Hardware is Real
Greg Cox at Expletive Inserted explains that frustration over the iPhone 4S’s hold-over form factor makes sense because most consumers don’t see software as real.
Apple, perhaps more than any other technology company understands this misguided conception of computing. It’s why they insist on wrapping those gorgeous baubles around OS X and iOS. The only way to get mass market appreciation for these fundamental products is to convince people to focus on the sleek physical design and packaging of computing as objects.
If Jony Ive and Co. weren’t so masterful, fewer people would appreciate the magic in their pockets and on their desks. Perhaps App Store experiences will change this psychology, but with Google, Facebook, and so many other Internet services presented as free of charge, I doubt anything will change in the near future.
