Why the gold iPhone 5s is a hit

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
By Don Reisinger | SlashGear

Apple’s decision to build a gold-colored iPhone 5s is about more than just offering another color to consumers. For one thing, the margins are quite high on the device, and the more colors it offers, the more money it can make. But there’s more to the gold iPhone than meets the eye at first blush: it’ll be the bestselling iPhone yet.
As history has proven, Apple’s customers really, really like when the company delivers new colors to its handsets. When Apple started selling the white iPhone, for example, it became an immediate hit.

Now Apple is breaking into the mobile space with a golden iPhone. And I’m here to tell you, beyond a shadow of doubt, that the golden iPhone will quickly establish itself as the bestselling iPhone ever.

So, why might that be? It has everything to do with the color, of course. The device has, as mentioned, the luxury of being the new color on the market, which lends immediate appeal to consumers. And since Apple is pushing the gold color even more than the others, you can bet that all that marketing help will spur more sales.
But perhaps the biggest reason the gold iPhone will be successful has nothing to do with Apple and everything to do with the average consumer’s desire to have a product in their pocket that reflects well upon them.

One of the most important moves Apple has made over the last decade was to bring the technology industry out of the geeky niche it was living in and into the mainstream. Starting with the iPod and then extending to Macs, iPhones, and now iPads, Apple has realized that what customers really want is a great-looking device that says something about them. To own a Mac means a person is stylish and a success. And they want the world to know it.

A gold iPhone is another one of those devices that says something about the person who owns it. I can see the gold iPhone finding its way into the hands of the fashion-minded who want a device that reflects their personality or personal style. It sounds rather cliché to say that an iPhone can be a functional fashion accessory, but believe it or not, it’s exactly that. And more people than ever care about how an iPhone melds into their personal style.

Of course, there’s also a bit of an ego involved here. Some folks just like to show others that they have the latest and greatest iPhone, and the best way to differentiate their purchase from those old, outdated iPhone 5 units is to get the gold color. Don’t think some people think like that? Think again.
In an odd way, smartphone purchases can teach us lessons about each other. There was a time when having technology products was simply for those who wanted to do something and get work done. Nowadays, technology products are an extension of who we are and what we want to convey to the world.
And it’s that reality – the very fact that people want to make a statement with their smartphones – that will make the gold iPhone a winner.
 

amirm

Banned
Apr 2, 2010
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Seattle, WA
I don't agree with most of what he says. What would a very light-colored gold phone say about me? It is not like it is a solid gold like a Rolex watch. A number of reviews I have read actually say the writer prefers a different color.

This is the reason the gold might be very popular is as he says:

"Of course, there’s also a bit of an ego involved here. Some folks just like to show others that they have the latest and greatest iPhone, and the best way to differentiate their purchase from those old, outdated iPhone 5 units is to get the gold color. Don’t think some people think like that? Think again."

It is not a bit of ego. It is a lot of ego! By the same token that people line up for hours to buy Apple's new phones, a lot of people are motivated to show off the next day that they have the newest Apple gadget and the new color gives them that. And the gold is the most talked about color and associated with iPhone 5s so likely that will be the most popular.
 

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
There is no question about the validity of your argument Amir

I was having lunch yesterday at our golf club and happened to see this gold Mercedes SLS AMG. There were people standing there with their jaws dropped as they gawked at this car

sls1.jpg

sls2.jpg

sls3.jpg
 

asiufy

Industry Expert/VIP Donor
Jul 8, 2011
3,711
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almaaudio.com
I posted here the other day an anecdote, how my wife (and her friends/acquaintances) were going crazy over the gold iPhone 5S, and defended the decision as Apple just targeting a different consumer than usual. So, there's the result.
Sure, the usual Apple consumers were expecting more out of the 5S, and didn't find much appeal on what eventually came out, features-wise. So, why not target a different demographic? Thus, gold iPhone.
Right now, I wouldn't buy one for myself. I'd stick to the black one, but perhaps looking at one in person would change my mind. But I'll give you that I'm in no hurry to replace my current iPhone 5.

alexandre
 

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
I posted here the other day an anecdote, how my wife (and her friends/acquaintances) were going crazy over the gold iPhone 5S, and defended the decision as Apple just targeting a different consumer than usual. So, there's the result.
Sure, the usual Apple consumers were expecting more out of the 5S, and didn't find much appeal on what eventually came out, features-wise. So, why not target a different demographic? Thus, gold iPhone.
Right now, I wouldn't buy one for myself. I'd stick to the black one, but perhaps looking at one in person would change my mind. But I'll give you that I'm in no hurry to replace my current iPhone 5.

alexandre

I am tending to want to hold onto my 4S until the 6 comes out with a larger screen. In the mean while I am running iOS7 on my 4S
 

JackD201

WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
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Manila, Philippines
Color matters. One need only look at what actually brought apple into the mainstream in terms of personal computing. They crossed over from "art" applications (audio, graphic design) into the home with the launch of the candy colored iMacs. If I'm not mistaken I think it was actually the first "i" product from Apple. It looks to me that they are bringing back some fun and whimsy with 5S gold and 5C. Apple industrial design in the last few years has been more towards clean and sleek which to my eyes in this regard, they better all competitors. Sexy yes, fun, not so much.

I haven't gone iOS 7 yet because I've been burned by ver 1.0 releases all too many times but I was looking at my daughter's phone. I noticed that they seem to be trying to emulate a transparent handset.
 

cjfrbw

Well-Known Member
Apr 20, 2010
3,356
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Pleasanton, CA
Only reason I have a basic cell phone is because my wife wanted her own and we wanted walkie talkies for when we separated. I use it about twice a month, if that.

I bought a 3g version ipod for listening to music on the go, only noticed after buying it that it had the rest of the functionality, but only played with it a few times by going on the internet when waiting at the gym.

Can't say I regret being a dinosaur, don't really have any desire for these new phones, but I would probably have one if I were still in business with the office internet integrated because that seems the main utility.

I am curious to see how many people flying all the way to Colorado and going to the RMAF dinner will spend two thirds of their time at the dinner bent over cell phones.
 

mep

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Apr 20, 2010
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Only reason I have a basic cell phone is because my wife wanted her own and we wanted walkie talkies for when we separated. I use it about twice a month, if that.

I bought a 3g version ipod for listening to music on the go, only noticed after buying it that it had the rest of the functionality, but only played with it a few times by going on the internet when waiting at the gym.

Can't say I regret being a dinosaur, don't really have any desire for these new phones, but I would probably have one if I were still in business with the office internet integrated because that seems the main utility.

I am curious to see how many people flying all the way to Colorado and going to the RMAF dinner will spend two thirds of their time at the dinner bent over cell phones.

You won't see me bent over mine. I really don't care for cell phones and the cell phone culture very much. I have a Blackberry at work and while all of the managers bring their Blackberry to every meeting and pretend they are listening while they are poring over their precious emails, my Blackberry is back in my office. My Iphone comes in handy when I'm waiting at the doctor's office, dentist office, or whatever and I will play Sudoku puzzles to kill time.
 

Whatmore

Well-Known Member
Jun 2, 2011
1,011
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Melbourne, Australia
Now, from the company that revolutionised the cellphone market, the company that created the tablet market.....we present the latest great leap forward... A gold coloured phone!!!

How the mighty fall
 

FrantzM

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
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Now, from the company that revolutionised the cellphone market, the company that created the tablet market.....we present the latest great leap forward... A gold coloured phone!!!

How the mighty fall

Judging by the lines of people waiting for their iPhone 5s, The news about their fall is greatly exaggerated. I don't know however if Apple can keep presenting laggard products for a long time. Even the hardest fan will have to admit that the products is simply a re-hash, nothing revolutionary, it could be said it still lags behind super phone such as the HTC One and Samsung S4... As for the gold colored iPhone ...

As an aside I don't think the iMac came back to life because it was colorful. It was an effort to present a easy to use, yet sophisticated alternative to the Windows world and on that it did get a few people to switch... The number of people who did switch remains very small, their share of the desktop market remains small. Less than 10 % for sure.
 

JackD201

WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
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I think it was Nokia and Sony Ericcson's smartphones that got the ball rolling (much to the dismay of Palm). RIM then hit the two hard, very hard then dominated.

As for Apple, it was a bit more backdoor. The iPod had become so ubiquitous that every iPod owner was wondering when the heck they'd make a phone. For us Apple users, syncing and device to device migration had always been an issue. This is something the iPhone 1 solved even if IMO the iPhone was a toy compared to say my Blackberry Bold 2.

Contact and mail syncing and migration was something Google/Android also did very easily from the get go.

Now I find it a bit humorous and sometimes irritating that "smart phone" use by the mass market is no longer about productivity like the early days. Games a bit after that. These days it's about "selfies" and taking pics of every plate of food ordered at restaurants.
 

mep

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
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Some people think everything they do during the day is highly interesting and needs to be shared with everyone around the world.
 

JackD201

WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
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That or short term memory has reached such a low point that people need polaroids and notes like that guy in the movie Memento.
 

Matt193

Well-Known Member
Mar 21, 2011
193
0
323
Wisconsin
Now, from the company that revolutionised the cellphone market, the company that created the tablet market.....we present the latest great leap forward... A gold coloured phone!!!

How the mighty fall

Except Motorola beat them to it with the gold Razr V3 and Razr2 :)

motorola-v3xx-gold-l.jpg moto-v9-razr2-gold.JPG
 

Old Listener

New Member
Jul 18, 2010
371
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SF Bay area
naturelover.smugmug.com
This is the reason the gold might be very popular is as he says:

"Of course, there’s also a bit of an ego involved here. Some folks just like to show others that they have the latest and greatest iPhone, and the best way to differentiate their purchase from those old, outdated iPhone 5 units is to get the gold color. Don’t think some people think like that? Think again."

It is not a bit of ego. It is a lot of ego! By the same token that people line up for hours to buy Apple's new phones, a lot of people are motivated to show off the next day that they have the newest Apple gadget and the new color gives them that. And the gold is the most talked about color and associated with iPhone 5s so likely that will be the most popular.

iPhone, therefore I am.

I'm looking forward to a platinum edition and a tenth anniversary model with an engraved likeness of Steve Jobs.
 

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