Is there anything in life more important than owning the latest iPhone?

[DA_Champion]

Am I the only one disturbed by how much people care of owning the latest iPhone?

 

[JJJ's Ulcer]

Yes.

 

[JJJ's Ulcer]

But seriously, I do wonder what the long-term effects of our addiction to smart-phones will do to (a) our physiology (all that bending over can't be good for our posture…. and our eye-sight is getting ruined) and (b) our imagination and ability to innovate (brains need boredom in order to create and think. Constant stimulation isn't good, and instant satisfaction messes up our discipline to pursue long-term projects for rewards)

 

[DarkSentinel]

You make many a valid point, Triple J.

 

[Lencho01]

I didn't even know there was another iPhone until I learned about their new pointless watch this past week or so.

 

[CyclopsWasRight]

Am I the only one disturbed by how much people care of owning the latest iPhone?

It's simple brand-wagoning.

 

[OriginalMiles]

Yeah, there are many things that are more important

Breathing, for a start. Then there's eating, keep yourself hydrated... regular exercise.

 

[Mace Dolex]

I say let these suckers enjoy their iPhones and when they end up getting charged for hidden fees they'll learn their lesson.

 

[Thundercrack85]

Compared to the insanity when the 5 launched, this seems rather subdued.

Probably because the iPhone is now just another smart phone, and not the smart phone anymore.

The 6 is really just an attempt to keep girls who have iPhones from getting Samsungs.

 

[KevanG]

My first cell phone was maybe 6 years ago and my first smartphone was a Galaxy SII around two years ago. Still have it. Don't see what all the fuss is about though. I can get the hype if a new movie or game is coming out but besides maybe doing the midnight release once or twice I never really got into the big deal about getting the new stuff day one.

 

[m3rcer]

The 3GS was my first smartphone. It was pretty neat at the time, but I grew tired of using iTunes, and later got an HTC EVO. Been an android user ever since. I don't get what the hype is. Seems like it just grew into some symbol of social status.

 

[NewYorkSpider]

I have the Iphone 4s. As long as I can text, make calls and have internet, I'm set. I don't need no fancy little upgrades.

 

[Thundercrack85]

I have the Iphone 4s. As long as I can text, make calls and have internet, I'm set. I don't need no fancy little upgrades.

See now, I have the same, and I am getting a six, and the screen size difference really is a good upgrade, in my opinion.

Quite the difference.

 

[The Question]

our imagination and ability to innovate (brains need boredom in order to create and think. Constant stimulation isn't good, and instant satisfaction messes up our discipline to pursue long-term projects for rewards)

I don't think I agree with this premise. In my experience, greater access to information and stimulation spurs creativity more than it hinders it. Creative minds don't exist in a vacuum, they need material to work with in order to make things. I'm also not sure how instant satisfaction in the sense of being able to acquire information quickly and easily relates to or hinders one's ability to pursue long term goals (on a practical level, it makes that whole process much easier and much more attainable for a lot of people), and I'm not sure if rewards are a healthy or particularly effective incentive for pursuing long term goals in the first place. Most studies have shown that people are a lot more productive and happy when they find themselves in an environment and a culture that allows them to engage in an activity for the sake of it and for the sake of doing it well instead of having a promotion or pay dangled in front of them.

 

[W/ Great Power]

I have yet to own an iPhone and I'm actually proud of that.

It bothers me at how zombie-like people seem in the weeks leading up to the new iPhone's release.

Material goods, I tell ya.

 

[The Question]

I have an iPhone. It's super useful. It also hasn't changed my life beyond making it slightly more convenient.

 

[W/ Great Power]

The thing that bothers me is the incessant obsession with the one particular brand.

Most Android phones probably are more useful than any iPhone that's been put out. But, as I said, it's the little person inside us that wants to have what everyone else has.

 

[ComicChick]

i think you could replace Iphone 6 in that title with any gadget that's just hitting the streets and the same will work. like the xbox one or ps4 or whatever, people "have to have" the latest greatest things

i have an Iphone 5. I've had it i think 2 yrs? i got it when it first came out, a month or 3 later, but out of necessity, not out of techlust. my prior phone was a bust and after 2 or 3 replacements, i thought i'd try something new

as for the Iphone 6, i actually don't like the bigger sized phones, which is one of the main reasons i'll never own a galaxy or note.

 

[jmc]

I actually think the desire for Apple products comes down to the quality of them and the service you get from the company. You can argue to death about what device has the features, but the truth is Apple's appeal comes down to the little bit of extra spit and polish it does compared to everyone else. The Apple fans are Apple fans because the company has a history of giving the user an experience that is more refined than their competitors. It's a philosophy Steve Job brought and has continued since his death with Jony Ive and Tim Cook. There's also the customer service. Personally, I've been using Apple products for years, and whenever I've had issues with hardware or software they have gone beyond the call of duty to help me out. Once you strike that kind of relationship with a customer it's hard to break that connection.

 

[W/ Great Power]

i think you could replace Iphone 6 in that title with any gadget that's just hitting the streets and the same will work. like the xbox one or ps4 or whatever, people "have to have" the latest greatest things

I agree that people have to have the latest and greatest products, but what make the iPhone unique is the annual anticipation by its customers.

I literally know people who say the following: "I have a scratch on my phone here, but it doesn't matter since I'll be getting the new one anyways."

What happened to having a product and utilizing and cherishing it for a while? I don't know about everyone else, but I do some research when it comes to a phone I want to get, and I know I'll be using it for some time. It's hard to have value in something that you know, prior to purchasing, that you will only have for a limited time before you replace it with something else.

I actually think the desire for Apple products comes down to the quality of them and the service you get from the company. You can argue to death about what device has the features, but the truth is Apple's appeal comes down to the little bit of extra spit and polish it does compared to everyone else. The Apple fans are Apple fans because the company has a history of giving the user an experience that is more refined than their competitors. It's a philosophy Steve Job brought and has continued since his death with Jony Ive and Tim Cook. There's also the customer service. Personally, I've been using Apple products for years, and whenever I've had issues with hardware or software they have gone beyond the call of duty to help me out. Once you strike that kind of relationship with a customer it's hard to break that connection.

I'll be honest, you are certainly correct in regards to the customer service.

I don't mean to sound like I hate Apple or anything; I just don't get the craze over the iPhone when there's so many better products out there.

Even when it comes to myself, I've owned a Macbook Pro since 2009. But the difference between that and the iPhone is that it's clearly a product that outdoes what a PC can in many categories, which justifies people loving Macs. I just don't see where it comes from for the iPhone.

 

[Apollo]

I never had an iphone. Or a smart phone. Heck I never even had an Ipod. I don't find much favor in such things.

Sliding keyboard/flip phones for life!

 

[W/ Great Power]

I never had an iphone. Or a smart phone. Heck I never even had an Ipod. I don't find much favor in just things.

Sliding keyboard/flip phones for life!

 

[Apollo]

Actually I did have a Dell Jukebox in 2005. It tried to compete with the ipod and failed horribly.
It looked like the 80's gameboy.. but couldn't play any games.. then it stopped working

 

[W/ Great Power]

Actually I did have a Dell Jukebox in 2005. It tried to compete with the ipod and failed horribly.
It looked like the 80's gameboy.. but couldn't play any games.. then it stopped working

That looks like the remote control to something you would see on the military channel

 

[jmc]

I don't mean to sound like I hate Apple or anything; I just don't get the craze over the iPhone when there's so many better products out there.

Even when it comes to myself, I've owned a Macbook Pro since 2009. But the difference between that and the iPhone is that it's clearly a product that outdoes what a PC can in many categories, which justifies people loving Macs. I just don't see where it comes from for the iPhone.

It's not about what's better, it's about what feels right for the user. The thing is when Apple first released the iPhone they developed a relationship with literally millions of people. It took years for there to be a genuine competitor who could match the hardware and software advances Apple made. But by then Apple had garnered such a large customer base, each getting the type of customer service I described earlier, who became loyal to the company for not just the products but for the experience. The best customer is a loyal one. Samsung might make a good phone but they've never developed the type of customer loyalty Apple has, and more than likely never will.