APPLE CONSPIRACY THEORY

To preface this article, let me make it clear that the following thoughts are just speculations based on observations. I am not accusing Apple of conspiracy or any sort of illegal activity. I am a huge fan of their products and will continue to use them daily in my personal and work life.

About a year ago when I first heard of the new larger size of the iPhone 6, I was stoked as a digital designer. The bigger size would create new exciting opportunities and challenges in mobile design. When I got one, I was pleased with the amount of screen space for viewing but honestly annoyed with the physical usability of its larger size. My thumb couldn’t naturally reach the top of the screen and I had to change the way that I held my smartphone or get used to double tapping to drop the screen. Getting it in and out of my pocket was a hassle, especially if I was sitting in a car. Thankfully I’m not a girl that wears skin-tight pants because I’ve heard some complaints that they can no longer keep their phone in their pocket and it now resides solely in the purse. I’ve seen quite a few ladies that just hold their phone in their hand all night because they didn’t bring a bag and made the poor decision of wearing skin-tight jeans. Needless to say, I preferred the feel and usability design of the 5^th generation.

Overall, I was somewhat frustrated with these issues and wondered why in the world Apple, with all of their magical product design powers, would design and release something slightly frustrating?

Then it hit me the moment I first played with the Apple Watch. Apple had a hidden agenda. They purposely made the iPhone 6 this way to manufacture greater purpose for the Apple Watch and in turn, increase its sales. Instead of pulling out your phone every 5 minutes to check notifications and feeds, you can just look down at your wrist. The issue of getting it in and out of your pocket won’t matter if you aren’t constantly pulling it out. Also, people that don’t like the way that the most recent phone feels in their hand have a reasonably priced solution with the watch.

Launching the iPhone 6 a year before the Watch was a genius idea to build anticipation and create a market for the Apple Watch. I’m sure that Apple has been planning this strategic move for years. I applaud their strategy but I have to say that sacrificing usability of one product to make way for another is bothersome to me.

I will continue to use Apple products because I feel that they are still superior, but I’m interested to see if they continue to pull amusing moves like this one. If you disagree or have a different opinion, feel free to let me know in the comments.