When Apple released iOS5 last week it made it clear that social networking was a key part of its strategy moving forwards.
10 years ago we hadn't heard of Twitter, or even the term micro-blogging. Who would have thought that limiting us to tell the world what we are doing in 140 characters or less would prove so popular. Well Apple can clearly see its potential moving forwards.
IOS5 has Twitter integration throughout the platform. It's now possible to tweet a picture from your camera roll with one tap, tweet web pages to your followers or perhaps share some of your video, much easier and much quicker than before. It's hardware and software working perfectly together. An excellent device, the industry leading platform and a great app to sit on top.
Now whilst this may not drive millions of new Twitter users it will do 2 things. Firstly, the current batch of 400m+ users (or at least the iPhone owning ones) will be happier because Apple have made their lives easier. No more copying links and pasting them into the Twitter app. Secondly, it will in my opinion drive a huge increase in Twitter activity. This is not only important for Twitter but also for Apple who are in a constant battle with Google for market share in the smartphone and tablet arena. By making the apps their customers use regularly easier to use will drive customer loyalty and acquisition.
From a marketing perspective, it makes our life simpler. Managing corporate twitter accounts on the move is now a lot easier. Don't just stop at sending the odd random tweet, get creative. How about live micro-blogging your next event by keeping your followers up to date with images, video and updates as the event progresses.
The possibilities are determined by the depth of our imagination, but the fact is, Apple have once again stretched the boundaries.