What Apple has done successfully is take what is essentially commodity technology (music players, computers, etc.) and turn them into fashion statements and status symbols. It's what they do better than basically any other technology company: they've made a distinctive brand and convinced people that they need it.
I think it's more than a fashion statement. It's really a design statement (more broadly encompassing). They did come up with many innovative designs and techniques, some of which were improvements upon existing technology but others that were unique (like the touch sensitive click wheel). But, they also became adept at maximizing profits by tricking the consumer through things like intentional choices in materials to show premature wear, fragility to promote breakage and fuel additional income from repairs, and the whole memory fiasco (detailed below).
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The iPod is a beautiful minimalist looking device. But what's the deal with that polished chrome backing? While it looks terrific when new, in due time you'll see an eye popping mess of swirls, not a clean mirror finish as it looked when new. THIS is what annoys me with Apple. They engineer a number of things into their products to eventually push you towards buying something new.
Remember the iPhone 1G? It was insanely expensive compared to other smart phones at the time and was followed up with a much more capable 2G at a cheaper price. 1G owners finally got a rebate because they were so pissed and screamed at Apple for their outright exploitation.
A friend of mine bought a 1G iPad. He paid top dollar to be an early adopter. You remember what happened? The 2G version soon came out with superior features, including a camera--technology that already existed and could have easily been incorporated into the 1G. But Apple wanted to milk profits and so they staggered some features for this very reason. The 2G could have easily been the 1G. And don't forget that the touch screen is not made very tough (like Gorilla glass); a number of YouTube videos will proudly demonstrate how fragile it is. But amazingly enough, that didn't stop people from buying it. Why? Because most people think "that won't happen to me--
I won't drop it."
Apple has a thing about memory: it wants to grossly overcharge for it and so it does. All Apple devices (except Macs) have fixed internal memory. You are never given a micro SD card slot. Why? Because Apple makes an enormous amount of money on memory. $5 buys you an 8Gb micro SD card. To go from the 8Gb iPhone to the 16Gb model (an increase of 8Gb) costs you $100. Go from the iPhone 8Gb to the 64Gb version? That will be $299 more please. You do the math. NOTHING to do with extra features. You are strictly paying for memory. It's almost scandalous.
I wanted to buy an mp3 player a while back and I tried and sent back like 4 or 5 before settling on an iPod. I really wanted one that wasn't tied into all the Apple baggage but one by one I ended up closer and closer to Apple. Whether it was not being able to save your place in an audiobook, horrible slow or clumsy UI's, not being able to use Rhapsody, and so on and on. I kept finding the only one that could really do all that I wanted was an iPod. It wasn't just because it was trendy or stylish.
I've always been tempted by Macs but never wanted to pay the high price to try one out plus being scared of becoming part of the cult.
I bought two iPod Nanos and they turned out to be good choices. I paid $249 for the 1st gen when it came out and used it straight for 6 years with no real issues, except a battery recall (that's why I no longer have it). To guard the fragile exterior, I coated it with a clear protective skin and then inserted it in a silicone casing. If I bought those from Apple, I would have paid a premium, but instead I bought good quality aftermarket ones for 1/10th the price. I paid $90 for a used 5th generation, with far greater features than the 1st gen. I wasn't going to pay $249 for it, so I waited until a great condition used one came around. But the 6th generation Nano? Yikes... it's disappointing, whereby Apple lost sight of the product purpose. The click wheel made the iPod Nano. Without it, the ability to work the device without looking is lost (save the volume control). A bad decision, IMHO. Anyway, I have been tempted to get a Mac, but balked at the software cost markup for the Apple versions. Plus, there are numerous compability problems with their operating system upgrades, more so than with Windows.
Apple is extremely clever at saturating the market with advertising that seduces the buyer to put up with deficiencies and overpay for what you get. They pump up the iPhone 4GS with Siri so much, like you're a complete loser for buying anything else. Buy a cell phone that has fragile glass on the front
and back, plus a battery that cannot be changed by the user, plus no external memory card support? Despite these glaring drawbacks, Apple is an extremely rich company. They are adept at distracting you from looking at the flaws and instead fawning over the wins. Their products are indeed beautifully designed, and form does not compromise function--it only tends to compromise flexibility and durability.
What really irks me is how Apple is one of the wealthiest companies in the world and yet I've heard form several sources that employees are overworked and underpaid for what they do, because they are convinced that being at Apple is a privilege and way of life that speaks to them. It's almost like Apple became the 1984 corporation they derided in that famous Apple commercial in 1984.
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In any case, it will be interesting to see how the culture at Apple changes over time with Steve Jobs no longer at the helm. Better, worse, or stay the same? Only time will tell.
