Now it seems incredible, but the legendary iPhone firstly appeared in the summer of 2007, which was about 9 years ago! But these 9 years were enough to understand that this device has become one of the most popular in the world and in the near future, it certainly will not give anyone its place. What is the secret of success of the iPhone? Before the iPhone firstly went on sale, Apple has told to the world that soon the world will see something new and absolutely amazing, but the company was not going to specify what exactly we should wait for. As a result, the idea of genius Steve Jobs worked at 100% (Bajarin). People were willing to wait in a line for days, waiting for the appearance of this unknown gadget. At the same time, hardly anybody of these people who were waiting to purchase it in the future regretted about his or her decision to join the movement of iPhone fans. Buyers were offered a phone called the iPhone, which combined the tablet functions for the convenience of the online release, the iPod functions to listen to music, the phone itself for conversations, photo, and video cameras, and many other features. Of course, people knew that they will acquire a multifunctional smartphone because there were some announcements before the start of its sales, but still because of the stealth of manufacturers on all possibilities of their new device the iPhone gained that much success. But of course, these are not the only reasons for the popularity of iPhones in the world. IOS operating system was created exclusively for Apple devices and this is a huge plus. Its users say iOS is virtually bug-free, and the software and hardware of the phone fit together just perfectly. Apple has always created a perfect design for its devices, which largely caused the popularity of the brand (Bajarin). Apple iPhone is no exception - in addition to its functionality, the phone is for any owner of a stylish accessory. iPhone has a simple and intuitive interface. Like it or not, not the last of the Apple iPhone functions are calls and endurance of a stable connection. The screen is well visible even in direct sunlight; the eyes are not getting tired because of it (Bajarin).
Historically, the iPhone and other Apple products are an attribute of elitism and proof of a certain status of gadget holder. In America, the iPhone is a popular device that is gladly used by famous persons, but the emphasis is still more national, but one can not ignore that the Apple products have a closed eco-system and are expensive, and some software and accessories also require iPhone fans to pay for them. However, the Macbook or iPhones prevalence in America is also related to a high level of life, so why not to buy a quality product if it is worth that. Analytical company Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) conducted a research in the United States, the purpose of which was to determine the popularity of the iPhone among the inhabitants of the country. As it became known from the results the number of smartphones in the US Apple has exceeded 100 million units.
Some people tend to believe that iPhones provide their users with some kind of a "status". Less wealthy people set themselves goals to buy this device. They think that this device will give them confidence, and generates boasting and gaining additional attention in social networks. Basically, it's hard to argue with the above-described advantages of this brand. After all, these phones are indeed of a very high quality and have won a championship for a reason. However, this championship has generated a quite negative review and the stereotype of so-called "status" of iPhone users. Still, iPhone is so popular in my opinion because of its quality and practicality. However, I can not completely deny the above-mentioned statement, because everyone is different and yet a lot of people consider buying this gadget as a sign of “status”.
In addition, it should be noted that the iPhones also have a large number of negative aspects or minuses. And to balance this issue, we should discuss them as well. Due to the high popularity of this gadget everyone find it just perfect. But it is not completely true, as the battery quickly deteriorates and the user comes into contact with the perennial problem, namely the phone is quickly being discharged. The claim that this phone can be used in any weather is also not entirely correct because it can not tolerate too low or too high temperature and can just turn off. Updates of the operating system are not perfect and often it comes with bugs which are later being corrected, etc. Moreover, there is the problem of how justified the price of iPhone is. The question is not that simple as it seems. There are two approaches to it: from the cost of the manufacturing and from the market pricing. If to talk about the cost of the manufacturing when you consider the cost of components, the cost of developing software and hardware, the cost of promotion and production costs, of course, a certain percentage of the price will be the net profit, and that's completely normal. Still, the real cost is not known, since Apple does not provide such data, and people from outside can only estimate the cost of components only approximately, and, still, it turns out that all the price is a bit high. But, doing so is statistically incorrect. Regarding the market pricing, the price of the iPhone is exactly the one that the target audience is willing to pay for the product. Moreover, in many countries, it can vary depending on the market conditions. Basing on this approach, it can be concluded that the price is absolutely justified: smartphones are bought and sold more and more. Despite the fact that there is no exact answer the problem of such a plan still exists.
Gender identity of the artifact should also be discussed. In fact, the question is quite controversial because it is being used by two sexes. Still, having some research and surveys in social networks, it was concluded that women buy more iPhones than men (Williams). The difference between the sexes is also in a choice of colors of the gadget. Obviously, the more popular among women are light models (silver, gold, rose pink), while men prefer strict space gray color. Also extremely popular within women is now the culture to decorate your phone with accessories, while men prefer not to add anything unnecessary to the strict and perfect design of the phone. The phrase "decorate my phone" most certainly applies to women. The culture of phone accessories is extremely popular, and models of covers on the phone are extremely diverse. Because of their popularity, the prices of these accessories are also extremely low. Of course, if we buy accessories in expensive boutiques then prices will be appropriate. However, you can cheat and order covers on eBay just for a very low price. Why it became so much popular, especially for women? Women enjoy harmoniously selecting accessories to an outfit, for example by having several stylish covers for the phone; the woman can choose the one that suits better to her image. In addition, women may be annoy by the same phone cover or even by the look of the phone, but it is much more interesting to change its appearance using accessories. And it's not only about covers. This culture includes various accessories. For example, chargers can also be of different shapes and colors, selfie sticks, headsets, sports accessories, power banks, and many others. All these accessories are of various models, designs and colors and all of these features stimulate the popularity of these gadgets. Also, due to the incredible popularity of the social networks such as Facebook and Instagram for both sexes, it is important to have a quality camera on their phone. In this regard, iPhone also occupies a very important place. Many of my friends stated that once choosing the new phone they drew attention to the iPhone only because of the quality of the camera. However, after some time of usage, they indicate that were impressed by its practicality and design and can not imagine their everyday life without this gadget. I would like to emphasize that this relates to both sexes in my opinion.
It can be concluded that the general popularity of these phones is justified. Yes, they have their weaknesses like any other models of phones and it is completely normal. After all, any negative sides should be perceived as another field for development. And in terms of new technologies, new ways to fix any problems and satisfy the needs of users will be searched for. Nevertheless, exactly this company has achieved such a cultural boom in the technical area. Praise and advice on this phone are distributed over with usage of different sources, whether an online conversation or just friends talks. It is a difficult task to select the obvious gender identity of this phone because the cultural differences of its usage can be traced both in women and men. However, in my opinion, women represent more creative and interesting way of how to use this gadget and this was described above. I would also like to note that culture of iPhone users will continue to grow and spread more, especially with the release of new products that the firm will produce. Accordingly, the use of cultural diversity of artifacts usage will grow and develop. Maybe soon we will be witnessing a new mainstream in the culture of this device.
Works Cited
Bajarin, Tim “6 Reasons Apple Is So Successful”. Techland Time. May 07, 2012. Web. June, 10, 2016. http://techland.time.com/2012/05/07/six-reasons-why-apple-is-successful/
Williams, Rhiannon “Women more likely to own an iPhone than men”. The Telegraph. January, 09, 2015. Web. June, 10, 2016 < http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/apple/iphone/11335574/Women-more-likely-to-own-an-iPhone-than-men.html>
