Thursday 25th April 2024
“Nokia: One Billion Customers – Can Anyone Catch the Cell Phone King?” questioned Forbes in its November 2007 edition. Surprisingly, the same year Apple’s Steve Jobs walked onto a stage and pulled out an iPhone from his pocket. Since then, Apple sold over 2.2 billion iPhones.
Apple Computers Inc. was founded on April 1,1976 by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak with the aim of making computers user-friendly and compact.
Apple launched its first-ever iPhone more than a decade ago; since then, it has come a long way. The first generation of the iPhone was released on June 29, 2007.
Although the first iPhone didn’t have many features, it has a five-year lead. And it took six to seven years for other brands like Samsung to manufacture competitive phones like iPhone.
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Apple’s flagship iPhone dominated the smartphone market for a long time. In 2020, Apple became the first US company with net worth over USD 2 trillion.
Though the first iPhone was launched in 2007, it took a while for the most-anticipated smartphone to be officially available in Nepal.
Generation Next Communications Pvt. Ltd, the authorized distributor of the iPhone in Nepal, first brought the eight generation iPhones (iPhone 6) to the country. However, high costs hindered Apple iPhone’s sales in Nepal. Many people could not afford iPhones.
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On the flip side, people who lived abroad started sending iPhones to their kith and kin at home as a gift. Now, with the improvement in living standards, Nepalis have started to invest in the iPhone, owing to its enviable unique features.
Buying an iPhone is associated with many reasons for Nepalis. Owning an iPhone has become a matter of pride and possession in Nepal. Sleek design, elegant finish and some other attractive features make iPhones preferable over other brands.
Apple is highly innovative, not only in the performance but also in the design. Every year with the new release, it brings a breathtaking design. The color options it has are sophisticated. The aluminum finish and the premium design makes iPhone good to hold on to the hand.
They are sturdy. With the recent launch, Apple has brought the classic design from iPhone 4 and iPhone 5. The new iPhones have a ceramic shield and oleophobic coating that gives resistance against scratches and smudges. Apple gives importance to every detail in terms of design, and it directly attracts the consumers.
Updates in iOS are regular. Even the older iPhone gets regular support with the new update. People love to get the latest software experience on their phones, not to feel outdated; iPhone never disappoints you in software and its updates.
Another advantage is, you can still buy the older model, which probably has less price and still be updated with the latest software. So, in this case, people who do not have enough budget for the latest model still chose to buy a few-year-old iPhone model instead of buying a new smartphone from Android.
Apple continuously focuses on bringing more powerful cameras, and people love to have great cameras on their phones. iPhone has always been fascinating in terms of camera. From introducing the dual camera to triple camera and using AI in-camera, Apple has swept away the attention from other smartphones.
If you are one of those who are highly concerned about photography and performance, better choose an iPhone. Some competitive smartphones are better in-camera, but they lack in other aspects of the smartphone. so, iPhone is the best choice.
Reselling an iPhone is an easy process, and it holds a good value during the resell. It is easy to sell an old iPhone at a good price and buy the latest model. At the same time, android smartphones do not give you enough value while reselling.
One reason for holding good resell value is also due to the software update for the old iPhones. Hence, people buy an iPhone to get a good return even after years of buying.
More or less, Android manufacturers include unnecessary apps in their smartphones. Some apps are removable, while some not useful apps stay forever. But Apple does not let this happen and does not preload the iPhone with apps. It there are any applications which you do not require, you can easily disable them.
It may immediately not affect a new buyer, but you need more storage after a year or two, and you cannot simply remove the app in Android.
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If you already own Apple products like Mac or an iPad, the iPhone is highly compatible with them and any other products of Apple. In such cases people, especially working professionals, tend to buy iPhone rather than other android smartphones. Sharing files and documents within the apple products is far easier and less time-consuming.
Ever since Steve Jobs focused on user-friendly and intuitive design, the company has been carrying the motto.. Apple builds user friendly hardware and software, enabling a seamless performance. Every aspect is taken into consideration not only for the recent release but also for future iteration.
On the other hand, Android smartphones employ different companies to build the phones, which may lead to less user-friendliness. However, some people find android devices user-friendly. The term is vague, and people make their choice accordingly.
People had speculated about smartphones that would have touch screen support back in the mid-2000s. But Apple was the first to bring the vision into reality in 2007. Since then, it has been known as the most innovative brand with a good reputation.
Every iPhone has some uniqueness with its innovation, and people love them. Apple’s innovation has led people to watch the Apple event even if they are not the consumer.
People going to a foreign land and sending iPhones to their loved ones has become common practice in Nepal since many years. We can often hear people asking for an iPhone as a gift when their friends or family leave for abroad.
One who owns iPhone flaunts it proudly in Nepal as a symbol of prosperity and class. And as a matter of pride, people often buy an iPhone without knowing the product’s actual benefits.
If you buy an iPhone from the authorized channel, you get a replacement warranty on factory defects. Generation Next (the sole authorized distributor of iPhone in Nepal) also offers one year of breakage insurance on the iPhone 12 series.
Hence, if you buy the iPhone from the authorized reseller, there is better support and after-sell service.
Apple products are highly compatible with each other. But this is a huge drawback if you own just an iPhone. Or this may lead you to buy more products from the Apple-like MacBook. For example, people who own an iPhone get better productivity if they hold a MacBook instead of a Windows laptop. And to make the products seamlessly easy, you end up entering the ecosystem and never get out of it.
iPhones are overpriced; even those which are two to three years older. And not all Nepalese can afford the smartphone of the higher price. Or we can say a majority of people in Nepal end up buying a budget-friendly smartphone. On the other side, those who own an iPhone often need a MacBook and other products from the brand, which are expensive to another level.
iPhone does not support the SD card. It does not even have an SD card slot. Other smartphones with the same storage options come with an SD card slot to expand the storage. So, if you need higher storage, you need to invest in the expensive iPhone model with a higher storage capacity.
Compared to android smartphones, iPhones are not customizable.
Although the brands are adopting no headphone jacks, having one makes life easier. iPhones have only a lighting port, and you can either use it for charging or for connecting headphones. There is an option for AirPods, but they are expensive as well.
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Since Apple has started selling its iPhone without a charger and earphones, it is expensive to buy the accessories required for the iPhone. Other accessories like apple pencil, lighting cable are also costly. As mentioned above, once you get into Apple’s ecosystem, you end up spending more.
Repairing an iPhone costs you thousands of rupees, which is quite expensive for an average Nepali. Repairing from the third party will not solve the problem as even the Apple component from the same iPhone series is not compatible except for the original device.
So, the only option is to visit the official repair center of the iPhone. Apple does not support “Right To Repair,” i.e. Once the consumer owns the iPhone, they would not be able to repair via anywhere but by visiting the manufacturer or authorized repairer.
With both pros and cons, the iPhone’s pros outweigh the cons. However, in the context of Nepal, you can purchase the iPhone if you have a reasonable budget to spend. iPhone and its ecosystem can be a great option to invest in.
Apple has become the world’s most valuable brand. Although you may feel it overpriced, iPhone has convincing features and appearance that are rarely available on other smartphones. Basically, there are three main reasons Nepalese have started to buy iPhone: they get it as a gift, it provides them value in their daily life, and matter of pride.
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