According to engadget.com Apple released the new iPhone 4S on Oct. 4. The media coverage surrounding the run-up to the announcement was substantial. Fans around the world expected the company to reveal the iPhone 5. Many were surprised by the true release of an improved variation of the current version of the popular phone. Apple has created a fanatic customer base. Yesterday they discovered that is a double-edged sword.
On one hand it’s an enormous benefit to the company. Apple product lovers have demonstrated a remarkable inclination to buy the latest and greatest product. They will purchase the newest toy even when their existing product continues to work properly and provide great value. That’s a dream come true for Apple because it virtually guarantees them enormous revenue with each product release.
On the other hand it renders them vulnerable. As a trend-setting company Apple has largely determined the direction portable communications will travel. They catapulted the compact audio device market into the mainstream with the iPod and literally changed the face of cell phones forever with the iPhone. Apple’s cutting edge technology and style has set a very high bar for its competitors. Unfortunately for Apple, the bar is equally high for its products.
When an Apple product is released consumers have very high expectations of it. If it fails to reach those expectations the result can be unfortunate for the company. Some people who otherwise use Apple products may jump ship to a competitor.
Mona C. of New Jersey is an Apple fan who prefers Macintosh computers to windows machines with a passion. She uses an Android OS phone instead of an iPhone, however, because she’s not impressed with Apple’s offering. Mona explained, “Personally, I think that the iPhone is trying very hard to keep up with what Android has already released. Speech Recognition? Really? Like Android hasn’t had that since it first came out? I think that there are some folks who will always buy iPhone – but it’s rarely if ever state of the art technology. If I’m not mistaken, it’s still not 4G compatible, which really makes it behind the times on what the future ride is.”
The anticipation of an announcement of the iPhone 5 was so great that it’s failure to materialize actually caused a fall in the company stock price. While the price recovered, the implication is clear: Don’t disappoint your fans.
Scott C. from New Hampshire was expecting an iPhone 5 to be showcased and felt let down when a different product was announced. Scott said, “I feel disappointed. I expected an iPhone 5 that was slimmer with many more upgrades.”
Some people who are not normally Apple enthusiasts may have been more impressed by new features than the average Apple fan. Justin F, of Wisconsin, was swayed enough to consider the iPhone for his next purchase. Justin said, “I have an Android and have been reluctant to look into iPhone for a few different reasons. The announcement yesterday resolved a majority of the issues I had. Although it’s not a music subscription program, iTunes Match is a good start in that direction. The upgrade to the camera is very welcome, and Siri gives the iPhone one of the things that I use on a regular basis, voice recognition…in the next couple of months it’s upgrade time, and the iPhone 4s will be on the short list.”
While the new phone includes some impressive new features, like Siri, Apple might have been wise to make faster strides in releasing the iPhone 5 to keep its fan base happy. On the plus side for Apple, people who do not routinely use their products seem impressed with the phone and its new features, potentially bringing new users into the fold.
Sources
Terrence O’Brien, iPhone 4S officially announced: lands October 14th starting at $199 in sizes up to 64GB, coming to Sprint, engadget.com
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