Apple Is Forcing Ubiquity And Conformity On Consumers

Forbes ^ | July 4, 2015 | by Theo Priestley

[Swordmaker]

Being locked into a single ecosystem isn’t necessarily a good thing

I stepped off a train in London one morning and it struck me how many genuine and knock-off Barbour quilted jackets were among the commuter throng. And it made me think about just how commonplace they’ve become to the point that they’ve diluted their own brand image. “By Appointment to Her Majesty” has now become “By Appointment to Everyone”.

It’s the same with the Hipster trend. Humans naturally struggle with their own identity so seek to adopt one from a group to feel included. Individuality is lost to conformity.

And that’s not necessarily a good thing. Conformity and ubiquity are a dangerous combination.

The same is happening in technology circles. Apple AAPL -0.12% and iOS has become synonymous with smartphones and tablets but has only one product per line of business. Therefore it’s the same hardware you see people with and it’s becoming ubiquitous. They are gorgeous products, they work seamlessly (apparently – Apple Music), but they’re everywhere. And for me it’s destroying the perception of brand value and consumer choice.

[NormsRevenge]

Wifey no longer asks me to help her with her apple products.

Wanna see my blood pressure rise? Don’t ask. ;-)

[Swordmaker]

A Forbes columnist is decrying that Apple device Ubiquity is forcing consumers into Conformity. What do you think? — PING!

Are Apple Devices too much of a good thing?
Ping!

If you want on or off the Mac Ping List, Freepmail me.

[Swordmaker]

Wifey no longer asks me to help her with her apple products.

That's one of the benefits of Apple. . . most people can trouble shoot their Apple devices themselves. I know that as a cross platform consultant, when i have switched a client to Apple, i stop making money from them. They have quite a bit less need of my services.

[minnesota_bound]

I noticed the author image shows him talking with a headset on in front of a giant screen. You know like all those others in the tech world displaying their product : )

[null and void]

Some percentage of the population should be forced to use an inferior product to keep the superior product from taking over.

To do anything else would be UNFAIR!

[Fred Hayek]

The photo somehow reminds me of Apple’s 1984 ad.

[Norm Lenhart]

Hipster credo taken from the Emos...

“I want to be an individual just like all my friends.”

[Fungi]

I have a windows phone (nokia) and a Dell computer, not one single Apple product. Good to see Your Most Honorable Nullness has visited a small void at FR.

[minnesota_bound]

A class in the Missouri school of journalism.
Already these 'journalists' are conforming.

[minnesota_bound]

[Bratch]

[Swordmaker]

That’s funny. . .

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Sort of like what copyright-in-perpetuity does.

[Lorianne]

Apparently people like ubiquity and conformity.
Peer pressure is a powerful thing.

[smokingfrog]

Mmmm! Apples!

[Zeppo]

stepped off a train in London one morning and it struck me how many genuine and knock-off Barbour quilted jackets were among the commuter throng.

Am I the only one who had to do a search to figure out what a "Barbour quilted jacket" was?

[donna]

The photo somehow reminds me of Apple’s 1984 ad.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zfqw8nhUwA

[SunkenCiv]

Oh yeah, having most of the market for something is a huge burden. /s

[donna]

Mao Jackets.

When Nixon went to China men and women wore Mao Jackets on bicycles. America, having never seen live inside China, was stunned. Now we are them!