While iPhones are ridiculously expensive and the constant software updates are a nuance, I’ve never been worried that my phone would explode in my face—unlike some of the other smartphone competitors. Other companies have tried to emulate the success Apple has had but they miss the core of what makes Apple so appealing—they are not only selling you a phone, computer, or earphones, but a lifestyle. Apple has been the long-standing gold standard for selling and supporting tech gadgets, and for good reason.
A big selling point for Apple is how well designed and thought-out their products are. This is evident in their products’ simplicity. Edward Tufte wrote, “Clutter and confusion are failures of design, not attributes of information.” Apple manages to take the complexity that modern smartphones have evolved into and create a methodical, simplistic phone that even three-year olds use now. Apple targets the everyman and makes products that are easy to use and simple, and so simple that you never really have to think about it.
All the designs are sleek, and if you own more than one Apple product, they sync together perpetuating more ease for the user. Halfway into last semester my phone got stolen (because iPhones are such a hot commodity) and I couldn’t get a new one until I went home almost two months later. Luckily, my imessages could still reach my computer and I could text people if I needed (or Facetime).
In comparison to other competing companies, Apple only offers one phone, the iPhone. Other companies may offer as many as 25 different models of phones which is too much to choose from. The fact that the iPhone is the only phone Apple creates allows both the seller and the purchaser to be more knowledgeable about the product. This is beneficial because we are already familiar with the basic principles of the previous generations of iPhones, so when I want to buy a new phone there isn’t a dramatic learning curve.
While choice is nice, it’s evident from Apple’s sales that we don’t always need all those options from one company. They instead focus all their energy into making one product as perfect and refined as possible. All I really need in a phone is something to contact people with, take the occasional photo, and listen to music on. I mean, portrait mode is pretty dope. It can almost make me look like a professional photographer…almost.
While the iPhone is capable of so much more than that, I don’t need half of the useless features other competing companies try to draw people in with. Tech-savvy individuals may want more choices, and they can find that at Samsung if they want, but the majority of buyers are not tech-savvy and just want something easy and reliable. Apple offers exactly that.
Claire Peterson is a junior sociology major.
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