[Mattster723]

As Jimmy Kimmel said. . .making a product that breaks easily and is outdated in 8 months. . that's the way to go!
Punchlines: Apple made record profit. What else is new?

I am SO not switching from my Z10!

[early2bed]

It's definitely easiest to dismiss Apple's success as marketing because then you don't have to look at the advantages of their products/ecosystem. It's all marketing.

[CharlieV]

All of my kids have IPhones (3) they say things like "with the newest update I can combine icons in a folder!" Their phones use so much data, even when they are being careful, I have to cut them off. It is, as the OP suggests, alot of marketing. Apple makes physically beautiful devices but their function is controlled by the average to lowest common denominator.

And, of course, Apple monetizes everything. The old saying though, is true. If you don't pay for the product, you are the product (Google, Yahoo, Facebook, etc.).

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[dejanh]

^ this isn't just circumstantial evidence either. Apple does design "function" to the lowest common denominator. Mass appeal through massive dumbing down.

It is foolish though to say that their success is due to just marketing. It's also due to carriers, timing, general business acumen, the average consumer psychology, growth of the ecosystem, etc. Many factors are at play. Apple is the creme-dela-creme of corporate America. Pure profit machine.

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[Mric182]

People can criticize Apple as much as they want but they do get it right most of the time.
People love the design and the device is 'intuitive'.

Most people don't want to spend few days maybe a week to understand BB10 even if in the long term BB10 is faster and more efficient.

[dejanh]

People can criticize Apple as much as they want but they do get it right most of the time.
People love the design and the device is 'intuitive'.

Most people don't want to spend few days maybe a week to understand BB10 even if in the long term BB10 is faster and more efficient.

You are absolutely right. Complacency and conformism is strong in the general population.

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[Nicholas Shippie]

It's more than marketing it's the ecosystem and the quality of the apps. They have the best of the best developers developing for there platform. There operating system is well optimized and smooth. They are not the first to do a lot of things but when they do it they do it well.

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[CharlieV]

People can criticize Apple as much as they want but they do get it right most of the time.
People love the design and the device is 'intuitive'.

Most people don't want to spend few days maybe a week to understand BB10 even if in the long term BB10 is faster and more efficient.

I agree that it is intuitive. But apple products lack granular control of most functions and, specifically, security. Apple has the best developers because they roped them all in early, treat them right, and their product is fairly uniforn across iterations.

Also, Apple products, in my experience, presume that you have unlimited data and fast connection at all times.

Finally, again this is my personal experience, the last few generations of phones have subpar reception. That's a big deal for a phone.

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[early2bed]

Let's not forget the operational prowess needed to produce and deliver 74 million phones in a quarter (32,000 phones per hour around the clock). Apple delivers those phones on a consistent reliable schedule that their customers can depend on. That's not marketing. Anyone who knows anything about operations has to have respect for that.


Tim Cook says that the Apple Watch is on track to be delivered in April. Does anyone doubt that they will deliver? Unlike when John Chen says a phone will arrive people are still trying to find it months later.

[21stNow]

It's not just the marketing for a product that has been in use for 7.5 years. If it didn't satisfy the consumers, they wouldn't continue to buy it. New Coke had great marketing and many people tried it, but because they didn't like it New Coke didn't do well in the marketplace.

[filanto]

All of my kids have IPhones (3) they say things like "with the newest update I can combine icons in a folder!" Their phones use so much data, even when they are being careful, I have to cut them off. It is, as the OP suggests, alot of marketing. Apple makes physically beautiful devices but their function is controlled by the average to lowest common denominator.

And, of course, Apple monetizes everything. The old saying though, is true. If you don't pay for the product, you are the product (Google, Yahoo, Facebook, etc.).

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It's not just I phones that use lots of data. I use 12-13 gig a month and I don't watch online video or download big things

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[Tyler Nellissen]

Can someone explain the "dumbing down" part? I have an iphone 6, I switched from a Z10 after a weird issue wiped my phone (it wouldn't take my password and also asked me to enter the word "blackberry" as my password many times). I have no prior experience with apple and I mean it's fairly easy to use. Does that make it dumb? I dunno, I think it performs everything the same as the Z10 but through different paths. App settings are found in settings instead of the individual apps like on Bb for example. Iphone does have some swipe gestures and it's quick menus isn't customizable but does that mean lowest common denominator design or rigid design?

Someone explain dumbing down to me.

[Mirk]

You can say what you want, but the numbers do not lie. They are doing something right. As someone has already pointed out it can't be the marketing. If the marketing was great and the product was junk people wouldn't keep buying the new latest almost exact same thing.

I feel a lot of us tend to overlook the things that truly appeal to the average consumer. Be it because we are either too enshrined in the BB platform or that we are more tech savvy than the average person. I want to say it is the ecosystem, but I feel that doesn't fully encompass what I mean. It is the everything, how the whole system, apps, and hardware are packaged. A lot of people find it easy to learn and use.

Some call it dumbing down but I think the reality is it is simple ergonomics.

[anon(9194980)]

I think the reason why they sell well is not because of the marketing, but the consumer loyalty, the word of mouth and the bandwagon effect that derives from it. I had a classmate that had every single Apple product, and it didn't matter if the device was good, she had to buy whatever was released next.

That is why people camp out for the new phones,why the company has massive profits. The blind loyalty to the brand. Having an iPhone, for those people, can even be a sign of status. That's why some call them iSheep.

As for the comment saying you can trust Apple to deliver a phone when they say it will, it is because of the same reason. They know people will want it, so they use the manufacturing abroad for cheap and fast production of massive amount of units.

With BlackBerry, we know a lot of people left, and the company has been having issues recovering. They don't know if people will buy the phones, so they don't want to risk producing massive quantities as well just to find out that they didn't sell.

Now, for the comment about people not wanting to spend weeks learning how to use BB10... I just don't understand that. Learning how to use the interface is definitely NOT hard at all. It shouldn't take more than an hour to learn it, in my honest opinion.

[BBfishingaddict]

Many people only hear the word Apple in the news and occasionally hear Android. They just about never hear the words windows or Blackberry. It's marketing that get's them to buy and the ecosystem that get's them to stay. They bought an iphone to go along with their macbook and when the macbook breaks they go for a an ipad since they only need it to fb and read twitter with the fancy icons and colors. In the past two weeks, I've had three people impressed when I pull out my Z10 and show them I can access my home computer files seamlessly through the file manager and how quickly I can move through functions without hitting a home button like on their iphones. BB needs better marketing.

[jackboy1606]

In my opinion the reason buy apple, is how seamless it is. As a business they are hugely profitable. There work ethic is very good thus making there workers in all sectors work well (mostly) when you walk into a apple store it's modern simple fast and welcoming. Even when it's busy. They set released schedules and barely ever miss them. They have a entire ecosystem that integrates with each other. And a main factor is the amount of people who have them and yes how simple they are for people who want them to be simple. The apps are brilliant quality and there is plenty of them.

You buy a iPhone if you want a exquisite piece of engineering.

You buy a blackberry if you want reliability and to get work done.

Different markets with different techniques for different people.

I'm a owner of both a z10 and iPhone 6 if that makes any difference.

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