Why Millions Will Buy the Apple iPhone When it Comes Out
Filed in archive Apple , Opinion , Rico's Ramblings by Rico Mossesgeld on January 18, 2007
To be honest, even if the Lobster 700TV could cook you dinner and get you free beer people would still go ahead and buy an LG Chocolate because "it looks cool".
I wouldn't know which smartphone is better, having used neither of them (Walter Mossberg was critical of the Chocolate). And I do share Gears' pain. Yet in the world of consumer electronics, looks matter greatly, sometimes even more than the gadget's capabilities.
Nothing makes this more evident than Apple's iPhone. It's got nothing new except for a multi-touch control system (which lacks the tactile feedback necessary for quick input in my opinion). But the iPhone is immediately a contender because it's yet another example of Apple's superb industrial design, despite its relatively normal feature set.
There's more to that though. The iPhone buzz was also helped along by the strength of the Apple brand. Through a carefully cultivated series of campaigns, ads, presentations, and talking points, as well as similarly-designed products, the company built a strong brand identity that generally leaves a good impression. People associate Apple with "imagination, design and innovation," even if those three adjectives
aren't always accurate. Millions will buy the iPhone based on this feeling alone.I find nothing wrong with that. In fact, Apple should enjoy the rewards of giving marketing the credit it deserves. Because the company understands that success, aside from the products you're offering, also depends on the impact they make. Any player in the smartphone and PDA market should understand that innovation always helps, but only as a piece of the puzzle.
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