In a day when mass
consumption has led to an enormous amount of mass waste, it seems as if
electronics compile more and more of the market share with each passing year. Technology
giants Apple and Samsung are certainly not helping this matter by introducing new
cell phone models every year. Typical reasons why many consumers eat up every new
phone from these companies include ideas that each new model is better, sleeker, and more user-friendly than the last. Then there are also
those people who love the exclusivity of being a part of a particular segmented
group. More simply, it’s a status symbol. To have an Apple iPhone or a Samsung Galaxy is not enough to remain in this group. Disturbingly, having one of these phones doesn’t mean a thing to these people unless they own the newest model, even if their last phone still functions normally.
The newest models of these brands of phones are the iPhone 5s and the Samsung Galaxy S4. Regardless of different determining pricing factors of internal memory (16/32/64 GB), these phones are expensive. They cost even more if they’re not purchased through a typical 2-year contract with a cell phone service provider. Without a signed service contract, a 16 GB iPhone 5s cost $649 and a comparable 16 GB Galaxy S4 cost $639.99. I view this as far too much money to spend on a cell phone, especially in such a disposable group driven by status. Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that all owners of these phones follow these same naïve purchasing habits for the same naïve reasons, but there are millions of people who do.
On the bright side, I’ve recently stumbled upon something very interesting. A company named Phonebloks has introduced an exceptional idea for a cell phone. No longer will someone have to replace their entire phone when one component breaks. Instead, using a Lego-like system, each piece of the phone is detachable and replaceable. The man behind the operation, Dave Hakkens, uploaded his promotional video for the product on Reddit back on September 10th. Since then, the viral world has eaten it up. According to their campaign on crowd sourcing site ThunderClap.com, the product has already surpassed its initial goal of 750,000 supporters by 21,000 with over one month left of the campaign. They reached over 50,000 supporters within the first 24 hours of being viral. The social reach of this campaign has already hit over 296,000,000 people.
Even with numbers like these, there are people who are already explaining how the idea and design wouldn’t work including the idea that rival companies would make their own “knock off” replacement parts for the product. Some points are valid, but that's to be expected in the early stages of a company and its product(s). I feel that Hakkens really has something here. I suggest you watch the video for yourself.
The newest models of these brands of phones are the iPhone 5s and the Samsung Galaxy S4. Regardless of different determining pricing factors of internal memory (16/32/64 GB), these phones are expensive. They cost even more if they’re not purchased through a typical 2-year contract with a cell phone service provider. Without a signed service contract, a 16 GB iPhone 5s cost $649 and a comparable 16 GB Galaxy S4 cost $639.99. I view this as far too much money to spend on a cell phone, especially in such a disposable group driven by status. Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that all owners of these phones follow these same naïve purchasing habits for the same naïve reasons, but there are millions of people who do.
On the bright side, I’ve recently stumbled upon something very interesting. A company named Phonebloks has introduced an exceptional idea for a cell phone. No longer will someone have to replace their entire phone when one component breaks. Instead, using a Lego-like system, each piece of the phone is detachable and replaceable. The man behind the operation, Dave Hakkens, uploaded his promotional video for the product on Reddit back on September 10th. Since then, the viral world has eaten it up. According to their campaign on crowd sourcing site ThunderClap.com, the product has already surpassed its initial goal of 750,000 supporters by 21,000 with over one month left of the campaign. They reached over 50,000 supporters within the first 24 hours of being viral. The social reach of this campaign has already hit over 296,000,000 people.
Even with numbers like these, there are people who are already explaining how the idea and design wouldn’t work including the idea that rival companies would make their own “knock off” replacement parts for the product. Some points are valid, but that's to be expected in the early stages of a company and its product(s). I feel that Hakkens really has something here. I suggest you watch the video for yourself.
Thank you for your time and support,
QW
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