Seth on Apples at Starbucks

Last spring, when I was actually blogging somewhat regularly (amazing but true), I made some comments in the wake of Starbucks' memogate controversy. My thesis was -- and still is -- that Starbucks is gradually becoming a commodity due to its ubiquitousness. You can't swing a dead cat without hitting a Starbucks stand.

Seth Godin's post this week about Apple is similar and wonderfully succinct. Seth notes that MacBook market penetration may become a problem for Apple. The irony that the observation was made at Starbucks is not lost on him, and that's what really got my attention.

Yes, a better product can help ensure long-term success, but what makes Starbucks and Apple special isn't just their products. It is their customers' experiences. If you were a Starbucks patron, you used to have something special that not everyone else had. Now that this is no longer the case, Starbucks' success depends on other fundamentals. If Apple's success is being driven by their customers' desire to be different, then Apple is on this same path.

I also wonder how much the Starbucks and Mac experiences are interrelated. How much is taking your MacBook to Starbucks a brand experience in and of itself? Does a threat to one affect the other?