When I simply refer to the word 'apple', what comes to your mind? Is it your favourite fruit? Do you think of the taste of an apple? Or do you think of the consumer electronics brand created by Steve Jobs? His company, Apple is one of the largest companies in the world making a revenue over $41,000,000 a quarter and their smartphones are consistently in the top ten category for most purchased (currently claiming positions one and two for their IPhone 5s and their IPhone 5). One of the most surprising facts about Apple though, is that they almost went bankrupt. However, Steve Jobs built the company back up to its current glory by initially using the 'think different' campaign. Apple as a company had its ups and downs but recently it seems that they have been on top of the world. Their devoted consumers will line up for days in order to be one of the first to buy Apple's new product. How did Apple go from being almost bankrupt to succeeding in a fierce competition with other huge companies such as Samsung?
The answer to that question is simply the Apple craze; they have created a consumer obsession over their products. No matter if the product is an IPhone or an IPad, as long as it has Apple's signature logo of a half bitten apple, people will go crazy for it. Apple consumers feel attached to the product; since they are easy to use and created for simplicity. Some consumer researchers have even categorized this consumer devotion to Apple Products as "a lifestyle" (Amy Souza). Some of these devotees, buy every single Apple product ever created.They even bought the IPad after calling it essentially a "big IPod Touch" (Jason Evangelho). Apple products have stayed in a constant fad state of excitement; where consumers are always overly excited about the product. I decided that it was more closely related to a fad state rather than a trend state of excitement since Apple consumers have an 'intense and widely shared enthusiasm for something' (Oxford Dictionary), the definition of a fad. However, I believe that it will continue to transform into a trend because it has and will continue to shape our culture. It is no longer just a product; it is a lifestyle.
In one of Apple's older commercials aired in 1983, it showed how life (based on George Orwell's novel 1984) would be like without Apple products. The people in the commercial were brainwashed and the commercial showed the negative side effects of life without Apple Products. However is that not similar to consumers being brainwashed today by Apple products? People absolutely love Apple Products to the point that if a new version of a product they already have from Apple comes out; they need to upgrade immediately. This upgrade to the newer product does not have that many extra benefits that would make the new phone worthwhile. As seen in this video, the person does several different tests with IPhone models going as far back to the IPhone 2. From the IPhone 4 to more recent models, there were not that many noticeable differences that would make it plausible to buy a new phone. As seen in the video, the iPhone 5s loads the internet quicker than the other models; the difference is not that huge in the length of time it takes to load the screen between the IPhone 4 and the iPhone 5s. Yet there is the societal pressure to always have the newest phone which usually causes people to buy the newest and supposedly greatest Apple product yet.
Apple, in my opinion, has been one of the most successful companies, from almost going bankrupt to becoming a consumer electronics empire. However, many people put way too much emphasis on their newest products; that have minimal improvements. It is interesting to examine the consumer culture that has grown over Apple products; creating this excitement over anything related to Apple. Apple has become more than an electronics company in this new century; it is essential for most people to use Apple products to complete their daily routine. Apple is a great company known for making some amazing products even though the hype about Apple products is overrated and more dramatic than necessary.
The answer to that question is simply the Apple craze; they have created a consumer obsession over their products. No matter if the product is an IPhone or an IPad, as long as it has Apple's signature logo of a half bitten apple, people will go crazy for it. Apple consumers feel attached to the product; since they are easy to use and created for simplicity. Some consumer researchers have even categorized this consumer devotion to Apple Products as "a lifestyle" (Amy Souza). Some of these devotees, buy every single Apple product ever created.They even bought the IPad after calling it essentially a "big IPod Touch" (Jason Evangelho). Apple products have stayed in a constant fad state of excitement; where consumers are always overly excited about the product. I decided that it was more closely related to a fad state rather than a trend state of excitement since Apple consumers have an 'intense and widely shared enthusiasm for something' (Oxford Dictionary), the definition of a fad. However, I believe that it will continue to transform into a trend because it has and will continue to shape our culture. It is no longer just a product; it is a lifestyle.
In one of Apple's older commercials aired in 1983, it showed how life (based on George Orwell's novel 1984) would be like without Apple products. The people in the commercial were brainwashed and the commercial showed the negative side effects of life without Apple Products. However is that not similar to consumers being brainwashed today by Apple products? People absolutely love Apple Products to the point that if a new version of a product they already have from Apple comes out; they need to upgrade immediately. This upgrade to the newer product does not have that many extra benefits that would make the new phone worthwhile. As seen in this video, the person does several different tests with IPhone models going as far back to the IPhone 2. From the IPhone 4 to more recent models, there were not that many noticeable differences that would make it plausible to buy a new phone. As seen in the video, the iPhone 5s loads the internet quicker than the other models; the difference is not that huge in the length of time it takes to load the screen between the IPhone 4 and the iPhone 5s. Yet there is the societal pressure to always have the newest phone which usually causes people to buy the newest and supposedly greatest Apple product yet.
Apple, in my opinion, has been one of the most successful companies, from almost going bankrupt to becoming a consumer electronics empire. However, many people put way too much emphasis on their newest products; that have minimal improvements. It is interesting to examine the consumer culture that has grown over Apple products; creating this excitement over anything related to Apple. Apple has become more than an electronics company in this new century; it is essential for most people to use Apple products to complete their daily routine. Apple is a great company known for making some amazing products even though the hype about Apple products is overrated and more dramatic than necessary.