I like Apple, and I’d really quite like a Mac Mini. But I think that the way Apple has dealt with the review process that is so important for the IT market really shows that being open and honest with the press is the best – well actually only – way to succeed. One 6th Feb, the Sunday Times gave the Mac Mini a generally good review, and strongly recommended that consumers buy the more expensive version – great PR? Unfortunately the review machines provided were effectively custom models, with double memory.
This week the reaction of the reviewer, David Hewson, to the realisation that even with the more expensive version still needs you to spend an extra £50 to bring the memory up to 512MB was not quite such a positive view of Apple: “Apple would be doing all its customers a favour by selling all its products with an adequate specification from the outset.” Not quite such good publicity.
The moral of the story is that ultimately if you try to bend the rules, technical journalists will eventually catch you out. Of course you are going to want to put your products in the best light, but be honest and open. Of course, I’d still love a Mac Mini (even with 256MB of memory), so if anyone from Apple is reading……..