Apple’s PR Paradigm Shift: When Did the Silicon Valley Giant Become Cool to Hate?

For most of the last decade, Apple Inc. (formerly Apple Computer) was the coolest company in the Bay Area. The underdog tech company innovated where others didn’t, building beautiful pieces of technology like the iMac, and gaining attention not as an ‘evil’ corporation, but as a cultured, decent, and profoundly interesting competitor.

Just when did things go awry? In 2007, Apple announced the iPhone – a triumphant moment in technology that was met with thunderous applause. Crowds laughed along with co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs, commending his team’s ability to piece together innovative pieces of technology while commenting on their rapid rise above competitors.

Yet the announcement of the iPad – by all means a piece of technology just as revolutionary, effective, and popular as the iPhone – was met with marked silence, and even the occasional giggle. The device was touted as magical, revolutionary, and influential by its creators, yet the technology media took a distinctly different look at the product, calling it an example of Apple’s tendency to overstate their independence and ability.

It’s a public relations shift that, in many ways, is long overdue. For the better part of two decades Apple Computer was regarded as a joke amongst most Silicon Valley technology groups. The once-successful computer company had fallen from its platform, riding on a string of failed innovations such as the Newton and the Performa line of consumer PCs.

But things shifted in the late 2000s, after Apple’s miraculous comeback and an uninterrupted string of positive public coverage. The company had spun around 180 degrees, re-branding itself as an innovator and bucking away their underdog image. The technology media, now dominated by blogs and speculative journalism, saw the company’s success not as a triumph, but as a threat.

It’s strange, then, to see such a marked difference between public opinion and that displayed by the online media. The iPad was touted as an example of innovation gone wrong and uncontrollable ego, yet by all means it’s been accepted, and even embraced, by the public. With two million devices sold and projections raised to all-time highs, Apple could be enjoying a silent renaissance with their most important customers.

And that, in many ways, is the cause of their online PR problem. Apple’s audience has changed dramatically over the last ten years, shifting from a small crowd of technology fans towards a more general public audience. It’s the same strategy that caused flack and criticism for gaming giant Nintendo, a once-failing company that, like Apple, ditched the specific approach for universal appeal.

While journalists may be able to celebrate their free mobile phone, pre-release products, and put forth opinions that don’t quite reflect those of the public, Apple appears to be moving forward. From stolen mobile phones to 3G broadband controversies, the technology media has clung to some pretty serious allegations about the company recently. It’s too early to see which will stick, but the recent wave of poor press could end up growing into a long-term nightmare for Apple, one that the former underdog may not be too comfortable with.

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