How Apple Leverages Product Branding, Making Vision Pro Cool

Hello everyone. Yesterday’s discussion about headset adoption piqued Neil’s interest in Apple’s branding opportunity with Vision Pro and the idea of how to sell "coolness" for the face. Before we get to that discussion, there was one branding-related item worth touching upon in content streaming land.

Last week, we talked about Warner Bros. Discovery looking to license HBO shows to Netflix. In the forum, one member shared a different view than mine. Warner Bros. Discovery can license its less premium content to Netflix, which lacks a premium brand. “Netflix’s cash is used to strengthen their [mass market] positioning, something Max can be OK with as Netflix has seemingly cemented its massmarket segment dominance while Max is showing no ambitions to steer away from premium programming. Max can then use the extra cashflow [from Netflix] to pour it into its premium content and further boost its premium-mass market brand.” You can check out the full comment here.

Such a view makes sense to me in a world where Warner Bros. Discovery didn't have its own paid streaming option. If the concern is found with Max containing premium and non-premium content brands, one option is for Warner Bros. Discovery to offer three different streaming services (Discovery $5 per month / Warner $10 per month / HBO $20 per month) with an attractive package discount when getting all three. While this will jeopardize near-term revenue, it helps the company's long-term direct-to-consumer relationships.

How Apple Leverages Product Branding

Apple has a long history of leveraging product branding to strengthen its ecosystem. The classic white wired EarPods hanging out of one’s ears went on to define a generation of consumer electronics. In recent years, Apple has doubled down on the product branding strategy. The following examples have anchored Apple commercials, advertisements, and marketing.

iPhone

  • Home button (still found with the iPhone SE)

  • iPhone X notch

  • iPhone 14 Pro / Pro Max Dynamic Island

  • iPhone back camera layout

Apple Watch

  • Rectangular display

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The “Why” Behind Apple Vision Pro, Apple Revolutionizes Memories, Vision Pro Pricing Strategy

Hello everyone. There is a slight change of plans. Yesterday’s update led to the largest number of incoming emails from members following an update in years. Accordingly, we are going to keep running with the Vision Pro discussion. Neil spent about 30 minutes using Apple Vision Pro. The technology powering the device is the future. We will get to the rest of Apple’s WWDC announcements.

A few quick items:

  • A virtual member meetup took place this past Monday in the Above Avalon team in Slack. The value found with having it take place in Slack is that people can still add to the discussions that took place. If you haven't checked the meetup out, look in the #random channel. The start of the meetup is pinned / shaded in a yellow hue.

  • Vision Pro sound quality. Yesterday’s discussion didn’t include any mention of Neil’s audio experience using Vision Pro. The headset includes a pair of speakers, positioned in the head strap and angled towards the wearer’s ears. The sound quality was very good. Just as important, there was no issue hearing other people in the room while something was playing via the headset. It’s not known what someone seated next to an Apple Vision Pro wearer can hear though.

  • Q&A. Have questions about Apple Vision Pro? Send them Neil’s way and they can be addressed tomorrow. There has already been a decent number of questions posted in the member forum (they will be covered).

The “Why” Behind Apple Vision Pro

It’s a positive sign for Apple that those who were among the first to try out Vision Pro have landed on different things as their “favorite” experience. Some people say the mindfulness app was what opened their eyes (the word trippy came to mind with that app). Others say the live sports consumption implications jumped out at them. There isn’t one right or wrong answer. Depending on the wearers’ personality, likes, interests, and perspective, different things will jump out at them. The era in which one thing is a “killer app” for everyone ended years ago.

There are still important questions left unanswered: Why sell Vision Pro? What is the device’s purpose?

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My Thoughts After Using Apple Vision Pro

With this year’s WWDC review, we are going to do something different. Today’s update will focus on the big news: Apple Vision Pro. In particular, we will go over Neil’s time using Apple’s first headset. Neil spent about 30 minutes using Apple Vision Pro. The technology powering the device is the future.

Everything else that Apple announced yesterday was important as it pertains to today’s ecosystem. We will talk about those updates on Thursday using a traditional big picture takeaways framework. There will be a follow-up tomorrow to today’s headset discussion as Neil’s notes were too long to fit in one update. In particular, we will talk about the “why” behind Vision Pro.

Let’s jump right in.

My Thoughts After Using Apple Vision Pro

With Apple Vision Pro, Apple has something big on its hands, and they know it. This is not a developer kit. It’s not an enterprise-only device. Apple Vision Pro is a new-age, wearable computer for consumers. We have not seen anything like it before. After using Apple Vision Pro for just a few minutes, it became clear this where the future is found. You don’t want to stop using the device. Apple Vision Pro makes the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and even Apple Watch feel like dated technology.

 
 

The question isn’t what people will use this technology for, but rather what won’t be handled by this in the future.

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Apple Announces WWDC 2023, WWDC 2023 Artwork Clues, Early Expectations for WWDC 2023 (Daily Update)

Today’'s update (March 30th) is dedicated to discussing Apple’s WWDC 2023. After going over the WWDC 2023 format, we look at this year’s WWDC artwork for some clues as to what may be discussed during the keynote. This brings us to a broader discussion involving Neil’s expectations for WWDC 2023 regarding a mixed reality headset.

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(Members: Daily Updates are always accessible by logging into Slack. If you haven’t logged into Slack before, fill out this form to receive an invite.)

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Payment is processed and secured by Stripe. Apple Pay and other mobile payment options are accepted. Special Inside Orchard bundle pricing is available for Above Avalon members.

More information about Above Avalon membership, including the full list of benefits and privileges, is available here.