Apple Iphone 14 an anachronistic product in the era of eco-responsible consumption?
Does buying the new state-of-the-art Iphone for 1,000 euros still make sense in a world that aspires to more sobriety?
After a dry and hot summer like never before and in the middle of a global energy crisis, we understood it well: it was time to be sober and reduce consumption in an attempt to save Mother nature.
And now, this Wednesday, Apple announces with great fanfare and big apple, the release of the Iphone 14, at more than 1,000 euros in addition, at a conference as only the brand has the secret. A staging and a presentation that would not have denoted in 2007, the date of Steve Jobs' legendary Keynote on the first Iphone. Yes, but here it is, 15 years have passed and the strings of then can now seem a bit anachronistic in view of our time.
Apple Iphone 14
First proof, "the ecological dimension was never mentioned on Wednesday, when we are talking about one of the most powerful brands in the world. This clearly shows how this kind of giant lives in its own world, far from the problems of the time and the population," notes Marion Trommenschlager, doctor of science at InfoCom and researcher in digital uses: "We could have imagined that Apple touts a lower energy consumption of its product, or its manufacture with greener materials, but absolutely not ".
All press reviews agree that the Iphone 14 has no major changes with its predecessor, the Iphone 13. It must be said that the latter was released only a year ago, this left little time for a real revolution.
The criticism is not new, it's been 15 years since anti-Apple people have made fun of the lack of major changes between each Iphone, but it resonates differently this year when climate change has hit like never before. "The world where we used to buy a new phone a year may be old-fashioned. The Apple model seems less relevant than before," wonders Cécile Désaunay, director of studies at Futuribles and author of The Deconsumption Society, The revolution of living better by consuming less (Editions Alternatives, 2021).
Apple Iphone 14 news
We already have one foot in the deconsumption: "The number of new smartphones sold is down by 11% between 2019 and 2021. A trend that can be explained by the extended service life of devices, but also by the development of the second-hand market," explains Pascale Hébel, co-director of marketing at Credoc (Research Center for the study and observation of living conditions). And this mode of consumption extends far beyond phones: "The same is true in the automotive field, where new vehicle sales are falling," adds the expert.
As a result, Apple sometimes tends to force its hand, notes Dominique Desjeux, a consumer anthropologist: "The brand has built its empire on a closed circuit: it is it that controls all its devices, incompatible with other systems. It may decide to update its operating system that makes its old models obsolete, forcing you to buy a new one". In particular, the brand had been hit on the fingers with some new products incompatible with its own old phones. Europe has whistled part of the end of the recess, forcing the standardization of mobile phone chargers between all models from 2024.
To compensate for this loss of buyers, prices are increasing, helping to make the product even more marginalized: "Today, the Iphone 14 max costs more than a net smic in France, again a symbolic flip-flop. Not everyone can change their Iphone every year," points out Cécile Désaunay. A mode of consumption reserved for an elite and not very eco-friendly, doesn't it remind you of anything this summer?
Apple Iphone 14 details
For years, trips by private jets took place without moving the crowds in the least, before causing a scandal and being a source of massive controversy since this scorching summer. In the near future, will having the latest Iphone also be a controversial practice? "Whistleblowing campaigns are multiplying, and social and climate inequalities are being tolerated less and less," agrees Elisabeth Tissier-Desbordes, professor emeritus at ESCP and specialist in consumer behavior: "There is a great sensitivity to overconsumption and we do not accept that the wealthiest can afford to deplete resources more than others. Overconsumption is much more criticized since we know that it impacts everyone via its ecological effects".
The Iphone may well one day find itself on the bench of ecological defendants: "The product consumes a lot, whether in terms of data centers or rare materials. For now, the consumption of mobile phones is escaping its trials, but for how long? ", questions Dominique Desjeux. We reassure you, we are not going to fall back to the period of smoke signals, carrier pigeons and telegraphs. But still, "it is possible that the model of releasing the same product or almost every year and buying it in the second it comes to an end," concludes the anthropologist. The Iphone 10 is still very good, you know.
# Apple Iphone 14 #
