Dedicating this post to my oh-so-amazing-and-awesome BB9900.
I'm sure it was a matter of time before i had to do an entry about my fierce loyalty to the BB and my consistent disdain for the iphone.
I must be quite a strange character. Incredibly stubborn. But i have my reasons for my love:
I get the best of both worlds: touch screen & the qwerty keypad. i need to FEEL the buttons when i type. I just refuse to be like the billions of iphone users. I would compare it to playing vinyls and using the Serato for a DJ. It's different, ask Sven Vath- he played a full vinyl set at Zouk last week.
Don't mistake me. I have the utmost respect for a genius like Steve Jobs. I haven't started reading the auto-biography on him, but it's sitting by the side of my bed, waiting to be read and waiting for me to be inspired, which i'm very sure i would be. Just because i don't use his products, it doesn't mean that i don't respect him for what he has achieved with the brand.
In fact, when someone asked me recently, if you left Zouk, which huge retail brand would you work for, because you could really choose to work for any brand you want based on your experience. My instant reply was APPLE. We are talking innovation & keeping up with the demands of society's 'supposed' needs, creating the concept & perception of convenience meeting flawless design. Incredibly intelligent marketing paired with a more than solid sustainability plan. What knowledge, inspiration and experience i could gain!
I have often drawn similarities to how Man U supporters are like iphone users. Also known as the COMMONERS. It is quite interesting to study the human behavior, the whole concept of having the herd mentality, taken far beyond what we could possibly imagine. One product- the iphone being able to be suited to meet the needs of every possible stereotype:
1. The geek/nerd
2. The average school kid
3. The child
4. The high flying professional (banker, lawyer, doctor, etc.)
5. The indie teen
6. The club kid
7. The char kway teow aunty
8. The music punter (DJ, musician, band member, etc.)
9. The regular working adult
10. The ah beng working in the handphone shop
11. The ah sia kia
And i can assure you that this list is non-exhaustive. It goes on and on and on. It's practically everyone in this goddamn world. What i have listed, is pretty much based on Singapore's society.
It isn't just one component that has made the iphone what it is today, i shall be so kind as to indulge:
1. Excellent branding and positioning, made for the masses yet seemingly having some kind of "class". APPLE as a brand of course has established itself over the years. Re-branding, innovation, highly sophisticated creatives and up-to-date technology advancements.
2. "Easy to use" - a hype that is being created and successfully pulled off that IT IS EASY TO USE. Suddenly, the BB buttons are the hardest to use, or the HTC Android phones just appear to be "hard to use".
3. Consistent upgrades of existing models: creating a "want" amongst people that eventually has become a "need" to have the latest iphone 4S or 5 or whatever not it is so called labelled.
5. Catering of specific APPS for specific needs. APPS like Taxi booking, Restaurant Guides, Maps, etc. Suddenly, if one doesn't have the iphone, it becomes a handicap. TO BE HONEST, the BB APP world also has such APPS, just never hyped to the level the iphone has achieved.
I could go on and on, but there really isn't a need to. The extreme herd mentality coupled with HYPE and fucking amazing marketing, and not forgetting-- tremendous luck and APPLE's got it all covered.
If i may be so blatantly honest, as to compare it with music choice, since it is a constant debate:
iphone users- pop music, radio hits VS. BB users- minimal techno, progressive house
Or to put it more clearly let's drop some names here, David Guetta VS. Marco Carola
So, with all that being said, with full understanding and acceptance of the iphone's advantages. And yes, how can i forget the amazement of Instagram on the iphone, which the BB camera or any app can never achieve, i honestly don't care. I like not being a MAN U supporter. No offense to any MAN U supporters at all. Don't take it the wrong way.
It is a personal choice. I just can't seem to have the respect for people who only switch to the iphone "because all my friends are on it". No mind of your own?
Why don't we all conform to what commercialism has been serving to us? So cleverly masked over what is seemingly "being different"? All the talk on differentiation, customization, isn't it essentially still the same product beneath? But just a facade for consumer buy-in and lifelong loyalty?
Welcome to our superficial world.
My world. My BBM, BB camera, and qwerty key pad make me happy.
It 
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