Apple selling rechargeable iBatteries
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As an age-old gag among Apple critics goes, Steve Jobs, with his marketing mastery, could sell a rock. (Just stick a lowercase ‘i’ in the name.)
How would Apple advertise something as mundane as AA batteries? Come one, come all and see the magnificent Apple Battery Charger.
It’s ‘better.’ It’s ‘more environmentally friendly.’ It’s ‘sleek, compact’ and ‘high-performance.’ Best of all, it’s ‘ready to use right out of the box.’
Because they’re batteries.
Amidst a slew of product releases on Tuesday, including some faster iMac and Mac Pro computers, a 27-inch monitor and Magic Trackpad accessory for desktops, Apple now has a rechargeable battery kit.
The product inspired the expected responses from Apple fan blogs: ‘Sets new standby usage benchmark’ and ‘one of the most interesting product announcements today,’ said MacRumors; ‘deceptively cool,’ read a headline on AOL’s Unofficial Apple Weblog.
Then there’s this headline from CNET: ‘Apple rechargeables smarter than average AAs.’ Or this from PC World: ‘Apple Battery Charger Slays the Vampire.’
What the latter is referring to is this line from Apple’s marketing copy: ‘The Apple Battery Charger sets a new industry standard: it has one exdof the lowest standby power usage values -- or ‘vampire draw’ -- of any similar charger on the market.’
Apple makes headphones, mice and keyboards that can be used with competitors’ gadgets. And sure, Apple’s peripherals rely on AA batteries, but the company generally doesn’t branch into things as trivial as batteries. What’s next, pens? Oh, never mind.
Leave it to Apple to make something so boring, something with so many competitors -- heard of Energizer or Duracell? (neither immediately responded for comment) -- sound so, well, exciting.
The Apple Store page goes on and on about how much ‘smarter,’ ‘fully loaded’ and ‘best in class’ these batteries are. At $29, Apple’s charger, which comes with six batteries, isn’t drastically more expensive than the competitors’.
We’re just hoping to see a commercial with some colorful, dancing silhouettes replacing batteries in their TV remotes.
-- Mark Milian
twitter.com/markmilian
Image captured from the Apple Store website