From Press Release, to the media

THE MACBOOK AIR IS RELEASED…
the press and consumers catch on like wild fire.

First - the original press release:

http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2008/01/15mbair.html

Second - the press has something to say:

The first article I found regarding the press release put out by Apple on the MacBook Air is an article titled The MacBook Air: So close and Yet…; by Stephen H. Wildstrom, published in Buisness Week, on Feb. 11, 2008.

The article provides product specs and information given by the press release as well as Wildstrom’s personal reflection of his experience while using the MacBook Air. Wildstrom wrote focusing on the pros and cons of the design of the new laptop applying it’s usability to potential buyers, specifically the businessperson.

He calls the MacBook Air “the sexiest laptop ever, but too much is sacrificed in the name of sleekness.” In his article Wildstrom talks about the lightweight, sleek design of the MacBook Air and how well the combined efforts of Apple and Intel worked to create the ultra thin design. He also mentioned the new features of the touchpad giving it iPhone touch features and mentioned the clarity of the energy-saving LED screen saying it “is sharp and bright--it may be the best I've seen on a notebook.”

He then mentions that the ultra thin design has its drawbacks. The lack of CD/DVD drive and lone USB port limits the laptop from easy usability, especially since the laptop is limited to WiFi connectivity needing access to USB for any other connectivity.

Wildstrom touches on both the benefits and fall backs of the MacBook Air giving the review in a positive light and giving an overall positive review.


The second article I found regarding the MacBook Air press release was written by David Pogue and published in the New York Times on Jan. 17, 2008.

In this article Pogue calls the MacBook Air the thinnest laptop in the world which he continues to refer to as the “skinny” laptop throughout his article.

This article refers back to information provided by the press release regarding the Apple Corporation and the product specs referred to in the press release.

Pogue also compares the pros and cons of the laptop. He hit on the same pros and cons as the previous article but also mentions that the things the MacBook Air lacks such as extra memory storage, USB portability, internet connectivity, need for CD or DVD and more are made up by other Apple products that can be additionally purchased to fill those gaps.

The article gives an all around positive review of the MacBook Air calling it sleek and elegant. Pogue said, “The Air isn't for everyone. Bargain hunters, feature counters and people who don't see the value of elegance -- in general, the same people who despised the iPhone before it came out -- would be better off with a bigger, less expensive, more complete laptop.”

Although Pogue gave negative aspects of the laptop the only overall negative review in the article was in saying that it didn’t make a great primary computer although it did make a great computer.

Third – effectiveness of the release, my thoughts:

I found the press release regarding the release of Apple’s MacBook Air on the Mac.com website. After finding this release I proceeded to search Lexus Nexus for articles regarding the release. Of many articles referring to the new laptop I felt that the first review was one that had expanded on the topic after receiving information from the release. The article repeats product information, specs, and pricing offered by the press release in the product review that the article is. I feel that this publication was not a direct target for the press release but was a secondary target being that the author and readers are all potential MacBook Air consumers.

I found the second article by searching the New York Times website for MacBook Air articles. This search brought up a lot of different related articles but I decided to use this one because it gave the information provided by the original press release leading me to believe that this article was written as an elaboration of the release.

The article was written with authority on the subject making the article relevant and believable. I feel that the publication was a primary target for the release mostly because the New York Times reaches so far and is so credible that it would be a great target that delivered to a wide target audience.

The article had no customer testimonials but was addressed as a consumer with credible knowledge on the topic addressing other consumers about the product.

I feel the original press release was effective overall. The release gives general information about the product which is naturally interesting to spark the interest of those who received the release. This interest is shown by the press writing the articles after experiencing the product for themselves rather than repeating information straight from the original press release.

Although I feel that the product is interesting enough to sell itself, the press release helped the spread word about the product like wildfire.