What does iPhone mania say about society?

9/20/2012 10:04 PM EDT

Great post, Jim. I think you make a lot of really good points (and ask a lot of really great questions). The short answer is that people just can't wait to get their hands on the phone, but as you point out, that's not really it.

I'm still processing the experience I had standing outside of the Yerba Buena Center while the iPhone 5 launch was going on. It was something of a circus type atmosphere. I'd say there were close to 200 people out there. A lot of them were journalists doing their job covering the launch. But many were just regular folks who came by to be part of the cultural happening. I kept thinking, "Really, it's just a phone, and almost surely it is not THAT different from the current one." Explaining the spell that Apple product launches casts is, I'm afraid, beyond me.

9/20/2012 11:15 PM EDT

It's a cult thing, the Apple company is not just like any other electronic manufacturing company like Samsung,HP,Intel, etc. It(S.Jobs) has worked hard over many decades to keep it exclusive and niche though that distinction is blurring rapidly. With competitors breathing down their necks in looks and performance this behaviour will subside over the years but I am afraid will not completely go away. Because, as I said it's a cult thing.

9/21/2012 1:37 AM EDT

I don't mind telling my kids that I waited in lines for many things, such as rock concerts and amusement park rides, but I will never say I waited in line for a phone. If I really want one, I can wait a week when I can easily purchase it without the line. :)

9/21/2012 1:55 PM EDT

I won't buy an iPhone 5, however I did invest in Apple stock a few weeks ago, so let the lines begin. Thank you to all of the Apple fanboys that stand in line today to buy the iPhone 5, my portfolio is grateful.

9/21/2012 3:56 PM EDT

It's a cult, there is no rational or logical explanation.

9/21/2012 4:05 PM EDT

Thanks for this refreshing point of view. Waiting for hours to get a new device while believing that yours is obsolete, it is just crazy.

9/21/2012 5:08 PM EDT

Like others have said, it's a cult. It's the type of lemming behavior you expect from cult members.

Did you check out how many articles EE Times has, gushing in one way or another over the iPhone5? And what do you call that?

Apple is laughing all the way to the bank, of course. You can't blame them.

9/21/2012 5:09 PM EDT

My 16-year-old son had hungrily anticipated the iPhone 5 for months. He relishes his electronic devices (iPad, Xbox, now the phone), and he dismisses any questions about standing in line to buy one on opening day with, "because it is the Most Important Event in the World, that's why!"

He's 16. Yes, he's immature. But what this exposes in him is not-too-far beneath the surface in all of us. Our rational selves rest precariously upon a bedrock of irrational impulses, and no one should ever doubt which of the two forces is more powerful. So while I laugh at those waiting in line, I can't get too high-&-mighty about it. Some of my tastes would look pretty foolish to the world, too, if put on such open display.

9/21/2012 5:25 PM EDT

Thank you for the comments.

9/21/2012 5:28 PM EDT

When I was 16, I stood in line for 4 hours for the opening night of Return of the Jedi. Equally as pathetic, in hindsight, but I wouldn't trade that experience for anything. It's fun. People are doing this because it's an event, an experience. As engineers we should be so lucky that a product we worked on has this kind of appeal.

9/21/2012 10:08 PM EDT

People stand in line because they think that it is cool to be the first to get the new toy, and that it will somehow improve their dismal existence. And possibly having that new phone will make them feel better about themselves, which is a good indication of just how bad-off they rally are. It is the same attitude as promoted by that guru Malloy in his book, "your entire value as a human is determined by the clothes you wear", also titled "Dress for success".
The basic premise of the mindset is that the individual is so miserable and worthless that only by doing "cool" things are they able to have any value. Of course, skilled marketing always puts a thick sugar coating over all of the basic attitude, otherwise folks might start to think about that and become incurably depressed. That would reduce profits.

9/24/2012 11:13 AM EDT

There's not much profit in selling people things they need. We make money selling people things they want. First create a demand - doesn't have to be rational - then fill it. This is nothing to do with technology - it is top-grade marketing.

9/24/2012 2:56 PM EDT

Part of this is just the fun of being part of this thing... being an Apple fan, being part of the cult or whatever you want to call it. Android guys never have to wait in line... and that's not just a popularity thing. But I used to wait in long lines in the wee hours of the morning for concert tickets... and it was kind of fun.

Of course, the counterpoint is that this is all orchestrated by Apple, and that consumers are just playing into this trap yet again. They started with the leaks, then the teases about "an Apple event scheduled", with the press in full bloom reporting every bit of it, even though the introduction of "the next iPhone" in September is among the most reliable events in technology (they moved it that one time, from June to September).

So yeah, the iPhone made it to online/pre-order. But that was limited to 2 million units, which of course sold out. Then the lines and sellouts on the in-store day. This was all designed to create the craze we've seen. They have enough on sale to break last year's records, but not enough to ensure there will be plenty for everyone who wants the new model on "iPhone Day"... thus, the lines continue... and all the free press.

Apple will probably ship 2-3 million phones on a few single days around Christmas, without running out. They could have their announcement, start online sales and in-store sales simultaneously, the very next day, with ample supplies. They could. But why in the world would they? The fact is, this whole cult-of-Apple does Apple well, and these sorts of things just don't happen on other platforms. Which cements the notion that Apple's different, more desirable, and just all around better. Which is one reason so many Apple fans are not looking at the other devices out there. That's important. If you never even consider Android or Windows phone, all Apple really has to deliver is something better than your current iPhone.

9/24/2012 4:00 PM EDT

My my, such harsh criticisms. For many, I suspect that the reason they stand in line is much closer to Bill Graham's explanation -- "because it's an event, an experience" than because they are a despondent bunch of people who live a miserable existence and think a new gadget will somehow make their lives worth living!

Have you ever seen the lines at a GameStop store when a new video game title gets released at midnight? I've taken my boys to a couple of those when they were teens. It's like a carnival atmosphere, people talking about their favorite game titles, strategies and so on, while standing in line and waiting for the clock to strike midnight. So the kids get their copy the moment it's released, and they rush home and start playing immediately -- and then are late for school the next day!

It's funny that Samsung is running a new ad making fun of people waiting in line to get the new iPhone, and yet I know some young people who were just as excited to get a new Samsung Galaxy S3 the very day it came out!

Is it rational? No. Would it really make much difference if they waited a day or a week? Not to me it wouldn't, but maybe to them it would. I don't mistake their enthusiasm for stupidity just because I don't share their eagerness to be one of the first people to try out the latest gadget or video game or whatever.

And as Bill said, as engineers we should be so lucky if a product we worked on generated so much customer excitement!

9/24/2012 11:29 PM EDT

Stop thinking of the iPhone as technology. It's a *fashion accessory*, bought because it's *cool*. Standing in line to get the new model on first release confers status in the community that uses such status markers. Not only does the user have the newest and coolest device, but they are among the very *first* to have it. In terms of that particular game, they *win*.

Technically speaking, the iPhone is a nice piece of gear, well made, with high standards of quality and superb design. But Apple has successfully staked out the high end of the market and created a product consumers will willingly pay a lot more for. People elsewhere look at market share stats and proclaim Android success. I counter saying Android's share is split among how many different makes/models? Any other manufacturer would kill to have a single model of phone that sold a fraction as well as the iPhone (and would be a mass murderer to command Apple's pricing and margins with it.).
I'd be a little surprised if Apple paid much attention to market share stats. They have something more important: revenues and profits.

I'm not motivated by that form of status, and my personal take is that I'm not cool because I use things, they are cool because I use them. But I recognize that there are folks for whom owning Apple kit, and being among the *first* to own them is important, so I shrug and avoid the lines.

9/25/2012 8:36 AM EDT

At every age in our life we like to own an item.From bicycle to a beautiful house.This comes out from inside naturally.So i do not find any mistake standing in a line to buy any thing we want. Only thing i look is the line should move decently without any fight or chaos. Especially allow youngsters to do their shopping as the way they wish with good moral support and guidance.