Are Singaporeans obsessed with Apple products?

[Musicwhiz]

An interesting read. Shareholders of both EpiCentre and Challenger may wish to take note......

Found this on Yahoo! Fit To Post, written by a blogger.

Are Singaporeans obsessed with Apple products?

First things first, I am not an Apple fanboy. I use both Mac and Windows.

My secondary school class of two years had 36 students, and 17 of us owned at least one iOS device (iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad). In total, we have 9 iPhones (7 of them are the latest iPhone 4s), 8 iPod Touches, and 4 iPads. And a handful of us possess other Apple-branded devices such as the MacBook and iMac.

My teachers too are Apple-savvy. My physics, biology, and math teachers each owns an iPhone.

My school, Maris Stella High School, has even gone to the extent of making the MacBook a compulsory educational tool for students. Every Secondary 1 students from 2008 had to buy one. This was rolled out to new students in subsequent years. By next year, every of the 1,500 students in the school will be using the MacBook for lessons.

As mentioned in my previous article of “10 most useful Singapore iPhone apps“, iOS device penetration rate in Singapore is the highest in the world at 9.64 per cent, according to Nelso, which took data from AdMob. In other words, 1 out of 10 Singaporeans own either an iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad.

In the United States, the penetration rate is slightly more than half at 5.91 per cent. Meanwhile, our technologically-savvy Asian counterparts Japan and South Korea have penetration rates of only 1.30 per cent and 1.43 per cent respectively. Even Hong Kong is nowhere near us at 5.26 per cent.

The report also noted that Singaporeans had 402,000 iPhones in April 2010 but the number is now estimated to be over 600,000 after the launch of the iPhone 4 in July, which took the local smartphone market here by storm.

And with the highly-anticipated white iPhone 4 and iPad 2 set to launch in March and April this year respectively, the number of iOS devices owned by Singaporeans is set to grow even higher.

You will most probably find at least one train commuter using the iPhone in each crowded MRT carriage. However, this is not the case in South Korea.

I was in Seoul a couple of weeks ago and took the subway to get my way around the city. Commuters using mobile phones to play games, send text messages or even watch videos are a common sight in Seoul. Nothing unusual about that. But unlike Singapore, I saw only three passengers using the iPhone on the train during my nine days there.

I passed by one Apple premium reseller at an iconic shopping mall in Seoul. It was deserted, and I could only see employees inside. On the hand, I was at Nex and 313@Somerset recently and the Apple stores there always seem packed with people.

When the three mobile phone service providers SingTel, Starhub and M1 released the launch date of iPhone 4, demand was so high that interested buyers had to book an appointment online with their mobile phone service provider to purchase the iPhone 4 on July 30.

One particular Apple enthusiast went to the extent of joining the queue some 18 hours before the midnight launch.

17-year-old polytechnic student Dominic Soh arrived at Hall F of Marina Bay Sands at 6 a.m., waiting for SingTel’s iPhone 4 launch at midnight. I even heard that one of my schoolmates skipped school to queue for the iPhone 4.

The iPad launch in Singapore on July 23 was no exception too. Hundreds of eager fans braved long queues and discomfort to get their hands on the coveted Apple device. I remember that day was a working day so I believe many went to work late or took leave just to buy an iPad.

A day after the iPad launch, local iPhone/iPad blog iMerlion ran a story about a man getting his hands on an iPad after a 4-hour hunt around Orchard Road.

“Determined to lay his hands on the 64GB WiFi + 3G iPad, sales executive Bobysen Francisco ended up queueing for four hours at five different outlets around Orchard Road yesterday before finally hitting the jackpot,” said the blog, quoting The New Paper.

Neither the launch of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab nor Microsoft’s Windows 7 Phone received as much hype or attention as Apple’s.

What do you think — are Singaporeans obsessed with Apple products and if so, why?

And given that their products don’t come cheap (iPhone 4 selling for $888 upwards and the iPad from $728), what does that say about Singaporeans’ affluence?

[Contrarian]

I bought an iMAC last year, after a few friends sing praises.

It really is a joy using it.

1. The response is generally faster on the Internet when u are surfing.

2. No need to buy antivirus software.

3. I save a lot of space. The CPU and monitor is 1, there is no tower.

The minuses:

1. Software is generally more expensive...

2. Some website are not tested to work on Mac OS. This include some trading websites

Overall, it is better than my PC experience.

If you want to buy, wait for the STUDENT offer on apple store. You pay less $100 than going to the store, AND get an iPOD touch FREE.

But their delivery process is a nightware... I vomit blood and wrote a complaint letter.

[arthur]

Apple doesn't run java!!
That's the worse part of Apple products.

So if you want you watch your fav Taiwanese drama serial "æ„›" on xinmsn or other websites, woes to be upon you.
Steve should really do his best to collaborate with Adobe on this.

[bb88]

Apple doesn't run java!!
That's the worse part of Apple products.

So if you want you watch your fav Taiwanese drama serial "æ„›" on xinmsn or other websites, woes to be upon you.
Steve should really do his best to collaborate with Adobe on this.

Java IS supported. It's was only that a couple of weeks back that Apple announced they would no longer "support" Java (not distributing, providing upgrades, and handle issues) but Java can still run on Mac.

Apple co-ordinated with Sun before that. Sun will provide the Apple port of Java.

Code:

$uname -a
Darwin xxxxxxxx.local 9.8.0 Darwin Kernel Version 9.8.0: Wed Jul 15 16:55:01 PDT 2009; root:xnu-1228.15.4~1/RELEASE_I386 i386

$ java -version
java version "1.6.0_22"
Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.6.0_22-b04-307-9M3263)
Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM (build 17.1-b03-307, mixed mode)

I guess you're talking about Flash since you mentioned Adobe? Flash is supported as well (well not on iPhone/iPad though). Other than my network performance issues, I can watch (if I want) YouTube, Tudou, etc. Never had any problems.

[arthur]

I see I see..

Ooops I own a Ipad not a Mac so am not aware of this.
Thanks for the highlight though.

Cheers.

[Musicwhiz]

OK thanks for the views and comments.

Perhaps I am a tech-idiot but I can't see the inherent value of owning Apple products vis-a-vis "normal" PCs or other phone brands. To me it's just a difference in style and look....but functionality is rather similar.

[bb88]

OK thanks for the views and comments.

Perhaps I am a tech-idiot but I can't see the inherent value of owning Apple products vis-a-vis "normal" PCs or other phone brands. To me it's just a difference in style and look....but functionality is rather similar.

Perhaps Apple had not reached out to you yet. The fundamentals of the Apple story, the business model, product philosophy, etc. have lots of learning value. They can perhaps be seen as the Buffett in technology companies if you get what I mean.

Apple operate unlikely other companies. I'll compare with Creative since that is considered a milestone leap. Most companies sell products. Traditionally, how do product companies compete? Creative sell using features, technologies, etc. In short, product-centric. Geeks love them. Power users love them. All development revolve about technology.

For Apple, the philosophy is different. Simplicity is key. Minimalist prevails maximisation (less is more). The do not sell product per-se. They sell lifestyle, concept, vision. They focus on how users use the products. Ergonomics, how features are being used rule over what features are provided.

Ask this question. What type of company is Apple? Consumer product? Software? Design? Marketing? Is it clear cut? Compared to Microsoft? Creative? They are that different from their competitors.

In Microsoft the business executive call the shots. In Google, the engineers. In Apple, it's the the designers.

If anyone is interested, this is quite a good read: http://www.marketingapple.com/Marketing_..._print.PDF.

The more you understand about Apple the more get get drawn in. That's the mystical X-factor that they have that made them the current darling. From being the underdog for decades to overtaking the incumbent at hurricane speed. Late bloomer. If Bill Gates is the big name before the turn of the millenium, Steve Jobs is the new name.

Perhaps if you get into the Apple philosophy you'll be drawn in as well. To me it's actually more than fad or peer pressure that we see Apple devices all over.

[Musicwhiz]

Hmm, perhaps I was more analyzing the company from a business perspective rather than looking at whether its products suit me.

Thanks for your summary of Apple and its competitive edge. Actually I was aware of how it brands itself and also its focus more on style/design and the simplicity factors. But perhaps as you say it's more than fads or peer pressure - it may simply be a nice simple device to use which is very user-friendly (interface) and has many functions.

However, I have always questioned the price tag on an Apple device (e.g. iPhone 4). To pay like $500/- isn't very worth it for me if I intend to get a device with such functions. If not for the style and simplicity I probably don't see much going for Apple. So yes probably it has not "reached out to me" yet. haha.

On a different note, purchasing shares in Apple would probably expose an investor to extremely high expectations for their upcoming products (i.e. iPhone 5 and iPad 2). This would also inply their shares are trading at a premium as people expect sales to continue to explode.....

[bb88]

Hmm, perhaps I was more analyzing the company from a business perspective rather than looking at whether its products suit me.

Thanks for your summary of Apple and its competitive edge. Actually I was aware of how it brands itself and also its focus more on style/design and the simplicity factors. But perhaps as you say it's more than fads or peer pressure - it may simply be a nice simple device to use which is very user-friendly (interface) and has many functions.

However, I have always questioned the price tag on an Apple device (e.g. iPhone 4). To pay like $500/- isn't very worth it for me if I intend to get a device with such functions. If not for the style and simplicity I probably don't see much going for Apple. So yes probably it has not "reached out to me" yet. haha.

On a different note, purchasing shares in Apple would probably expose an investor to extremely high expectations for their upcoming products (i.e. iPhone 5 and iPad 2). This would also inply their shares are trading at a premium as people expect sales to continue to explode.....

If you followed the Apple conferences, you'll notice that share prices mostly surge after new product announcements. I think when the iPad was announced, the shares dropped. But due to expectations mismatch But investors were proven wrong with time.

I think from a business perspective, Apple is very well managed. The business strategy and long-term vision is there. From a competitive business analysis point, who is really "credible and serious" competitor? I think the biggest and "only" competition for Apple right now is itself.

Apple have a lot of things which is not easily imitated. It's more than capability but also time. In my view, a lot of what Apple have today is the incremental results of years of conscious building.

[Satchmo]

Problem with Apple is, it's success seems to stem from and hinges on Steve Jobs. Same thing with the God of investment in Berkshire. Hard to say what will happen when they pass on. Doubt there will be successors as capable.