In the run up to Apple’s latest iPad event, sentiment among the press seemed to be mixed. Some suggested that Apple had clearly lost its innovative touch. Others countered by pointing out that expecting Apple to knock the ball out of the park every time is just ridiculous.
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In the event, we got a thinner iPad, an iPad Mini with Retina display, more details on the new Mac Pro and news that OS X Mavericks is available to download for free. Again, reactions from the press were mixed, but what about Twitter? What did its tech-savvy users have to say about the event?
Social data service Topsy has provided us with some insight into the numbers behind the launch. These numbers, it says, are important because “public reaction predicts sales, not media reaction”.
1. The iPad and Mavericks got the most attention
The Mavericks operating system and the iPad news attracted the most attention while news about the MacBook and MacBook Air upgrades lagged behind. That makes sense given the slightly unexpected announcement that everyone with a Mac dating from after 2007 would be allowed to download Mavericks for free as well as the large number of people who use iPads. We also knew a lot about the new Mac Pro before last night’s event and the upgrades to the Macbooks weren’t exactly substantial.
2. Most of the tweets were about the iPad
In terms of pure numbers, the iPad took the lead with over 323 000 tweets trailed by the terms “Apple” and “#Apple”. Interestingly there seems to have been a lot of early interest in Mavericks and the new MacBooks, before tapering off later on.
3. All about the Air
Taking a closer look at the iPad news, it’s fairly obvious that the slimmed down iPad Air captured the most public attention. The again it does weigh just 454 grams, which is incredibly exciting news for anyone who’s had to lug a conventional iPad around with them.
4. The general public was pretty happy with the event
According to Topsy, all the new products produced strong positive sentiment, with Mavericks coming out on top.
5. Mavericks produced the most positive sentiment
Well it’s a whole OS for free. From Apple. What were you expecting?
