Originally Posted by
KAM1138 I don't think that iphone/Apple's fans are solely due to marketing. They DO have a serviceable device for sure--and depending on what time you compare it to its competition, it certainly had some features that would compare favorably.
Peer influence is very likely part of it as well--maybe a significant part of it.
Here's where I disagree--to KEEP people, you don't need to be the best, you just need to give people what they expect in a reasonable way.
Brand loyalty is rather powerful, and without a significant reason to bump people out of the comfort zone, inertia will be pretty effective at retaining them.
iPhone was at one time pretty innovative and revolutionary, and it did a great job of grabbing customers--for good reason.
But I have no doubt that a significant portion of their customer retention and brand loyalty is because of inertia--often rabidly expressed. They HAVEN'T failed to provide modest updates (although I'd say JUST modest), and people have invested a lot into apps and such. Its relatively easy to stay in your comfort zone, so I am not sure why anyone is surprised by people (such as myself) stating this as real reasons.
Apple DID and DOES do something right--that is, they continue to provide the right amount of "progress" to keep people buying phones that are using a very basic, and easy to use operating system, and that provides what they've come to expect.
If one were to chart the innovation of the iPhone it would be a huge spike followed by a very shallow sloped line. That is apparently enough to keep their customers happy, and NOT looking elsewhere.
Keep a sheep fed, watered, and a warm place to sleep, and they've got no motivation to look elsewhere. Life is good for the iphone user, so why change? Why even THINK about changing?
KAM