Steve Jobs, the creator of Apple Inc., once said, “What’s important is that you have a faith in people, that they’re basically good and smart, and if you give them tools, they’ll do wonderful things with them.” People have been utilizing tools to meet their needs since the beginning of mankind’s existence, and who’s to say Adam and Eve wouldn’t have agreed with Steve Jobs’ opinion? However, for the two residents of the Garden of Eden, life was certainly slower paced, more relaxed, and presumably simpler. Their tools were quite different from ours today. Since the time of Adam and Eve’s either literal or supposed existence, the design of these tools has evolved throughout the centuries, just as the word “apple” has taken on new connotations. For Adam and Eve, the appeal of the forbidden fruit was that it represented something heavenly and God-like; an unattainable concept was presented to them in a very graspable manner. A bite out of that apple, though, would lead to eternal damnation and, simply stated, a much more complicated life on earth. So what does that highly sought for “apple” mean to us today? Is it simplifying our lives or creating a much bigger hassle than anyone ever anticipated?
Buyers have always been told to beware. Consumers and sellers are not on the same side, despite how often sellers may pretend to be. However, what is it exactly that buyers are supposed to be cautious of? It seems more and more that consumers become trapped and are led to fall victim to a very elaborate sales plot. I had never, until now, been so distrustful of major companies and the forbidden fruit with which they entice consumers.
By reason of the next iPhone’s upcoming debut, I thought I would share my thoughts with you on how one bite out of the “apple” complicated my life much more than I ever expected. I don’t have a Mac, but (knock on wood) I have never had major issues with my Dell laptop. Nevertheless, as I approached the end of my high school career, I realized that an iPhone was a necessity. Not only was it very popular among people of my age group, but it seemed reliable and fairly easy to use, since I will admit that I am not a tech-savvy person in the slightest. The phone seemed great, and with that upscale price tag attached, it should be durable and dependable, right? Although I took care of my new phone, adhering to all the standard precautions, my brand new iPhone 4 lasted a whopping two and a half months. One morning I awoke to realize that when I made a phone call, the person on the receiving line could not hear a word I said. It must have just been some weird malfunction, right? A rare fluke? Apple promptly sent me a refurbished phone, one that should ideally function the way my brand new phone was unable to. Nevertheless, with the second iPhone, I wasn’t even able to make a call! It was immediately exchanged for another. Everyone associated with Apple with whom I dealt were very accommodating but had no real explanation for my unlucky situation. “This is a rare occurrence, ma’am. This never happens to our customers,” they would assure me over the phone. Needless to say, by my second refurbished iPhone and the third one in my entire collection, all acquired within the short span of three months, my trust in Apple Inc. was minimal at the very best.
That third phone lasted 20 months, until one day it died for no apparent reason. When a message on the screen alerted me to plug it into iTunes and totally wipe out its memory, I was frustrated but did as the iPhone dictator instructed. Lo and behold, my phone posed another rare exception. It was unable to be retrieved; my phone was past the point of no return. As much as I hate to admit it, I am a prime example of the generational problem about which numerous adults complain– I am dependent on my phone. I needed one as soon as possible, but when I went to buy another, I was hell-bent on avoiding an Apple product at all costs. Dominique, the knowledgeable salesman at Verizon showed me my options, and I was drawn towards a Samsung Galaxy, a phone very similar to an iPhone 4. I even considered taking another iPhone 4 because it was free, and I felt that Steve Jobs’ company did not deserve any more of my money. Nevertheless, Dominique, who confessed he uses Apple products himself, shared in my frustration. Basically, Apple’s products are not made to last several years; specifically, they are designed to cop out conveniently after approximately two years, just in time for the newest Apple ploy. They trap you! I reluctantly and quite unhappily purchased a costly iPhone5. I was told that an iPhone 4 would soon be worthless, and purchasing a phone of any other brand meant losing all of my contacts, iTunes purchases, and anything I had synced on my last iPhone.
In a recent article published by CNBC, experts explore the impending decline of Apple Inc. as a result of a surplus of iPhone models and a lack of variation between older versions and the newest releases. Consumers primarily already own smart phones, and regardless of how many may endorse smart phones, a growing number are becoming disinterested in the minimal upgrades newer models offer. This phenomenon has been labeled “device exhaustion” and may potentially pose a problem for Apple’s future sales. Apparently, since these slight modifications fail to impress buyers, the company must maintain sale margins by relying on loyal customers to continue to buy their products even when the products have often proved unreliable. Talk about customer appreciation!
Never could I have guessed two years ago that by accepting the forbidden fruit and giving in to the temptation that Apple posed, I would be trapped within this cycle. The manufacturers have a hold over me that they know I am unable to break; therefore, the product does not mandate durability. Heck, it doesn’t even mandate a reliable replacement! So here I am– a vehement, outspoken opponent of Apple– yet I will continue to buy their products, probably almost every two years, all because I once trusted the company and assumed they would stand behind their product. I guess that concept, though, is just as out-of-style as an old flip phone. While I have not encountered any snake in a garden offering me supreme knowledge, as Adam and Eve did, I have been tempted, touted, and ultimately trapped by a growing corporation and the lure of its apple.
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