Old news by now, but an interesting point not apparently picked up much in the blogosphere. While Dell's Bob Pearson points out that Apple's claim of being the "greenest family of laptops" rings hollow, his first point hits home:
"#1 - Be Part of the Conversation - It is important to
listen, learn, ask more questions and be willing to admit it when you
are wrong. We don't recall Apple joining the conversation about the
environment, either via key conferences or the blogosphere or via
reporter meetings. In fact, we believe Apple employees are not allowed to blog,
as far as we can tell. If you want to make "big claims," you should be
willing to tell "big stories" in an open environment and let others
critique your efforts. Don't skip this step and go right to ads that
may not even be truthful."
Apple tends to get away with speaking without listening. Imagine how much more effective they would be if they would open up more, and take a social approach to conversing with their customers. Even if Steve doesn't want anyone to blog (so he can effectively control the message) imagine how many followers an official Apple Twitter account would have? Imagine how many people would instantly know, and spread, the official Apple party line.
Steve, open up. It will make you feel great.