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Why is Apple a status symbol?
- Thread starter cnguyen0320
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Missed this earlier, sorry.
Glass front and glass (coated) back aren't what I was referring to. Certainly, I think it feels less "plastic-y" than the Galaxy S3. I love the minimalist design of the N4 on the front, but the back has that weird faux-carbon-fiber pattern that shows through under the glass. I would have preferred it being jet-black to match the front.
But what really feels plastic-y and blocky to me is a combination of the thickness (fatter than both the iP5 and the S3) and the rubberized/plastic that is sandwiched between the front and back. It looks thick. It doesn't need to look or feel as chunky as it is. It looks like a large phone made of black plastic.
That's just my opinion of course. YMMV.
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Ummmm, I disagree with your disagreement.....
It is and people citing the free and 99$ iPhones are missing the point entirely. First off you must understand that the real status symbol of the iPhone is held by the new factor... Nobody who can afford it wants the old iPhone if they have disposable income leftover and no reason not to they will want the new iPhone. Apple is a status symbol like Gucci is, and the only difference is one is much more appealing. If everyone can buy a new iPhone starting at 199$ why do we not see everyone buying Gucci belts, wallets, shoes etc? A nice pair of Gucci shoes will only cost you about the price of a 64gb iPhone right? 199$ is maybe even a wallet, belt, or shades so why is it much more rare to see high end designer items than iPhones? Because there is not much of a point to buying a belt for the price of an iPhone, and thats because a belt only keeps my pants up or brings back memories of my childhood whilst a smart phone which holds the same status in modern day America can do almost anything. The fact we don't see people dressing like socialites in Dubai proves my point people chose one form of status symbol over another.
I still don't know why, but I think Apple has proved their worth being excellent all-around and only releasing quality products. I guess it is like folks who pick a Mercedes over a Toyota Camry or Louis Vuitton over any brand. Feed a higher ego. By spending more, people feel good about themselves. It's not how much money they make but how much they spend that they get some instant gratification for it.
One reason is Apple charges premium for their products. Another is they have retail stores. Very nice and clean ones. I live in Asia, so I see stores from Samsung, HTC Sony, Huawei, etc. In US, nothing. If you want to checkout an Android, you have to go to through a carrier store or third party retailer. And when you do, full of carrier bloatware and the Apple product is separated from them in another area, carrier bloatware-free. Posters are everywhere for Apple. Mindshare has been won in the US with Apple. The only premium looking smartphone might come from HTC and they hardly market the way Samsung does with their ugly to average-looking plastic phones.
Customer service is also incomparable . This is why I expect Apple to always being the most popular tech brand in North America. Apple has already cultivated a certain culture with its brand for decades now. Personally, I don't mind. Anytime a relative hands me down an iPhone, I just sell it and get something cheaper and more practical for it. Suckers are born every minute. I'm more practical and stopped trying to impress people at my age.
One reason is Apple charges premium for their products. Another is they have retail stores. Very nice and clean ones. I live in Asia, so I see stores from Samsung, HTC Sony, Huawei, etc. In US, nothing. If you want to checkout an Android, you have to go to through a carrier store or third party retailer. And when you do, full of carrier bloatware and the Apple product is separated from them in another area, carrier bloatware-free. Posters are everywhere for Apple. Mindshare has been won in the US with Apple. The only premium looking smartphone might come from HTC and they hardly market the way Samsung does with their ugly to average-looking plastic phones.
Customer service is also incomparable . This is why I expect Apple to always being the most popular tech brand in North America. Apple has already cultivated a certain culture with its brand for decades now. Personally, I don't mind. Anytime a relative hands me down an iPhone, I just sell it and get something cheaper and more practical for it. Suckers are born every minute. I'm more practical and stopped trying to impress people at my age.
I can't say I see the iPhone as a status symbol. Its a mobile phone and although its a very nice one, I doubt people see you using them and admire. There are iPhone's everywhere these days so the exclusivity has long gone IMO.
I bought one because I liked everything about it, not because I want others to like what I am using!
I bought one because I liked everything about it, not because I want others to like what I am using!
An old thread resurrected. I must admit that I have never regarded any mobile phone as a status symbol.
They might have been a status symbol back in 2007. I think you had to pay full price, and it was a phone with a relatively large screen and a multi touch interface. It was something different. Now that you can get a cheap iphone, and every other smart phone is like it, it's not a status symbol since so many people have it. The only people I see who think they're a status symbol are kids and teenagers. When I was in high school iPhones weren't that common, so when I saw a kid my age with one I thought their parents were probably rich. Now I see 10 year olds with iPhones and other smart phones.
Point of asking in the non Apple part of the forum?
Edit: effin hell, that is an old thread.
Old thread or not, if someone has something to add and a thread already exists, surely a resurrection is better than a new one? I was people would get that message when discussing the new iPhone 6 with the amount of content we have here!
I live in the UK and here I come across lot of people who are on benefits (handouts) and guess what the most common phone they use is the iPhone. Most people with common sense don't regard the iPhone as a status symbol esp as it costs a fraction of the cost of a holiday/car etc. I do come across some idiots tho who wave it at everyone and this particular guy at work was telling me how studies have shown iPhone users earn more blah blah blah. As we went to the car park and I unlocked my merc and he his beat up Ford I just said nice car you have got and never again did he talk about iPhone users having more money etc.
Yes there are plenty of Chavs with iPhones. It certainly isn't the status symbol it once was.
Old thread or not, if someone has something to add and a thread already exists, surely a resurrection is better than a new one? I was people would get that message when discussing the new iPhone 6 with the amount of content we have here!
Haha good point! It sure beats talking about which iPhone are you buying next 4.7 or 5.5?
Status symbols only exist as much as people give power to that symbol. Personally, until Apple starts making products that only look good but have less function than other products for double the price, it's not a status symbol in the true sense of the term.
I agree. It's a phone I didn't know people were concerned on how they look to others based on their cell phone.
I always thought this status symbol thing only applies in other countries. In America anyone can own at least a base model apple product. It isn't really anything special.
Yup. By the time the iPhone 4/4s was released, iPhones have become really commonplace. In other countries where you have to pay full MSRP (or around $1K) and the minimum wage is just $10/day, I can see how it can be a status symbol.
That is actually a true indication of the demographic makeup of iOS users versus Android users.....though that's a backwards way of using such a general statistic - as if having the iPhone makes the owner wealthy.
The reality is, in general when you look at the average income of iOS users versus Android users its higher with iOS users. Same with education level.
But again, its a broad statistic and in no way does it mean the iPhone or iPad MAKES someone smarter or more wealthy.