November 29, 2011, Interactive Arts & Technology: Writing for Technology & Design (IAT 309W)

1. Cognitive Science. Marketing. Technology. Design.
Apple’s Doctrine
of Marketing
Apple’s design and marketing of products
are defined by consumers’ behaviour
and personal values of beauty, type of
decision-making and preference for
automation.
RESEARCH PAPER ASSIGNMENT
AUTHOR: TINK NEWMAN
COURSE & SECTION: IAT 309W - D100
STUDENT NUMBER: 301116260
INSTRUCTOR: BENJAMIN UNTERMAN
TEACHING ASSISTANT: TERRY LAVENDER
DATE OF SUBMISSION: NOV. 29, 2011

2. Apple’s Doctrine of Marketing
In my university design and technology classes I am surrounded by many different types
of computers, as well as young students, professors and university staff using those computers.
While these computers are for different activities, I do observe a pattern with the preferences of
the design, engineering and business students.
I found subtle differences in the personalities of each individual person influenced their
choice in buying and using certain types of computers. Given the small sample size, it is not
accurate to generalize my findings to all university design schools countrywide. Nor is a simple
statement of all design students preferred Apple products or all engineering students avoided
Apple products accurate either. Certain preferences and choice of computer equipment became
apparent when I questioned people who had either a Mac or PC as to their reasons for choosing
that computer. I discovered thematic patterns of common decision-making styles and an
importance of common values in individuals who used Macs and those who did not. I followed
up this initial questioning by referencing external sources.
Although Apple produces attractive products, a number of consumers choose to avoid
anything “Apple” due its negative influence on society’s dependence on their products and their
closed approach to software. However, negative criticism is generally dwarfed by the allure of
Apple’s design and marketing of products that are defined by the users’ behaviour and personal
values of beauty, type of decision-making and preference for automation.
Many consumers I interviewed choose not to buy Apple products because they view the
brand as a trap that will lure them in and prevent them from experimenting with competitor’s
products. Being drawn into an Apple purchasing cycle is commonly referred to as having an
“Apple addiction.” The perspective of the non-Apples consumers is that the Apple consumers
tend to buy the latest products on a whim with little consideration to cost. This group also
believes that Apple users buy the products due to a need to fit in a certain community. Rohit
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3. Apple’s Doctrine of Marketing
Bhargava, the Senior Vice President of Global Strategy & Marketing and Adjunct Professor at
Georgetown University states that the Apple Stores help create an environment that has “events,
features and resources that all reinforce this [Apple] community.” (Bhargava, 2008)
Some non-Apple consumers believe that Apple followers want to interact with the same
devices as most people in their community and have the same fashion accessories as the peers for
a greater acceptance and commonality. Apple Store’s marketing strategies make their products
very appealing, and build off of this need for a sense of technology fashion accessories. Apple
marks up the prices of products so in comparison to the big-ticket items, such as computers, the
high prices of accessories seem trivial. Apple’s control of pricing and distribution among
manufacturers and retail stores makes this inflation and the lack of discounts possible. Apple
controls distribution and cuts out much of the competition. A technology, news and culture
website called Owni.edu claims,
Many users who avoid buying Apple products are wary of these tactics and would
prefer to review the many options of competition’s product and prices. Apple’s
encourages their extreme users to upgrade to the latest expensive mobile phone,
laptop or MP3 player. (Lapoix, 2011)
Apple forms a closed system, meaning it’s also hard to switch the hard drive or
graphics card, or tweak the performance in any way. Apple manufacturing is the only one that
supplies the parts. Apple uses planned obsolescence. Frequent hardware and software upgrades
keep consumers constantly buying with Apple products and discourages them from
experimenting with their products. This plan forms a closed business approach.
In addition, Apple has separated themselves from the open source market by tightly
controlling app development and software control. The developers of applications for Apple
products must follow strict guidelines set by Apple to have their designs approved. These designs
are subject to intense critique that focuses on Steve Job’s goals, simplicity, beauty and a clearly
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4. Apple’s Doctrine of Marketing
defined purpose. Steve Job’s sister, Mona Simpson (2011), confirms “[Steve’s] will, that work
ethic, that strength, there was also sweet Steve’s capacity for wonderment, the artist’s belief in the
ideal, [and] the still more beautiful later.” One can see this ethic even in Apple’s operating system
instructions, the iOS Human Interface Guidelines, when pointing out that the aspect of familiarity
is important for consumers because “people expect to find iOS technologies in the Apps they
use.” (Apple, 2011) Apple writes “a great user experience is rooted in [the developer’s] attention
to detail”. (Apple, 2011)
However, this strategy of filtering dissent is critiqued by businesses for suppressing
developer’s creativity. One example is the case of Phone Story (2011) a game based application
that highlights the ethics of mining the mineral Colton in the Republic of Congo and “attempts to
provoke a critical reflection on its own technological platform…Behind [electronic gadget’s]
polished interface[s], hides the product of a troubling supply chain that stretches across the
globe.” (Phone Story, 2011) Due to the App’s ethical nature, the developer did not follow the
design rules and displayed Apple in a negative light, resulting in Apple refusing to approve the
Phone Story application. Applications that do not follow the strict guidelines of Apple’s core
philosophies are not released. Through this detail-oriented, consistency of messaging, Apple
attempts to standardize product experiences for their consumer. This tends to cause backlash with
the socially focused individuals, software and app developers and humanitarian companies who
want to generate social awareness regarding technology.
Loyal Apple consumers value the interface’s ease of using the design software, the
emotional experience, beautiful hardware, and packaging. Apple’s philosophy is rooted in
industrial and graphic design software. Their detailed-oriented and visual-based corporation has
created a user following that enjoys software that works with photography, industrial, interactive
and graphic design, video production, music and social media. As a result, Apple’s consumer
base tends to be more focused on the visual and emotional experience of interacting with devices.
NPR reporter, Brian Cooley (2011) states that
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5. Apple’s Doctrine of Marketing
What [Apple does] is they packaged together the use case [smartphone, MP3
players, podcasts] and present[s] that to you and you say, oh, I get it. That's how I
use it. Don't sell me a product, sell me an experience. (Cooley, 2011)
Apple increases the experience of using their products by insuring that users do not have
to sort through low-quality Apple products. This helps to weed out potential negative
experiences. The simple, high gloss and smooth industrial design of their products combined with
the elegant interaction of their software affords consumers the opportunity to incorporate the
beauty into their daily experience. Senior Interactive Design student at Simon Fraser University,
Michael Farrell (personal communication, November 19, 2011) points out that “The hardware is
the same” between Apple’s Mac computers and other PCs but “the OS can be changed without
changing the Mac experience”. This leaves the Mac experience defined mostly by the design of
the hardware.
Most consumers spend a lot effort making decisions when purchasing new technological
products. The packaging and presentation of Apple devices is designed for the least amount of
visual distraction and decision-making. The packaging of Apple products is focused on the design
and emotional connection, using white space carefully and only listing the few, required hardware
specifications and compatibility. The Apple’s marketing combines maximal ease of purchasing
and enjoyment into what is considered by most standards to be a beautifully crafted computing
experience. This is reflected in Simpson’s observation that “novelty was not Steve [Jobs] highest
value. Beauty was.” (Simpson, 2011)
An additional reason why consumers identify with Apple experience of products is due to
the integration of Steve Job’s core values into the core of Apple’s design philosophy. Bhargava’s
believes
Much of the behavioural culture at the core of Apple is an example of a man who
showed the world how much one can achieve when they are inspired, Steve Jobs.
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6. Apple’s Doctrine of Marketing
His passion, purpose and simplicity translated into a user following. (Bhargava,
2011)
Blog posts, articles and explosive social media threads indicate that Apple followers have
priorities based on beauty, ease of use and confidence in the ideal. Cooley (2011) mentions that
“compared to its competitors, [Apple] sell[s] confidence, not just electronics.”
Easier decision-making, the presence of less stress and the prevalence of simplicity
contribute to the fascination of the Apple experience. Like Jobs, Apple users avoid complicated
systems, preferring simpler options, viewing troubleshooting as a waste of time, source of
unnecessary frustration and generally prefer handing it off to technical support to be fixed. Also,
Mac based accessories have a limited compatibility with other PCs whereby narrowing the user’s
choice of options to buy. According to Cooley (2011),
A lot of companies sell [users] a toolbox. They sell you a laptop that has
everything in there, and you have to kind of figure it out a little more than with an
Apple product that may have less… Apple absolutely tends to churn out products
that do less [with] their smartphones and their media players. (Cooley, 2011)
According to Scientific American (2004), individuals with a similar certain cognitive framework
use the decision-making process of “satisficing” to reduce choices and anxiety. From my
observations, Apple users tend to use satisficing techniques versus “maximizing”, a decisionmaking method based broadening of choices. Barry Schwartz PhD, a Swarthmore College
psychologist and author of "The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less" writes in Scientific
American,
Naturally, no one can check out ever option, but maximizers strive toward that
goal, …, after making a selection they are nagged by the alternatives they have
not had time to investigate… [and] they are more prone to experiencing regret
after a purchase. (Schwartz, 2011)
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7. Apple’s Doctrine of Marketing
According to the April issue of Journal of Personality and Social Psychology published
by the American Psychological Association (2004) a technique called the “Paradox of Choice,” is
a theory based on ‘why more is less’. For example, Kathleen D. Vohs, PhD, a case study’s lead
author and a member of the University of Minnesota’s marketing department concluded, “making
choices apparently depletes a precious resource within the human mind…making a few enjoyable
decisions, such as spending four minutes selecting items for a gift registry, was shown to be less
mentally draining than when participants spent 12 minutes doing the same task”. (American
Psychological Association, 2004). This proves that Apple’s focus on simplicity, providing fewer
options, and reducing information resonates with their consumer base. According to Brian Cooley
(2011), Apple products “tend to be very satisfying for all…[except for] the most technicallydemanding users who may want greater flexibility, greater hack-ability, [and] more choice.”
Thematic patterns also show that Apple users have a preference for automation and
synchronization. Apple’s debut to the mass markets occurred when they came out with the
integration of the iPod and iTunes, a popular portal for synchronizing devices. Non-Apple users
in comparison tend to prefer researching their own music management and other portal type
software.
Apple’s marketing doctrine is made of the integration of passion, purpose and simplicity
that were Steve Job’s values. The user culture consequently shares these values and supports the
late Steve Job’s story of inspiration. The resulting design of Apple products reflects their extreme
users’ natural behaviour. These defined values help Apple maintain a close approach that is
unique among businesses and generates mixed feedback. Due to their focused strategies and
policies, Apple’s marketing team has increased their success by creating a perceived need and
demand for their beautiful products to generate corporate growth and profit.
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8. Tink Newman - IAT 309W - 301116260
References
American Psychological Association. (June, 2004). Monitor on Psychology: Too Many Choices?
American Psychological Association. Vol.35(6), 56. Retrieved from http://www.physorg.com
Apple Developer. (October 12, 2011). iOS Human Interface Guidelines. iOS Developer Library.
Retrieved from http://developer.apple.com/library
Bhargava, R. (August 27, 2008). The Real Secret to Apple’s Success. Influencial Marketing Blog.
Retrieved from http://www.rohitbhargava.com.
Cooley, B. (August 25, 2011). National Public Radio (NPR). Transcript- How Steve Jobs Ran Apple.
The Talk of the Nation [Radio show]. Retrieved from Nexis.com.
Lapoix, S. (May 9, 2011). Planned Obsolescense: How Companies Encourage Hyperconsumpsion. Owni.edu.
Retrieved from http://owni.eu.
Schwartz, B. (December, 2004). The Tyranny of Choice. Scientific American. [Magazine].
Retrieved from www.swarthmore.edu.
Simpson, M. (October 30, 2011). A Sister’s Eulogy for Steve Jobs.The New York Times.
Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com.