The smartphone has been a world wonder for the past few years; everyone was in awe when it first came out. Now, if you look around, it seems like every one of your friends has some version of a smartphone. I recently went through the process of buying a Smartphone myself; during that time, I began to question why I truly needed one as well as noticed the dependency my generation now has on the smartphone. It is interesting for me to think about the way they have impacted the world and the effect they have on everything around us. I think it would be really fascinating to research and learn more about the insights used to make the first iPhone, the impact they have on society, the future expectations of the market and finally, my belief of the future trends.
I believe that analyzing the development of the iPhone will uncover key customer insights that Apple used when designing it. It is evident that Apple knows what they are doing. Their success is a declaration in itself. Somehow their products appeal to consumers in such a way that it becomes more of an obsession rather than simply a consumer good. It would be really interesting to discover the steps they took in order to develop such a product that is so appealing to their market. The insights that Apple uncovered are also key in the designing of their product. Although it is in a simplistic form, the most appealing aspect of the iPhone is the easy and user-friendly design. I believe that the simplicity instilled in the product is what has attracted an even wider target market than perhaps the normal cell phone market.
Not too long after the iPhone was released, the points of difference became points of parity as new competition entered the market. These competitors needed specific insights of the consumers in order to target those select few that did not want an iPhone. This could be either Apple-haters (the rare few that exist), those looking for a somewhat cheaper and/or unique option or the tech-savvy people who want the option to be more involved and be able to personalize their phone.
An important part the analysis is the trends for the smartphones, however, it is difficult to predict such a rapidly changing industry. I believe that in the future, everyone will own a smartphone and other phones will become almost non-existent. In one article, it even goes as far as to say that “mobile devices will increasingly be worn either like watches or glasses or even woven into fabrics as an integral part of clothing” (Article1). As the technology does make it possible for smartphones to appear in other forms, I’m sure it will be tested on the market. However, I am not entirely sure about the non-existence of hand-held devices altogether. On the other hand, I do believe that more improvements and additions will be made to make the phones even more powerful that ever before. In another article, it states that the smartphones will soon carry RFID and could be used as a person’s credit card (Article 2).
Although this paper topic is an important theme in the lives of consumers today, there are still many unanswered questions. I believe that the world has become obsessed with smartphones- is this valid or is it only true for my generation? I also believe that consumers are becoming more and more dependent on having information ready at hand. Does this affect the way we run our lives? The way society interacts? Will the world of communication look completely different in 50 years (virtual)? There is much investigation needed for this topic, but perhaps through further insights I will be able to make my thoughts more clearly defined.
Overall, my goal in this paper is to better understand how important customer insights truly are. By analyzing the development of the first iPhone, I can better lay out the impact they have had on the world today, more specifically my generation. Finally, I will examine the predicted trends of the smartphones and discuss where I believe they will take us in the future.
Meagan - I love the ideas you have for this paper - just be sure it does not become too big for you. Really spend some time on the outline so that you can be sure you have a good handle on what you want to cover in a very focused way. Certainly, let me know if you want to chat more about it as you are working on your outline.
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