http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20140922005316/en/Weekend-iPhone-Sales-Top-10-Million-Set?smid=tw-nytimesbits#.VCDaAPldWJK
The article posted comments on the record-setting release of the iPhone 6. Most interesting to me is the explicit bias in the article. The author fawns over Apple technology as though compensated for the article by the resurrected Jobs himself. The article asserts that the iPhone 6 and the iPhone Plus are the "biggest advancements in iPhone history" with "innovative technologies." That said, the detractors of the iPhone claim that it is behind the times, and that Apple's "innovative" features have existed in Android phones for a long time. Yet despite the other options that exist and the features that are actually innovative in them, Apple sold more of the iPhone 6 than any previous model in its first weekend. I have many friends that have purchased the newest model, and in a survey, most of them said that their purchase of the iPhone is not a result of a superior product, but a result of a desire to purchase the brand. Why is it that we sacrifice technological advancement to be associated in some minuscule way with a company that seems to be "in?"
I thoroughly enjoyed your commentary here. People do interesting things for interesting reasons. I wonder how long it will take until the "cool" aspects of Apple wear off and it goes by the wayside. I remember when Sony walkmen's were just the bee's knee's in middle school. I wonder how long it will be until Apple's demise.
ReplyDeleteI agree that a new i-phone is not that cool anymore, but a new Apple watch deserves some attention! http://time.com/3318655/apple-watch-2/
ReplyDeleteI find it so interesting that one of the main reasons why people buy a product is because of the brand behind it. If it is a superior product then I understand why the product is bought. However if the product is inferior why do continue to support the product?
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to me how polarizing Apple is (and has been). It seems that either people love Apple or love to hate Apple. I don't think you can argue the fact that the iPhone 6/Plus "is the biggest advancement in iPhone history" (note that you quote the author as saying essentially, these are the best *iPhones* yet, not that these are the best *phones" yet). You may feel that there are better or more "innovative" phones out there, but it was Apple that changed the mobile phone landscape. Android started out as a Blackberry imitator until it saw Apple's iPhone, and then it became an iPhone imitator. People keep waiting for Apple to fail. I can't say it will never happen, but the truth of the matter is that for nearly 20 years, Apple has been running its competitors into the ground (PCs: Dell, Compaq, IBM (PC division sold off to Lenovo); portable music players: is there anyone left out there?; phones: Motorola, Nokia, Blackberry). I don't mind if you want to use the device that best suits your needs/tastes, but you should allow others the same privilege.
ReplyDeleteEh, Apple has their good points. Apple has their bad points. For me, the bad points outweigh the good points, and for some the desire to stay updated with their favorite brand is worth the cost. I don't really think there's a sacrifice of technological advancement just because people are purchasing for different reasons though. The more competing companies steal from each other and make their own innovations, the faster everything advances for the consumer.
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