Consumerism or consumer culture is a significant trend influencing contemporary society. It is characterized by the fact that people spend a lot of money on material goods in an attempt to attain and maintain a particular lifestyle. At times, products that are seen desirable by people are very expensive, and people end up using loans or financing schemes to obtain them. Along with other Apple products, the iPhone is an example of a product that is considered desirable.
iPhones are much more expensive than any other smartphone, but the differences in features are minimal. As a result, iPhones are not worth the cost and people only buy them because of the brand’s image.
iPhones are the most expensive smartphones that exist in the market at the moment. A few years ago, it would have been considered bizarre to pay about $1000 for a phone. There was much more variety in terms of producers and models, and any person could choose a phone that matched their needs and design preferences, all at a reasonable price. Today, the latest iPhone XS costs from $999 to $1449, depending on the capacity and screen size.
This is much more expensive than the price set by other smartphone manufacturers, including Nokia, Huawei, and Sony. Samsung is another famous manufacturer that has some models that are comparable to iPhones in terms of their price, but the company also has several models that are much cheaper, thus allowing every person to find the right fit for the budget. Therefore, iPhones are the most expensive smartphones at the moment, and they also have minimal variability in terms of models and prices.
The striking difference in the cost of iPhones compared to other smartphones is not justified by their features, specifications, or any other real benefits. While Apple claims that each of its iPhones is innovative and uses technology that no other smartphone can offer, these are merely marketing claims used to sell the product. In reality, iPhones have the same features and functions that most other smartphones provide at a fraction of the price.
They indeed have a great camera and a broad range of applications available for download, but so do most Samsungs and Nokias. There are also some aspects where iPhones are worse than other brands, including battery life and the cost of maintenance. For example, fixing a broken screen on an iPhone would cost two to three times more than one would pay to fix their Nokia. Hence, the price of iPhones does not correlate with their functionality and features.
Nevertheless, the fact that iPhones are severely overpriced would not be surprising for many users. Still, people line up to buy a new model each year because iPhones are associated with a degree of luxury and are an item for people to flaunt in front of their friends or colleagues. This is primarily due to Apple’s smart branding strategy, which positioned the iPhone as a luxury item right from the beginning, causing people to associate it with a particular lifestyle and making it more desirable. This process provides an example of consumerism because it shows that people are willing to spend money on a product that is not worth the cost only to support a certain image and lifestyle.
Overall, it is clear that iPhones are not worth their cost. There are many other smartphone models available that have the same features or better. Moreover, the price of iPhones does not correlate with their functionality, and most people are aware of this. However, people still buy iPhones because they are associated with a luxury lifestyle and are perceived as desirable in society. Hence, iPhones can be used to exemplify consumer culture that has had a significant influence on our society.