Will the new iPhone divide Singapore into two consumer classes?

We are what we possess. Our cars, shoes, jackets, travel, pets and gadgets define who we are. Our possessions announce our exclusivity to the world around us and we carefully guard this exclusivity through ways that are beyond the price tag.

Picture this - if you are an Oxford graduate wearing a fancy pair of brogue shoes, you definitely are more exclusive than a local grad wearing a similar pair in your office. Your education defines who you are and when combined with your taste, it’s way more potent than that of others.

It’s not just education, but intellect, style of speech, fashion sense, personality or even physical appearance that contributes to our relationship with our possessions. That’s what a famous French philosopher, Pierre Bourdieu, said when defining the currency of luxury called ‘the cultural capital’.

He said that classes that are higher in economic status create self-representations in what they possess, and further invests their cultural capital to keep them unique.

Over time, when these patterns of consumption are pursued by a select few and are shunned by the commons as being irrational purchasing decisions, they attain a higher status of exclusivity. Therefore, making these consumptions attain the nirvana of being distinct to a particular social strata.

This creates a divide between consumers and creates different classes among them. The divide is escalated to even higher levels when friends, relatives and colleagues, who often belong to the same class, readily adopt such possessions and luxury trends.

The iPhone, as a gadget, clearly acts as an extension to its consumer’s selves, fulfills its function of exclusive self-representation and therefore, serves as cultural capital to those who own it.

The two versions (i.e. iPhone 5S and 5C) are set to divide the consumers through ways that are embedded in cultural capital possessed by current Apple users. The introduction of the new phone has been strategized to go create a distinct “cultural” divide between those who own iPhone 5S vs. 5C.

So, how do you distinguish an iPhone from others – by colors, case, camera and technology? 5S and its not-so-cheaper cousin 5C are very different in these key identifiers. The differences only shout out big cultural capital to those with a 5S. Analyze this –

FEATURE: Colours

iPhone 5S - Silver, gold, and space grey Vs. iPhone 5C - Fluorescent white, green, blue, pink and yellow

What does the difference mean from the cultural capital perspective?

5S IS ABOUT PRESTIGE - Gold is big! If you have gold, you have the prestige. Gold is the only model that is obviously an iPhone 5s at first glance. Old iPhone users are not used to 5C’s colours.

FEATURE: Case

iPhone 5S – Leather Vs. iPhone 5C - Silicon rubber

What does the difference mean from the cultural capital perspective?

5S IS ELITE - Leather is elite; silicon rubber can just be ‘fun’.

FEATURE: Camera

iPhone 5S – A new camera app takes multiple photos with every shutter press and chooses the best picture. Vs. iPhone 5C – the usual one

What does the difference mean from the cultural capital perspective?

5S IS SUAVE - Imagine a party and photos are being taken everywhere. While 5S users will be suave (getting the best clicks and uploading them), the 5C’s will struggle.

FEATURE: Technology

iPhone 5S – Analysing accelerometer and other motion data, home-button fingerprint sensor Vs. iPhone 5C – not available

What does the difference mean from the cultural capital perspective?

5S SHOUTS IDENTITY AND LIFESTYLE - Fingerprinting announces identity; accelerometer is nothing but great lifestyle and fitness apps that 5S users will boast of!

Pricewise, there is not much of a difference. 5C’s price is just enough to keep it aspirational yet become an entry point for new consumers. The real difference comes with the cultural capital of understanding the exclusivity that comes with an iPhone.

Let’s expect to see two sets of consumer classes emerging among the iPhone users in Singapore – the ‘exclusive’ and the ‘aspirational’. While the willingness to pay is almost the same (saving the 150S$ difference between the versions), the cultural capital will set these classes apart.

So next time you see the ‘exclusive’ and the ‘aspirational’ sitting next to you, remember the socio-economic power the brand Apple commands…