iPhone Too Good? A Lesson.
I have just finished reading an article on Forbes.com which makes a link between declining sales and the quality of the iPhone. Apple is taking a hit not only on Wall Street but also in the press. Reports of Apple company valuation, of lack of new products, lack of innovation and maturing are the latest rage. The company has also been blamed over the years for purposely obsoleting its products and forcing people to upgrade.
All of these arguments I think highlight the fundamental problem with our economy. It is so overwhelmingly controlled by investors and the business news who consistently value profit growth over quality. Listening to Wall Street the best thing for Apple would be for all of its customers to upgrade their phones every year. This would drive revenue, profits and would be music to the ears of those analysts. Ka-ching!
Building a quality product that consumers want to keep and - crazy talk! - repair rather than throw out is the last thing that a single-minded analyst would want Apple to develop. The problem is that Apple's products are of great quality. I am still using my iPhone 4S. It look like new, it works great and I can continue to use (some of) the new features that the latest versions of iOS offer. It turns out that a large part of Apple's customers are hanging on to their old phones. Will they upgrade en masse to the rumoured March 5SE iPhone? Many will. But there are also many who will likely continue to use their old devices. Is that really a problem?
Building products that last needs to become a priority again. Appliances should not have 10 year life spans....they could have 20-30 year lifespans. Should we replace our cars every three years when leases expire? Do we build our homes to last multiple generations or are we happy for them to last only a few decades?
Sure economies need to grow so that all benefit from this growth - that is the theory. The easy way to make money is to sell more and create new products that people need, or are made to believe they need. It is also much easier for consumers to part with their cash when products are inexpensive (and therefore lack the quality they could have). We settle.
We settle for easy, we settle for cheap.
When raising children it is not easy to remind them of manners, of respect, of playing nice, of thinking of others and sharing. Left to our devices we are animals who want to survive - it is our instinct to look after our selves first and the community second. Saying "no" to our children is not easy....turning a blind eye is easier for parents. But what are the long-term consequences? Egotistical brats.
As a society we need to say No more often. No to the new phone, to that marketing trash we are sold, to Wall Street begging for growth. We need to say Yes to quality, to long-term thinking and to the impact of our actions on our world. Apple...please continue to build quality into your products. You may not sell as many (you sell enough anyway!) but is there anything really wrong with that?
Anyhow....these are the ideeahs that Forbes.com sparked in me today.
Let me know what you think about what you have just read. Please and thanks!
All of these arguments I think highlight the fundamental problem with our economy. It is so overwhelmingly controlled by investors and the business news who consistently value profit growth over quality. Listening to Wall Street the best thing for Apple would be for all of its customers to upgrade their phones every year. This would drive revenue, profits and would be music to the ears of those analysts. Ka-ching!
Building a quality product that consumers want to keep and - crazy talk! - repair rather than throw out is the last thing that a single-minded analyst would want Apple to develop. The problem is that Apple's products are of great quality. I am still using my iPhone 4S. It look like new, it works great and I can continue to use (some of) the new features that the latest versions of iOS offer. It turns out that a large part of Apple's customers are hanging on to their old phones. Will they upgrade en masse to the rumoured March 5SE iPhone? Many will. But there are also many who will likely continue to use their old devices. Is that really a problem?
Building products that last needs to become a priority again. Appliances should not have 10 year life spans....they could have 20-30 year lifespans. Should we replace our cars every three years when leases expire? Do we build our homes to last multiple generations or are we happy for them to last only a few decades?
Sure economies need to grow so that all benefit from this growth - that is the theory. The easy way to make money is to sell more and create new products that people need, or are made to believe they need. It is also much easier for consumers to part with their cash when products are inexpensive (and therefore lack the quality they could have). We settle.
We settle for easy, we settle for cheap.
When raising children it is not easy to remind them of manners, of respect, of playing nice, of thinking of others and sharing. Left to our devices we are animals who want to survive - it is our instinct to look after our selves first and the community second. Saying "no" to our children is not easy....turning a blind eye is easier for parents. But what are the long-term consequences? Egotistical brats.
As a society we need to say No more often. No to the new phone, to that marketing trash we are sold, to Wall Street begging for growth. We need to say Yes to quality, to long-term thinking and to the impact of our actions on our world. Apple...please continue to build quality into your products. You may not sell as many (you sell enough anyway!) but is there anything really wrong with that?
Anyhow....these are the ideeahs that Forbes.com sparked in me today.
Let me know what you think about what you have just read. Please and thanks!
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