Consumer, Business Strategy Authorities Weigh In on Product Launch
09/11/2019
Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu and Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209, Christine_Gillette@uml.edu
Apple’s rollout of its iPhone 11 series may signal the tech giant is facing more stagnation than innovation, according to UMass Lowell business experts available for interviews on the company’s latest products.
Unveiled yesterday, Apple’s iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max range in price from $699 to $1099, putting the company “on equal footing,” with competitor Google, which is expected to launch its Pixel 4 next month, according to Spencer Ross, an expert on marketing, branding and consumer engagement who teaches in UMass Lowell’s Manning School of Business.
“The new Apple product is pretty much an incremental improvement on last year’s,” Ross said, noting at its best, the new line reinforces consumers’ allegiance to the brand but doesn’t necessarily win over any new devotees. As for the $1,000 price tag on the high-end model, “people will buy them because the monthly payment is low and when the new phone comes out they can get it for the same payment,” Ross said.
Despite the consumer buy-in, Apple’s lack of creativity is rotting the company at its core, according to Scott Latham, a business strategy expert who also teaches in UMass Lowell’s Manning School of Business.
He says Apple has reached an “innovation plateau,” with no sign the company “has a new technology on deck” or a winning strategy in the Chinese and Indian markets. He also thinks Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook “has coasted on Steve Job’s coattails,” and should be shown the door.
“They need to go down market,” manufacturing a less expensive, smaller phone that appeals to more people, Latham said.
To arrange in-person or telephone interviews with these UMass Lowell experts or others, please contact Nancy Cicco at Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu, 978-934-4944 or Christine Gillette at Christine_Gillette@uml.edu, 978-934-2209.
UMass Lowell is a national research university located on a high-energy campus in the heart of a global community. The university offers its more than 18,000 students bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in business, education, engineering, fine arts, health, humanities, sciences and social sciences. UMass Lowell delivers high-quality educational programs, vigorous hands-on learning and personal attention from leading faculty and staff, all of which prepare graduates to be leaders in their communities and around the globe. www.uml.edu