Apple is notorious for making us want things we don’t need.
Think about it.
A few weeks ago, they dropped the kaliedascope 5c and the FBI-inspired 5s with fingerprint recognition.
And who bought those phones?
Were they iPhone newbies eager to own their first iPhone?
No.
Invariably, they were iPhone veterans stepping up to the latest and greatest.
Although if you copped the 5c you were actually stepping down.
I digress.
Folks who stood in the long lines or pre-ordered a new iPhone probably had nothing wrong with their current devices.
The only thing wrong, was that a new iPhone had just dropped.
More likely than not, they were salivating over all the features the 5s had to offer, and looked upon their current phones with disgust.
Why can’t you be more like the 5s?
But if they were already on the 5, which countless millions were, the 5c and 5s were nothing more than Apple’s oft-rehearsed slight of hand.
A shell game as it were.
Seriously, how many times have they run this play?
Get us all hot and heavy for the latest iPhone.
Queue us up like lambs to the slaughter, waiting in long lines to pay a pound of flesh for our shiny new bauble.
Let us bask in its shiny newness for a hot minute.
Only to drop a better, shinier, more feature-filled device immediately thereafter.
And the cycle begins anew.
Why do we fall for it?
Are we stupid?
Is obsolescence that quick?
Do their upgraded devices simply work so well that we can’t live without them?
Or is Apple’s marketing that persuasive?
I’m going to go with “Apple knows a mark when they see one.”
That’s right.
We’re all a bunch of hopeless marks.
Seriously.
What is the 5s anyway?
A new OS?
No. They released iOS 7 and you didn’t need a new phone to get it.
A new shape?
Nope. It’s the same body shape as the current 5. Buttons, ports, everything’s in the same place.
Fingerprint recognition?
Not likely, since it’s universally acknowledged that its the most nonsecure method of protecting your device.
I can’t imagine that we’re falling over ourselves to cop a new phone for that useless feature.
The “gold” back plate and accents?
Nah. Sure that little gold “O” around the home button is kinda sexy, but not everyone likes gold or could get that limited edition.
And the vanity factor is quickly eliminated once you drop it in a protective sleeve (like I do).
So what Made Apple so sure of themselves?
One little letter: “s.”
Adding an “s” to any of their phones makes us crazy.
Think about it.
3gs. 4s. 5s.
Every time they released an “s” phone, cats queued up.
We didn’t know that that effin’ “s” meant, but we knew we had to have it.
It’s got an “s” in it’s name, damn it! Get out of my way!
While some surmise that the S stood for Siri, Apple’s voice assistant, that theory fails to pass muster when other iOS devices also have Siri – and no “s”.
Others suggest that the “s” could stand for “special” or “super” or even “speed.”
No. No. No.
I’m going to let you in on a little secret.
It took me months of clandestine research, bribes and subterfuge to uncover this information.
“S” is a highly classified designation at Apple.
It applies to a select subset of products.
Ready?
The “s” stands for “sucka.”
Which is what you are for falling for Apple’s little tricks time and time again.
Present company included.
Damn you Apple!
Stephen Chukumba 