Imagine being so enamored with a brand that you'd be willing to spend a couple of days camping out in the street just for the opportunity to be among the first to pay full price for a new phone. Then, imagine how you'd feel when, around 12 hours before you should be walking through the doors of the store, you get told that the phone you want – in this case the iPhone 7 Plus – isn't even available. What would your response be?
See also: Why is Apple still able to command such high prices for its iPhones? For Android fans, this level of brand loyalty might be a little hard to imagine, considering how fickle and 'quick to ditch' we can be. While our loyalty to Android itself might remain unchecked, the vast majority of us are perfectly content to throw an OEM under the bus for the slightest misdemeanor. For example, think about how much flak OnePlus received for their invite system; as bad as that was, at least it didn't require any inner-city camping.
Just take a cursory glance at Reddit, manufacturer support pages or tech forums and you'll see the level of vitriol directed at one OEM or another for failing to meet our expectations in some way. Battery life not up to par? The whole software development team should be fired. Buggy camera app? Never buying another phone from this manufacturer. Android update taking too long? Get your pitchforks and flaming torches boys….
Android users are spoilt for choice. If Sony lets us down, we've got Samsung. If Sammy pushes things too far, we can switch to HTC. If HTC drops the ball, LG has our back. Not feeling LG any more? Then try Motorola. The list goes on and we can afford to be fickle. This is part of the joy of the platform. But how do you handle disappointment when you only have one brand to choose from? Simple: you ignore it.
We got a first hand taste of that today. A few of us are in Australia covering the iPhone 7 launch for our sister site Tab Times, and we swung by the flagship Apple store in Sydney to check out how long the line was, see what color everyone was keen on and generally get to know the guys and girls committed enough to form that queue. What we weren't expecting was the story we heard as soon as we arrived.
First in line was Bishoy Behman, a 17 year old that had spent a few days in the street, dead set on a Jet Black iPhone 7 Plus. Just as we arrived, he was informed that there wouldn't be any iPhone 7 Pluses available on launch day and no Jet Black anythings. I'll let you imagine what most Android fans would say or do if this kind of thing happened to them (if they would even line up for a phone in the first place). But Bishoy and his friends are a different kind of fan.
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The disappointment was obvious. This kid – and many more like him – had "slept in the rain, in the wind and in the cold," only to be be told their commitment would not be repaid. The official response was brutal, lacking the kind of bedside manner you might think would be warranted in this kind of situation: settle for a regular iPhone 7 or go home. Many did.
But for those who stayed, including Behman, the love for a brand that had wasted their time was still stronger than their frustration. Behman told us he'd still stick around and get the iPhone 7 instead, "because I'm loyal". Would this change his attitude in future though? Not at all: "I probably will queue up next year. Because I love Apple no matter what." Again, can you imagine an Android user ever being so quick to forgive a manufacturer?
Sensing blood in the water, Apple's PR entered damage control and offered those that remained in the line a $100 Apple Store voucher. And once again, even though the general response to the consolation prize was far less than positive, all we heard from Bishoy was praise to Apple for the gesture.
In no Android dimension would a customer thank an OEM for a gift voucher after being told the phone they wanted wasn't available. In fact, Samsung has offered gift cards to those exchanging Galaxy Note 7's right now, and we all know how that has gone.
Committing to staying in line this time is one thing, but how does this kind of situation impact a fan's view of Apple generally? Would the clinical response to an effort that "in the end was for nothing" convince these guys to consider alternatives? Never. One of Bishoy's friends, Marcus, set the record straight: "I wouldn't trade to Samsung, not over a situation like this. There's still a matte black model, which you can get in the 7, which is still a new color."
I can't say I'll ever quite understand this kind of brand loyalty – blind devotion, even in the face of abandonment – but it has certainly been interesting to witness first hand. I'll probably never get invited to an Apple launch event either, but I've heard plenty about the sacred atmosphere involved. One of the most oft-cited characteristics of the response to Apple products and launch events is how borderline religious it all is.
We're often quick to judge Apple fandom, but there's a reason they don't care what we think: faith is immune to reason. But this isn't just an Apple thing: we've all irrationally defended something in the face of evidence to the contrary. While belief in a brand to this degree is alien to me, if I were to pay any compliment to Apple's cult-like status, it's that it certainly knows how to generate faith, even when that faith ends up being misplaced.
How would you respond be in this situation? Would you ever line up for an Android phone?
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