Apple in the Media: How the release of the new iPhone 6s reflects Apple’s Media presence
If you take a look at Apple’s main website, a short little sentence will stick out immediately, “The only thing that’s changed is everything.” The bold sentence is a caption for the new iPhone 6s, Apple’s newest rendering of its flagship phone model. However, I’m a little bit skeptical of just how groundbreaking the iPhone 6s is, and for that matter, I think we all are.
Do a Google search of “Apple in the news” and you’ll receive plenty of hits about the iPhone 6s. The new model debuted several days ago, and naturally dominated, and continues to dominate, the news spectrum revolving around the tech giant (even dwarfing iOS 9 concerns). However, the context of many of these Google hits aren’t exactly positive towards Apple. The first hit is a Forbe’s article, outlying immediate tech issues following the release of the iPhone 6s. Scroll down a little farther, and you may encounter a Yahoo article, with the author praising the iPhone 6s for being “one of the best smartphones I’ve ever used,” but following the claim with “why I wouldn’t buy it.”
These Google hits seem to be part of a shifting perspective of Apple in the media, a more critical look at whatever the tech giant releases. Gone is the innocent excitement of waiting for a new iPhone, of happily standing in line at an Apple store, eagerly looking forward for the newest and most fanciful technology to date. And this is isn’t a terribly new attitude. Take a look at prominent vlogger Casey Neistat and his portrayal of Apple lines for the iPhone 6 (a year old, but still reflective of Apple and iPhone today).
Now a days it’s nothing but business. You get the new iPhone because you have to, not because it’s the newest and coolest piece of technology out there that you can show off to your friends. The reviews are cold and to the point, often times repetitive of each other. There is less hype, less glamour, overall less excitement (I personally didn’t even know a new iPhone was coming out until a couple of days ago, but that’s just me). It isn’t so much that the technology Apple is unveiling isn’t as fluid or advanced as it once was (actually overall, the iPhone 6s does seem to be a pretty good piece of technology), it’s that the product doesn’t capture our attention like it used to.
In some ways this is good for Apple, and the overall goal for their product. The iPhone has become so commonplace in our lives that there is no need for hype and excitement, that media coverage shifts from comparing the iPhone to other smartphones, to comparing new iPhones to older iPhones. We expect the best from the company and will be quick to reveal any flaws or glitches in new models. In other ways this is bad for the tech giant. While commonplace now, perhaps we grow tired of the flagship phone model. After all, the product is a ripe seven years old, an old age for any piece of technology. If newer iterations of the iPhone don’t capture our attention in the future, Apple’s presence in the media will surely falter.
The iPhone 6s is still in its infancy, but its performance and function will reflect Apple as a whole. While garnering much media attention now, perhaps over time, Apple will truly need to “change everything” in order keep our attention.
