IMC Hawks Blog

Tag: iPhone 5

  • The Apple of Consumers’ Eye

    Everyone wants a bite of the Apple – Apple Inc., that is. The company has innovated the world of technology ever since the release of its first computer in 1976. Since then we have witnessed the evolution of all of their products, particularly the iPhone. Extreme supporters of the brand have been known to camp out in line for hours, even days, to get their hands on the newest version of the phone, and on any given day it’s not uncommon to hear the familiar sound of the iPhone ringtone. So what’s the secret to their success? The answer is their brand management.

    Part of the allure of Apple is its exclusivity. Apple Inc. was originally thought of as a company that offered products for rich professionals ahead of their time, and Apple seemed to be ok with that.  However, the creation of the iPod and then the iPhone expanded Apple’s brand to reach a larger demographic. The iPhone was groundbreaking in its launch in 2007 because it offered its customers an innovative smart phone, at a price that was in reach of most middle class Americans. Despite the fact that the iPhone was still significantly more expensive than others at the time, more people were able to join the Apple family because it was cheaper than many of its other products. People that purchased the iPhone still had money, but could justify spending the extra cash for the features it provided. Even today the iPhone is arguably in a class of its own, and has become the gold standard in the smart phone industry.  But the craze hasn’t ended. Apple announced it would be releasing not one, but two new significantly different, versions of the iPhone this fall: the iPhone 5s, and iPhone 5c.

    The iPhone 5s is aimed at the same people who Apple has always targeted. It is the advanced version of the 5– still pricey, with the same design of its glass face and back. The newest features include on top of other things, a fingerprint scanner, higher quality camera, and a faster processor. The 5s also comes with a new top of the line operating system, the iOS 7, which technology enthusiasts everywhere have been excitedly waiting for. The 5c is in a completely different playing field.

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    The iPhone 5c is aimed at a different audience that Apple has never acknowledged. Operating under the new iOS 7 system, the 5c features improvements to the iPhone 5 such as longer battery life, the ability to support more LTE bands, and a slightly improved FaceTime camera. But here is the difference–the design and price. The 5c is plastic and comes in five different colors, and for a 16 GB iPhone 5c you will pay only $99 dollars. This is a 100-dollar difference from the starting price of the iPhone 5s and previous iPhone releases. Apple seems to be catering to potential customers that may not have been able to enjoy the apple experience due to high prices. So why the big change, Apple?

    James Twitchell, author of Branded Nation says, “Pay attention to your brand or lose your business” and CEO Tim Cook explained in Apple’s September keynote speech, “This allows us to serve even more customers.” So what do we make of all of this? With market prices that are less expensive than the average competitor prices, Apple appears to be confident reaching out to the completely new demographic. But will this help them beat out competition? Is it showing the public that competition has become a threat to the all-mighty iPhone? Will it turn off loyal customers who pride themselves in being able to afford the Apple experience? Only time will tell if introducing the 5c with the 5s will benefit the Apple brand.

    -Caroline Robinson, Jade Lester, Meghan Carey, Morgan Jones, Savannah Valade

  • The Galaxy S4

    What could be better than Siri you ask? Apple better watch out because they may have recently developed a new top competitor. Samsung’s newest phone the Galaxy S4 is soon to be released at the end of April 2013. The Galaxy S4’s, or GS4, dimensions and weight are slightly larger than the iPhone5, but so is the screen size for those who like to see a bigger picture.

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    The GS4 processing speed is 1 .9GHz with the Android 4.2.2 operating system, which is considerably faster, than iPhone5’s processing speed of 1 GHz on the iOS operating system. To see a table of more comparisons, click this link. When it comes to the camera, GS4’s Super AMOLED panel at 441 pixels per inch is significantly denser than iPhone5’s 326 pixels per inch. The GS4 camera also has crazy new features such as the recording of front and back cameras at the same time.

    So what new technological features does the Galaxy S4 have that could really disperse the iPhone fanatics? When choosing between the Galaxy S4 and the iPhone5 the design, display, apps, and processing system are all based on individual preference, but the Galaxy S4 interface is just on a completely new level. PC mag.com states, “Android features a much more customizable interface for advanced users, which lets you configure your phone exactly how you want it.” The interface has a feature called Air Gestures, which includes motion sensors of hand movements to control the display with out even touching the screen. They have Smart Stay, which tracks your eyes to tell if you are looking at the screen. If you are watching a video, Smart Pause will automatically pause the video for you when you look away. Smart Scroll will check when you are reading a scroll up and down when you tilt the device.

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    This April we will all be able to see for ourselves if the iPhone has a real competitor; and if Samsung’s new features using hand and eye sensors are handy to use on a day-to-day basis or just plain creepy!

    -Kelsey Raskob

  • The Next Big Thing… Coming Soon.

    Have YOU had the Cool Ranch Doritos Locos taco yet?  I can’t say that I was waiting anxiously outside of my local Taco Bell on March 7th when this new wonder debuted, but millions of taco fans could barely contain their excitement.  Not convinced?  Follow Taco Bell on Twitter or Facebook and you’ll experience the overwhelming response.  On March 4th Taco Bell announced via social media that fans could get the new Cool Ranch DLT (Doritos Locos Taco) a day early and the response was a mix of joy and outrage.  Many fans hopped on the chance to indulge while others were shocked to discover that their local chain had not gotten the memo.

    It seems that Taco Bell knows exactly what their fans want and have aimed to deliver.  In fact, the franchise has focused their advertising for the new DLT on their fans.  Working their fan base, the earliest announcements of the new taco came in the form of teasers, meant to fuel the DLT craze and build anticipation.

    Next came a series of ads featuring tweets from fans about the new taco sensation. Since the rise of social media, companies have been able to receive more direct feedback from their fans and have taken advantage of this in their ads.  Through these ads Taco Bell is not only able to highlight fan comments, but also feature these fans in the ad, emphasizing their delight in finally having the Cool Ranch DLT.


    Starting to sound familiar? You might be thinking back to the iPhone 5 and Apple’s promise to finally deliver all of the features that fans have been anxiously awaiting.  So is this new, fan-based advertising genius or overdone?  That’s up for us as consumers to decide.  After all, gone are the days of simply consuming advertising.  Today, we can all be a part of the magic behind the ads.

    – Ally Walton

  • Remember When… “Apple” Was Just A Fruit?

    Who could forget the first time we were able to hold hundreds of songs from our entire CD collection in the palm of our hand?  Or how about the first time we could browse through every artist in our musical arsenal with a gentle swipe of the thumb?  Today, Apple has taken the world by storm with a variety of products that all date back to the original iPod MP3 player, which was released on October 23, 2001.  This sleek invention took the world by storm by allowing people to store hours upon hours of music into a relatively small device that could easily fit in your pocket.  The era of cassette tapes and Walkman CD players had reached an end after the iPod hit the shelves.

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    Almost six years later, on June 29, 2007, Apple had another technological breakthrough with the release of the highly anticipated iPhone.  The iPhone was a combination of an iPod, phone, camera, and mini computer and gave consumers a more media based alternative to the then popular Blackberry.  People were now able to make phone calls, listen to music, take pictures and surf the web with one sleek, pocket-sized device.

    Since then, Apple has consistently raised the bar by releasing new versions of the iPod and iPhone with new features and abilities that keep people wondering, “what will they do next?”

    On Wednesday, Apple unveiled the newest generations of the iPod touch, iPod nano, and the iPhone 5 to a public who was highly anticipating the “next big thing” in the technology market. Although the new iPod touch and nano caught a lot of attention with their new sleek, colorful design and advances in features such as the camera and the display, the iPhone 5 was the hottest topic.Image

    Over the past year, Apple fanatics have been wondering how the iPhone 4s could ever be topped. Before the unveiling, there were rumors that the iPhone 5 would come in many different colors, have a larger screen, and be made of liquid metal. After all of the hype, everyone fell silent around 10:00am on Wednesday, September 12, 2012 and finally caught a glimpse of the newest iPhone. Although it does not come in colors or liquid metal, the iPhone 5 has some notable changes in appearance.  At 7.6 mm thin, the iPhone is the thinnest and lightest smart phone on the market. In order to make the phone even lighter, the touch screen has also been altered and layers have been removed, increasing the clarity of the screen. Although the phone is thinner, it is a bit taller than the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4s.  Borrowing from the extremely popular MacBook, Apple has chosen to make the iPhone 5 from a combination of aluminum and glass.

    The sleek, sexy new design is not the only advantage of the newest iPhone.  For the photographer, Apple has included a camera with the ability to take panoramic shots, record HD video, and make edits.  Everyone’s favorite celebrity, Siri, has gotten even smarter than before and is capable of answering more questions.  A new application, called Passbook, is there to keep all of your tickets, boarding passes, and gift cards in one easy to reach spot.

    The iPhone 5 certainly has major developments, but will it be enough for people to trade in their iPhone 4s? Apple is marketing their newest creation as “the biggest thing to happen to iPhone since iPhone.” Many people believe that Apple has a tendency to sell society things they never realized they really needed and wanted until Apple told them it was important. Will their marketing techniques work? Or will people settle for holding on to their iPhone 4s for a little while longer?

    – Jessie Butner, Meaghan Beam, Zach Abramo, Jack Lane