Why I Needed an iPhone
By Apple advertising a few of the bite sized apps that simply amaze within a quick commercial they spark an appeal to potential. I see what the “i” devices can do at the moment and instantly believe they can do anything by the time I get to the store. After seeing the Shazam commercial for iPhone, I felt like buying my own iPhone would be worth its money in seconds and just keep giving. I never researched other apps that would reinforce the need for an iPhone I was already sold. The potential of the device was infinite and having it as soon as possible would allow me to keep up with every revolution developers could create.
The rampant success of the Nintendo Wii I feel captures the same appeal to potential. The first trailer for Nintendo’s console never showed a game, it showed people of all ages holding the Wiimote in different ways. It could be a sword, a gun, a dentist drill and although the trailer was limited I believed the potential was endless. When the Wii was released I knew it could play Zelda and Super Monkey Ball, but was already sold on the endless creativity placed in developer’s hands. I knew that buying a Wii would allow me to play an endless potential of creative gaming for a very fair price.
While ultimately I feel like the Wii dropped creative ambition for simple waggle controls, I think apps do much more to expand the usability of Apple devices. From astronomy apps to magazine layouts to high caliber games, iPhone is much more developer friendly allowing anyone with an idea release it to the world. The ability for an app to be released with no need to support a company allows students to produce labor of love projects as apps and not worry about bankrupting an entire company. While it’s much easier to stumble upon a worthless app, the drive to create something people will enjoy is constantly pushing the value of Apple devices.
Too many competitors to Apple’s products are advertising bullet points and frustrating themselves to produce competitive hardware specs. Apple seems to be much more focused on the user experiencing the product rather than the consumer choosing the product. Watching interviews from CES 2011 it’s obvious iPad is the target to beat, but Apple isn’t concerned with capturing the Tablet market, they are appealing to everyone looking to do almost anything. The music apps advertised in iPad commercials are the most broadly appealing of all because musicians instantly see the endless creativity they can produce as soon as they buy one. My main reasons for wanting to buy an iPad are the Korg music apps which are useful beyond their bullet point settings, they are an limitless creative tool.