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The Gold iPhone isn't just for mindless sheep that want to show off

jkhowland.me

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Re: The Gold iPhone isn't just for mindless sheep that want to show off

#51

Post by heyitsnick »

andrewljohnson wrote: post #38

Even if no one wanted the gold color, the babble in the press is gold itself. I wonder how much of this was foreseen, or even instigated by the PR flacks.

I see it as common marketing strategy. It's all about shifting the conversation from "do I really need an incremental smartphone upgrade?" to "are you getting the gold or sticking with white?" I realise its significantly more nuanced than that, but at the core, its subtly changing the decision process of the consumer.

The comments in this thread, the blog post itself, and all the other media coverage, is all playing the same game; it underpins most tech coverage - be it android/ios, xbox/sony, mac/pac - its about setting up either/ors and removing the decision of none.

Re: The Gold iPhone isn't just for mindless sheep that want to show off

#52

Post by Arkson »

calebhicks wrote: post #4

>Apple didn’t release something out of style to which mindless sheep are flocking because it’s new. Apple released something in-style to which millions are flocking because it’s attractive. I'm sure there are plenty in each camp. There are people flocking towards it because it's now. And there are people buying it because it's attractive. Sometimes new is attractive. I know at least 3 people on my own Family Plan are…

Just like my bright white Sony Ericsson that I purchased 6-7 years ago, I'm looking to buy the gold iPhone mostly because it is highly visible in low-light situations.

Waking up, going to sleep, stumbling around in the dark, the gold phone will be a lot easier to locate than my current black one.

Re: The Gold iPhone isn't just for mindless sheep that want to show off

#53

Post by jamesaguilar »

selmnoo wrote: post #30
ghshephard wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Re: "Snatch and Run" - if the anti-theft properties of IOS 7 hold up, then it may the opposite - a "Gold iPhone" may be seen to have significantly less resale value. Time will tell.

Is there some superior anti-theft mechanism to IOS7 beyond the 'Lock iPhone' and 'Find my iPhone' features that wasn't there before?

There is. If you lose your phone, you can remotely disable it. Your AppleID and password are needed to re-enable the device, or to factory restore it. In other words, short of some software vulnerability, it is not possible to use a stolen iPhone with iOS7 except as a paper-weight. And, although there surely will be some software vulnerabilities, it will definitely increase the bar for profiting from a stolen iPhone.

Re: The Gold iPhone isn't just for mindless sheep that want to show off

#54

Post by gcb0 »

It is all about display of money/power.

You can buy the new iphone? you will show it off.

buy the black/white one and you may have to actually engage in conversation. Buy the golden one, everyone knows.

It is like buying a $30k audi A1 with a custom made $500k engine and drivetrain. If you just buy the $300k R8, everyone will know you have the disposable income. the custom A1 or a spiffed up TT though will be much more fun if you actually race it though. which is not relevant here as we are only talking about style since the phones are the same.

So, everyone only wants the golden one for the smug feeling when they take it out of their pockets. And that sells, as the article proves.

Also, any fashion study will tell you that a brand can't launch a 'thing'. Gold phones are NOT in fashion. they may be if enough influential people wants to partake in the smug feeling mentioned above. But until that happens, it is just a very temporal thing that will only last until samsung launches a golden one.

Re: The Gold iPhone isn't just for mindless sheep that want to show off

#55

Post by derefr »

jamesaguilar wrote: post #53
selmnoo wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is there some superior anti-theft mechanism to IOS7 beyond the 'Lock iPhone' and 'Find my iPhone' features that wasn't there before?

There is. If you lose your phone, you can remotely disable it. Your AppleID and password are needed to re-enable the device, or to factory restore it. In other words, short of some software vulnerability, it is not possible to use a stolen iPhone with iOS7 except as a paper-weight. And, although there surely will be some software vulnerabilities, it will definitely increase the bar for profiting from a stolen iPhone.

Additionally, when you connect an iOS7 device to a new computer, you need to unlock it and confirm you trust that computer before it'll talk/sync to it (before that, it just treats the computer as a charger.) Which will stop unqualified attackers (who aren't aware of DFU mode) from just swiping your phone and putting their own stuff on it, or attempting to naively restore it.

Re: The Gold iPhone isn't just for mindless sheep that want to show off

#56

Post by igorgue »

hfsktr wrote: post #44
igorgue wrote: post #33

I got the pink iPhone 5c 'cause I like that color and they don't have purple. And it makes good conversation about how pink is "for girls" but that's just society telling you that, I'm a rebel!

The images on apple.com make it seem closer to red. Maybe it's my monitor here are work (though other colors seem fine). Nothing wrong with pink, but you're braver than I. Edit: I went back and some of the other pictures make it a bit clearer. Also the selection says pink in the html so I guess it must just be my eyes.

The phone is definitely pink.

Re: The Gold iPhone isn't just for mindless sheep that want to show off

#57

Post by prodigal_erik »

eric_cc wrote: post #25

This is one of the worst things I've ever seen on the front page of Hacker News.

I find "selling technology to shallow people who don't give a crap about technology" to be quite topical and useful to understand, if depressing.

Re: The Gold iPhone isn't just for mindless sheep that want to show off

#58

Post by Tichy »

ars wrote: post #49
Tichy wrote: post #14

It saddens me a bit that the most exciting aspect of a new Apple product is it's color.

It's a sign that the product is mature. Desktop PCs used to be beige, or rarely black. Now they come in colors with LED lights, and all kinds of decoration. Cars used to come in black, now they have colors. It's like that for everything - at first you just want the thing for the functionality. Later you also want it to look nice. I've sometimes waited to buy a new gizmo till I see it offered in colors - that's my sig…

Amusing how "we" can rationalize everything - love the "product is mature" line of reasoning. So if a company stops innovating, we can now say it is an indicator of maturity :-)
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