What Is It That Makes Apple Products So Successful?

No matter what you think about Apple and their products, there’s no denying that they are highly successful and certainly have been incredibly successful. The iPod completely changed the music industry, the iPhone pretty much gave birth to smartphones as we know them, and the iPad was one of the fastest selling new products ever. Android might now be giving Apple a run for their money, and they may have lost some of the momentum that they had under Jobs, but there’s no denying that the products have a massive appeal and a certain ‘magic’ that sets them apart.

So what is it that makes these items so great? Why do Apple products fly off the shelves when others don’t? Let’s take a closer look at what gives them their unique charm.

Build Quality and Brand Power

The first thing that sets Apple products apart, and that Jobs was so famous for, is their attention to detail that results in such incredible build quality. While Samsung are well known for using flimsy plastic in their builds, Apple have always stuck to brushed aluminium that gives them a ‘premium’ feel. When you combine this with the incredibly minimalistic aesthetic (one screen, one button) and the beautiful typography of the UI, you have something that looks as good as it performs. What this then does is to give those items a great ‘wow-factor’ that is missing from the competition and that makes people stop in the streets to admire them.

The Story and the Cult

Steve Jobs was adamant that people identify more with products when there is a story behind them, and that has certainly always been true of his own products. One of Apple’s greatest assets you see has always been Steve Jobs himself – there to help promote the products and show them off in a great light, and a compelling figure that many people can identify with.

It helps for one that Jobs’ keynote speeches were so legendary. His passion and his enthusiasm rubbed off on the crowd and made people truly excited for his products. Better yet, his own story – the way he built Apple from the ground up, and the way he had to fight his way back into the company – only made it all the more interesting. Apple often felt like an underdog while at the same time feeling like a cutting edge company that had an air of ‘cool’ and a whole cult surrounding it. Buying an iPhone is almost like joining a ‘members-only’ club.

The Software and Hardware

But let’s not overlook another important fact: Apple products are just really good. Today Apple are accused of lacking innovation and it’s hard not to agree, but at the same time their products are still top of the range. The iPhone 5S may not be that much different from the 5, but it still has one of the best screens on the market, one of the best processors, one of the coolest new hardware features (the fingerprint ID) and by far the best ecosystem of apps.

And when the iPhone first came out? There was nothing like it – the touchscreen was revolutionary, the app store was a revelation, and the connectivity was life-changing. With the iPad and the iPod it was the same story.

And once you buy into the Apple ecosystem, you quickly learn that there’s no getting out – once you’ve bought a few songs, apps and films on the app store you’ll need to stick with your Apple products to use them and this ‘walled garden’ leaves little incentive to leave.

The Future

So this is what has made Apple so successful in the past. They will continue being successful as long as they maintain their ecosystem, they keep putting so much effort into their products, and people remember how they got there. Still though, a little of the innovation and the charisma that made Jobs such a great leader wouldn’t go amiss – there are only so many iterations on the same iPhone device that they can get away with.

Featured images:

•  License: Creative Commons image source
•  License: Creative Commons image source
•  License: Creative Commons image source
•  License: Creative Commons image source

Nancy Baker, the author of this article, is a freelance blogger who is currently writing for WantBuyLetBuy, professional electronic accessories supplier based in Hong Kong.  She enjoys painting and sketching and has an eye for detail. You can get in touch with Nancy on Twitter @Nancy_Baker.