Apple has hat its “Year of the laptop” and “Year of HD” and this year seems to be the “Year of Hubris”. A number of decisions this year have led to major backlashes from their normally ultra loyal customer base.

Most of the controversy has centred on the iPhone. Before WWDC there was strong demand for an “iPhone SDK”; a set of tools to allow developers to create iPhone applications. Steve Jobs tried to fob developers off with web based tools. Many felt Apple would have been better stating they were not offering a proper SDK, rather than patronise intelligent developers, by telling them Web 2.0 tools were just as good.

Then there was the dramatic iPhone price cut. Whilst I appreciate the humour that suggests that this “was a repeal of the nerd tax“, it highlights that whereas most handsets are subsidised when on a contract, the iPhone was actually sold for two months at a $200 premium.

Ring-tones for the iPhone are another sore point, with users having to pay an additional $0.99 to use a snippet of a song they already own and no way to create ring-tones from songs not bought from the iTunes Store. John Gruber covers this issue far better than I can. Though I would point out that long before the iPhone, ring tone buyers have shown a bizarre willingness to pay through the nose for poor quality song snippets. The best that Apple can say is that they are pricing below the current market rate.

Of course in the UK, at the current exchange rate, the iPhone should be priced at around £200 before tax or £235 incl. VAT. The extra £34 for additional business costs seems a little excessive.

Some criticism from the press feels contrived to avoid appearing to pander to Apple. Unfortunately in the UK, we all to often like to bring success stories down to earth. For example, the criticism of the iPhone’s lack of 3G seems perverse. 3G has hardly lit up the UK market since its release in 2003 and it appears to be a flawed technology. Jobs’ complaints about 3G battery consumption are completely valid. Power consumption should have been resolved long ago, given how long 3G has been available. I, for one, am happy that Apple is not championing a technology that benefits networks looking to sell content, more than is solves problems for consumers.

As with each succession of the iPod, the press are always keen to point out missing features without justifying the customer benefit for those features.

Away from the iPhone, Apple’s decision to charge more for DRM free tracks from EMI has surprised many, given Steve Jobs’ open letter of criticism of DRM. Apple’s recent public stance on DRM has also been somewhat confused.

iMovie ‘08 has also generated criticism for being a step backwards in many ways. Apple, fully aware of this, quietly ensured that iMovie ‘06 was still available for free to iLife ‘08 purchasers. Whilst there is a need for an app like iMovie ‘08 in this modern Max Headroom / YouTube era, there is still a need for iMovie ‘06 type app as well. Many feel that Apple should have found some way to have both applications coexist within iLife and update the original iMovie, rather than replace it.

And finally there was considerable disappointment at the “Top Secret” features in Leopard and the redesign of key UI elements in the new OS. There will undoubtedly be further backlash if Leopard is delayed again beyond its October time frame. The lack of new seeds for developers and testers, suggests a delay is more than possible. I personally predict that Leopard will be delayed until MacWorld in January.

Many of these issues come down to poor PR or Marketing, or simply bad timing. They suggest some hubris on Apple’s approach to its existing customer base. As Wil Shipley says:

That sure reminds me of the old, crappy Apple. The one that almost went bankrupt because of its hubris.

Apple will undoubtedly learn from the backlash, but more worrying than the Marketing missteps are the ring-tones pricing and restrictions, along with Apple’s drive to increase gross margins despite strong sales volumes. It appears that Apple is trying to maximise returns from loyal customers. Fortunately, Apple continues to produce great products to increase its customer base, unlike its previous period of hubris.