My fellow classmate Yuwei Yan recently wrote a blog post titled “Why [Is] [the] IPhone So Popular around the World?” in which she argues that Apple’s popularity is dependent upon its brand culture as well as its “incomparable insides”. I am a hundred percent in agreement with her statement that Apple has created a popular image around its products. It currently has the standing of a “conspicuous consumption good”; one that consumers buy simply because it is expensive and because the brand holds a certain amount of prestige. However, I am doubtful that the latest iPhone is “incomparable” in terms of specs. Upon comparing this hotshot of a phone with its greatest competitor, the Samsung S5 on GSM Arena, the iPhone 6 pales in comparison. The S5 has a quad-core, 2.5 GHz CPU while the iPhone 6 only has a dual core, 1.4 GHz. The S5 has a longer battery life, a finer camera, greater internal storage space, and a memory card slot. Yet despite the clear advantages the S5 has over the iPhone 6, Apple is still able to sell its phone for more.

Often times the high price misleads consumers, like Yuwei, into believing that the product is actually worth what it’s selling for. In her post, Yuwei states the iPhone has “incomparable insides” while comparing the iPhone 6 solely with its predecessor. Given the prestige and price that comes with the Apple brand, it probably never even occurred to her that there could be other phones on the market that are better in so many aspects. As a firm believer in the actual product rather than the brand name, I believe that it’s only a matter of time before Apple’s popular image becomes insufficient in hiding its inferior technology and other companies like Samsung and HTC begin to dominate the mobile phone market.

On September 16, 2014, Quant Motors’ e-Sportlimousine, a vehicle that uses an electrolyte flow-cell powered system, was certified for use on German and European roads. Using saltwater in a series of redox reactions, the “nanoflowcell technology” (ref website) allows the car to travel at speeds up to 380 km/h for a driving range of up to 600km, according to www.examiner.com. Quant is currently seeking to attract investors into their technology, and many claim it will one day challenge Tesla in the hunt for alternative energy vehicles. They certainly do share many elements of the business canvas model. In terms of design, the e-Sportlimousine is in no way lacking. With its flashy shark gill design, it can easily be considered a luxury vehicle that would appeal to a wealthy customer segment.

In terms of value proposition, it provides an alternative to gas powered cars, and boasts a more power than electric vehicles (Tesla’s top speed is 201km/h). However, the infrastructure for saltwater cells is currently not available, and if Quant was to market its vehicles to a North American market today, the technology would be marveled at but not well received. Perhaps one day in the future, it will draw enough interest to further expand and become a larger segment of the market.