Identity, Society and Culture

Ones position in the world has a great affect on their views regarding identity, society and culture. It is true that some photographers, only see one side of a story, and therefore capture the story from one view. This is also true with people who aren’t photographers. Everyday human beings respond to issues surrounding identity, society and culture very differently based on their position in the world. Someone from a wealthy town in the United States is not going to identify well with images such as certain photos revealed in Figure 14.10 of people suffering after being victims of the 2004 tsunami in Southeast Asia. This is because of their position in the world. It affects ones ability to relate to different societies and cultures. It is easy for the school children in Figure 14.10 to hold up this sign with the suffering images because they don’t relate to them. It is easy for the school children to smile in the picture because it is not affecting them. Their position in the world greatly affects how they feel about society.

            Images have a powerful way of making one feel a certain way about identity, society and culture. Capturing suffering in a photograph provides pathos to the image and compassion to the viewer. Such images can make someone feel a certain way about the depicted society and culture. Pictures convey judgment, and part of that judgment comes from the viewers’ position in the world. The public is communicated certain things based on a photographer or reporter’s position in the world. The public also perceives the message a certain way based on his or her individual position in the world and whether or not they can relate to the message. Ones position in the world strongly shapes the way he or she might feel about identity, society and culture, and their depictions in images.

Outline

Emily Miller

Mr. Stowe

English 103, Section 20

October 19, 2011

Research Paper Outline

I.          Introduction

1. Hook: June 29, 2007, the first generation iPhone went on sale and changed the mobile-phone business forever. Ever since the launch of the first iPhone, the mobile-phone industry has been significantly changed. Steve Jobs changed the world’s preconceived views about cell phones and technology forever.

2. Thesis: The iPhone has significantly changed the world of mobile phones and beat out all its competition with its incredible software and design, its groundbreaking applications, and its ability to take advantage of iTunes; proving it is the best mobile phone in the world.

3. Implications:  The scope of my paper will range from discussing the background of the iPhone and it’s first launch in 2007, to describing the most up to date applications and software that have made the iPhone grow into the best mobile phone in the world. I will look at the plans for the original iPhone as well as the initial sales and revenue. I will also look at the growth in sales and improvements over the years. This will lead me into discussing the features the iPhone has which other phones do not; such as its software, design, applications, and iTunes.

II.         Background

1. Since the 1980’s Steve Jobs has pushed the use of touch screens within Apple. In 1999 Steve Jobs and Apple reserved the name iPhone, however having no plans at the time to make a phone. Not until 2002 did Steve Jobs really consider breaking into the mobile phone business, after Apple had had such a success with the iPod. In the midst of Apple’s attempts to mastermind a tablet, they were continuously thinking about a mobile phone, even though no one at Apple had any expertise in this field.

2. A secret meeting with Cingular held in 2005 secured the fate of the iPhone and in February of that same year Steve Jobs became determined to create and master this new innovative phone; the beginning of Project Purple 2.

3. The initial decisions about the phone are centered on the idea that it will be a touch-sensitive screen with the MacOS X software. The operation is in full motion, with one team at Apple dealing with the phone itself, and the other developing the software.

4. By 2006, even though the contract with Cingular isn’t completed, the prototypes are made but the internal components still up in the air.

5. Steve Jobs delays other Apple products and moves engineers over to the Purple 2 team to move the iPhone along.

6. (Data on initial sales and consumer reviews of first iPhone)

First Generation iPhone. Digital image. The Evolution of the IPhone. IPhone5release.org, 29 Apr. 2011. Web. 19 Oct. 2011. <http://iphone5release.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/iphone1stgen.jpg>.

Steve Jobs & IPhone. Digital image. Eworldpost. 17 July 2010. Web. 20 Oct. 2011. <http://www.eworldpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/steve_jobs_iphone.jpg>.

III.       Software & Design

1. First Generation: glass covers the front touch-screen, with aluminum to make up the rest. There is a camera with 2.0 megapixels and the applications are just beginning.

2. The iPhone 3G came in black and white with a glossy plastic finish on the back instead of the silver metallic backing of the first one. Came with 16GB storage. Apple sold 3 million units in its first month, hugely different than the 270,000 the first generation sold.

3. The iPhone 3GS was announced in June 2009. Camera was upgraded to 3.0 megapixels; the CPU was upgraded to 833 MHz. It was physically the same as the previous iPhone however twice as fast.

4. The iPhone 4 was released in 2010 and has the highest resolution of any iPhone, and is the first iPhone to have a front camera to utilize ‘Face Time’ and a camera on the back. It runs iOS 4, the most advance software Apple has. iOS 5 ha just recently come out in October of 2011. The sleekness of the iPhone 4 puts all the others to shame and it is the lightest. It is the thinnest smartphone on the planet.

5. Apple takes design very seriously, which has only worked in its favor. Good design is as important as good technology.

a) Apple didn’t invent the touch-screen; they just knew what to do with it. Apple’s engineers used tactics to make the user feel like they are manipulated the screen as they flip through their music, iBook’s, or stretching and shrinking photographs merely with their fingers.

6. The iPhone uses OS X software, something that was made for full-featured operating systems. This essentially means the iPhone is a hand-held, walk around computer.

IV.        Applications

        1. The App Store has taken off with its endless amounts of useful and not so useful applications.

        2. The categories of apps available on the iPhone are: Apple apps, business, travel, sports and fitness, social networking, news, lifestyle, games, entertainment, education, family & kids, and music. The amount of apps has grown to over 500,000 of some of the most useful/ entertaining/ funny/ arbitrary things you could possibly want on your cell phone.

V.         iTunes Availability

        1. “Play, buy, and enjoy your music, movies, TV shows, apps, and more. Everywhere.” (Apple Inc.) The iTunes store is available directly on any iPhone, and all your music, shows, and movies can be transferred directly to and from your computer.

        2. iTunes alone has reinvented the music industry completely. There is now no need to buy an entire album or CD if you only want one song from it. iTunes has made this easy, and the iPhone has made it even easier.

VI.        iPhone Success & Popularity

        1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNdr8Q423Y4

            This video is from June 29, 2007 and depicts customers outside an Apple store in Orlando awaiting the very first iPhone. There are thousands of people, and a countdown displayed in the window of the Apple store. The Apple employees are giving high fives to the first people in line for the spectacle.

2. The success of the iPhone led to the sell of T-Mobile as a company.

        3. The iPhone has reinvented technology and created an outlet for other companies to ‘mimic’ the ideas of the iPhone. Ex) the droid

  4. In April 2009 Apple sold 3.8 million iPhones in the last 3 months and generated $1.5 billion in revenue; and this was during a recession. "I don't think it's necessarily a substitute for a netbook, maybe for some, but it's more that people view the mobile phone as the most important piece of technology they can own. It's a crude generalization, but it's true, there's lots of research that backs that up, and that's why people will give up their landline or even Internet access before they give up their mobile phone" (Greg Sterling, senior mobile analyst with Local Mobile Search) Megna, Michelle. "What's Behind the IPhone Success Story?" InternetNews.com. QuinStreet Inc., 27 Apr. 2009. Web. 10 Oct. 2011. <http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/3817276/Whats+Behind+the+iPhone+Success+Story.htm>.

iPhone Sales Per Quarter. Digital image. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Apple Inc. Web. 19 Oct. 2011. <http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d9/IPhone_sales_per_quarter_simple.svg>.

Each color in the image above represents a different iPhone. The blue represents the first generation iPhone, the green is the iPhone 3G, the orange is the iPhone 3GS and the purple is the iPhone 4. This graph clearly displays the growth in iPhone sales over the years and also represents how many were sold during that quarter.

5. The iPhone is a well-known non-duplicable brand created by the genius: Steve Jobs

Annotated Bibliography

Emily Miller

Mr. Stowe

English 103, Section 20

October 10, 2011

Annotated Bibliography

6/29/07, Richard Menta. "IPhone: Hundreds Come, Lines Orderly." MP3 Newswire. MP3 Newswire.net. Web. 18 Oct. 2011. <http://www.mp3newswire.net/stories/7002/iPhone-line.html>.

           

This article is a first hand account of the launch of the first iPhone at the Menlo Park Mall in Edison, New Jersey. Richard Menta interviews people waiting in line for an iPhone. One person tells him he plans to sell the two iPhones he purchases on eBay to turn a profit for himself. He also describes how both the lines at the Apple Store as well as the line at the AT&T store have people of all ages excitedly awaiting the iPhone, proving that the iPhone is for everyone.

"5 Reasons the IPhone 4 Is the Best Multimedia Device on the MarketTechWench.com | TechWench.com." Technology News. Gadget, Software, App Reviews. And More!! Infowick Web Solutions, 2 Dec. 2010. Web. 10 Oct. 2011. <http://www.techwench.com/5-reasons-the-iphone-4-is-the-best-multimedia-device-on-the-market/>.

This article by TechWench introduces the different features about the iPhone that make it so successful and consumer friendly. TechWench focuses on the new and improved iPhone 4 with its new design, ability to play and record HD videos, high quality games, outstanding music player, and its incredible Internet access. This article gives a small description of each new aspect of the iPhone 4 and explains what the consumer is able to do with this new software and information.

Baig, Edward C., Jim Hopkins, Nancy Blair, and Leslie Cauley. "Apple Calls IPhone Launch a Success - USATODAY.com." News, Travel, Weather, Entertainment, Sports, Technology, U.S. & World - USATODAY.com. Garnett Co. Inc., 1 July 2007. Web. 10 Oct. 2011. <http://www.usatoday.com/tech/wireless/phones/2007-07-01-iphone-reax_N.htm>.

This article provides evidence of the 2007 iPhone success. There are quotes from many different spokespeople from Apple commenting on the success of the first iPhone launch. It gives data from the launch, which includes the average price of an iPhone going on sale on eBay, which was $775.03, compared to the $499-$599 price in stores. This article also provides commentary from fans of the iPhone, one whom waited outside the Apple store in New York for an entire week so he could get his hands on Apple’s latest creation.

Cabiddu, Frencesca, Maria C. Di Guerdo, and Daniela Pettinao. "The Relation between Consumer Innovativeness and Innovation Success: The Case of IPhone." Marketing and Management Sciences: Proceedings of the International Conference on ICMMS 2008. By D. E. Sakas and Nikolaos Konstantopoulos. London: Imperial College, 2010. 50-55. Print.

This chapter of this book describes “three dimensions affecting the success of the innovative process: the consumers’ characteristics, the innovation characteristics and the communication process.”(50) This chapter focuses on the characteristics of consumers of the iPhone that result in iPhone success. The author discusses the genius of Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO, as well as the beginning struggles of the project. It also portrays the recognize ability of the iPhone, making it a well-known and non-duplicable brand. This chapter strongly highlights the success of the iPhone with many resources to back it up.

Chen, Brian X. "IPhone Developers Go From Rags to Riches | Gadget Lab | Wired.com." Wired.com. Condé Nast Digital, 18 Sept. 2008. Web. 10 Oct. 2011. <http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2008/09/indie-developer/>.

Wired magazine describes one of the aspects I plan to discuss in my paper: the app world. This article tells me about the brilliant developers behind so many of the iPhone’s amazing apps and how they became so successful. Developers of apps have become multimillionaires in just a year. The iPhone has the ability to provide jobs and success to so many people.

Digital Imagination. "5 Reasons Why IPhone Is Top and Best in List of Smartphone Market | Digital Imagination." Digital Imagination,Web Guide,Blogging,Social Media,SEO,Apps,Gadget,Mobile,How to. CINR Solutions, 2011. Web. 10 Oct. 2011. <http://labnium.org/5-reasons-why-iphone-is-top-and-best-in-list-of-smartphone-market/>.

This article lends evidence as to why the iPhone is at the top of the list of the best smartphones of today. This article focuses on the new look and sleekness of the iPhone 4 with it being “the thinnest smartphone on the planet” as well as the fact that the iPhone 4 as four times the amount of pixels as the iPhone 3GS. This proves Apple is continuing to improve their already successful product to further eliminate the competition. This article also touches upon the software, Apple iOS, with its new multi-tasking ability, mail center, and organizing aspect.

"File:IPhone Sales per Quarter Simple.svg." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Simple.svg. Web. 18 Oct. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:IPhone_sales_per_quarter_simple.svg>.

This site provides necessary data about iPhone sales. It presents data from 2007-2011 on sales of the original iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4. All the data comes from Apple reports from each quarter, by Apple Incorporated. The graph is very helpful however for seeing the growth in iPhone sales over the years. The figures also provide important information in determining which iPhone has been most successful and what applications of features that one had that made it stand out from the rest.

Marsal, Kate. "AppleInsider | AmTech: IPhone to Become Fastest Selling Apple Product in History." AppleInsider | Apple News and Rumors since 1997. AppleInsider, 2 July 2007. Web. 18 Oct. 2011. <http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/07/07/02/amtech_iphone_to_become_fastest_selling_apple_product_in_history.html>.

Kate Marsal describes the iPhone as being the fastest selling Apple product in history. Apple analysts describe Apple’s expected sales and revenue from the iPhone and how the sales will affect the company. This article details the analysis and prediction for the iPhone, an important aspect of its launch.

Megna, Michelle. "What's Behind the IPhone Success Story?" InternetNews.com. QuinStreet Inc., 27 Apr. 2009. Web. 10 Oct. 2011. <http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/3817276/Whats+Behind+the+iPhone+Success+Story.htm>.

This article discuses the success of Apple through the iPhone even in a recession. This provides quotations from people such as a senior mobile analyst with Local Mobile Search, as well as an analyst at IDC. These people give ethos to their arguments about why and how the iPhone has been so incredibly successful. This article also provides important data from 2009 iPhone sales that will be useful in backing up my own argument.

McDonald, Mark P. "How Steve Jobs and Apple Has Changed the World." Gartner. Gartner Blog Network, 26 Aug. 2011. Web. 18 Oct. 2011. <http://blogs.gartner.com/mark_mcdonald/2011/08/26/how-steve-jobs-and-apple-has-changed-the-world/>.

In this article, Mark McDonald outlines the influential technology Steve Jobs and Apple has created. He discusses the importance of iTunes, and Apple’s ability to reinvent technology they created in the first place. Steve Jobs and Apple have had an impact on the way we watch movies, manage media, and use technology as a whole. The iPhone is just one example of something that has continued to entertain and “wow” humans.

Murtazin, Eldar, Maxim Antonenko, and Olexandr Nikolaychuk. "Mobile-review.com Apple's Phone: From 1980s' Sketches to IPhone. Part 3." Mobile-review.com Все о мобильной технике и технологиях. Mobile-review.com, Nov. 2005. Web. 10 Oct. 2011. <http://mobile-review.com/articles/2010/iphone-history3-en.shtml>.

This article describes in detail Project Purple 2, or the creation of the very first iPhone. This article takes us back to when Steve Jobs reserved the name iPhone in 1999, although it wasn’t until 2007 that the first one was released. Apple went through many complications during this process and actually closed the entire project and focused on a tablet computer design instead. This article provides information about the first negotiations with Cingular, the iPhone prototypes and their problems and solutions, as well as the debate over a plastic screen or glass for the first generation iPhone. This article gives excellent evidence and first hand accounts from the people in charge of Project Purple 2, which is very important to today’s success of the iPhone.

O'Brien, Kevin J. "How the IPhone Led to the Sale of T-Mobile USA - NYTimes.com." Mergers, Acquisitions, Venture Capital, Hedge Funds - DealBook - NYTimes.com. Mergers & Acquisitions, 21 Mar. 2011. Web. 18 Oct. 2011. <http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/03/21/how-the-iphone-led-to-the-sale-of-t-mobile-usa/?hp=>.

This article from The New York Times describes the fall of T-Mobile after the iPhone went on sale in 2007. “T-Mobile USA said it lost 390,000 contract customers to rivals.” (O’Brien) This article describes how the iPhone beat out its competition and ultimately AT&T bought T-Mobile. This article shows how influential and detrimental the sales of the iPhone were to other phone carriers.

Thursday, Lev Grossman. "Invention Of the Year: The IPhone - Best Inventions of 2007 - TIME." Breaking News, Analysis, Politics, Blogs, News Photos, Video, Tech Reviews - TIME.com. Time Inc., 1 Nov. 2007. Web. 10 Oct. 2011. <http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1677329_1678542_1677891,00.html>.

Lev Grossman from Time Magazine provides an interesting tactic to discussing why the iPhone is the best invention of the year 2007. He begins his article by stating negative aspects of the iPhone that have been recently published by other writes, however goes to show that because of 5 simple reasons, the iPhone is still the best invention, despite any criticism. He describes how “the iPhone is pretty” and that design should not be forgotten, although many companies neglect it. He concludes that Apple knew exactly what to do with the touchscreen and how to make it the best it could be. He also describes the importance of the iPhone’s partnership with AT&T and the freedom AT&T gave Apple. Lastly, Grossman explains how the release of the iPhone will inspire the mobile phone industry as well as other industries looking to be more innovative.