Apple is one of the few technology companies that can make abrupt design changes in product and still ask customers to buy more.
Especially when the luxury brand sits at the top of the cascade influencing competitors and millions of customers around the world. One design change that had people questioning ‘Why?’ was when the company ditched the 3.55mm headphone jack in 2016…
For consumers this meant:
- - Keeping track of a USB-C iPhone adapter
- - Not able to use wired headphones + charge device at the same time
- - Thinking about upgrading to bluetooth / wireless headphones
For Apple this meant:
- - Creating the USB-C adapter
- - Formalizing wireless headphones: AirPods
- - R&D for new technologies: Wireless technology, intelligent headphones, AR etc…
- - Getting customers to think about switching to wireless tech
An important part of this transformation strategy is giving consumers the opportunity to ‘think’ about their interaction with the new device. When upgrading, customers now have to do a micro analysis of either sticking with the existing pair of headphones or upgrading to wireless technology. Or in other words — giving up the old, to attain the new. This holds true for any level of innovation that walks us down a path of things that feel weird initially i.e ride-sharing, new t-shirt, software upgrades etc..
It’s interesting how redesigning 3.55mm of a product (so to speak) changes the human psychology of acceptance. Also how brand loyalty comes at a price where the product will always be evolving whether the end user is ready or not.
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Originally published at https://www.linkedin.com.
