Apple Worldwide Developer Relations has sent an email to TransMedia CEO Donald Leka chastising him over a quote in an iPhone app press release where Leka says that customers don't really care what platform they're on so long as they can perform the tasks they want with ease, reports Techpinions.
The press release was for a Glide iPhone app that provides access to Dropbox, Microsoft SkyDrive, and Google Drive accounts.
Here's what Leka said:
“Consumers really don’t care that much what platform they are on, where their files are stored, or what the file types and file formats are,” said TransMedia Chairman and CEO, Donald Leka. “They simply want to be able to easily access and share a family photo, a letter to a friend, a favorite song or show.”
Apple Worldwide Developer Relations then contacted Leka with the following message:
…We believe the best press releases for a product launch concentrate on that product. Your release is ostensibly for the launch of your iPhone app, but the copy actually references other apps on other platforms more often than it mentions the one being launched. We think the customers, bloggers, and media who follow app launches are usually quite parochial — quite focused on specific platforms — so we counsel developers to craft press releases tailored to each individual platform.
And that brings me to my final point: the tone of your release and your product positioning is at odds with not just our primary marketing messaging, but the entire reason Apple exists. To wit, you are quoted in the press release as saying “Consumers really don’t care that much what platform they are on…” Our drive, our passion, our singular focus on creating the best products we can make is rooted in the fundamental belief that customers really do care about the products in which they invest their time, money, and energy. We strive to make the best products we can because we believe the right product will change a customer’s life. And customers do indeed care about things that change their lives.
Our experience is that customers are interested in apps that help them get more from their iPhone, that give their cherished, chosen device exciting new functionality that fits their mobile lifestyle. I’d encourage you to recast your messaging in this positive, affirmative way.
The tone of Apple's email seems to suggest that if Leka doesn't change his message his app may be at risk of being pulled from the Apple Store. The situation brings up two questions. First, is Leka right? Do a majority of customers care about which platform they are on? Or is it just power users? Second, is Apple justified in its "encouraging" Leka to change his message?
Read More [via AppAdvice]
The press release was for a Glide iPhone app that provides access to Dropbox, Microsoft SkyDrive, and Google Drive accounts.
Here's what Leka said:
“Consumers really don’t care that much what platform they are on, where their files are stored, or what the file types and file formats are,” said TransMedia Chairman and CEO, Donald Leka. “They simply want to be able to easily access and share a family photo, a letter to a friend, a favorite song or show.”
Apple Worldwide Developer Relations then contacted Leka with the following message:
…We believe the best press releases for a product launch concentrate on that product. Your release is ostensibly for the launch of your iPhone app, but the copy actually references other apps on other platforms more often than it mentions the one being launched. We think the customers, bloggers, and media who follow app launches are usually quite parochial — quite focused on specific platforms — so we counsel developers to craft press releases tailored to each individual platform.
And that brings me to my final point: the tone of your release and your product positioning is at odds with not just our primary marketing messaging, but the entire reason Apple exists. To wit, you are quoted in the press release as saying “Consumers really don’t care that much what platform they are on…” Our drive, our passion, our singular focus on creating the best products we can make is rooted in the fundamental belief that customers really do care about the products in which they invest their time, money, and energy. We strive to make the best products we can because we believe the right product will change a customer’s life. And customers do indeed care about things that change their lives.
Our experience is that customers are interested in apps that help them get more from their iPhone, that give their cherished, chosen device exciting new functionality that fits their mobile lifestyle. I’d encourage you to recast your messaging in this positive, affirmative way.
The tone of Apple's email seems to suggest that if Leka doesn't change his message his app may be at risk of being pulled from the Apple Store. The situation brings up two questions. First, is Leka right? Do a majority of customers care about which platform they are on? Or is it just power users? Second, is Apple justified in its "encouraging" Leka to change his message?
Read More [via AppAdvice]