key aims for Microsoft would be to achieve handset ubiquity - it’s worked so well for Android - but do you need to confuse your audience with so many options when the focus at an OS launch event should clearly be on the OS?
Goldman Sachs recently suggested that Microsoft would benefit from carving off its Entertainment and Devices division from the rest of the company, given the brand strength and great consumer relationship that Xbox has built up since its launch in 2005. Even with this segregation I see the same problems creeping in to the Xbox brand - there have now been eight different variations of the Xbox 360 console, all within the one generation cycle. It’s obviously just the Microsoft way.
There’s a lot we can all learn from Apple’s focus - concentrate your efforts on making one thing and do it very, very well - as well as their simplified approach and clear consumer messaging. Steve Ballmer in particular looks like he could benefit from taking on board the philosophy of his namesake at Apple, particularly if he wants to get a slice of his mobile device market share.
