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Consumer Behaviour Essay

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Symbolic Consumption: The iPhone

In this era of emerging economies and growing globalisation, the demand for symbolic goods continues to expand, and at a fast rate. With recent advances in technologies such as personal digital assistants (PDA’s), satellite/tracking devices, mobile phones and many others springing up almost every day, it is not surprising that consumers would be willing to part with large amounts of cash for these products. One of such technological advancement is the iPhone, a fascinating instance of adaptation, which is fast becoming a most sought after brand. The issue however is whether this new technological advancement of the iPhone is going to be a continuous trend or will just fizzle out in the nearer future.
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Its wonderful features, such as its advanced touch screen, huge memory and great design, have been widely recognised (Magaudda 2010). Constant access to the internet, searches, and email, coupled with the ability to navigate unfamiliar areas with GPS adds value (Bodker et al 2009). However, what is probably the most relevant element in the iPhone's success lies in its new operating system and the possibility for users of buying applications from the Applications Store, an online store from where a huge number of applications can be downloaded (in September 2010, more than 250,000 apps were available) (Magaudda 2010). AT&T launched a 3G network and became the exclusive retailer for the Apple iPhone, which had sold approximately 85 million units by 2010 since its release (Sander and Slater 2010). According to Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO, the iPhone is recognised as being a revolutionary and magical product that is literally five years ahead of any other mobile phone (Apple 2007).
Nevertheless, the iPhone experiences are not only limited to the consumption of functionalities. The device has also been domesticated and appropriated within its user’s cultural domains, consciousness, everyday languages and identity (Walker et al. 2008). As Blokdijk (2008) contends, most people view their iPhone as more than just an ordinary phone, as an expression of the self. To them, the

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