Consumerism: Apple

Short life cycle

• iPhone
•  4 generation in 4 years (original -2007, 3G, 3GS, 4-2010)
•  iPod
• Classic: 1G, 2G, 3G, 4G
•  Mini: 1G, 2G
• Shuffle: 1G, 2G, 3G, 4G
•  Nano: 1G, 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, 6G
•  Touch: 1G, 2G, 3G, 4G 
• iMac
•  G3: Tray, Slot; G4; G5
• Macbook
•  MacBook :Core; Core 2: Polycarbonate, Aluminum
• MacBook Air 
• MacBook Pro:Core; Core 2

• quick evolution of software , forcing people to upgrade
• each evolution only has marginal difference, but people still buying the new version
• the maintenance period of i-phone is 1 year 
• obvious that the phone may easily break down after the  maintenance period
• planned obsolescene
• They are not changing the form and adding function a lot  to each evolution, but it erges royal consumers to buy  each evolution
• to keep up with the trend
• A short life cycle 
•  more consumption, a stress to buy the newest model
• "Out life depends on the life cycle of object"
• The value of design is not really added new value for new product,however, designed to plan to make the product life become short.

Series

•  Expand of product series
•  iPod
• classic, nano, touch, shuffle 
• different in size and marginal difference in function and shape 
•  Each product (e.g. iPod) inculdes a series of colours for consumer to choose from
• Similar Niche market for the product series
• e.g. Mac book,  Mac book Pro,  Mac book Air
• One person may think they belong to two or three niche market , so they will buy more than one product
• Overlapping Niche Market
• consumer easily fits themselves into any of them, and buys Apple product
• 
  

Brand

-Apple inpose a  coherent and collective image for its products, through

• Same interface (iPhone, iPod, iPad)
• switch
• touch screen
• the operation panel - wheel control of iPods
• Material (white, black, silver finish, glossy surface in most products)
• Form language
• e.g. the round edges of Macbook and iPhone 3GS
• placement of logo
• the blue LED light in on/off switches - macbook
• simple style, clean, minimal
• Packaging
• Box
• Same USB connection, battery charging line
• Placement of battery/ computer connection points
• Unique software that only applies to apple products
• Apple created the "image" of each niche markets, .if one wants to have such "image", they will have to buy apple's products 

Complusory Obsolescene

• added value
• through form langauge and advertisment, creates a fashionable lifestyle of the professionals
• shows the status of consumer in the society

Capitalism

• Branding + series + short life cycle + advertising
• increase the desire of consumer

Semiology: Think different/ crazy ones

The one-minute commercial featured black and white video footage of significant historical people of the past, including (in order):

Albert Einstein
Bob Dylan
Martin Luther King Jr.
Richard Branson
John Lennon,
R. Buckminster Fuller,
Thomas Edison,
Muhammad Ali,
Ted Turner,
Maria Callas,
Mahatma Gandhi,
Amelia Earhart,
Alfred Hitchcock,
Martha Graham,
Jim Henson (with Kermit the Frog),
Frank Lloyd Wright
Picasso

The commercial ends with a young girl opening her closed eyes

Scirpt 

Here's to the crazy ones.
The misfits.
The rebels.
The troublemakers.
The round pegs in the square holes.
The ones who see things differently.
They're not fond of rules.
And they have no respect for the status quo.
You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them.
About the only thing you can't do is ignore them.
Because they change things.
They push the human race forward.
And while some may see them as the crazy ones,
We see genius.
Because the people who are crazy enough to think
they can change the world,
Are the ones who do.

Observations

- Use of footage, public scence
- Innovator
- They all created something, something new
- Young girl -> eye contact to viewer
- Use of black and white footage, but a colour apple icon at the end
- "Them", "They",=17 historical people
- "You"= us, viewers // directly speaking to viewer
- "We"= apple
- "The people" = apple, 17 historical people

In order of appearance, with script 

Einstein - Here's to the crazy ones.
Bob Dylan - The misfits.
                   -The rebels.
Martin Luther King - The troublemakers.
Richard Bran- The round pegs in the square holes.
                       -The ones who see things differently.
John lennon and yoko ono-  They're not fond of rules.
Buckminster Fuller- And they have no respect for the status quo.
Thomas Alva Edison –You can quote them,
Muhammad Ali -disagree with them, glorify
Ted Turner. -or vilify them.
Maria Callas- About the only thing you can't do is ignore them.
Gandhi -Because they change things.
Amelia Earhart- They push the human race forward.
Alfred Hitchcock -And while some may see them
Martha Graham- as the crazy ones,
Jim Henson- We see genius.
Frank Lloyd Wright - Because the people who are crazy enough
Pablo Picasso- to think
                            they can change the world,
The girl - Are the ones who do.


Analysis


- These 17 people (signifier) each present a significant achievement that change the world

- Each of these people represent a different field: inventor, artist (singer, dancer, film directior, painter), designer, leader (political, ideological), businessman

-"Think Different", wrong use of grammer -> should be "think differently" -> sign of breaking the rules of language, how to really "think different"

- "Different" -> sign to thinking different policies, songs, film, business, desings...ways of doing things which the 17 people represent

- These 17 people are signifiers,  signified: their acheivement --> changing the world in different aspects
             - behind every person and every acheivement, is a story and meaning (siginification)
             - they acheive because they think different (sign)

- Convetion:

Using these famous people as signs, most of these people are Americans, and the advertisement was first aired in America. Using the convention that, the public would know who they are and their acheivements, just by sight.

Using the Apple logo (icon) to represent the whole company, assuming viewers would know what the logo indicates just by sight

---

 SIGNS

 Combinationof the 3 signs, leads to the idea that....Apple is the new rise and ready to "think different" and change the world

------------------------------

UPDATE

Apple, like the 17 people shown, thinks different.

Apple is going to achieve what the 17 people achieved (change the world/ contribution to human society), by doing the same, think different.  

Apple retail stores, online stores location

Retail Store

http://www.apple.com/retail/storelist/

Online Store 

http://store.apple.com/hk?afid=p219%7CGOHK&cid=AOS-AP-HK-GOOGLE-AA60000078420

List of products: ipod, iphone, ipad, itunes

List of products : Mac

THINK DIFFERENT

In 1997 the first ad with the "Think Different" slogan



Text used:
Here's to the crazy ones.
The misfits.
The rebels.
The troublemakers.
The round pegs in the square holes.
The ones who see things differently.
They're not fond of rules.
And they have no respect for the status quo.
You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them.
About the only thing you can't do is ignore them.
Because they change things.
They push the human race forward.
And while some may see them as the crazy ones,
We see genius.
Because the people who are crazy enough to think
they can change the world,
Are the ones who do.

The one-minute commercial featured black and white video footage of significant historical people of the past, including (in order) Albert Einstein, Bob Dylan, Martin Luther King, Jr., Richard Branson, John Lennon, R. Buckminster Fuller, Thomas Edison, Muhammad Ali, Ted Turner, Maria Callas, Mahatma Gandhi, Amelia Earhart, Alfred Hitchcock, Martha Graham, Jim Henson (with Kermit the Frog), Frank Lloyd Wright, and Picasso.

The commercial ends with a young girl opening her closed eyes, as if to see the possibilities before her.

*** 1998 Emmy Award for Best Commercial and the 2000 Grand Effie Award for most effective campaign in America.

The Evolution of Apple Design Between 1977-2008

in terms of hardware
http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2009/01/the-evolution-of-apple-design-between-1977-2008/