Will Apple ever join the conversation

Tomorrow’s Apple press conference is interesting not just because it’s a last minute announcement, but because it might actually show that they’re capable of joining in the conversation.

Apple is one of the most secretive companies there is, going to great lengths to control the flow of information out of the company. Unfortunately for too long now, this secretiveness overrides any semblance of proper communication with the customer base, leaving us instead with the occasional Phil Schiller public statement, or a three word reply to an email from Steve Jobs. While this is fine when things are going well, and they’re riding high on success, it’s an entirely inappropriate standpoint when your latest product is getting kicked around the playground of talk shows, comedy acts and mainstream news outlets.

Apple’s brand-awareness and cult-like status is a luxury most company bosses would sell their grandmother for, and when there was no Internet, and your news came in a monthly Mac magazine, it was a lot easier to hide. But now opinions are instant, blog comments and messageboard posts are the norm, and Twitter brings a realtime stream of collective online consciousness onto our desktops and mobile devices, you can’t just pretend everything is magical and hope it will go away. It’s easy to say that it’s just the techgeeks that are making all the noise and the mainstream public don’t really care, but it’s the techgeek’s blog posts, twitter comments and messageboard entries that are going to appear when the mainstream media search for product reviews on Google, and the techgeek’s friends and parents who are going to ask for buying advice.

Companies everywhere have to realise that joining the conversation is the best way to get their message across. Apple have a more recognisable upper management than probably any other tech company today, but what’s the point if they’re constrained with the communication they can make. Get them online, get them on an official Apple blog, get them onto Twitter and have them answer questions directly from the paying customers.

That doesn’t mean you have to remove the element of surprise from your keynotes, or give away information that might allow your competitors an advantage. But showing your competitors how to engage with their customers on a whole new level, now that would be magical.