There’s rarely anything more controversial in the tech community than the release of a new Apple product – especially if it’s an iPhone.
And the same thing always happens.
Android users lament over how far behind in mobile technology the iPhone is, while Apple users patiently wait in line for weeks to get their hands on one. But for some reason, it feels different this time.
Maybe it’s because I switched to Android last year, but I’m seeing the iPhone in a new light. While I would never consider waiting in line to buy one, I’ve come to realize that this is exactly why the iPhone (and Apple Watch) will be a huge success.
Apple fans are loyal and will consume anything the company tells them to. But this isn’t because they’re “brainwashed” like they’re often accused of, it’s because the Apple Store changes everything.
Here in America, the iPhone is the most popular smartphone. Price, screen size, and specs are rarely a determining factor when it comes to purchasing a smartphone in the U.S.A.; it’s brand loyalty. And that is something Apple has managed to perfect because of the Apple Store.
No matter what part of the country you live in, anyone can walk into one of Apple’s 254 retail locations and experience Apple products hands-on. If your iPhone breaks, an Apple Genius will fix it. If you want to buy a new accessory, they have a bunch of them. And if you just want to walk into an Apple Store and check your email, they’re cool with that too.
The Apple Store figured out how to make technology “hip” and convince people it’s worth lining up for.
So as the Android junkies complain about the iPhone 6 being two years behind the curve, and smartwatch scoffers call the Apple Watch “worthless;” the Apple Store will still sell millions of them and change the technology landscape once again. And this is why the new iPhone and Apple Watch are important.
Even if you think NFC payments will never replace your credit card or can’t imagine a world where everyone is wearing a smartwatch, Apple will probably convince the masses to do just that. It may not happen overnight, but I believe we’ll eventually look back to 2014 as the year where smartwatches began replacing our smartphones — just like the iPod replaced our CD player in 2001 and the iPhone replaced our cameras in 2007.
There were a lot of articles to sift through this week but several of them caught my attention. Some of them solidified my belief, while others just made me chuckle. Either way, here are five of my favorite articles that react to this week’s Apple Watch and iPhone 6 announcements:
1. Why Would Anybody Buy an Apple Watch?
By Derek Thompson at The Atlantic
This is a story about the Apple Watch. It starts on Friday, June 29, 2007. Days before the iPhone debuted, the market research company Universal McCann came out with a blockbuster report proving that practically nobody in the United States would buy the iPhone…Solid survey research suggested not only that the iPhone would fail, but also that it would fail particularly hard in the United States because our phones and cameras are good enough, already.
2. Why You Won’t be Wearing an iWatch
by Rebecca Greenfield at Fast Company
“The iWatch” rolls off the tongue. It’s what you, me, and even Apple CEO Tim Cook want to call Apple’s new smartwatch. Yet, we got the decidedly blah “Apple Watch.” What happened to the “i”?…An Apple product without the i-name not only suggests a new era, but one without Steve Jobs.
3. The iPhone 6 is Actually A Lot Like A 2012 Android Phone
by Alexis Kleinman at The Huffington Post
Calm down, Apple fans. Your beloved iPhone 6 may not be all it’s cracked up to be. In fact, it’s a lot like an Android phone…from 2012. It may be shiny and new, but you could look at the iPhone 6 as a time warp to two years ago…But don’t let your feelings get too hurt, Apple fanboys and fangirls. There are still a ton of special features for you on the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.
4. Apple’s Appalling iPhone 6 Camera Compromise
by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes at ZD Net
Apple is a company renowned for making products that are not only functional, but also beautiful. When you buy an Apple product you’re buying something that’s been crafted as opposed to being cobbled together. Overseeing design at Apple is Jony Ive, the London-born designer who has worked up the ranks at the company since 1992 to take the post of senior vice president of design. Given Apple’s design heritage, and Ive’s customarily well-calibrated eye, I have to wonder how this carbuncle came to adorn the iPhone 6.
5. Apple iPhone 6 Preorders Start at Midnight, but Problems Plague Apple Store, Other Sites
by Shara Tibken at CNET
Apple’s new iPhone 6 devices are now available for preorder — that is, if you can find a site that’s working. The Cupertino, Calif., company started accepting advance orders for its two new phones — the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus — at midnight PT on Friday. But many sites didn’t open for preorders at the planned time, including the Apple Store. The Apple Store remained down in many regions as of 2 a.m. PT, but savvy customers could purchase an iPhone through Apple’s iOS store app. However, availability was severely limited in the app shortly after presales started.
