Bell Canada has launched a new set of “super” advertisements for the latest generation of 4G Android “superphones“, and while I don’t doubt that the Samsung Galaxy S2 4G or Motorola XT280 4G are fast multi-tasking capable micro machines, I can’t shake the feeling that the marketing angle is off here.
I like mobile technology and specs as much as the next geek, but using breakdowns for screen size, CPU speed, 4G network speeds, and camera specs just doesn’t seem like the right way to sell these devices. Phones are people’s lifelines and they go with us everywhere, and simply highlighting bullet points and using the word “super” a couple of times in an ad spot just doesn’t cut it for me. In fact, it seems downright lazy.
I have a lot of friends and family who are attached to their Blackberries and iPhones (and yes, even some Android devices), but none of them come to me screaming about how they *love* the 21Mbps 4G networks speeds, or how their phone’s 4″ screen has changed their lives. If anything, a lot of these technical specifications are simply taken for granted, as most non-geek users simply want their devices to work.
When it really comes down to it, we form attachments to devices through memorable experiences: through cool candid iPhone shots at the beach, Skyping with friends from the couch, and using apps like SoundHound to magically recognize that song at the bar. These kinds of moments are examples that make technical specs more concrete and relevant to people, and the latest iPhone and iPad TV spots are really the only ones that really seem to understand that concept and capitalize on it. Sure, Apple still loves to use keywords like “magical” and “revolutionary”, but they ultimately stay away from the hardware spec game and they’re a lot better off for it.
It’s telling then that, although Bell’s website allows you to compare your (plain old) “Smartphone” with one of their four new “Superphones”, Apple’s iPhone 4 is absolutely nowhere on that list. The iPhone 4 has a smaller screen, a single core processor, slower 3G network speeds, and a lower Megapixel count on its camera, and yet Bell doesn’t have any graphs or charts for Apple’s flagship phone. It could simply come down to Apple forcing Bell to leave them off the list, but it’s still an interesting little tidbit. There’s a lot more to tech than bullet points and graphs.
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