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Watch along as iPhone fans mistake the iPhone 4S for the iPhone 5 [IRONY/VIDEO]

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Much was made about Apple’s remarks regarding consumer confusion at retail. According to them, the Samsung Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Tab devices looked so similar to the iPhone and iPad that they’d mistakenly buy Samsung over the latter.

No one has really tested this theory yet, but Jimmy Kimmel took to the streets to see if iPhone users would be able to tell the difference between an iPhone 4S and an iPhone 5.

He walks around with an iPhone 4S and tells people that it’s an iPhone 5 — they foolishly believe him, of course. A couple of the unfortunate victims even tried comparing it to their own iPhone 4S and noted how much lighter, thinner, and faster it was.

I’m sure there were more people Kimmel talked to that weren’t as naive as those in the video, but it’s a funny example of how consumer confusion doesn’t come from the products — it comes from the consumers. Crazy, huh? Watch along above. [via iSource]

Quentyn Kennemer
The "Google Phone" sounded too awesome to pass up, so I bought a G1. The rest is history. And yes, I know my name isn't Wilson.

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92 Comments

  1. And to think Apple actually wasted all that money coming up with something new for the iPhone 5. All they had to do was update the packaging!

    To be fair, many of these people would probably also think “Droid” is an appropriate reference to all Android phones. I read an article in (I believe) SanFran Business Journal yesterday in which their technology correspondent pitched a poll and asked about phone preference. The choices?

    iPhone
    Droid
    BlackBerry

    D’oh.

    1. Hahaha.. So true. Apple doesn’t even have to try anymore (and in some ways, they’re not).

    2. We have Verizon to thank for this, with the successful Droid being follow by an endless series of phones capitalizing on the name.

      1. Oddly enough, the Droid moniker doesn’t even apply to all VZW Androids, and there seems to be no discernable rhyme or reason to how they make that decision.

    3. Yeah, when I had my Galaxy II, I had a lot of people ask me “Is that a Droid?” I eventually gave up and just nodded, instead of seeing the blank look in their eyes when I said “No, it’s an Android Galaxy II”

      1. Do you mean a Samsung Galaxy S II ?

        1. Its a droid S droid 2

      2. You should of just messed with them and told them it was a iPhone, they obviously cant tell the difference.

      3. I would just tell them they used incorrect grammar. The correct wording would be, “Is that an Droid?”

        ^_^ See what I did there? English majors may now weep.

  2. I’m dead serious: This sounds exactly like some of my friends who had it set in their minds that they were going to get the iPhone 5 BEFORE IT WAS EVEN ANNOUNCED.

    It’s like they don’t care what it has, or doesn’t have. It could even be the same damn phone and they’ll eat it up. I don’t get what kind of spell Apple has on these people but it makes me want to pull out my hair >:O

    *jumps off cliff*

    1. I don’t think it’s a spell :P but I do think Jobs was an absolute master with sales/marketing/people in general. He has somehow taught Apple how to leverage technically ambiguous people by offering them a perceived super-premium product/brand that’s still within their budget. It’s like, an addon for your persona. Like a plastic toy extra that snaps into Barbie’s or GI Joe’s hand. The addon box might look pretty, your kid might be dying from excitement to have it, but in the end, a logical sane person sees exactly what it is: a cheap piece of plastic for a toy. This effect can be seen with any old dbag that’s got a $500,000 sports car designed for racing as their daily driver, even though they never exceed 65mph. For them it was never about the functionality; it wasn’t about how well that suspension can take a turn at 208 mph, or how well the engine was designed to milk every last drop of torque to help you win in a race – for them it was all about what’s in their head, and that’s the “pride” of proclaiming to all who see that they were able to afford a $500,000 luxury item.

      Of course, not all iPhone users are like this – there are plenty of elderly or disabled people who need the ultra-simplicity and limitations of an iOS device. Hands down, Apple has won and rightfully earned that market with their ridiculously easy to use products. However most normal people, whether they care to admit it or not, like to show off; they like to feel good about themselves. I personally know many people who would insist they are the most humble, kind, Mother Theresa-like, wonderful people who “aren’t at all hung up on looks” – while sporting their everyday outfit of $200 hairdo, $600 shoes, $160 jeans, $80 tshirt, and of course, $500 iPhone. Genius Steve Jobs tapped into that mentality by building a company that was the tech equivalent of a fashion label. People don’t want functionality, or devices that will actually help them in their day-to-day life – they just *want to look good* – which in a funny way, DOES help them in their daily lives because it fulfills that egotistical need to prove themselves to those around them. It’s really ironic though, since people are trying to be flashy and stand out from the crowd…by having the same thing that everyone in the crowd has! At least the aforementioned car owner really had to have accomplished a significant degree of success or luck in order to afford his toy. And that right there is the core of my point – Jobs so masterfully whipped the masses into thinking they *NEED* to have his product in order to feel good about themselves, oblivious to its functionality or value, that they will blindly suckle at his teat for more.

      In all honesty, I truly believe Apple could merely change the number on the box (iPhone 6, 7, 8, 9, etc) and people would keep buying each iteration regardless – because the only thing that matters is ownership…not the actual product itself. When it comes down to it, the iPhone is a status symbol with a cellular radio. Nothing more, nothing less.

      tl;dr: Sheeple are stupid.

      1. They are the Lucky jeans of smart phones. They are to smart phones what AOL was to email and the internet back in the 90’s. In all fairness I’m just as arrogant with Android truly being the great device. I look to the day when we can say who cares because it’s a preference and not better or worse but just different. I think we’re almost there, but don’t underestimate the power of Apple marketing.

      2. TLDR learn to summarize

        1. People only want an iPhone because other people have iPhones and they don’t want to be left out. So, Sheeple. And sheeple are always stupid…hence the key to Apple’s success.

          1. Yep, Steve Jobs knew how to appeal to the ignorant mass.

          2. ffolkes is spot on.

      3. I agree with much of what you say, but if Apple was not providing a product that “just works”, as they say, then it would come crashing down like a house of cards.

        An Omega might be a better watch than a Rolex, even though Rolex’s label is more popular and seemingly more luxurious. Still, Rolex, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, etc. have to use quality components or they will fail. It is on top of a commitment to quality that you get the lemmings and the idiots who can’t see how shallow their admiration is.

        So, don’t judge the iPhone by the idiots who buy it. Apple couldn’t stop them even if it wanted to.

        1. Oh, I totally agree with you. It’s a fickle situation that’s difficult to tackle because there are plenty of things Jobs/Apple did (and continue to do) well. It’s just at the same time, Apple demands credit for everything. It would be like if Henry Ford expected every car-related development from every manufacturer over all of time to be his, just because he pioneered some techniques on the Model T. For example, Steve’s idea of the iPhone was great, and his decision to include a repo with a gui (aka App Store) to facilitate easier loading/maintenance of apps was a great idea – but far from his own. Repo’s have been around forever in the world of desktops, and mobile “apps” have been on WinMo devices since 2000. However people widely give him credit for both, when in fact, the truth is much more gray than that. He deserves credit for bringing it to the masses, but he certainly didn’t create anything that wasn’t already there. Kind of like how he copied over Xerox’s desktop gui and added some tweaks and called it his own.

          I could go on for hours, but as for what you said, yes, the iPhone is made very well, not to mention it has excellent support. I cannot count how many people I’ve known who break their iPhone, walk into an Apple store, and walk out 10 minutes later with a brand new one – FOR FREE. Try that with Samsung or HTC, or your carrier’s warranty. The iPhone absolutely does have some technical merit; they’re great on battery life, pioneered super-high resolution panels, their in-house designed hardware is a refreshing take on the hodgepodge you get with HTC/Samsung, and iDevices are generally more attuned to making everyone happy out of the box. But it’s a dramatically different story when you outgrow the same boring interface or need to customize anything…

          Also, Apple has brilliant marketing and attention to detail. Ever open an Apple product? Especially the original iPods in the square boxes? It’s like an ethereal experience in itself. They’re the only manufacturer out there who understands how important first impressions are, and they nail it in that respect. I guess it might surprise you to know that despite my seemingly anti-Apple musings, I’m actually a hardcore MacBook Pro/OSX fan! :P

        2. Speaking about “just works”, I’m saving up my food stamps now! :)

    2. I dunno Chris, I want the Nexus 4 and Google hasn’t even announced it yet, so I guess I’m just as guilty.

      1. I “want” the next nexus but that doesn’t mean I will get it no matter what.
        If it doesn’t give my anything new I need why upgrade.. I have several people at work that will upgrade from 4S to iPhone 5 and decided long before it was even announced.

      2. At this point the hardware improvements are bragging rights vs actually something life changing. In my opinion we’re at the point that I can get back to only buying a premium phone every 2 years and not feel like I’m missing out on something. Of course I buy Google phones only and get timely updates.

      3. I want the next Nexus, too, because I dearly need a new phone, but I might seriously consider passing it up if it doesn’t come with Cortex A15/Mali T604 or S4 Pro at the very least. It also needs to have a pretty sweet design/colors, and have a great camera. Otherwise I might have to wait for One X2 or Galaxy S4, or maybe Xperia S2.

        The downside to that is that I’ll have to deal with custom ROM’s for the next 2 years. I’m already using custom ROM’s on my old phone for about a year, but I’d rather not have to, with a Nexus.

        1. And this is what makes it different than the situation in the video. You want a new phone — preferably from the Nexus line due to its track record — but you know what you want out of it and would be willing to skip it for something that you know is truly better. These guys just don’t know any better, lol.

          1. Nah there is nothing better, I’m not buying another non-Nexus Android phone I can’t stand custom skins whether they call it Sense, Touchwiz, or god mode. Also, I can’t stand not having the new OS when it comes out. I learned the hard way with my last phone and messing with buggy unstable builds of CM9/10 because HTC hasn’t released source code. I’d rather have an iPhone 5 than a non-Nexus Android phone at this point.

      4. I would think it better to say, I would purchase the Nexus 4, assuming it is a significant improvement upon (your) current handset.

        Purposely wording your statement to make you sound like your average consumer sheep, kind of a silly thing to do… just saying man.

        1. I did that because I was trying to make a point. My contract will be up on my Incredible 2 in December, around when the Nexus 4 should come out. if it’s a compelling upgrade (which it will be because i have a single core phone without LTE) and it has battery life on par with the iPhone 5, and isn’t any bigger than the current Nexus, I’ll get it.

          My point was i truthfully don’t care anything else about it other than what i mentioned above – it’ll be my next phone. Honestly I’d recommend an iPhone before I buy or recommended a non-Nexus again. So i can’t really blame iPhone users for doing the same thing.

    3. Spot on. And i’m not saying that to brown nose, you usually make good points. Too bad iSheep will never know the difference. This video was EPIC…..

    4. iPhone – the smartphone for people who hate smartphones. (I’m dead serious, too)

      1. …the smartphone for people who have a need to feel “en-smartened”.

        (not all, but enough.)

  3. Samsung should totally use this as evidence that even Apple users can’t recognize their own damn phone they’ve owned for over a year. So mistaking any other phone for an iPhone really isn’t a stretch…..

    1. That’s actually not a terrible idea and with today’s court system, could probably be crazy enough to work!

      1. more like what you need is to show people and iPhone and then they say, “Oh a Galaxy S!”

        Although… Apple would just throw another bag of money at the people pulling the strings and spin it, again.

        How about we just all go light brown paper bags of canine fecal matter on Apple HQ front door step? :)

    2. Seriously I like this idea. The other thing is regardless of shape if people have the inability to READ particularly the word SAMSUNG splashed all over the packaging as well as the phone then they truly are stupid. I mean stupid as in swallow a bag of marbles and not reproduce stupid.

    3. funny you should say that I was out to lunch the other day and at another table I heard a young lady talking about the new ipad commercial with the father and the son. I just sat there dumbfounded going how did she not know that was a nexus 7 it even says it in the commercial.

      1. It really scares me that I’m bringing a child into this ridiculously ignorant (and flat out stupid) world!

        1. Considering November’s right around the corner, it really scares me that these people are allowed to vote.

      2. Wow…… that’s some strong Kool-aid they’ve drunk if everything to them is an iDevice. iThis iThat iC’mon…

        It’d be like everyone calling every car & truck they see a Ford or something. wtf…

        1. Wait… you mean all cars aren’t Fords??? *Mind exploding*

      3. Here is the problem. It’s the Kleenex vs Tissue concept. Ipad is becoiming synonymous with tablet. I always use tablet when talking in general about a tablet. initially my kids and wife would want to say iPad. I cured them of that. We need more Android tablets out there. It’s very strong marketing skills that Apple has.

      4. Seriously? The level of ignorance is disproportionate in society

  4. They showed the average Iphone user…

    Poor dumb bastards…

    1. They showed a bunch of people, they just didn’t show they iDiots that read tech sites and masturbate over leaked pictures of the unannounced (now it’s announced) iPhone 5.

      1. yea crept most those people had a 4s in their hand and still thought the iPhone he gave them was faster, lighter and one guy even thought it had a bigger screen.

  5. i like how the guy is like 2-3 feet away from the screen in daylight and claims it looks better. while in reality it’s comparable, but you wouldn’t be able to tell unless you were within 6 inches of the screen anyway.

    1. And the screen la bigger too!

  6. Well we all know that’s why apple does so good, most consumers are idiots and will believe simply what they’re told.

  7. I watched the keynote last night and I swear the guy Cook introduced to talk about the iphone was a hypnotist. He had a weird calm voice and the crowd cheered ever lame feature “check this out its amazing its called panorama” crowd goes crazy! And look at this invitation “if the app doesn’t big beautiful screen we place two beautiful black strips on each side u don’t even notice” crowd goes wild again. I hope that crowd wasn’t full of tech journalist!

    1. My RSS feeds say otherwise… Here’s to another week of constant Apple fanboism puking all over my tech reads :-/

  8. What idiots. They should be embarrassed. But of course they won’t and will come up with some stupid excuse.

    1. it was a hot day, the aluminum around the phone expand in hot temperatures due to the expansion of molecules, therefore making it seem lighter, lol jk

  9. It really goes to show how Apple folks are DUMB! REALLY DUMB, I’m sorry to say.

  10. Well the saying once again holds true… you can’t fix stupid BUT you sure as hell can get them to buy an iPhone.

    1. Google should try to tackle that market. Introduce a phone and tell them it will make all their wishes come true.

      1. Call it iGenie

  11. Thus proving once again that the average consumer is an IDIOT!!!!!

  12. Samsung rightly called them sheeps…lol
    Apple has washed away their brains.

    1. Now bow your head for the prayer from the Church of Jobs:

      Our sheppherd who art in Cupertino,
      Apple be thy name.
      Thy lawsuit come.
      Thy will be done
      on earth as it is in America.
      Give us this day our daily hype,
      and forgive us our blatant copying,
      as we Smite those who outsell us,
      and lead us not into temptation,
      but deliver us from Android.

  13. This made my day :D
    Comedy gold

  14. THANK YOU, Jimmy.

  15. typical apple owners they are all idiots

  16. iPhone5: the hopey changey phone we’ve been waiting for

  17. Tipical Apple Zombies! LMAO

  18. Love Jimmy Kimmel. The only night show I watch.

  19. Apple really must be hypnotizing people. I just don’t get it. Apple could have announced the iPhone 5 with a 3 inch screen, and took out a bunch of features and people would still say it was better than everything else, make up reasons to justify it and stand line to buy it…….it is amazing

    1. You know it is the greatest thing that’s happened to the iPhone since the iPhone! If you can get away with stupid tags like that then your users don’t know anything anyway. That’s pretty much admitting that your users aren’t very informed.

  20. Wow thats funny right there well he should have imported the goo phone and then tried that then it would have been alot funnier

  21. I bet you Android customers would have been able to tell you it was the IPhone 4S.

    1. >.> sometimes i feel like i know more about iPhones then the people that actually use them. I had to help this chick in my class get an ePub file from her iTunes onto her iPad and i don’t even own an iPad lol

      1. That’s because you used some grey matter, learned the differences between the products and made a choice based on what you wanted to get out of the device.

        Any iPhone user that has done this and went with the that phone is fine by me. They know what they bought and went with the user experience that suited them. The problem is, (on both sides of the fence) people don’t bother to research a product, then b***h and complain about it because it doesn’t meet their expectations as they bought into the hype.

    2. Very true.

  22. It works both ways I have a couple of friends that have android phones and all they know is that it’s android, they have no idea the brand or specs anything lol the average consumer has no clue about the whole spec sheet in general

  23. It is as bad as people who go shopping for cars.

  24. The video isn’t funny….the reactions, however, are.

    This really shouldn’t shock anyone.

    Newsflash:

    Hey, guess what? People are dumb. …and it ain’t just the iPhone users.

  25. Beautiful! Shared it on Facebook.

  26. Another reason I am not a fan of the human race.

  27. Especially considering Tim Cook’s words, Jimmy had the PERFECT description in this video – The Emperor’s New Phone!

  28. over at BGR, it was pointed out that even Jimmy got it wrong. he was carrying an iPhone4 and not iPhone4S.

  29. lolololololololololololol

  30. Ha ha ha

  31. That’s why we call the apple fanatics iSheep … iDiots … and many other names :)

  32. Isheep are idiots. Bread and butter of Apple, lets be real here. It’s more valuable than Exxon, there’s a facktoid for you

  33. Umm.. They probably asked a lot of people and only showed the morons because
    That’s the only thing that makes the comedy bit work. You guys seriously need to
    Stop chugging the haterade. This crap is starting to be as divisive as politics. The sales of
    These new phones are great for the economy.

    I mean seriously, why do you care so much? Do you hate on your friends
    Who eat at McDonalds because you think burger king is better?

    Give it a rest.

  34. If Apple would quit trying to ban our phones maybe it would aleviate some of the animosity.

  35. It could be worse, imagine trying to show a random Android phone to the average person when each company makes 50 of them per year with random nonsensical names and little to no upgrades to newer OSes.

    How many of us would know which of those are the latest and greatest? Not many.

  36. Average consumers are f*****g idiots.

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