I stepped off a train in London one morning and it struck me how many genuine and knock-off Barbour quilted jackets were among the commuter throng. And it made me think about just how commonplace they’ve become to the point that they’ve diluted their own brand image. “By Appointment to Her Majesty” has now become "By Appointment to Everyone".
It's the same with the Hipster trend. Humans naturally struggle with their own identity so seek to adopt one from a group to feel included. Individuality is lost to conformity.
And that’s not necessarily a good thing. Conformity and ubiquity are a dangerous combination.
The same is happening in technology circles.
Apple, to a greater extent, is forcing consumers to conform to the way it wants the world to work.
Conversely, Android’s presence has been fragmented across a myriad of OEM devices and while this actually causes a headache for developers, for consumers they feel slightly more exclusive to owning an Android-powered device because of the opposite to Apple: Many products against one OS offers more choice and personalisation.
It’s almost seen as a left-field choice, exactly the same position that Apple were in during the old
As
I know, it shouldn’t make much sense.
Take the review of the Apple Watch here on Forbes. This is a gorgeous device that has no real purpose yet. Coupled with the fact that it tries to satisfy everything at once I got a clear sense that Apple is trying a little too hard. They've lost the steam to really innovate so instead create a one-device-fits-all smartwatch. But again, you are forced to conform to using the Apple ecosystem in order for it to work. It will seamlessly integrate with your life as long as become just like all the rest; individuality is lost to ubiquity once more.
And here comes Apple Music, a direct shot in the chest at Spotify in the hope the ambulance doesn't arrive in time to revive it. You can only enjoy it if you use iTunes. Beats1 tells you what to listen to because, after all, it's curated by humans so must be more trustworthy and credible than an algorithm. Right ? Right ?
Now Apple is telling you what your musical taste is. And you will become uniform with the rest of the listeners over time. I doubt anyone will ever hear the Faithless classic Insomnia being played over Beats1...
It reminds me of a similar editorial here on Forbes, how Apple's audacity is changing human evolution. What gives Apple the right to change the World ?
I’ve been with Apple for years now but I’m growing tired with the lack of differentiation. I won’t give up some of the things that make Apple great for me; the Mac for a start, but the iDevices no longer offer the personal choice and personalization I want from a tablet, watch or phone. I actually miss troubleshooting and getting under the hood because I want to learn more.
A product for the masses sometimes isn’t a good thing for everyone else.
It’s sounds like techno-snobbery but I don’t want the guy standing next to me to have exactly the same thing I do. I don’t want the dependence on a singular ecosystem that I then have to spend a lot of time untangling when I leave it behind. But then I could just succumb to it because I don't want to spend that effort. And Apple's work is done.
Ubiquity and conformity makes for a complacent consumer. And that's a dangerous combination.
(h/t to Alex Cheek for sparking this one)
