While HP’s name has been coming up in all the media concerning GOP presidential hopeful, Carly Fiorina, former HP CEO, the famed Silicon Valley tech company has come out swinging in a bold attack on Apple’s professional Mac market—directly targeting the controversial Mac Pro introduced in 2013.
HP Boldly Claims “End” to Apple’s Hold on Creatives
Without mentioning any kind of market data or any official information of any kind, HP comes out with bold assertion that—”the days of Mac Pro being the default tool for creative professionals are coming to an end.”
MORE: Apple’s latest Mac Family Portrait—Missing Mac Pro
So reads these striking words in an HP marketing advert sent to Architosh’s attention. In blue type face the advert, which was sent via marketing email and is replicated on the website directly, continues… “See why the pros are moving from Mac to Z.” (see image 01 below)
01 – HP launches “bold attack” on Apple’s new Mac Pro and Apple’s pro market directly, claiming that “the days of the Mac Pro being the default tool for creative professionals are coming to an end.”
Architosh broke a story earlier in the month mentioning that Apple’s Mac Pro was apparently the missing child left out of the Mac family portrait on Apple’s August-timed update to its key Mac product page. Meanwhile, key rumor sites have been pondering when exactly Apple would update the new Mac Pro itself, with conjectures of a WWDC 2015 time-frame that flew past.
At Apple’s recent September Event, with Apple’s announcement of the new iPad Pro—a product also aimed at professional creatives as well as Apple’s enterprise aspirations—the Mac Pro failed to see any update.
HP is Striking Hard
Hewlette-Packard isn’t kidding around with this hard hitting marketing effort. (see image 02) The company is going after Apple’s Mac Pro audience—even it’s entire Mac creative audience—with a new “Mac to Z” marketing push. The campaign says “Make the move to Z” as in HP’s Z-line workstations, which include all-in-one designs very competitive to Apple’s popular iMacs.
02 – “The pros are moving from Mac to Z” reads HP’s hard hitting marketing campaign.
The new HP Z workstations web page immediately states in bold letters “The pros are moving from Mac to Z.” The web page features customer stories from notables in Hollywood visual effects to broadcast TV and film editing. The latter market was once firmly in Apple’s grasp.
An Enterprise Effort Faux Pas in the Making
While Apple’s Mac creatives are hardly screaming at the company just yet, the potential for an outcry by Apple’s longest and most loyal base of customers is a real threat. And if Apple doesn’t answer to such brazen direct confrontations and bold claims about its own customers, it may be interpreted by the market that is is actually true.
Advertisement
Worse, such a reality can serve as perfect fodder for Apple’s rivals in enterprise, where Apple is intent on making a concerted push. The enterprise market has long distrusted Apple as it is. If Apple has the balls to walk away from its most stalwart customer base—creative professionals on the Mac—why should enterprise customers believe it won’t do the same to them once Apple finds a new direction more worthy of pursuing down the road?
If Apple strikes it big with automotive in the 2020’s, will Apple still care about iOS in Enterprise? That’s the 64,000 dollar question many CIO’s will be asking when Apple and its enterprise partners coming knocking on their door. History is the best indicator of the future and so looking at Apple’s loyalties is likely the way to an answer.
Apple needs to start showing its loyalty chops right now. Not later but right now! And it can do so by asserting that it has every intention of supporting its most loyal customers—its Mac creatives!