Media, Technology and Socity - Essay Example

Is the success of the iPhone and other subsequent smart phones due to their distinctive technical characteristics, or their everyday uses? Introduction The iPhones produced by Apple Inc. are recognised to be in the list of top sold smartphones. Practically every launch of new iPhone is characterised by the long lines in the wee hours of the morning before the formal opening (Zeman, 2013). The iPhone, launched in 2007, has become a leader in the smartphone market, gaining approximately 15% of the global market share (Warc Executive, 2010). When the company launched the iPhone 4, the sales reached 1.7 million units within the first three days (Yiga, 2010). By April 2010, the company has sold more than 50m iPhones (Warc Executive, 2010). Furthermore, when the company introduced it’s the iPhone 6, the sales reached 10 million units in three days after official launch (Rogowsky, 2014). The iPhone 6 is viewed to be the most successful launch compared to the recent iPhone predecessors (Rogowsky, 2014). Therefore, the number of iPhones in use is continuously increasing. Such an incremental success of the iPhones is impressive, especially taking into consideration growing competition of such brands as Samsung, Lenovo and others. The sales of the iPhones make many researchers and marketers to question whether the success of the iPhone and other subsequent iPhone models is due to their distinctive technical characteristics, or their everyday uses. The aim of this paper is to analyse this issue in greater details and to define what is the true success of the iPhone sales. Technical characteristics of iPhone: brief overview Technical characteristics of the smartphone is a critical aspect in choosing the producer and the model of a mobile device. Technical parameters may vary significantly, and include the functions, which hardly can be associated with mobile phones. Before analysing how consumers use iPhones in their everyday life, it is important to analyse the main technical features that differentiate iPhone models from other smartphones. It might be quite challenging to carry out a detailed audit of technical characteristics of iPhone models and comparative analysis with other mobile devices, it might be helpful to understand some key technical features of iPhone products. There can be identified 5 major distinctive characteristics of iPhone, including the following: speed, touch ID, hardware, camera, and siri (Zeman, 2013). Below is provide more detailed overview of each of the above listed features. Speed Speed is one of the major technical features of iPhone models. For example, the 64-bit processor of the iPhone 5s enables the users to enjoy a profound speed in loading media (both photos and videos), loading music and movies via iTunes, and processing GarageBand files and iMovie (Zeman, 2013). Such an incredible computing power consumers could be viewed as one of the factors driving consumer’s choice of the iPhones. Touch ID iPhone has a fingerprint scanner, which enables users to create a usable print, store prints of thumb and forefinger, and use it. When the print is stored, the scanner reads the fingerprint. It works well, the software is easy in setting up process as well (Zeman, 2013). Hardware and Software Apple’s iPhone are characterised by high quality hardware and great design. It is always appealing and handy. Another distinctive feature of iPhone is its unique iOS software. Apple has its own software, which makes its different compare to Android-based smartphones (Zeman, 2013). The iOS software is compatible with all other Apple products, which also stimulates users of Apple computers and tablets to keep with iPhones, minimising thus the risk of switching to competitor’s devices (Zeman, 2013). Camera Apple has its own iOS operating system based on which is used the iOS camera application. The quality of camera is high, which enables users to make high quality pictures with small device. For example, the camera of iPhone 5s automatically determines the right settings for getting the best shot in each situation (Zeman, 2013). Even though the iPhone 5s does not have such fancy functions compared to Samsung Galaxy 4G and HTC One, the accuracy of technical camera variables make it appealing to end users (Zeman, 2013). Siri Siri is the Apple’s voice-guided digital application, launched the first time in 2011. It is a unique feature of iPhone as it is based on the unique iOS software. This software uses language user interface in order to make recommendations, answer questions and refer to user’s inquiries, and produce individualise results (Zeman, 2013). The company continuously improves this function and user interface design, making it easier and cleaner to decipher. As it can be noticed, the above listed features can hardly relate to high technical resolutions. Some Android-based models offer more extensive and more serious technical characteristics than iPhone. The researches show that iPhone users are people who have higher education, higher income, and higher representations in managerial, business, and professional jobs (Hixon, 2014). iPhone people follow technology news less than Android users, but they view themselves to be “addicted to digital devices” (Hixon, 2014). Therefore, even though there is a big-overweigh for digital device addiction among business people, there are no representatives from technical or computer jobs (Hixon, 2014). This inly fact indicates that iPhone is not viewed by technical and IT specialists as a superb smartphone which is on the top of the list of all providers. Therefore, it is possible to suggest that even though iPhone users are tech enthusiasts, their demand for distinctive technical characteristics is not as high, compared to Android users. Everyday use of iPhone and its role During the past decade, the way of how mobile phone is used by consumers has changed dramatically. The changing consumer usage is associated with the increased use of various mobile applications offering users many new opportunities. Apple’s iPhone is a device that is recognised to be a slim supercomputer capable to perform a variety of functions, far from just taking and making calls (Petronzio, 2012). The iPhone and the associated App Store have gained leadership in the mainstream of smartphone apps (Warc Executive, 2010). The company was quite successful in terms of the number of the application downloads from the Apple App store. Thus, for example, within the first two years, there were more than 5 bn downloads. App Stores are recognised to be the primary and sometimes, the only way of distributing applications to smartphones (Warc Executive, 2010). Apple has undertaken several major initiatives promoting its applications available for iPhone. In order to advertise the applications available Apple has integrated new iAd in July 2010, after the launch of iPhone 5. Also, the company continuously launches various branded campaigns on the iPhone. Thus, for example, Carling, the Molson Coors lager brand created the game iPrint, whereas the iPhone’s “accelerometer” detects motion (Warc Executive, 2010). The iPhone users have demonstrated a higher number of applications on their smartphones than the users of other smartphones. Such a disproportion of mobile data traffic indicates that the iPhone customers tend to be more eager to use Apple mobile applications in everyday life (Warc Executive, 2010). The survey of 4200 owners of mobile phones indicates that more than 20% of users had downloaded at least one application per month. The most popular applications were applications, offering navigation services, maps, games and social networks such as Facebook, Instagram and others. iPhone users are the most frequent visitors of such retailers as eBay and Amazon (Warc Executive, 2010). More specifically, there are even identified ten free iPhone apps that Apple consumers use every day. These apps include the following: (1) Alarm Clock HD waking up users with their favourite music and offering built weather forecast; (2) Map my run – an application which enables users to map their rout, track time, speed, distance, and post info to social networks; (3) HopStop – service enabling to check public transportation schedules or to explore best routes for getting to a specific point of destination; (4) Flipboard – is a pocket-sided social magazine with integrated news and social networking updates; (5) Spotify – media manager, enabling users to arrange playlists by different characteristics; (6) Pandora Radio – creation of radio stations based on the user’s favourites; (7) Evernote – personal organiser and assistant; (8) Dropbox – file sharing platform, enabling users to view, share and download various documents; (9) Urbanspoon – application used for searching for places to eat based on cuisine, location or other parameters; (10) Crackle – app offering TV shows and movies (Petronzio, 2012). While this list is just a list of top 10 free apps used by the iPhone users there are many other mobile applications, which users download and use on their devices. This list demonstrates that iPhone is more than just a technically good device, but also a device, which is an integral element of everyday lives of millions of users across the world. This importance is reinforced due to the homogeneity of the iOS platform (Hixon, 2014). iPhone users are more enthusiastic about new technology and every new model of iPhone enables them to satisfy their desire to have a new “modified” device. Image and Status as part of consumer’s everyday use Brand positioning and marketing efforts also play a significant role in consumer’s choice. Apple Inc. is a company with quite a prominent history of success and failures, lead and inspired by a legendary Steve Jobs. Nowadays, the brand is recognised worldwide, and it is possible to claim that Apple users are more Apple fans rather than just pragmatic customers. Consumers tend to be very loyal to the Apple Inc. brand, paying a premium price for Apple’s smartphone. Apple brand is recognised to be a premium brand, which means that customers are automatically assigned special status, prestige, and respect. Possession of the iPhone is a must, despite the unique technical feature of the device. While it is quite difficult to determine what exactly stimulates consumers to purchase new models of iPhone, it is possible to assume that they are satisfied with the quality of these devices and are loyal to the brand. Thus, use of iPhones in everyday lives is more likely to be the result of effective branding, emotional attachment to the brand, and status rather than purely technical characteristics of iPhone. Conclusions The iPhone is one of the top sold models of smart phones in the world. Every time the Apple Inc. launches a new model of the iPhone, the sales head the records of previous models. Such an incremental success of the iPhones is impressive, especially taking into consideration growing competition worldwide. As the research shows the iPhone’s success could be explained by the distinctive technical characteristics of the device. There are several major technical features that might explain the customer’s preference given to iPhones. However, the research also shows that technical characteristics of the iPhone is not a major stimulus of iPhone users. It is possible to conclude that consumers purchase iPhones more because of its significant impact on their everyday lives. Apple’s iPhone is a device that is recognised to be a slim supercomputer capable to perform a variety of functions. As the research shows, the company was especially successful in terms of the number of the application downloads from the Apple App store. The iPhone users have demonstrated a higher number of applications on their smartphones than the users of other smartphones, which indicates that the iPhone customers tend to be more eager to use Apple mobile applications in their everyday life. Use of iPhone is an integral element of the user’s life, rather than just a superb technical device. The use of unique iOS-based applications as well as intangible features such as loyalty and emotional attachment to the brand make users to make purchasing decisions in favor of iPhone. However, in order to address the researched issue more effectively, it might be helpful to carry out further research based on empirical evidence. Therefore, the results of this research might serve as a background for developing survey questions for future research. References: Hixon, T. (2014). What Kind Of Person Prefers An iPhone?. Forbes. Retrieved 2 June 2015, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/toddhixon/2014/04/10/what-kind-of-person-prefers-an-iphone/ Petronzio, M. (2012). 10 Free iPhone Apps Youll Use Every Day. Mashable. Retrieved 2 June 2015, from http://mashable.com/2012/02/10/free-iphone-apps-every-day/#gallery/10-free-iphone-apps-youll-use-every-day/53cfb71bb589e42e60000a13 Rogowsky, M. (2014). Is Apple Nearing 20 Million iPhone 6 Sales Already? Signs Point To Yes. Forbes. Retrieved 2 June 2015, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/markrogowsky/2014/10/05/iphone-6-launch-continues-hot-streak/ Warc Executive, (2010), ‘Warc Briefing: iPhone & Apps’ [online], available at: www.warc.com Yiga, E. (2010), ‘Brand Value Creation: three pillars of success’, Warc Exclusive, [online], available at: www.warc.com Zeman, E. (2014). Apple iPhone 5s: Best Features - InformationWeek. InformationWeek. Retrieved 2 June 2015, from http://www.informationweek.com/mobile/mobile-devices/apple-iphone-5s-best-features/d/d-id/1111630? 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