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Archived: Brand Loyalty... It's a bitch

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Brand Loyalty... It's a bitch

07/11/07 1:19 pm | #1

Anyone else notice how much brand loyalty and brand loathing there is? It's all very silly. Seriously, people need to let go of their prejudices. Just look at the video game industry. There are PS3 fanboys, Xbox fanboys, hell even some Wii fanboys. Thousands of people just blindly follow their company without really comparing the products. Some compare, but focus on the aspects they want to focus on without looking at the big picture. It's really unfortunate usually for the one with the biased outlook. Think of all the great products these individuals are missing out on, and all the poor products they have to endure while they aimlessly follow along.

Can't people just look at everything with a clear mind?

Re: Brand Loyalty... It's a bitch

07/11/07 2:22 pm | #2

I look at it with common sense and amusement. There are way to many people that are completely blind to anything other than the label and who it came from. Even when common sense dictates it is not a good value...

Re: Brand Loyalty... It's a bitch

07/11/07 2:39 pm | #3

Also one thing to consider though, is value is relative. Individuals' priorities are different. The iPhone is an example. You obviously don't think the iPhone is a good value judging from the iPhone thread, and your iPhone blog post. There are some people that would think that the iPhone is a great value. It depends on what you want from your device. If you really want visual voice mail, a multitouch screen, a video ipod, and revolutionary browsing experience I could see the iPhone being a great value to you.

Personally, I really want the browsing and multi touch, but I will wait. The iPhone isn't a good value for me because of the costs I'd have to endure when switching carriers, plus the cost of the device. If it was just the device, I would say it is a good value for me.

Re: Brand Loyalty... It's a bitch

07/11/07 3:19 pm | #4

What you are saying is why I have such a problem with this product. People will buy them for the fluff and are willing to sacrifice more memory, a faster data network and a more reliable carrier to own it. It is still a phone and MP3 player at heart. This is where it should shine, but it doesn't. It is average at the core principles while outstanding at the peripheral features. For the amount of investment needed for this product ($2,000 over a two-year period), I would expect close to the best of the best at some point, and it simply isn't there yet.

Re: Brand Loyalty... It's a bitch

07/11/07 4:07 pm | #5

Once again Z, it depends where you are coming from. I myself am coming from Cincinnati Bell, one of the worst in dropped calls and network coverage and an old RAZR. I find a tremendous upgrade in the iPhone; being able to go on the internet whenever I want, the multi-touch screen, full keyboard, and visual voicemail. Too me, that value is off the charts. Sure there are a few things that are wrong with it, but that is the case with every new product, and can likely be fixed with a software update. And one last thing that just frustrates me is that before the iPhone no one ever listed the price of the phone for the whole time of the contract. People like you just want to make a great device like the iPhone seem to cost more than it actually does. You don't here people talking about their Blackberry's price with the whole monthly price of two years included. Z, please do us all a favor and go down to the Columbus Apple store and just play around with it for a few minutes, then tell me that you don't like it. Just my 2 cents.

Re: Brand Loyalty... It's a bitch

07/11/07 4:31 pm | #6

Once again, Cincy Bell is a regional carrier. They suck. You could have switched to Sprint, Verizon or T-Mobile AND gotten a free phone with data access on a better network. You could have joined your families talk plan and gotten a free phone and shared minutes. You bought the hype.

Also, you can't update from the Edge network with a software patch. It is a physical change requiring the purchase of a new phone.

I already gave comps to rate plans you had vs what you are paying now. I don't just spout off willy nilly, I base my opinions on reserach and facts.

Re: Brand Loyalty... It's a bitch

07/11/07 5:36 pm | #7

@ Comment #3

People are willing to pay for a revolutionary product that maybe is lacking in some of the fundamentals. They aren't being deceived or hoodwinked by anyone. It's the limitations of current technology. Up until April the largest flash chip for mobile devices and the like was 8gb, like the iPhone has. Putting a hard drive in a device like this would take up too much physical space. The video iPods have hard drives, but they also don't need to conserve space for the equipment for everything else the iPhone does.

The network is definitely a mess-up. I think Apple should have been a little more cooperative when they talked to Verizon and the other carriers.

Both the lack of 3G and the battery life go hand in hand. The battery life of the iPhone isn't all that great, but again, they didn't have the physical space for a larger battery. Apple wanted to include 3G, but decided they couldn't because the chips were too power hungry, and would even worsen the battery life of the iPhone. From what I know, 3G is hardly a standard. Also, the 3G networks are patchy at best. Instead they combined EDGE with Wi-Fi. EDGE is great for the less data intensive tasks like downloading email. When you want to browse the web, you can use Wi-Fi depending on where you are. It makes sense with so many Wi-Fi hot-spots nowadays.

I don't think Apple is trying to trick or hold out on their customers. This is the best a phone can get right now.

Re: Brand Loyalty... It's a bitch

07/11/07 11:23 pm | #8

The thing is Z, I didn't want to switch to Verizon, etc. and get one of their crappy free phones. I wanted a smart phone. And the iPhone was the obvious choice for me. Also, you think you know my situation, but I misstated the facts earlier. I am on a Family Plan with my mom for $110 a month with Cincinnati Bell. I am switching to an AT&T Family Plan with my mom for $100 a month, and I get the privilege of using an iPhone. And I knew that you knew nothing of Macs when you assumed the update would have to come over EDGE. As with any Apple product, it updates through the Apple Software Update software. Research that; it comes with iTunes, iPod, and every single Mac.

Re: Brand Loyalty... It's a bitch

07/12/07 12:34 pm | #9

"And I knew that you knew nothing of Macs when you assumed the update would have to come over EDGE. As with any Apple product, it updates through the Apple Software Update software. Research that; it comes with iTunes, iPod, and every single Mac."

I know how updates to those products work. You completely misunderstood me. I was referring to the physical hardware that uilizes the Edge network instead of 3G network for its internet connection that is built into the phone. In order for an iPhone to use the 3G network in the future, a brand new phone with 3G capability will have to be purchased. You cannot make a current iPhone 3G capable with just a software download.

As far as the plans, I was just using the info you provided in yoru posts and made logical assumptions. I was wrong, thanks for clarifying.

Re: Brand Loyalty... It's a bitch

07/12/07 12:36 pm | #10

Sorry, I thought you just meant updating through EDGE. I know that 3G has to be added in a new model.

Re: Brand Loyalty... It's a bitch

07/13/07 1:40 pm | #11

it appears you need the super moderators help in this discussion

1) Verizon >>> any other carrier
2) Xbox >>> any other system
3) Microsoft >>> mac
4) LG phones >>>> apple phones

Re: Brand Loyalty... It's a bitch

07/13/07 9:39 pm | #12

you are horribly wrong hockey, I am on my iPhone now and it is by far the best device of any kind that I have ever used

Re: Brand Loyalty... It's a bitch

07/13/07 11:54 pm | #13

LG phones? Blah! My last phone and my current phone are LG and they both blow. The iPhone is a better phone but is a lot less affordable. And the Microsoft to mac comparison doesn't really work... I mean, Microsoft is a company that encompasses hundreds of divisions that do work ranging from creating xbox accessories, making interactive coffee tables, programming the Windows OS, and running the Live search engine. Mac is a line of personal computers that run the Mac OS operating system. Microsoft doesn't even make any pc's.

Re: Brand Loyalty... It's a bitch

07/14/07 1:50 am | #14

i apologize for that i meant

windows >>>> mac

Re: Brand Loyalty... It's a bitch

07/14/07 10:19 pm | #15

mac>>>>>windows

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