Since the introduction of the iPhone in 2007 by Steve Jobs we have seen several iPhone’s. Over the years Apple had improved their product with more and more new features. The latest models we have are the iPhone 5S and 5C.
Today I read on the internet Apple is launching a new iPhone in 2014. These new iPhone’s have a 4,7 inch and a 5,7 inch display. I guess these iPhone’s probably have a faster processor and a better camera to next to the latest iPhone 5S.
On the internet we see pictures and videos of people standing in line for weeks to get new iPhone’s. I was wondering why people do this. I came up with the idea that these people do this to satisfy their own ego. They don’t buy a new iPhone because the phone they have right now is broken or not working proper. It is the inner ego they want to satisfy. They see other people with the latest model and want that too. They see other people waiting in lines weeks before the new iPhone’s in launched in stores, and they do it too.
I was wondering what you opinion is about this topic. Or can somebody give me good reasons to this phenomenon?
Source:
http://www.nu.nl/tech/3597028/iwatch-itv-en-grotere-ipad-en-iphone-komen-in-2014.html
I think there are a couple of reasons why people are willing to stand in line for long periods of time for the new iPhone. I was also one many who got out of bed very early to stand in line for the iPhone 4. For me the reason was simple; I waited a long time for the iPhone 4 to release in the Netherlands and I did need a new phone. Due to the great demand for iPhones in the US and other countries the number of iPhones available in the Netherlands were expected to be very low. Therefore if you didn’t get an iPhone in the first batch you’d have to wait another month or maybe longer to get the iPhone.
Another reason people stood in line for days was to make money. If they could get their hands on the first batch of iPhones they were able to sell the phone for a lot more, sometimes even double its value, on the internet (for example on Ebay or Marktplaats). That’s why apple limited the number of iPhones sold on launch day per customer to two.
As you mentioned I do think this is a case of social influence. Lots of people are standing in line for the new phone and everyone wants one…. So It must be a great phone, right?! This phenomenon turned out to be a great marketing benefit for Apple. News all over the world covered people standing in line for their product telling how great it was. I can get a bit out of hand when people start pushing and forcing their way through the line to the point people start fainting and police need to calm the situation as happened in Oberhausen in 2012 with the release of the iPhone 5.
I wouldn’t call it ‘satisfying their own ego’, but I do agree with the writer of the article. According to me, the main reason why people buy an iPhone, is because other people do. I -and I think many other people- see Apple as an expensive brand (maybe too expensive). Compared to Samsung and HTC, iPhone even looks more expensive. But the iPhone is, according to many sites like consumentenbond.nl and techradar.com, not a better phone than Samsung or HTC. On many sites it’s not even in the top 3. So why stand in line for the iPhone 5S, if there are so many phones on the market and if there are better phones? Because people tend to behave like a sheep: people show herd behavior. Like the writer said, people see other people stand in line for the iPhone, so they stand in line also.
first of all, i have to say, thanks to Steve Jobs, he is man who makes this happen. basically, i just divide all the people into two groups: one is the people who needs it. since iphone first comes into our lives, it actually changes our lives, it makes more convenient. we do not need to re-do all the contact again if we change to a new iphone, just simply connect to the itunes, then everything will be done. iphone just like a virus that stick to our daily lives and let people addict to it. the other group is the people want to show off. nowadays, some people just see iphone as a symbol of status. in their mind, if i have an iphone, i am rich. just this thought makes them get out of bed early to buy a new iphone.
I do believe Apple has a great marketing strategy that works wonders for them. But, I do not really agree with it. Why? Well they are selling the “status”, “the feeling of belonging” to a certain group, “the coolness” rather than selling their product. My point is, I do not need Apple to be cool… I can just be it by being myself. But some people dont think the same way I assume. Some people are like: my friends have iPhone so I should have one too, if I dont have one, i dont belong to them anymore. So I think its all psychological. Ever since, people needed to feel the sense of belonginess to a certain group, being a part of a bigger entity, being protected and not alone. Apple gives them all of this. Strong group of people who stand behind the brand and their users. It is not about the product anymore, but the emotional extension the product offers. I do get upset about this because there are SOOOOOOOO MANY better devices than an iPhone. I do think that this wont last forever. We see already the trend of increasing interest in Android phones so it is only a metter of time when this unreasonable madness will end.