Ben Thompson, one of the most influential Apple blogger on the web, has come up with another masterpiece on why iPhone 5c alleged poor sales shouldn’t be viewed as bad news for Apple. I’ve held a similar opinion until now. It just goes to show that it takes a lot of skills and experience to truly understand Apple’s product strategies in most cases, qualities many of us do not possess.
Ben Thompson:
Apple is focused on increasing the value of the iPhone, not only through specs, but through solving pain points like security. And it goes far beyond the phone itself. It’s increasingly clear Apple is focused on being an aspirational lifestyle brand, where specs are completely immaterial, and paying a bit more is part of the allure.
Still, it’s worth noting that if these rumors are true, even Apple itself didn’t realize how far down this aspirational road they already were. Customers don’t care that the 5C specs are good enough; are aspirations limited by such rational ceilings? To aspire is to dream, to want the best. The iPhone 5S is the best, for just $100 more, and millions of consumers – more than ever, in fact – have already demonstrated their willingness to pay just that.
This is bad news?
Yes, why is that bad news indeed!
