Apple iPhone users reportedly destroying their device

If you are an iPhone user, then one of the most important aspects that your expensive phone has to take care of is uplifting your brand image. This is the reason why iPhone users are perceived to value their phones more than their life. Or do they?

Researchers at the University of Michigan, Columbia University, and Harvard University say carelessness and neglect toward currently owned products stem from a desire to justify the attainment of a new, enhanced product without appearing wasteful. In short, that is called the ‘upgrade effect’.

What this essentially means is this — supposedly you have bought the iPhone 7 a few months ago. Apple’s existing lineup of iPhones includes the iPhone 8 series and the iPhone X, both of which are surely the latest and the greatest iPhones ever made. Therefore, in your subconscious, you will start neglecting your almost-new iPhone 7 to the point of letting it succumb to all the abuse so that you can make up your mind and justify getting the latest iPhone.

The researchers did some work on data regarding 3,000 lost iPhones internationally, almost all of which went unreported. A casual smartphone user reports the loss of his/her smartphone with the help of the IMEI number. However, iPhone users prefer to go for a new model instead of trying to get back the existing old model. Researchers found that during the period of September 2010 to January 2015, iPhone users were actively interested in reporting the loss of their phones. However, when a new model was launched, reporting of lost phones went down considerably, showing their interest in the new models.

“For product upgrades to induce carelessness, it is indeed important that the upgrade product is an enhanced version of the current one, not just a mere replacement,” said Joshua Ackerman, the study’s co-author and an associate professor of psychology at the University of Michigan.

To make sure this is a common human behaviour, they did another study to test the ‘upgrade effect’ using free mugs. Around 90 participants were divided into upgrade (nicer mug) and no-upgrade conditions. The mug was placed on top of wooden blocks on a table and participants could continue removing blocks until they thought it was enough. The more blocks they removed, the chances of the mug falling and breaking would increase. The result showed that people were willing to show carelessness if an upgrade option was available for the mugs.

“Contrary to the prevailing notion that consumers highly value and care for their possessions, the current researc demonstrates that consumers exhibit cavalier behaviour toward owned products when in the presence of appealing product upgrades,” said Silvia Bellezza, assistant professor of marketing at Columbia Business School and the research’s lead author.

So, if you have an older iPhone while the next gen iPhone is about to come, do keep in mind the ‘upgrade effect’ and take care of the device until it dies on you.