{"id":3973,"date":"2016-03-17T03:29:39","date_gmt":"2016-03-16T21:59:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=3973"},"modified":"2016-03-17T03:29:39","modified_gmt":"2016-03-16T21:59:39","slug":"siri-apple-decline-in-iphone-sales","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/?p=3973","title":{"rendered":"\u201cSiri, Am I in a Manipulative Relationship with Apple?\u201d Why We\u2019re Enjoying the Decline in iPhone Sales"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\u00a0\n

W<\/span>ho doesn\u2019t remember the first time they bought an <\/p>iPhone<\/span><\/a>? You peeled off the delicate cellophane skin and held the top of the box with one hand, allowing gravity to overcome suction as the bottom gently glided itself free into your other hand. An intoxicating aroma filled your nostrils; the scent of high-end electronics mingled with the submission of low-cost labour. The intensity of the surrounding light as its reflection flashed across the pristine, untouched screen let you know you had arrived. For a moment, you forgot the dull pain on your left side from the kidney you had to give up in exchange for the device back at the iStore.<\/span>\n\nThe betrayal we have all felt in being beholden to Apple products has built up gradually. Like an ill-advised high-school <\/span>crush<\/span><\/a>, we have allowed Apple to set its terms, while offering us very little in the bargain. Each time a friend or relative has suggested that maybe we were being taken for a ride, we brushed it off as mere jealous Android rants. After all, who can deny that something so shiny and flawless shouldn\u2019t command a premium? <\/span>\n\nAs the years went by \u2013 it\u2019s been 12 years today since Steve Jobs announced the launch of the iPhone \u2013 we found ourselves plunging even deeper into Apple\u2019s vortex of offerings. More of our <\/span>devices<\/span><\/a> were replaced with Apple counterparts. The MacBook, the iPad, even that weird router that looked like the beginnings of a robot upheaval. Each time you went to the store, it felt like you were applying for a gadget, not buying it. Apple store employees don\u2019t fall over themselves to sell you products. They evaluate you, to deem whether you are worthy of acquiring one of their shiny trinkets. This why when you come home and unbox the devices, you don\u2019t feel indignant over the complete lack of accessories. Instead, you hold up those two free Apple logo stickers feeling like a winner.<\/span>\n\nIt hurts all the more because Apple was never meant to conform to the \u201cbig bad company\u201d stereotype. Growing up, it was always Microsoft that personified the role of the evil overlord, while poor Apple struggled to remain relevant despite putting out products that were arguably better. In 1997, when Bill Gates invested 10 million USD in Apple to save the company from <\/span>bankruptcy<\/span><\/a>, it genuinely felt like the good guys had lost. And yet, 22 years later, there is little doubt that Apple has squeezed every drop out of us as consumers and feels no shame in the way it continues to do so.<\/span>\n

The betrayal we have all felt in being beholden to Apple products has built up gradually.<\/blockquote>\nThe pain starts with the price point \u2013 the store people don\u2019t even bother justifying it when they interview you. Sure, you can speak about it being user-friendly, super stable and such, but for the most part, if you don\u2019t feel entitled enough to own an Apple device, they don\u2019t really want you anyway. Ultimately, the commercial decision is between you, your <\/span>credit card<\/span><\/a>, and the lady who calls up asking if you want to split the purchase into EMIs over the next eight years.<\/span>\n\nOnce the initial shock of buying the new device subsides, the game gets really exciting. Because, while you may think you just bought a new iPhone and don\u2019t intend to buy another one for a while, the folks at Apple are doing all they can to shorten the time it takes you to upgrade. Subtly, they start messing with you. They remind you that a new model is coming up shortly, which is going to make the one you just bought feel like it was crafted by cavemen. They re-calibrate your <\/span>phone<\/span><\/a> while you sleep so the battery life doesn\u2019t quite hold its own anymore. I\u2019m convinced that they somehow get the cables to shrink, so that you\u2019re literally banging your head on a table if you try answering an iPhone while it\u2019s charging. Siri starts developing an attitude. Apparently, she\u2019s now <\/span>friends<\/span><\/a> with Dwayne \u201cThe Rock\u201d Johnson and doesn\u2019t have time for your rubbish anymore. She reminds you (while you sleep), that The Rock has already upgraded to the new model. \u201cDon\u2019t you want to be like The Rock?\u201d she asks you, subliminally. This has led to some confusing dreams that I\u2019m not completely comfortable reminiscing about.<\/span>\n\nAs loyalists, I\u2019m not sure what we were expecting after years of being treated with absolute indifference. As each subsequent iPhone model offered less and less by way of additional features, and boasted even more exorbitant <\/span>price tags<\/span><\/a>, it became apparent that Apple was clearly experimenting with how far they can push us. Like that analogy about the frog in hot water, they\u2019ve been gradually turning up the heat to gauge whether we will jump, or just wallow in ever-increasing discomfort.<\/span>\n
They re-calibrate your phone while you sleep so the battery life doesn\u2019t quite hold its own anymore.<\/blockquote>\nWhen Apple announced last week that they were expecting <\/span>sales to decline<\/span><\/a>, we all breathed a sigh of relief. It meant we weren\u2019t the only ones thinking they had finally gone too far. Maybe now they can look inward and start asking those awkward, customer-centric questions. Like, \u201cWhy do our devices randomly decide certain wires are no longer compatible?\u201d or \u201cWhy did we laugh at that customer when he asked if there were any <\/span>discounts<\/span><\/a>?\u201d Apple has been so convinced that its loyal clientele will never look elsewhere, that they forgot to check with us regarding the authenticity of this assumption.<\/span>\n\nWe all got hooked to Apple at a time when every other <\/span>gadget<\/span><\/a> was either too clunky or too unreliable. Now that the others have caught up, it remains to be seen whether Apple can still stay one step ahead. The evidence doesn\u2019t look great and the way Apple has behaved, one can\u2019t exactly feel sympathetic to their decline.<\/span>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Like a high-school crush, we\u2019ve allowed Apple to set its terms, offering us very little in the bargain. So when the company announced expected decline in sales, we rejoiced. Maybe now they can start asking questions like, \u201cWhy did we laugh at that customer when he asked for a discount?\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":309,"featured_media":3974,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[197],"tags":[804,5102,7307,4659,806,6165,7308,7309,7310],"class_list":["post-3973","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology","tag-apple","tag-crush","tag-gadget","tag-ipad","tag-iphone","tag-macbook","tag-manipulative","tag-sales","tag-siri"],"yoast_head":"\n\u201cSiri, Am I in a Manipulative Relationship with Apple?\u201d Why We\u2019re Enjoying the Decline in iPhone Sales<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Like a high-school crush, we\u2019ve allowed Apple to set its terms, offering us very little in the bargain. So when the company announced expected decline in sales, we rejoiced. Maybe now they can start asking questions like, \u201cWhy did we laugh at that customer when he asked for a discount?\u201d\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=3973\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u201cSiri, Am I in a Manipulative Relationship with Apple?\u201d Why We\u2019re Enjoying the Decline in iPhone Sales\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Like a high-school crush, we\u2019ve allowed Apple to set its terms, offering us very little in the bargain. So when the company announced expected decline in sales, we rejoiced. Maybe now they can start asking questions like, \u201cWhy did we laugh at that customer when he asked for a discount?\u201d\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=3973\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Arr\u00e9\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-03-16T21:59:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1547032864.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1520\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"850\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Adhirath Sethi\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"\u201cSiri, Am I in a Manipulative Relationship with Apple?\u201d Why We\u2019re Enjoying the Decline in iPhone Sales\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Like a high-school crush, we\u2019ve allowed Apple to set its terms, offering us very little in the bargain. So when the company announced expected decline in sales, we rejoiced. Maybe now they can start asking questions like, \u201cWhy did we laugh at that customer when he asked for a discount?\u201d\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Adhirath Sethi\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/?p=3973#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/?p=3973\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Adhirath Sethi\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4c31442fba494aba716ba633a98a6b74\"},\"headline\":\"\u201cSiri, Am I in a Manipulative Relationship with Apple?\u201d Why We\u2019re Enjoying the Decline in iPhone Sales\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-03-16T21:59:39+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/?p=3973\"},\"wordCount\":1024,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/?p=3973#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.207.105.184\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/1547032864.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Apple\",\"crush\",\"gadget\",\"ipad\",\"iPhone\",\"MacBook\",\"manipulative\",\"sales\",\"Siri\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Technology\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/?p=3973\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/?p=3973\",\"name\":\"\u201cSiri, Am I in a Manipulative Relationship with Apple?\u201d Why We\u2019re Enjoying the Decline in iPhone Sales\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/?p=3973#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/?p=3973#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.207.105.184\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/1547032864.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-03-16T21:59:39+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4c31442fba494aba716ba633a98a6b74\"},\"description\":\"Like a high-school crush, we\u2019ve allowed Apple to set its terms, offering us very little in the bargain. So when the company announced expected decline in sales, we rejoiced. Maybe now they can start asking questions like, \u201cWhy did we laugh at that customer when he asked for a discount?\u201d\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/?p=3973#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/?p=3973\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/?p=3973#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.207.105.184\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/1547032864.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.207.105.184\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/1547032864.jpg\",\"width\":1520,\"height\":850},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/?p=3973#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"\u201cSiri, Am I in a Manipulative Relationship with Apple?\u201d Why We\u2019re Enjoying the Decline in iPhone Sales\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/\",\"name\":\"Arr\u00e9\",\"description\":\"In every person lies a creator and in every creator, an enterprise.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4c31442fba494aba716ba633a98a6b74\",\"name\":\"Adhirath Sethi\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/8e43962f1f859b5a8f090b6bdd0b71a056d01d759e14507a529fdaa6bf4aeec0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/8e43962f1f859b5a8f090b6bdd0b71a056d01d759e14507a529fdaa6bf4aeec0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/8e43962f1f859b5a8f090b6bdd0b71a056d01d759e14507a529fdaa6bf4aeec0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Adhirath Sethi\"},\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.207.105.184\\\/?author=309\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"\u201cSiri, Am I in a Manipulative Relationship with Apple?\u201d Why We\u2019re Enjoying the Decline in iPhone Sales","description":"Like a high-school crush, we\u2019ve allowed Apple to set its terms, offering us very little in the bargain. So when the company announced expected decline in sales, we rejoiced. Maybe now they can start asking questions like, \u201cWhy did we laugh at that customer when he asked for a discount?\u201d","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=3973","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"\u201cSiri, Am I in a Manipulative Relationship with Apple?\u201d Why We\u2019re Enjoying the Decline in iPhone Sales","og_description":"Like a high-school crush, we\u2019ve allowed Apple to set its terms, offering us very little in the bargain. So when the company announced expected decline in sales, we rejoiced. Maybe now they can start asking questions like, \u201cWhy did we laugh at that customer when he asked for a discount?\u201d","og_url":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=3973","og_site_name":"Arr\u00e9","article_published_time":"2016-03-16T21:59:39+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1520,"height":850,"url":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1547032864.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Adhirath Sethi","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"\u201cSiri, Am I in a Manipulative Relationship with Apple?\u201d Why We\u2019re Enjoying the Decline in iPhone Sales","twitter_description":"Like a high-school crush, we\u2019ve allowed Apple to set its terms, offering us very little in the bargain. So when the company announced expected decline in sales, we rejoiced. Maybe now they can start asking questions like, \u201cWhy did we laugh at that customer when he asked for a discount?\u201d","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Adhirath Sethi","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=3973#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=3973"},"author":{"name":"Adhirath Sethi","@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/#\/schema\/person\/4c31442fba494aba716ba633a98a6b74"},"headline":"\u201cSiri, Am I in a Manipulative Relationship with Apple?\u201d Why We\u2019re Enjoying the Decline in iPhone Sales","datePublished":"2016-03-16T21:59:39+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=3973"},"wordCount":1024,"image":{"@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=3973#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1547032864.jpg","keywords":["Apple","crush","gadget","ipad","iPhone","MacBook","manipulative","sales","Siri"],"articleSection":["Technology"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=3973","url":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=3973","name":"\u201cSiri, Am I in a Manipulative Relationship with Apple?\u201d Why We\u2019re Enjoying the Decline in iPhone Sales","isPartOf":{"@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=3973#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=3973#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1547032864.jpg","datePublished":"2016-03-16T21:59:39+00:00","author":{"@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/#\/schema\/person\/4c31442fba494aba716ba633a98a6b74"},"description":"Like a high-school crush, we\u2019ve allowed Apple to set its terms, offering us very little in the bargain. So when the company announced expected decline in sales, we rejoiced. Maybe now they can start asking questions like, \u201cWhy did we laugh at that customer when he asked for a discount?\u201d","breadcrumb":{"@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=3973#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=3973"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=3973#primaryimage","url":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1547032864.jpg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1547032864.jpg","width":1520,"height":850},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=3973#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"\u201cSiri, Am I in a Manipulative Relationship with Apple?\u201d Why We\u2019re Enjoying the Decline in iPhone Sales"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/#website","url":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/","name":"Arr\u00e9","description":"In every person lies a creator and in every creator, an enterprise.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/#\/schema\/person\/4c31442fba494aba716ba633a98a6b74","name":"Adhirath Sethi","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8e43962f1f859b5a8f090b6bdd0b71a056d01d759e14507a529fdaa6bf4aeec0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8e43962f1f859b5a8f090b6bdd0b71a056d01d759e14507a529fdaa6bf4aeec0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8e43962f1f859b5a8f090b6bdd0b71a056d01d759e14507a529fdaa6bf4aeec0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Adhirath Sethi"},"url":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/?author=309"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1547032864.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3973","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/309"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3973"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3973\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3974"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3973"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3973"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3973"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}