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I don't entirely agree, or I guess I view it from a different way.
1. Apple appeals across generations. As much as I've said it's not for me (in terms of the phone, I get the mac instead of PC thing more, although I still use a PC), it's clear that Apple has created brand loyalty, an increasingly valuable thing in a time when I think fewer and fewer brands have created such loyalty (Costco is another example.)
I mean, you have people who are sitting out in major cities for periods of a week or more for a phone. I honestly thought about it and I don't think there's any product that I've bought in my life that I would wait out overnight for.
2. The article focuses on a generation that has student debt and is facing other issues. I think they are into phones and such tech not because they can do this, that and the other, but that they are prioritizing what they can buy and they are choosing an iPhone over things like fashionable clothes. I think certain fashion retail companies are losing because I think a lot of people in this generation are viewing clothes as they just need the basics instead of they need x brand or x look and instead they're getting an iPhone. Younger people used to fit in because they wore a certain brand of clothing. Now you fit in because you have an iPhone.
So yes, I think Apple is doing well with this generation, but I think the question not asked is what is Apple taking the place of as a priority and who is losing as a result of that.
On another level, I think Wal-Mart and Target's move towards MCX as a mobile wallet is another example of doing what they believe is best for them and not being aware of what the customer wants. Wal-Mart isn't going anywhere, but Sears let Wal-Mart pass it by and now Amazon is beating Wal-Mart in online sales 7-1. (http://www.forbes.com/sites/panosmourdoukoutas/2014/07/13/wal-mart-can-on-line-sales-re-ignite-growth/)
Same day service is going to pick up, but who is backing it - Google (https://www.google.com/shopping/express/), Amazon, Instacart (who will be working with Whole Foods) and other such companies. If same day service does not revitalize offline retail, I don't see what will stop online sales (and now people can buy anywhere when sitting on their mobile phone) from continuing to increase.
Interesting perspective scott. My impression of this generation as limited as it be, is they are not following trends but rather are being themselves. I grew up when Brittania jeans were the cool thing. If you weren't wearing flares there was something wrong with you. There was a pressure to be like everyone else. Individualism is the predominant trait now.
With that said, there was not much of a selection back in my time either. The retail universe has expanded greatly. The choices today are unbelievable and with the Internet we can see them all.
BTW, with flare pants I had PF Flyers and white athletic socks that went halfway up the calf if they would stay there.
Having raised a millennial I can truthfully say "they are their phones, their phones are them and their lives." They are lost, hopelessly vegetated and in the throes of despair without them.
If you want to have some fun and view a boatload of angst try taking a car full of them out for dinner and making them leave their phones in the car. I get them to do it only by threatening them with having to make their own dinner. Surprisingly it works if they are hungry enough.
I have considered AAPL as the IBM of this generation. They create something you can see and hold in your hand unlike Facebook or Twitter or Alibaba.
Looking back on the Steve Jobs to Tim Cook transition, I don't think it could have been handled any better. Cook was picked and groomed by Jobs. For the couple of years before Steve Jobs passed away, it was Tim Cook who was running the show. Nobody could replace Job's genius and Cook knew that.
A friend of mine who works for Apple in Cupertino tells me that morale is very high. They see a bright future with Apple.
Comments
1. Apple appeals across generations. As much as I've said it's not for me (in terms of the phone, I get the mac instead of PC thing more, although I still use a PC), it's clear that Apple has created brand loyalty, an increasingly valuable thing in a time when I think fewer and fewer brands have created such loyalty (Costco is another example.)
I mean, you have people who are sitting out in major cities for periods of a week or more for a phone. I honestly thought about it and I don't think there's any product that I've bought in my life that I would wait out overnight for.
2. The article focuses on a generation that has student debt and is facing other issues. I think they are into phones and such tech not because they can do this, that and the other, but that they are prioritizing what they can buy and they are choosing an iPhone over things like fashionable clothes. I think certain fashion retail companies are losing because I think a lot of people in this generation are viewing clothes as they just need the basics instead of they need x brand or x look and instead they're getting an iPhone. Younger people used to fit in because they wore a certain brand of clothing. Now you fit in because you have an iPhone.
So yes, I think Apple is doing well with this generation, but I think the question not asked is what is Apple taking the place of as a priority and who is losing as a result of that.
On another level, I think Wal-Mart and Target's move towards MCX as a mobile wallet is another example of doing what they believe is best for them and not being aware of what the customer wants. Wal-Mart isn't going anywhere, but Sears let Wal-Mart pass it by and now Amazon is beating Wal-Mart in online sales 7-1. (http://www.forbes.com/sites/panosmourdoukoutas/2014/07/13/wal-mart-can-on-line-sales-re-ignite-growth/)
Same day service is going to pick up, but who is backing it - Google (https://www.google.com/shopping/express/), Amazon, Instacart (who will be working with Whole Foods) and other such companies. If same day service does not revitalize offline retail, I don't see what will stop online sales (and now people can buy anywhere when sitting on their mobile phone) from continuing to increase.
With that said, there was not much of a selection back in my time either. The retail universe has expanded greatly. The choices today are unbelievable and with the Internet we can see them all.
BTW, with flare pants I had PF Flyers and white athletic socks that went halfway up the calf if they would stay there.
If you want to have some fun and view a boatload of angst try taking a car full of them out for dinner and making them leave their phones in the car. I get them to do it only by threatening them with having to make their own dinner. Surprisingly it works if they are hungry enough.
Looking back on the Steve Jobs to Tim Cook transition, I don't think it could have been handled any better. Cook was picked and groomed by Jobs. For the couple of years before Steve Jobs passed away, it was Tim Cook who was running the show. Nobody could replace Job's genius and Cook knew that.
A friend of mine who works for Apple in Cupertino tells me that morale is very high. They see a bright future with Apple.
People are falling for a hoax online that says that Apple has come up with a new feature where your iPhone is charged by putting it in a microwave.
(facepalm...)