Economic theorists have long assumed that people behave rationally when it comes to purchases. But he often doesn’t. Clever companies know this and don’t just advertise with ultra-fine resolution screens or super-duper megapixel cameras. At the end of the day, all this technical stuff is only of interest to nerds. The rest of the consumer community would much rather know what to do with it. Things should also be pretty and easy to use.
Which, as you might guess, brings you to Apple and its iPhone. The Californians have been extremely successful in blending the ingredients in this recipe, and they have another special ingredient: many Apple fans see their iPhone less as a tech device and more as a fashion accessory. Something you’re willing to pay more for than competing products and don’t want to be one of those wearing clothes from the season before last.
Therefore, the presentations of the Apple group, like the one on Wednesday evening German time, have always been comparatively entertaining, more comparable to a fashion show, no PS showdown as is often the case with the competition. Since the pandemic, they have been styled a bit more because they no longer combine live performances and video recordings, but run completely as a film. Sure, Apple also boasts about its (also quite remarkable) successes in chip design, for example. The iPhone chips also lead the field. But most of the time it’s not about technical details, but carefully selected people show in cinema-quality videos what great things can be done with the new iPhones or watches.
The highlight this time: Apple has built into the new iPhones the ability to communicate with satellites in order to be able to send SMS messages with the location in an emergency. For the thing to work, however, the mobile phone must be constantly aligned with the satellite. It remains to be seen how this works under the stress of a dangerous situation.
One is praised, the other is kept silent
On the other hand, one prefers to remain silent about other things. It was not mentioned that there would be no new edition of the iPhone Mini – this would have admitted that the iPhone with a smaller screen was not a success. Not a word about the fact that the now outdated Lightning connector is also in the youngest iPhones. Yes, it can be argued that many already have charging cables and accessories for this connector. If you abolish it, there will be a lot of electronic waste. But on the one hand there are adapters that help in many cases. And in the long run, USB-C is the standard that makes it easier for everyone and avoids junk. Apple has long been using USB-C in most of its iPads and laptops.
Apple has also been less squeamish about other innovations in the past. For example, when it came to paving the way for the Airpods – Apple’s wireless earphones. The analog headphone jack was removed despite user protests. At least a Lightning to jack adapter was initially included to calm things down. At the end of the day, it’s always about business. In the case of the charging socket, it is as follows: In order for manufacturers to be allowed to advertise with the slogan “Made for iPhone”, they have to pay money to Apple. One can therefore assume that Apple will continue to use the Lightning connector until the next iPhone generation or even the one after that. Then a verdict from the EU, which wants to enforce the USB-C standard, applies. Apple’s Lightning policy is understandable, but not necessarily consumer-friendly.
Such details may annoy some, most accept it, also because they have long been trapped in Apple’s artistically forged golden cage. Who would want to move the whole network of iPhone and data to Apple’s cloud? And Apple’s watch won’t even work without an iPhone. Many will probably not even want to talk about a cage, but are grateful to the company that it makes life a little easier for them, at least in this respect. season after season.