Friday, March 25, 2011

If You Don't Have an iPhone, You Don't Have an iPhone

No shit, Apple.


I've never been one to hate on Apple products. Their specs are pretty great, after all. I have, however, commented on their over-manipulation of the media and consumers. But I figure that just as any other company, they're doing what they know how to do to stay relevant in such a competitive market. Sure, I've said that I hate the general consumer's Apple-centric view about technology, but even then I know it's only because Apple's been smart enough to make people feel they're the best of the best.

But with ads like this one, I feel they stopped caring about collecting new consumers and fans on their own. They know their current fanbase is huge, loud, and willing to make comments snotty enough that they make non-iPhone/Mac users feel like they own subpar technology. Instead of making ads that introduce an iPhone's features and why one should use them, Apple went ahead and acknowledged that everyone knows about their app store, uses it for both important and mundane purposes, and that everyone that doesn't all ready own an iPhone... well, they wouldn't know what it's like because they don't own an iPhone.

This ad may have had the opposite effect on me. It made me feel like iPhone users are a bunch of bigots and that I shouldn't associate with them because they'll only make me feel like crap for not owning one. But alas, I have friends who've fallen for the iPhone game. I know people who have bought the iPhone only because it's the iPhone and not because they care about the specs or functionality or customization or DRM issues.

And don't even get me started on how this ad completely disregarded the fact that Android and BlackBerry also have app stores with apps that are "easy to find" and "easy to download." (Not to mention both apps they featured are not exclusive to the iPhone.)

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