The Gold iPhone isn't just for mindless sheep that want to show off

http://jkhowland.me/post/62098121292

by jkhowland • 13 years ago

20 55 13 years ago

It's really hard to separate one's thinking from current trends and fashions, but I try my hardest to do it. I don't think most do, though, or even realize how influenced they are by their environment.

jkhowland4• 13 years ago

My twitter stream was filled with gold iPhone bashers on Friday and Saturday.

This one really got to me: https://twitter.com/eEditor/status/381084430611144704

The iPhone is a fashion item, and is going to follow fashion trends. This includes going gold.

calebhicks2• 13 years ago

Apple didn’t release something out of style to which mindless sheep are flocking because it’s new. Apple released something in-style to which millions are flocking because it’s attractive.

I'm sure there are plenty in each camp. There are people flocking towards it because it's now. And there are people buying it because it's attractive.

Sometimes new is attractive. I know at least 3 people on my own Family Plan are getting silver or gold because they are 'tired of black'. No big deal.

I think a lot of people get too worked up over other people's personal opinions. And in the end, I'm not sure that anyone will really care about the color (gold, black, or whatever) in 2 weeks.

jkhowland4• 13 years ago

I think that there is a 'self definition' (whether right or wrong) that takes place with a device decision. When people choose an iPhone or Android phone, they start to identify with that brand. The same can be said of color.

Back in 2007 I remember listening to a student and his father shopping for a Mac. He refused to buy the lower cost white one because it was girly. He had to get the top of the MacBooks black model.

I think the self definition aspect of the purchase lasts much longer than a couple weeks.

calebhicks2• 13 years ago

That's a fair point. I remember buying 'up' on a road bike for the color I preferred. So you're right there.

Maybe I think it lasts a shorter time because I was almost entirely apathetic towards which color I got this time around. I ended up with black (space grey) because that's what the store had when I got there.

Arkson• 13 years ago

Just like my bright white Sony Ericsson that I purchased 6-7 years ago, I'm looking to buy the gold iPhone mostly because it is highly visible in low-light situations.

Waking up, going to sleep, stumbling around in the dark, the gold phone will be a lot easier to locate than my current black one.

flyosity• 13 years ago

Just wanted to chime in that I pre-ordered the gold 5s and am still waiting for it, however, I did go into the Apple Store over the weekend and take a look at a gold one and, boy, it's not really that gold. It's not bling or shiny, it's really subdued and muted, more like a light champagne than anything really eye-catching. In fact, when I picked it up I actually thought it was the silver one and started looking around for the true gold iPhone. That's how subdued it really is.

trevmckendrick3• 13 years ago

True. But many people bought it sight unseen.

jkhowland4• 13 years ago

Device unseen, maybe. Sight unseen, no.

Apple.com had pictures of the device long before they waited in line or clicked 'buy'.

veemjeem• 13 years ago

Everyone I know has also ordered gold. My guess is that it's the new color so everyone wants the new stuff. Gold may become the most popular color yet.

omegant• 13 years ago

Gold is the new silver.

talmand• 13 years ago

Hmm, let's see.

Chromatic: Red, Blue, Green, White, Black Metallic: Gold, Silver

Bummer, Takhisis is winning.

kefka• 13 years ago

No Baaz for you.

(Although if you break open a Gold iphone, you can get a Aurak..)

r00fus• 13 years ago

Did Apple acquire WoTC at some point recently? These are like all the MtG card colors (including foils and legends!).

tap Green iPhone, Regenerate.

stackcollision• 13 years ago

Is this guy really chiding me for not wearing "rolled up skinny jeans" and glasses that don't have lenses in them?

Strang• 13 years ago

I thought the exact same thing. This article seems to be reinforcing the idea of a gold phone as a shallow spectacle.

frogpelt• 13 years ago

The point I inferred was that some people want the gold iPhone simply because they like the way it looks and not because they want to signal the world that they own the latest iPhone.

GuiA• 13 years ago

Is he chiding the reader? I just felt that he pointed out that those things are fashionable right now, even though a lot of us in the tech crowd think they're silly - just like the gold iPhone.

ianstallings2• 13 years ago

You probably don't even ride a Penny Farthing.

badman_ting2• 13 years ago

This thing is really bothering people, and I totally do not understand why.

Shivetya• 13 years ago

techies don't want the bling crowd to encroach on their territory?

If anything, its a gift to the snatch and run crowd.

Sadly there is a clique out there that sees status in what type of phone or laptop you have. Its this generations 3 series. Personal expression of wealth, or pseudo wealth. Jersey Shore, Kardassians, and the ilk.

The techies reject this use of their domain, hence the disdain expressed by many. My opinion, gaudy.

ghshephard• 13 years ago

Re: "Snatch and Run" - if the anti-theft properties of IOS 7 hold up, then it may the opposite - a "Gold iPhone" may be seen to have significantly less resale value.

Time will tell.

potatolicious• 13 years ago

"Jersey Shore, Kardassians, and the ilk."

I don't think this is an accurate distinction at all. Conspicuous consumption is everywhere, even within techies - you really don't have to reach as far as Jersey Shore and the Kardashians to find people who wear their electronics like jewelry.

Hell, even Uber is conspicuous consumption in a lot of cases. Why roll up to the club in a cab when you can do so in a sleek, black SUV? And we know how popular that is with the technology crowd.

The "techies" have not rejected this use of their domain, they're just a little peeved that they no longer have monopoly of using technology as bling.

badman_ting2• 13 years ago

Jeez, there is just so much wrong here. "Territory"? This is a mass-market product. Has been from the start. And the techie resentment you're espousing so well is another matter unto itself.

rayiner• 13 years ago

I really don't understand how an industry rooted in one of the shallowest, most manicured places on the whole planet can be so sanctimonious about other peoples' lifestyle choices.

jkhowland4• 13 years ago

It's easy to pretend that we don't care what other people think.

The gold colored iPhone is polarizing. Those that don't like it care that others do like it, and want to convince people to agree with them. (and vice versa).

Tichy2• 13 years ago

It saddens me a bit that the most exciting aspect of a new Apple product is it's color.

siegecraft• 13 years ago

It's just the easiest to discuss. Everyone can have an opinion on color, even if they're not technical. Personally, after playing with it for a bit, I think the camera is the most exciting asepct of the device, but it's not nearly as entertaining (or easy, or contentious) of a subject

alex_c• 13 years ago

http://www.andybarratt.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/imac...

ars• 13 years ago

It's a sign that the product is mature.

Desktop PCs used to be beige, or rarely black. Now they come in colors with LED lights, and all kinds of decoration.

Cars used to come in black, now they have colors.

It's like that for everything - at first you just want the thing for the functionality. Later you also want it to look nice.

I've sometimes waited to buy a new gizmo till I see it offered in colors - that's my sign that the product is "finished" and is as good as it's going to get. (It's true for games too - do you know games where you can change the color/outfit of the character?)

Tichy2• 13 years ago

Amusing how "we" can rationalize everything - love the "product is mature" line of reasoning. So if a company stops innovating, we can now say it is an indicator of maturity :-)

kunai• 13 years ago

Why is this even significant? The OP's logic makes no sense. He claims that gold isn't for mindless fanboys who want the new thing because it's new, but then claims that gold is for mindless fanboys who want the new thing because it's shiny and gold instead.

What the hell?

moogleii2• 13 years ago

If you assume that fashion is mindless, then sure, he kinda said something like that.

pm90• 13 years ago

Gold Phone you say? http://www.engadget.com/2005/10/19/nokias-lamour-collection-...

eric_cc• 13 years ago

This is one of the worst things I've ever seen on the front page of Hacker News.

prodigal_erik• 13 years ago

I find "selling technology to shallow people who don't give a crap about technology" to be quite topical and useful to understand, if depressing.

JohnTHaller• 13 years ago

Gold iPhone is best. best. best. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7-RetY7fGo

jason_slack• 13 years ago

Well, I waited outside the Los Gatos store for 36 hours, 1st in line and I got the ONLY gold iphone. People behind me were mad and one lady offered $100 + a 16gb Space Grey to give up the gold iPhone. I declined.

Why did I want one? It is different. It is not the typical white and black that we have come to expect. It really does look nice! A change of pace.

igorgue2• 13 years ago

I got the pink iPhone 5c 'cause I like that color and they don't have purple. And it makes good conversation about how pink is "for girls" but that's just society telling you that, I'm a rebel!

hfsktr• 13 years ago

The images on apple.com make it seem closer to red. Maybe it's my monitor here are work (though other colors seem fine). Nothing wrong with pink, but you're braver than I.

Edit: I went back and some of the other pictures make it a bit clearer. Also the selection says pink in the html so I guess it must just be my eyes.

igorgue2• 13 years ago

The phone is definitely pink.

andrewljohnson• 13 years ago

Even if no one wanted the gold color, the babble in the press is gold itself. I wonder how much of this was foreseen, or even instigated by the PR flacks.

heyitsnick• 13 years ago

I see it as common marketing strategy. It's all about shifting the conversation from "do I really need an incremental smartphone upgrade?" to "are you getting the gold or sticking with white?" I realise its significantly more nuanced than that, but at the core, its subtly changing the decision process of the consumer.

The comments in this thread, the blog post itself, and all the other media coverage, is all playing the same game; it underpins most tech coverage - be it android/ios, xbox/sony, mac/pac - its about setting up either/ors and removing the decision of none.

fsckin• 13 years ago

Apple is selling the Gold iPhone and having a simultaneous launch in China.

This is not a coincidence, and as you can see[0], it is working.

[0] http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-24/china-gold-9-millio...

ianstallings2• 13 years ago

Everyone knows that caring about what other people are wearing or what device they have is childish; and also, handle bar mustaches and unicycles are for complete tools.

koudi• 13 years ago

So, he's not 'mindless flocking sheep' because he wants new device from apple. He wants it because it's fashionable. I can't help it, but it sounds like 'mindless flocking sheep' to me, too.

piyush_soni• 13 years ago

No. Even if you shout it in your defense on Hacker News, you're STILL a mindless sheep :).

gcb0• 13 years ago

It is all about display of money/power.

You can buy the new iphone? you will show it off.

buy the black/white one and you may have to actually engage in conversation. Buy the golden one, everyone knows.

It is like buying a $30k audi A1 with a custom made $500k engine and drivetrain. If you just buy the $300k R8, everyone will know you have the disposable income. the custom A1 or a spiffed up TT though will be much more fun if you actually race it though. which is not relevant here as we are only talking about style since the phones are the same.

So, everyone only wants the golden one for the smug feeling when they take it out of their pockets. And that sells, as the article proves.

Also, any fashion study will tell you that a brand can't launch a 'thing'. Gold phones are NOT in fashion. they may be if enough influential people wants to partake in the smug feeling mentioned above. But until that happens, it is just a very temporal thing that will only last until samsung launches a golden one.

The Gold iPhone isn't just for mindless sheep that want to show off

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