With the success of the iPod, Apple shot into the public eye. Apple quickly became the creator of some of the most fashionable gadgets on the market and they were quick to grab this status by the horns. Rapid product updates, simplistic design and surprisingly arrogant advertising boosted Apple’s image to new heights. Such fashion invites a certain audience, namely a younger, fashion conscious audience as proven by the wide spread adoption of the iPod by younger people. That isn’t to say that iPods do not sell well to the older generations, but the sub-30 age group certainly take to such products more rapidly.

The iPod had an obvious market; users who wanted a good looking, easy to use music player and the iPod gave them that in style. Then we have the Mac desktops and its partner OS. These, again, appealed to those wanting something easy to use that “just worked”. They also gained a lot of interest from graphic designs and other design orientated industries. Similarly, the Macbook was squarely aimed at the college student wanting something relatively small and with a lower price tag where as the Macbook Pro was, as the name implies, a more professional unit for power users. So in terms of the big hitting Apple products, they all hit a set market and seem relatively seated in their position. So what about Apple’s two newest products, where exactly do they sit?

Firstly, the iPhone. The iPhone, in my opinion, was rushed out of the door due to the delays Apple had already had to apply to Leopard. Considering their continual mockery of Microsoft for not being able to push big updates out on a regular basis, they needed to get Leopard released. The iPhone lacked many basic features where it was first released. One such feature that has only just been addressed is that of sending SMS to multiple recipients. One of the most basic features of a modern mobile phone missing from Apple’s wonder device. That is without even mentioning the lack of video recording from the camera and other extremely unexpected absences from the device. The big absence from the iPhone for me was its lack of appeal to the business audience. With such a high price tag both upfront and monthly, the iPhone wasn’t attempting to appeal to a budget market. The business market tends to be a big influence when it comes to the higher priced devices (such as smart phones), yet Apple’s device still seemed aimed at the average user due to its lack of office-type applications. So where does this leave iPhone? The people buying these phones are those who wish to buy into Apple’s image. The iPhone is a status symbol, a sign of wealth and fashion. No other company could release such a feature lacking device and yet still sell millions. If Apple were to lose their fashionable image, would iPhone still sell? In my opinion, not a chance. Well, not at the current price it wouldn’t.

In almost exactly the same vein is the Macbook Air. What sort of users need an ultra-portable with a relatively small screen? You can take designers off the list, a 13.3” screen isn’t going to cut it when wanting to do real design work. Business users are, again, a potential market but with the widespread adoption of Windows systems, what incentives is there to buy a Mac and have to deal with the incompatibilities? A student may wish to use such a device, it’s portable, wireless nature would make it great for working in different places. The problem is how many students can afford a laptop that costs £1200+? The simply answer is very few. So yet again, we end up with the Apple fans who want that status, especially the sort of status a £1200 Apple laptop brings. This is forgetting the lack of inputs, optical drives and other simple yet missing features. Just who, minus Apple’s fans, would buy such an expensive device when there are other viable alternatives for far less?

If Apple’s newest products continue to rely so heavily on their image they could be in for a massive shock further down the line. No one stays fashionable forever, before Apple and their iPod hit the big time, the Walkman was the fashionable product – things can and do change. If Apple’s future product line continues to be so unappealing to anyone outside of their fan base, they are sure to fall flat on their faces when they are eventually kicked from their podium.