...the reason most people buy an iPhone is because it's pretty

[UncleMike]

I was reading this article on lifehacker and couldn't resist quoting this:

...the reason most people buy an iPhone is because it's pretty

The article has to do with selling your iPhone, and this quote comes from the part about maintaining/restoring the cosmetic aspects of the phone. But I still thought it was "pretty" funny.

 

[3gAndroid]

I'd agree in many cases it's Apples brilliant and often outrageous marketing hype that sells "cool" lifestyle products, with far reaching claims like "It's Magical & Revolutionary".

They've also succeeded in creating a massive cult like following that worship their ever arrogant leader Steve Jobs. If it's got an Apple logo they buy it.

Yes in many cases their products are quite nice. But unfortunately they live within the closed and dictatorial Apple Eco System. Thus you must buy all content from iTunes, and put up with the highly restricted environment.

 

[woop]

Moving this to the normal Lounge since it does not pertain to Android.

 

[Isthmus]

I would tend to agree in part with that statement. The iphone, and most of apple's products for that matter, are extremely well thought out from a hardware design POV - at least from a user's perspective. I might not agree with many of their design choices (apple's keyboards for example, to me are missing necessary keys and rearrange commands unnecessarily), but they sure do spend a lot of time designing their hardware to give it a very distinct look and feel - so much so, that many of the products that follow often borrow heavily from hardware designs first introduced or commercialized successfully by apple. Consumers recognize as much, and it is a big selling point of many Apple products. I'm guessing that is probably what that article meant.

 

[UncleMike]

I would tend to agree in part with that statement. The iphone, and most of apple's products for that matter, are extremely well thought out from a hardware design POV - at least from a user's perspective. I might not agree with many of their design choices (apple's keyboards for example, to me are missing necessary keys and rearrange commands unnecessarily), but they sure do spend a lot of time designing their hardware to give it a very distinct look and feel - so much so, that many of the products that follow often borrow heavily from hardware designs first introduced or commercialized successfully by apple. Consumers recognize as much, and it is a big selling point of many Apple products. I'm guessing that is probably what that article meant.

The article is referring to the visual appeal of the iPhone being a selling point, to emphasize the need to keep yours in (or restore it to) pristine shape should you ever want to sell it, because a used iPhone with even the slightest blemish would have a significantly lower selling price - more so than for many other phones.

 

[Thefoodman52]

...slightest blemish would have a significantly lower selling price - more so than for many other phones.

That's because the only real thing the iPhone has going for it, is it's looks.

 

[MrX8503]

"Apple products sell because they look nice and people are brainwashed by their marketing"

I'm not gonna fault a company with a genius marketing team. Every company out there does marketing and just because Apple is good at it that doesn't mean they should be at fault. For example, any new big item Apple releases, a huge hi def photo advertisement of it is plastered on their main page. On the contrary, when Dell first released their Dell XPS 16 laptop, it was no where to be found on their front page, this is their own damn fault for poor marketing.

The other point is that they look nice. I'm quite certain that if the products suck they won't sell no matter how nice they look. Apple products selling well because they solely look nice is nothing but a myth.

 

[ekyle]

I have a friend that says he buys Apple products only because they are shiny.

 

[eozen81]

I have bought Iphone 3Gs to my wife and I've been using it more than her when I am back at home

I want to buy a phone as well but I am really stucked between Iphone 4 and HTC Desire HD. My biggest expectation from a phone will be apps variety. I know actually App Store is the market leader about that but do you agree that Android market will be a real competitive to Apple Store in terms of apps variety.

i.e. I am from Turke, there are really Turkish apps around Apple store but very limited on Android market. What do you think about progress of Android further days.

 

[xzillerationer]

I have bought Iphone 3Gs to my wife and I've been using it more than her when I am back at home

I want to buy a phone as well but I am really stucked between Iphone 4 and HTC Desire HD. My biggest expectation from a phone will be apps variety. I know actually App Store is the market leader about that but do you agree that Android market will be a real competitive to Apple Store in terms of apps variety.

i.e. I am from Turke, there are really Turkish apps around Apple store but very limited on Android market. What do you think about progress of Android further days.

Go with the Desire. To me, they're just sleeker, sexier devices with better UI's, more customization, have actual buttons rather than an all touch screen device (buttons being the soft keys).Give the Market a little while, it'll catch up.

 

[eozen81]

@xzillerationer, thanks dude. Android's widgets and personalization advantages are really attractive.

 

[Intervenient]

You guys still talking crap on the iPhone? Stop being children and let people like what they like.


I don't think most people buy iPhones because they're pretty but rather for the obvious brand association. Apple is in the cool right now with teenagers and students, and it's simplicity is finding friends with the adult crowd and the older generation. However, I think Apple is about to hit it's peak with the mainstream and will decline in popularity very soon. Apple-mania is a fad. The people who actually like it for features (such as myself) are either 1) enjoying the support from devs and Apple themselves or 2) waiting for Windows Phone 7 to come out to get the best of both worlds.

 

[saps]

You guys still talking crap on the iPhone? Stop being children and let people like what they like.


I don't think most people buy iPhones because they're pretty but rather for the obvious brand association. Apple is in the cool right now with teenagers and students, and it's simplicity is finding friends with the adult crowd and the older generation. However, I think Apple is about to hit it's peak with the mainstream and will decline in popularity very soon. Apple-mania is a fad. The people who actually like it for features (such as myself) are either 1) enjoying the support from devs and Apple themselves or 2) waiting for Windows Phone 7 to come out to get the best of both worlds.

Nice perspective and nice sig. The greatest truth is just what you said, if people like whatever and wanna spend their money on whatever more power to them. Obviously Im an Android guy but my son saved up his pennies for the new ipod touch and thats a great little device for him [he does have a dumb phone as well].
The analogy I like to give on this subject comes from the PC world. Most people buy a PC from HP or Dell or whoever. They spend say $1000 and they are happy with their purchase. Now Im the type of cat who gets those same components from newegg for $500 and then OverClocks the heck out of it. Now does that somehow make me better than Joe Average who spent twice as much as on PC? No of course not. Smarter, arguably; but even there its not a big deal and certainly Joe Average should not be ridiculed.

 

[LoyalServant]

'Joe average' usually buys what his or her friends has, because if not.. your cast out of your little clique.
Every Apple person I have personally encountered, are 'little people' - they think they are better than you and really, they are no better than your average attention whores.

 

[Intervenient]

'Joe average' usually buys what his or her friends has, because if not.. your cast out of your little clique.
Every Apple person I have personally encountered, are 'little people' - they think they are better than you and really, they are no better than your average attention whores.

That's odd, because that's how I view most Android users. Kind of like the Linux user base, they end being overtly elitist and belittle anyone who dares to chose Windows or Mac OS. If you're not using an Android phone you're "playing nice with Daddy Jobs" or an "uninformed ignorant consumer". As I've pointed out in the past, there have been WAAAAY more topics on this forum talking smack about the iPhone, than iPhone forums talking about Android. For some reason, Android users get really ruffled when you spend your money on something contrary to what they like.

Truth of the matter, every fandom has their arrogant snobs.