Bob Pittman understood what Google does not: When it comes to consumer products, it’s not about “technology.” It’s about consumer behavior and brands. Consumers don’t like to customize. They don’t like to be forced to learn new ways of doing things. They actually don’t like “technology”–at least not for technology’s sake. Consumers like to keep things simple and easy.
This Blodget piece from Silicon Alley Insider couldn’t be more spot on about what Google struggles mightily with. Yes, people love Gmail because it’s very good at some things. Does that mean Google should turn it into some sort of communications Frankenstein? Absolutely not.
Also, let’s take a moment to analyze this wildly awesome sentiment that is so difficult to grasp for so many companies:
When it comes to consumer products, it’s not about ‘technology.’ It’s about consumer behavior and brands.
Nobody cares how many giga-whatevers your product has if it doesn’t seamlessly fit into the lives they lead. This is exactly what Apple is getting right with their approach to the iPad and what many other companies that are driven by engineering rather than experience are getting so wrong.