The Fate of Designer Technology
A few thoughts on this news article:
Apple Inc.'s technology has a reputation for clean designs and simple user experiences. I like to call this designer technology. In terms of specifications, its hardware is equivalent to what is provided by less expensive brands. This implies that its market advantage over other technology relies entirely on whether consumers believe it has a superior design. Can a company that only builds designer technology survive in the industry? As cheap companies grow faster and larger every year, it is much easier for them to create better designs and user experiences. But if quality designs become the standard for technology, wherein lies the competitive advantage of designer companies? In a market of designer technology ubiquity, a product's worth shifts from being relational to intrinsic. This is where technology ventures into the strange world of fashion, branding, and whims.
Apple Inc.'s technology has a reputation for clean designs and simple user experiences. I like to call this designer technology. In terms of specifications, its hardware is equivalent to what is provided by less expensive brands. This implies that its market advantage over other technology relies entirely on whether consumers believe it has a superior design. Can a company that only builds designer technology survive in the industry? As cheap companies grow faster and larger every year, it is much easier for them to create better designs and user experiences. But if quality designs become the standard for technology, wherein lies the competitive advantage of designer companies? In a market of designer technology ubiquity, a product's worth shifts from being relational to intrinsic. This is where technology ventures into the strange world of fashion, branding, and whims.
I'd never really considered this before - that companies that follow a similar philosophy to apple cause products to be evaluated by popular culture's antics, rather than by the intrinsic value of the product and its technology. And like you alluded, popular culture's preferences are shaky at best. I hadn't though about it quite like this before - great perspective! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteCompanies who thrive on designer technology generally thrive due to a skilled marketing team; once the product loses the trust of its users, the brand falters. It is going to be interesting to see how Apple tries to recover its image after this catastrophe!
ReplyDeleteOn the topic of better quality products, companies have to be realistic, if they spend more money making a higher quality product then they lose money on the sales and also their end user will be less inclined to purchase a new product from them if their older products still work perfectly. Great post!
I've thought about this same thing before as I've heard others mention the same using Apple as the prime example. It really is interesting to see how the market fluctuates in regards to design vs functionality. Designer technology can often be a disadvantage as it is less functional however, it can be perfect for somebody who simply uses a computer for word processing and browsing the web. I think the quality designs and designer technology, as you put them, are simply geared toward different crowds.
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