I've been reading all the Apple rumors lately. I saw the usual fare: New iPad leaked parts, new iPhone leaked parts, etc, etc, etc. As we found out way back before the iPhone 5, Apple no longer has much of a claim to secrecy. You don't even have to watch Apple's highly choreographed "keynote" product releases anymore. Just check the leaks. Because most of the time, they're right.
Just check out this video, uploaded on September 1, 2012, a full 11 days before the iPhone 5 was even announced, let alone the 2 week waiting period before it was available in stores.
You could go on and on. There were pictures of the iPad mini a full month before the announcement, there were leaks of the new iMac's thinner profile before most people had even heard of it, and no one can forget when a working iPhone 4 was found in a bar in 2010. Apple has long relied on secrecy before the product announcements in order to drum up hype to increase sales. But with spies on every corner and a camera in every pocket, that secrecy has almost ceased to exist. I've learned to believe the rumors like this one about upcoming products, because they're almost always right. For instance, I already know what the iPad 5 will look like. (Picture a blown-up iPad Mini.)
So Apple has almost completely lost its secrecy. Has it also lost its class?
So Apple has almost completely lost its secrecy. Has it also lost its class?
Let me explain.
One thing Apple had going for it was class. And by class I mean the "cool" factor. Apple's products cost on average much more than equivalent products from the various competition. If you own an Apple product, you make it clear that you have paid significantly more for said product than someone who buys something from, say, Samsung. I'm not claiming that this is the reason that all Apple customers have for buying Apple's products. But you simply can't deny that this is a factor. Pride and status symbols have been a part of our human nature since, well, the beginning of time. So by appealing to the "elite" crowd, Apple gains not only a lot of wealthy customers but also an overall image of superiority. Class envy sells products. That's a fact that will never go away. Lots of people upgraded their perfectly functional iPhone 4S's to iPhone 5's not because there was anything wrong with the old ones, but because the iPhone 5 is the newest model. And it's not fun to have an "old" product when everyone else is walking around with something newer. I've experienced this myself, and it's definitely a hard thing to ignore.
