Apple's Public Relations Department Opening Up Under Tim Cook

152516 apple logoFor years, Apple Public Relations has issued press releases for major product announcements, handed out exclusives and loaner units to a few select reporters and columnists, and occasionally signed off on an interview with one of the senior executives when it suited their marketing message. That strategy gave the company millions of dollars in free marketing with news outlets writing about every bit of information they can find.

These days, according to the Wall Street Journal, Apple's public relations department is a little more proactive. Last week, Apple issued a press release to announce iOS 6.1, a comparatively minor software release.

At the same time, Apple communications staff have recently sent reporters more favorable third-party reports about the company, including a study predicting that by 2014, Apple will be as accepted in the enterprise as Microsoft is today. Apple, and indeed virtually all its competitors, send reporters favorable studies from time to time. But the five reports Apple has sent since the start of the year, mostly related to mobile market share, represent more than recent months.

The Journal says the PR efforts "represent a recognition that competition is heating up", according to a WSJ source, with a caveat that it wasn't a big shift in protocol.

Of course, even when Apple PR is more forthcoming, it can still rely on the press to cover every move it makes.

Top Rated Comments

AngerDanger Avatar
145 months ago
I don't know.. this guy Cook.. this guy blows.. Double downing on secrecy.. oh wow.. All the moves he makes, looks very very shaky and doubtful..

I feel the same way about your punctuation.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Porco Avatar
145 months ago
"a study predicting that by 2014, Apple will be as accepted in the enterprise as Microsoft is today."

Ooh, I love fantasy novels!
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ericinboston Avatar
145 months ago
"...including a study predicting that by 2014, Apple will be as accepted in the enterprise as Microsoft is today."


So let me get this straight...within 10 months:

1)Apple software (what software?) will be as accepted as MS SQL Server or MS Office or MS Windows.

2)Apple Macs will be as accepted as Windows-based machines in the corporate world (we've been hearing similar stories for 25+ years). Even though there are no business Support contracts by Apple...you know...those corporate contracts about supporting hardware, upgrades, pricing, implementation teams, development teams, escalation/dedicated teams, etc. And where are the hundreds of thousands of Mac/Apple IT people to even do the work at Company X?

3)Apple iPads will be as accepted as MS tablets (you know, the one MS just released a few months ago which has no traction). This would be a true statement, but it's sure not saying much! Why not say that Apple will be as popular as nuns handing out cigarettes to children at bus stops?


Apple has a very, VERY long road to any kind of corporate acceptance. The very basics (regardless of how good a product(s) you think Apple has) are entirely missing from Apple: technical support, roadmapping, open-ness, pricing. Not to mention the fact that Apple has a very my-way-or-the-highway approach.

Apple is consumer-focused...plain and simple. Which is fine. Comparing phones and MP3 players to core hardware/software that RUNS businesses is abdsurd.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
deconstruct60 Avatar
145 months ago
...The fact Apple needs an entire department to do what one one of many areas Jobs handled solo is telling indeed. Sad day.
LOL. Jobs didn't do all PR by himself. What is sad is folks perpetrating that fraud.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Renzatic Avatar
145 months ago
Macs far outsold Windows just 20 years ago. That's about the time Microsoft screwed Apple in the courtroom to get their Mac GUI because of a poorly written paragraph in the Office for Mac contract. The contract failed to clearly limit the use of the Mac GUI to Office, which at the time was the biggest selling software package on the Mac and by far the biggest seller for Microsoft. Microsoft used that court win to create Windows.
Read up on your tech history again. That contract loophole was only a small part of a much greater whole that ended up costing Apple the rights to the GUI.

The major part was that Apple didn't invent the GUI to begin with, and couldn't claim ownership of something someone else had already done beforehand.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Northgrove Avatar
145 months ago
I don't know.. this guy Cook.. this guy blows.. Double downing on secrecy.. oh wow.. All the moves he makes, looks very very shaky and doubtful..
What.

Making press releases when you decide to make them doesn't impact secrecy in any way. They make the announcements when the products have been released! The difference is that they may just be more willing to make them now. I can't see how that in any way is a bad thing.

----------

Exclamation point on the end of the Jobs Era. The fact Apple needs an entire department to do what one one of many areas Jobs handled solo is telling indeed. Sad day.

Jobs wrote all press releases?
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 16 Camera Lozenge 2 Perspective Gray

Five Key Upgrades Coming to iPhone 16

Friday March 15, 2024 1:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone is Apple's top-selling product, and it gets an update every year. In 2024, we're expecting the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro lineup, with an arguably more interesting feature set than we got with the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Capture Button All four iPhone 16 models are set to get a whole new button, which will be...
When To Expect New iPads Feature 1

Apple to Announce New iPads on March 26, Rumors Claim

Monday March 18, 2024 4:02 am PDT by
Apple is widely expected to release new iPad Air and OLED iPad Pro models in the next few weeks. According to new rumors coming out of Asia, the company will announce its new iPads on Tuesday, March 26. Chinese leaker Instant Digital on Weibo this morning 日发布%23">claimed that the date will see some sort of announcement from Apple related to new iPads, but stopped short of calling it an...
airpods 3 orange

Two New AirPods 4 Models Expected to Launch in September or October

Sunday March 17, 2024 7:56 am PDT by
Apple suppliers will begin production of two new fourth-generation AirPods models in May, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Based on this production timeframe, he expects the headphones to be released in September or October. Gurman expects both fourth-generation AirPods models to feature a new design with better fit, improved sound quality, and an updated charging case with a USB-C...
iphone se 4 modified flag edges

iPhone SE 4 Expected to Depreciate Heavily

Tuesday March 12, 2024 9:04 am PDT by
Resale value trends suggest the iPhone SE 4 may not hold its value as well as Apple's flagship models, according to SellCell. According to the report, Apple's iPhone SE models have historically depreciated much more rapidly than the company's more premium offerings. The third-generation iPhone SE, which launched in March 2022, experienced a significant drop in resale value, losing 42.6%...
General iOS 17 Feature Orange Purple

iOS 17.4.1 Update for iPhone is Imminent

Monday March 18, 2024 5:27 am PDT by
iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 should be released within the next few days, with a build number of 21E235, according to a source with a proven track record. MacRumors previously reported that Apple was internally testing iOS 17.4.1. As a minor update for the iPhone, it will likely address software bugs and/or security vulnerabilities. It is unclear if the update will include any other changes. ...
M3 iPad Feature 3

New iPads Likely to Begin Shipping in April

Monday March 18, 2024 9:52 am PDT by
Apple's new iPad Pro models with OLED displays will likely begin shipping to customers in April, according to information shared today by Ross Young, CEO of display industry research firm Display Supply Chain Consultants. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman also said the new iPad Pro models might not ship until "deeper" into April in his Power On newsletter on Sunday:I've repeatedly said that new...
iOS 17 Passkey With Apple ACCOUNT Feature

'Apple ID' Expected to Change to 'Apple Account' Starting With iOS 18

Sunday March 17, 2024 7:13 am PDT by
MacRumors was first to report that Apple was planning to rebrand "Apple ID" to "Apple Account" across its software platforms and websites like iCloud.com as early as this year, and now Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has corroborated this change. A mockup of the new Apple Account branding In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said the new "Apple Account" branding will start to be used later this...