Camp 1 Joseph Camp English 1103 Caruso 10 October 2012 iPhone as a Status Symbol Millions of individuals around the

world wait in anticipation for the newest smartphone -the iPhone 5. It is the thinnest smartphone to date and comes with 4G network connectivity. Compared to its predecessor, the iPhone 4S, it is lighter, boasts a longer battery life, and is packed with more than 200 new features, such as its new Maps application (Cherubim). Knowing all of these things, someone might be persuaded to buy such a device. However, an interesting issue arises when the question is asked, "Why do people buy iPhones?" More often than not, the answer does not include any of these technical specifications or even anything related to the device itself. Rather, the overwhelming majority of iPhone users bought their devices because they feel that others will see it as a "cool" phone to have and that is the only phone that anyone should ever own. All of this is done with disregard to anything about the phone itself other than the logo on the back. This pretentious attitude stems from the seemingly well-accepted notion that Apple devices, especially the iPhone, are the brand of electronics to own. The idea is that simply by owning one of these phones, others will think more highly of you. It can be said that iPhones, and in extension anything branded by the Apple logo have somehow become a status symbol, much like how owning a Rolex watch or a luxury car puts off an air of superiority. Owning an iPhone places you into an elite group of people that are, in a way, better than others. Unlike Rolex watches, iPhones are affordable to the general public, so buying one is an easy way to get into one of these popular groups. In comparison, those who

Camp 2 choose not buy an iPhone are seen as being in the wrong since they have, in the eyes of Apple enthusiasts, made a poor consumer choice. (Stephanie) There has been quite a bit of negative feedback from the Android and Blackberry user base in which a few arguments have been made against buying iPhones. An audience of five hundred Android users on a Google+ forum discussed their opinions about the iPhone and came up with several generally agreed upon statements. The data collected from this poll showed an overwhelming agreement in the community outside of the Apple clique that the iPhone has indeed become a status symbol. They also agreed that the iPhone, when viewed in performanceper-dollar, is extremely overpriced. The iPhone 5 without a contract can run from 750-1200 dollars depending on how much data storage the user wants. This hefty price is actually a surefire way to make the product more appealing and to sell more units. The consumers see one phone that is cheaper, and then the iPhone which is more expensive. This price difference automatically makes them assume that the iPhone is better. In many cases, this would be an accurate assumption, but it gets tricky when companies try to manipulate these assumptions to their own advantage and succeed because it ends up putting people into situations where they are essentially buying a phone for the shiny silver apple on the back. This is due in part to Apple's genius marketing schemes which they have been using even before the iPhone came into creation. The iPhone's assumed superiority is marketing-driven perception. (Elgan) Steve Jobs, Apples former CEO, was a charismatic inventor, businessman, and spokesperson. During the annual Worldwide Developers Conferences hosted by Apple, Jobs was able to intrigue everyone with all of the new technology and features that he was able to offer and were amazed at how he was able to come up with new and innovative things every year. During this time, Apple was running a fierce marketing campaign that promoted

Camp 3 thoughtless purchasing of their products with slogans like Get a Mac. and It Just Works and by surreptitiously adding elements to their commercial to promote the idea that Apple products are better than others without actually having anything to show for it, such as spreading the false rumor that Macintosh computers cannot get viruses. In addition, Apple likes to market their products by boasting about the new and innovative features of their products even though these features may not be so new. An example of this is Apples personal assistant software, SIRI. This software allows iPhone users to interact with their phone through casual speech and when it first came out, the public was amazed that people have the ability to integrate with their phone in such a way. (Apple INC) However, multiple Android applications functionally equivalent to SIRI had been written and on the Android market long before SIRI was even introduced to the iPhone. This is due mostly to the Android operating system being open-source, meaning that anyone with knowledge of its coding language can create apps, publish them to the marketplace where others can download them, and can receive revenue from others buying their apps. Apple only lets certain people or companies develop for them, so their app store ends up being less innovative and abundant as Androids, but is somewhat safer due to the trustworthiness of Apple-certified developers. Several companies have already caught onto this campaign and have responded through their own marketing programs. Samsung went so far as to call these people out in a recent commercial for their latest smartphone, the Galaxy SIII. The commercial pictured an endless line of people outside an Apple store waiting to buy the iPhone 5. Theyre complaining about certain features of the phone, such as the new adapter that they have to buy, but then negate their complaints by saying that its a cool adapter. A man comes up to someone in the line and pulls out his new Galaxy SIII, saying that he didn't have to wait in line for his phone and proceeds to show the man all of the cool features that the phone has to

Camp 4 offer. A friend of the Android user comes up to him and shows off the Galaxy SIIIs Near-Field Communication (NFC) capability that allows two NFC-compatible devices to send data to each other by touching them together. The iPhone 5 still doesnt support this type of communication. The people in line try to argue that they are getting all these new features, such as a larger screen and 4G service, to which the man replies saying that the GSIII has a much larger screen (4.8in. compared to the iPhones 4), many Android devices have had 4G for a while, and that the Galaxy SIII has advanced instant video and file sharing, another feature that the Apple developers have neglected to include. Another person with a GSIII said that he was holding someones spot in line, who we later find out are his elderly grandparents implying that the iPhone 5 is supposed to be used by old people. Overall, it was a vicious telling-off on Samsungs part, but the Galaxy SIII came out in May of 2012 and boasts better specifications than the iPhone 5 across the board, so they have every right to joke about the iPhone 5 and those who mindlessly buy them. Does this mean that the iPhone is a bad device and that people should avoid buying them? The answer is simply no. Apple products are not always sold for what they are any more, but more for what they represent. (Aune) The issue isn't with the device, but with the public's view of the device as a status symbol. They are functional, and they function well. They are appealing to many because of their ease of use with limited accessibility. Almost anyone can be shown how to use an iPhone in a matter of minutes regardless of prior smartphone experience, but the truth is that for more technologically competent individuals, there are other, most of the time cheaper devices that will perform all the tasks of an iPhone and more. It is not an inherently bad to own one, in fact they are decent, solid phones that come stock with a great warranty and lots of customer support. That being said, what cannot be stressed enough is the importance of

Camp 5 the responsibility of the consumer to know why they are buying not just this phone, but any product (Stephanie). It is crucial to disregard claims that something is better than something else simply because of the logo on the back of the device.

Camp 6 Works Cited Aune, Sean P. "Apple Is Now A Status Symbol." TechnoBuffalo. n.p., 7 Apr. 2010. Web. 19 Sept. 2012. Cherubim, Victor. The iPhone 5 - a status symbol Sri Lanka Guardian. Sri Lanka Guardian., 18 Sept. 2012. Web. 27 Sept. 2012. Elgan, Mike. What Android fans think of iPhone users ComputerWorld. ComputerWorld. 5 Nov. 2011. Web. 27 Sept. 2012. Jones, Dylan. Ipod, Therefore I Am: Thinking Inside the White Box. New York, NY: Bloomsbury, 2005. Print. Apple INC. Learn More About SIRI Apple INC. n.p., 12 Sept. 2012. Web. 8 Nov. 2012.