Apple does do market research. It always has

The mistaken belief that Apple doesn’t do market research can at last be put to bed, thanks to the Wall Street Journal.

Reporters for the paper have been trawling through the mound of evidence filed as part of Apple’s and Samsung’s continuing patent dispute, and among the pages of documents is one titled “iPhone Owner Study, Apple Market Research & Analysis, May 2011”.

There’s more detail on that here.

The ‘Apple doesn’t do MR’ idea seems to stem from an interview with Steve Jobs in which he was asked what sort of research went in to the development of the iPad.

“None,” he said. “It isn’t the consumer’s job to know what they want.”

Admittedly, the iPad is unlikely to have come out of research. Tablets have been tried before, and have failed, so the success of the iPad is probably a testament to Jobs’ vision for the product rather than it simply ticking all the boxes on a list of features consumers say they need.

But the idea that a company as successful as Apple doesn’t do any research to support its products has always been ridiculous.