So, past Monday Apple had its annual Apple Event showcasing some of their upcoming products, from revealing a new Apple Watch, software updates to the AirPods and the annual new iPhone. As such, with my general interest in tech and Apple’s improvements to user-accessibility, I’ve been keeping an eye out on the impressions it has left on different people. Yet, seeing all of these new Apple products and features has made me wonder: Who are these products made for?
The Apple Event started with the reveal of the Apple Watch Series 10. I, like many, expected a massive redesign considering its 10-year anniversary, something akin to the reveal of the iPhone X back in 2017. Yet these hopes were dashed, as on the surface we’re met with the familiar watch face that all Apple Watch users are already familiar with. The biggest change? It’s rounder and thinner (I’m oversimplifying a bit here). Don’t get me wrong, I surely believe that there was quite a lot of R&D involved to shove such complex electronics in an even tighter package, while simultaneously adding even more features to it. Yet the most important thing that Apple revealed wasn’t the new chassis – instead, it’s seeing that Apple continues to add to its health features. I myself bought an Apple Watch Series 9 earlier in the year. I wear it pretty much daily with the intent to keep better track of my overall health and well-being. Nothing else makes you more conscious about it when the reminder of it is sitting on your wrist the entire time. And by simply having it on, the watch keeps track of a variety of metrics which I assess to see if there are any negative trends. Truly a convenient tool I can use to keep track of my health.
The second line of products that Apple addressed were some changes in the AirPods lineup. There is no denying that AirPods are recognizable at first glance: the white design with protruding stem can be identified as them at a glance (if we ignore the Galaxy Buds3, at least). This design has entered the realm of iconic, and yet I wonder how many people actually bought them for what they bring to the table. When my Moondrop Sparks reached their end of their lifespan a while ago, I decided to spend a bit more money for a premium, eventually settling on the 2nd Gen AirPods Pro. It’s much safer to walk and bike around with Transparency Mode on rather than IEMs sitting in my ear canals, and the biggest thing: a lanyard loop on the charging case, where I put a charm on. Not only that, the functionality on these earbuds are so great that even an Android user uses them as daily driver. And with an upcoming update, these too will become a tool in Apple’s arsenal in which they help their users with their physical health: by assisting the user in hearing loss detection, prevention and assistance. And even with all of these features, new and old, I believe that many people bought AirPods for a different reason: because they’re simply AirPods.
Returning to the question I asked earlier: who are these products made for? With both the Apple Watch and the AirPods I have given some actual use-cases, found in both my personal life and stories of other people. So the answer seems to be simple, right? People who want to make use of the features that these products have. Yet there are many more consumers who don’t use any of these features. There is no denying that people buy Apple products because it’s an Apple Product. If I were to take the Apple Watch as an example again, there are actual benefits of wearing it when someone has a history of medical implications. Yet I recall people poking fun at the removal of the Blood Oxygen sensor within the US, saying that no one would use them. And yet, these metrics can be highly important for those who actually require them. The child of one of my colleagues ended up being hospitalized, with his blood oxygen dropping to 70% – a situation where the survival of his child was at stake (don’t worry, he’s completely fine now). It leads me to wonder, would these abnormalities have shown on any smartwatch, so that preemptive measures could have been taken? It is these health features which are a key selling point for a lot of users, but at the same time there’s a tenfold more who don’t care.
Because now there is a case where there’s a clear disparity between actual Apple consumers. Their products are equipped with features that not everyone cares about, or even makes use of. For a lot of people, their purchase of the latest iPhone 16 Pro Max isn’t going to be about “being able to shoot videos in 4k120fps” at a whim. Instead, it is a purchase they make because it’s the latest and greatest iPhone they can use to doompost on Twitter and mindlessly scroll TikTok with. For a lot, owning the most expensive phone is a sign of luxury, even if it comes at the cost of not being able to afford a 40 cents purchase at the grocery store (a sight I have witnessed personally). Yet there is a genuine market for these Apple products: those who simply are in want of a smartwatch and those who might want to make their day-to-day life more convenient. Those whose earbuds have reached the end of their lifespan, or those who might want to try out the hearing-aids feature on the AirPods Pro 2. Or those who were running a half-a-decade old phone, or maybe an enthousiast photographer, who wants to make stunning pictures and videos without needing to invest in an expensive set up. So perhaps I need to rephrase my question I asked at the beginning: out of those buying the latest apple products, who will really need to?
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