The Surprise iPhone Announcement that No One Expected

It was October 4th, 2011 and as the collective online community waited with bated breathe for Apple’s iPhone announcement many questions remained unanswered. Would Apple unveil one or two new iPhones? What hardware upgrades could we expect? What surprises does Apple have in store for us?

As usual, the announcement was met with much fanfare and excitement but when the dust settled there were few surprises to be had. A couple of speed upgrades, a new camera and a voice assistant were some of the welcome but underwhelming changes. However, Apple did make one announcement that no one even had on their radar – Apple Cards.

Apple Cards is Apple’s new application that will let you create and send greeting cards directly from your phone. Simply design the card using the app, select the recipient and for $2.99 they will print and mail the card to anyone within the US: easy, beautiful and very Apple.

What is not very Apple is this whole hard copy thing. Apple has come to represent the digital, mobile revolution. I mean they pretty much invented smartphones. So why then are they printing and mailing cards? The answer lies with what Apple does best… delight their customers.

See Apple is in on a secret that many have known for a long time but few acknowledge in today’s digital age. Physical printed pieces delight and inspire people in ways that digital copies simply cannot. In the past we have talked about the differences between direct mail and email, and while there is a time and a place when an email or a tweet is the appropriate communication method, some things just mean more when you can hold them in your hand. So, next time you are planning a project be sure to consider not just the cost but also the impact and the lesson here. Your customers will thank you for it (maybe even with an Apple Card ☺).

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