Customer Satisfaction iPhone

Customer Satisfaction iPhone The Apple iPhone brought a whole new level on interface and features such as incorporating the iPod technology as well as multi-touch technology which let users to control everything using only their fingers. The research on the level of customer satisfaction on buying an iPhone has been done across the world as it was one of the first handphone that was release by Apple. Customer satisfaction is a vague and abstract concept and the actual expression of the state of satisfaction will vary depending on individuals needs and it also depends on the product or service. The level of satisfaction can also vary depending on other options the customer may have and other products against which the customer can compare the organizations products. It also distinguishes six qualities of attributes such as basic factors, excitement factors, performance factors, indifferent attributes, questionable attributes and reverse attributes. (Kano, 1984) The objective of this research is to analyze the level of satisfaction of having an iPhone based on certain factors. This research will look into factors such as price and quality where each factors has its respective advantages or disadvantages to affect the customers level of satisfaction. This is because every distinct consumer has their own priority of need before even getting a new handphone. The research will be focusing on the capability of the iPhone and what it has to offer to the customers that makes it different and better than its competitors. These capabilities refer back to the factors which were mentioned earlier in the paragraph earlier. Technology for hand phones has been developing endlessly with new features offered as time past. Apples new range of products, especially the iPhone shows such vast improvement. The research first looks at the background of the company which is Apple and what they have offered to their customers before launching the iPhone. Next, the research will provide detailed explanation and information on each factor that will affect the customers satisfaction. The research will use only secondary data such as online journals and articles, blogs and newspapers so that the latest information can be obtained for the research. In the conclusion, the research will show which factor would be of most importance before considering on getting an iPhone. Price Price would be the basic factor where it doesnt only affect potential customers but also customers who already purchased the product. This basic factor does not cause customer satisfaction if it is fulfilled but it does cause dissatisfaction it is not fulfilled (Kano 1984). This explains the curve for basic factor in Figure 2.0 where the curve is below the graph and not above. Apple has started selling the 8GB iPhone at US $599 at its released before implementing a promotional price of US $399 for the festive season. The original pricing was a market-skimming pricing strategy where the iPhone was set a high price as it is a whole new product in the hand phone industry to cover development cost (Philip Kotler et. al. 2005, p. 302). The expensive price tag on the iPhone can also to relate to the product life cycle of the particular product. Product life cycle shows the whole process of the products life, from the beginning of it till the possible end of it where it consists of four stages which is introduction, growth, maturity and decline. It maybe a matter of a few hours like the newspaper, months for fashion and style, years (VCD, DVD) or decades (Volkswagen Beetle) (Heizer Render 2007, p. 157). The price reduction for the festive season is a promotional pricing strategy to get more customers to buy the iPhone (Philip Kotler et. al. 2005, p. 308). The cut of US $200 has stirred up early buyers and caused dissatisfaction. But as mentioned by Job (2007), the price reduction was supposed to benefit both Apple and every iPhone user to get as many new customers as possible in the iPhone ‘tent. Having said that, Apple issued the $100 credit to the early buyers for them to use on their next purchase at Apple stores. Besides that, buying the iPhone is not just bout getting the hand phone because iPhone only allows ATT line, therefore the customer would need to pay a minimum of US $1939.75 which includes ($599.99 x 24months. and 499.99 4GB iPhone) (ATT iPhone Rate Plans, Prices, Costs, and What You Get 2007). Having said that, the iPhone is only tied with ATT, it still attracted many customers. The downside of getting the iPhone is that the user has to comply with the ATT contract that he or she has signed up with. If the user wants to carry on, he or she has to pay a $175 termination fee though the phones cost isnt subsidized under the long term agreement. This termination fee which is quoted at a high price dissatisfy customers it is a big investment where most customers would go for the 8GB model rather than the 4GB model which will land up causing them to spend more the USD $ 2000. Quality From this factor, the research will look more in depth in quality where total quality management systems are driven by identifying and satisfying customer needs. The key dimensions of qualities include durability, interface and functionality. It is believed that the trade-off between the cost of improving quality and the cost of poor quality, the cost of poor quality is understated (Heizer Render 2007, p. 194). Providing good quality product does not only glorify the companys name but also create loyal customers that will keep buying the products and become brand loyal to it. Durability The first factor in quality that will look at is the durability of the iPhone. It would be a shame to lose a $500 to $600 iPhone to a minor mishap therefore many customers such as bloggers and even product reviewer always put new technology gadgets for a stress test. PC World conducted one of the many stress tests for the iPhone around the world. Firstly, the iPhone was as stuffed in a plastic bag full of keys and small pebbles. Then the iPhone screen was rubbed against the keys and pebble with a fair amount of force as if like the user was leaning against the counter with his iPhone and keys in the jeans pocket. The result was outstanding as the screen of the iPhone was as pristine as when it went it but there are scratches on the back of it. To take the test to another level, a key was taken and scratched across the glass screen of the iPhone, but it still fail to scratch it. Next, the iPhone went trough a drop test where it started of on a carpeted floor to a concrete sidewalk and from the height of the waist line to the head level. The same hand phone was dropped repeatedly but it still worked normally and the glass display survived without a scratch after the drop test. Overall, the iPhone still looks impressively good but however the only obvious damage would be a few gouges along its metal edge from the drops onto the concrete. Interface The excitement factors are where it increases customers satisfaction if fulfilled but it doesnt cause dissatisfaction if it is not achieved. These factors of surprise are to generate delight among the consumers and it is used by the company to distinguish itself from the competitors in a positive way (Kano, 1984). This is why the excitement factor curve is above the graph of the Kano Model in Figure 2.0. The iPhone /a>features the most revolutionary user interface since the mouse which came from the iPod. The multi-touch screen technology is an entirely new interface based on a large multi-touch display and innovative new software that lets the user control everything using only the fingers. Therefore the user can glide through albums with ‘Cover Flow option, flip through photos and email them with a touch, or zoom in and out on a section of a web page just by using pinch in or pinch out motion; all by simply using iPhones multi-touch display. Jeff Hans multi touch system uses a technique called Frustrated Total Internal Reflection (FTIR). It involves the use of a transparent screen with the images rear-projected onto it. For touch-sensing, a camera is placed behind the screen to detect the user interaction. On the human-computer interaction, it is a discipline concerned with the design, evaluation and implementation of interactive computing systems for human use and with the study of major phenomena surrounding them. The basic goal of human-computer interaction is to improve interaction between users and computers by making computers more user-friendly to the users needs. The iPhone has brought human-computer interaction to a whole new level with the multi-touch screen interface. Though it has its flaws, but if the iPhone is to be compared to hand-phones such as the Nokia N95, the iPhone is not only more stylish but its easier to use (refer to Figure 1.0). Ergonomics or in the words which is human factors is the application of scientific information concerning humans to the design of objects, systems and environment for human use. Usually when the word ergonomics is brought up, it focuses more on office environment where the right office furniture and the right computers system can maximizes work efficiency because there will be comfort when the employees to carry out their task in the office. But looking at the iPhones multi-touch screen interface, it does have its own distinct pros and cons. Though browsing through pictures and music can be such a breeze, but typing a SMS or any activity that requires typing on the iPhone would be a little more difficult because there is no physical keyboard on the iPhone as the iPhone is completely a touch screen handphone except for the power button and the home button. Adding to that, the iPhone does not include a touch screen pen and the on-the-screen keyboard is rather cramp, making hard for use rs with big thumbs. Functionality Technical Specification Technical specification of a handphone is the most basic and the most important part to look at before buying a handphone. This is where the performance factor comes in where every attribute of the product is being analyzed. Basically, satisfaction can be gain when the performance of the product is good or high and it causes dissatisfaction if the performance is low or bad. Therefore, the line for performance factors is linear line that cuts across the graph as shown in Figure 2.0. Firstly, the flash memory capacity which comes in 4GB or 8GB which is a lot for a handphone but there will be no memory expansion for the iPhone. With no memory expansion and with a maximum capacity of 8GB, it defies the iPod feature in the iPhone because the maximum capacity of 8GB comes in second compared to the 16GB iPod Touch which looks exactly like the iPhone. The iPhone also includes a 2 mega pixel camera but it is without flash which is quite disappointing for a hand-phone which costs a lot and has a nice 3.5 inch diagonal display. Besides that, the battery life for the iPhone is quite lasting compared to the competitors as how it is displayed in Figure 1.0 under the ‘talk-time column. The audio option in the iPhone is actually a build in iPod where with just a touch on the menu, users can listen to their music on the go. Adding to that, the audio support supports common files such as MP3, AAC and WAV, therefore there is no need to convert files before transferring it i nto the iPhone. The video support for iPhone has not opened up just like all iPods where it only allows limited video formats H.264, mp4 and M-PEG 4 video. This makes the iPhone quite an unreliable video player compared to other hand phones and mp4 players such as CREATIVE ZEN mp4 which can play common video format such as (.avi). On the contrary, Apple has another feature can cover this flaw which is easy access to YouTube on the iPhone which allows users to watch YouTube videos on the go, as long there is WiFi (Wireless Fidelity) connection present. This brings us to the WiFi feature which allows users to surf not only for YouTube, but also to surf the internet with the embedded Safari internet browser. Safari is a web browser just like Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox where it allow users to surf the web on the iPhone just like how they surf the internet on their computer. Users can also purchase songs instantly on the go or songs that they listen at Starbucks through the iTunes Music Store. This requires WiFi and an iTunes account in order to proceed. A short sample of each song can be heard on iTunes before choosing to purchase it for only USD $ 0.99 per song. Conclusion Having stated all the factors above such as price, durability, interface, human-computer interaction, ergonomics and technical specification, all this contributes to customer satisfaction where it was divided into 3 which are basic factors, excitement factors and performance factors. Each of these factors has it pros and cons where it depends in the consumers preference on which would be of great importance. To summarize it, the iPhone does comes with a very nice appearance and nice touch screen interface but the expensive price tag that comes along with it makes customers take a step back to reevaluate whether is it really worth to invest in an iPhone With the Customer Satisfaction Model by N. Kano, consumer can use this model to place all the iPhones attributes according to their perception on to the model and see how the iPhone fairs out in the outcome. Ultimately, the basic factor which is price would be the most important factor because of the ATT line subscription which will last for two years and will cost a lot even for a working customer. Reference: Heizer, Render 2007, Operations Management, Pearson International Edition Kotler, Amstrong, SH Ang, SM Leong, CT Tan, K.Tse, Principles of Marketing, Pearson Prentice Hall Multi-touch screen interface Retrieved 14 November, 2007, from http://multi-touchscreen.com/iphone.html iPhone Competitive Data [Image] 2007 Retrieved 15 November, 2007, from http://www.apple.com/iphone/pr/20070618iphone.html Customer Satisfaction Model [Image] 1984 Retrieved 15 November, 2007, from http://www.12manage.com/methods_kano_customer_satisfaction_model.html

Film as a Subject of Study Essay

The tremendous expense involved in producing motion pictures reminds us that film is both an Industry, and an Art. Each film is the child of a turbulent marriage between businessmen and artists. Yet despite an ongoing battle between aesthetic and commercial considerations, film is now recognized as a unique and powerful art form on a par with Painting, Sculpture, Music, Literature, and Drama. As a form of human expression, the moving picture is similar to other artistic media, for the basic properties of other media are woven into its own rich fabric. Film employs the compositional elements of the visual arts: line, form, mass, volume and texture. Like painting and photography, film exploits the subtle interplay of light and shadow. Like sculpture, film manipulates three-dimensional space. But, like pantomime, film focuses on moving images, and as in dance, the moving images in film have rhythm. The complex rhythms of film resemble those of music and poetry; and like poetry in particular, film communicates through imagery, metaphor, and symbol. Like drama, film communicates visually and verbally : visually, through action and gesture; verbally, through dialogue. Finally, like the novel, film expands or compresses time and space, traveling back and forth freely within their wide border. Despite these similarities, film is unique. 1. It is set apart from all other media by its quality of free and constant motion. The continuous interplay of sight, sound, and motion allows film to transcend the static limitations of painting and sculpture – in the complexity of its sensual appeal as well as in its ability to communicate simultaneously on several levels. Film even surpasses drama in its unique capacity for revealing various points of view, portraying action, manipulating time, and conveying a boundless sense of space. 2. Unlike the stage play, film can provide a continuous, unbroken flow, which blurs and minimizes transitions without compromising the story’s unity. Unlike the novel and the poem, film communicates directly, not through abstract symbols like words on a page but through concrete images and sounds. What’s more, film can treat an almost infinite array of subjects. 3. There is almost nothing that the eye might behold or the ear hear, in actuality or imagination, which can’t be represented in the medium of film. From the North and South poles to the Equator, from the Himalayas as a vast mountain range to the minutest flaw in a piece of steel, from the whistling flight of a bullet to the slow growth of a flower, from the flicker of though across an almost impassive face to the frenzied ravings of a madman, there is no point in space no degree of magnitude or speed of movement within the apprehension of man which is not within reach of the film. To simplify what I’m getting at, recall the many faces of Gabbar Singh in the film Sholay, and you recall the power of film. 4. The Elasticity of Time in a Film Film is unlimited not only in its choice of subject but also in its approach to that material. A film can look to the remote past or probe the distant future; it can make a few seconds seem like hours or compress a whole century into minutes. Film can run the gamut of feeling from the most fragile, tender, and beautiful to the most brutal, violent, and repulsive. 5. Of even greater importance than film’s unlimited range in subject matter, however, is the overwhelming Sense of Reality it can convey. The continuous stream of sight, sound, and motion creates a here-and-now excitement that immerses the viewer in the cinematic experience. Thus, through film, fantasy assumes the shape and emotional impact of Reality. The technological history of film can in fact be viewed as an ongoing evolution toward greater realism, toward erasing the border between art and nature, between fiction and reality. In sum, Film is a uniquely powerful combination of the Seven Arts. II A. In the two pages above, a way of looking at films has been offered which says that films are more than just an entertaining way to pass the time. There is an art, and a science to them, which usually goes unnoticed. When you begin to notice these two dimensions, your understanding of cinema will be much smarter and sharper. To take an example, please go back to pt. 2 above, and especially the observation that film does not communicate ‘through abstract symbols’. How then does it communicate? The answer : through concrete, flesh and blood symbols. With the help of camera angles and special lighting, almost everything becomes symbolic on film. The protagonists’ hair style, dimpled cheeks, the clothes they wear, the voice in which they speak, the way they walk, the way they smoke, the solitary glass on a table, the chair, the curtain – anything and everything can be loaded with extra meaning in a film shot, and through the device of repetition be made symbolic. For instance if you see the empty glass on the same table in more than one scene, it becomes symbolic. B. Let us now go to pt. 5 which stresses the power of the camera in creating a ‘sense of reality’. This is the cinematic experience, in a nutshell. You may be watching computer-created beings as in the Hollywood film Avatar, but they succeed in feeling and sounding like humans. The same perhaps can be said about the Tiger in the film The Life of Pi. This ability to convey the sense of reality endows the filmmaker with tremendous power – which can be used to great public benefit, or it can be abused. Try and think of examples of both use and abuse†¦

Hamilton

Hamilton begins by highlighting the common misunderstanding that mythology depicts the blissful state of man in his original harmony with nature. On the contrary, Hamilton notes, the lives of ancient people were not romantic and beautiful, but full of hardship, disease, and violence. For Hamilton, the Greek myths are remarkable In that they show how far the Greeks, an ancient clvlllzatlon, had advanced beyond a primitive state of savagery and brutality. By the time Homer wrote his epic, the Iliad, a new way of looking at the world had come into being.According to Hamilton, this new erspective is critically important, revealing a great deal not only about ancient Greece but about modern America as well†as so much of our own culture comes directly from the Greeks. One of the most important aspects of the Greek worldview was that it was the first to put humans at the center of the universe. Unlike the animal deities of the Egyptians and Mesopotamians, the gods of the Greeks are hu man in form. Not only do they possess human physical characteristics, but they embody the emotional flaws of humans as well.Unlike the gods of other ancient civilizations, Greek gods are not infinitely omniscient and omnipotent, manifesting ypical human foibles such as philandering, feasting and drinking, and obsessive Jealousy. To the Creeks, the life of the gods so closely resembled human life that the gods felt real and tangible, rather than Incomprehensible and remote. In this way, Hamilton argues, the myths of the Greeks reflect a view of the universe that acknowledges the mystery and beauty of humanity.Even the most magical of Greek myths contain real-world elements: the supernatural Hercules lives in the very real city of Thebes, and the goddess Aphrodite is born in a spot any ancient tourist could visit, off the island of Cythera. In general, Greek myths involve less strange and frightening magic than the myths of other ancient civilizations. In this more rational world, ind ividuals become heroes by virtue of bravery and strength rather than supernatural powers.Hamilton contends that this revolutionary way of thinking about the world elevates humans and the worth of their abilities, making It a far less terrifying place In which to live. Hamilton points out a downside to this rational view of the supernatural†Ilke humans, the gods are often unpredictable. They do not always operate on the highest moral grounds, and they get angry and jealous, ometimes doing terrible things like exacting vengeance or calling for sacrifices.Even though Greek myth lacks wizards and demonic spellcasters, there are still plenty of horrible magic creatures†the snake-haired Gorgons, for Instance†that appear to be relics of that older, primitive world. In the end, however, as Hamilton points out, the Greek hero always manages to defeat these-creatures. Hamilton By vandad91 of hardship, disease, and violence. For Hamilton, the Greek myths are remarkable in tha t they show how far the Greeks, an ancient civilization, had advanced beyond a ealousy.To the Greeks, the life of the gods so closely resembled human life that the gods felt real and tangible, rather than incomprehensible and remote. In this way, about the world elevates humans and the worth of their abilities, making it a far less terrifying place in which to live. Hamilton points out a downside to this rational view of the supernatural†like humans, the gods are often unpredictable. They do not always operate on the highest moral grounds, and they get angry and Jealous, horrible magic creatures†the snake-haired Gorgons, for instance†that appear to be

Morpheus Wisdom Quotes From The Matrix

For some, The Matrix is just another sci-fi movie, a slick production from Hollywoods dream factory, but for those who appreciate the philosophy of The Matrix, it is a wake-up call. The movie is considered to be ahead of its time. It challenges our understanding of perspective, reality, illusion and many other intriguing concepts. These Matrix quotes are words of wisdom from Morpheus, Neos spiritual leader and guide. Morpheus Quotes About the Matrix The Matrix is a system, Neo. That system is our enemy. But when youre inside, you look around, what do you see? Businessmen, teachers, lawyers, carpenters. The very minds of the people we are trying to save. But until we do, these people are still a part of that system and that makes them our enemy. You have to understand, most of these people are not ready to be unplugged. And many of them are so inert, so hopelessly dependent on the system that they will fight to protect it. Unfortunately, no one can be told what the Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself. The Matrix is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth. The Matrix is a computer-generated dream world, built to keep us under control in order to change a human being into this. [holding a copper-top D cell battery] Morpheus on Reality and Illusion What is real? How do you define real? This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill—the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill—you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes. Im trying to free your mind, Neo. But I can only show you the door. Youre the one that has to walk through it. Have you ever had a dream, Neo, that you were so sure was real? What if you were unable to wake from that dream, Neo? How would you know the difference between the dream world and the real world? What you know you cant explain, but you feel it. Youve felt it your entire life, that theres something wrong with the world. You dont know what it is, but its there, like a splinter in your mind, driving you mad. If real is what you can feel, smell, taste and see, then real is simply electrical signals interpreted by your brain. Random Musings There is a difference between knowing the path and walking the path. Throughout human history, we have been dependent on machines to survive. Fate, it seems, is not without a sense of irony. We dont know who struck first, us or them. But we do know it was us that scorched the sky. At the time, they were dependent on solar power. It was believed they would be unable to survive without an energy source as abundant as the sun.