iphones...iphones Everywhere

            I mean seriously, who doesn’t have one? Whoever you are, I’m proud of you. You haven’t fallen victim to the trap yet, the trap of ultimate convenience. You can text your friends, you can play games, and you can do everything else every other smart phone in the world can do…but better. Yes, the iphone is the simple device that changed the world. But did it really?

            It isn’t the first device to play music, it isn’t the first device to have email and web capabilities, it isn’t the first touch screen mobile device, and it isn’t even the first phone to combine all of these in one. Blackberry had all those bases covered years before the iphone came out. Yet, the very first iphone commercial (link below) raves about email, web, music and phone capabilities, and people lined up around the block in front of Apple stores across the country to get it. It was never about the phone itself, it was about Apple. Everywhere I turn, I run into Apple. They have manipulated the public into viewing their products as status symbols, and I myself have fallen victim: I am writing this blog post on my macbook while listening to music on itunes and checking my iphone. I guess I’m a true Apple fanboy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lZMr-ZfoE4

            Steve Jobs wasn’t an innovator, he was a brand builder, and it all started with computers. I do find Apple software to be easier to use, but Macantosh computers are significantly less powerful than most PCs, and they hold a small percentage of the computer software market (after the release of the ipad, they lead in worldwide PC units sold at about 20% of the market). However, by releasing PC compatable software, like itunes, released in 2001, Apple was able to grab hold of consumers. By the release of the iphone, the ipod was practically the only personal music device on the market. They had successfully marketed their products as “cool.” Back in middle school, it was weird if you had some off-brand music player. The ipod was the only way to go. So in eighth grade I made the first step towards popularity: I bought my first ipod.

            Although I didn’t get my iphone until about a year ago, I have to admit that I have always wanted one. They are flashy and exclusive. Their commercials often involve popular movies, such as Pirates of the Carribean, and social media, all with a pure white background. There is nothing else but the iphone. That’s not to mention the fact that you can purchase them exclusively at Apple stores staffed by one thousand blue-shirted employees just waiting to show you how cool and pure all their products are. When I bought my phone I fell right into the trap. All of my friends had one, and it really is impossible to walk into an Apple store and not even think about dropping at least $200. I’m generally a pretty thrifty person, but how was I supposed to be cool in college if I didn’t have an iphone?

            Apple has manipulated its way to a status symbol. They now dominate the electronics market at upper income levels, which is blatantly obvious at a place like Hamilton College, where by my count, Macbooks outnumber PCs. At this point, they could stop running commercials, and people would still flock to Apple stores for each new release. Sure, the iphone scores lower than a plethora of other smart phones on Consumer Reports, but performance is beside the point. Apple’s success is based solely on its brand and how they have manipulated the public into believing that their products are superior.

Sources: http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine-archive/2010/september/electronics-computers/smart-phones/overview/index.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPod

http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/08/07/apple-still-leads-worldwide-pc-market-but-lenovo-gaining-ground