If Times Are So Bad Why are iPhone 4′s Selling?

All we seem to hear about these days is how bad the economy is.  From politicians to the press we are barraged every day with statistics, figures and stories of an economy that is tettering on the brink of plunging us into another Great Depression.  At the least those prognosticators of doom say we are in for a double dip recession.  Yet if you look hard enough you will find evidence that Americans are still spending money.  Consider…

3 million iPhones were sold in the first three weeks of its release.

77% of those sold in the first three days, about 1.5 million phones, were upgrades.  In other words people with perfectly good iPhone 3′s that just had to have the latest from Apple.

The cost of a iPhone 4 runs between $200 to $400 just for the phone.  That does not count your AT&T fees on top of that.

Apple announced that iPad sales topped two million in less than 60 days since its launch on April 3.  Sales continue at a brisk pace so who knows how many they have sold by now?

iPads sell for between $499 to $699 before you add any feature or apps or pay AT&T for connectivity fees.

So tell me, if times are so tough how is it that Americans find the money for this luxury.  While having a phone might be argued to be a necessity upgrading for the sake of having the latest is not.  The lines on the day the iPhone was released were huge.  Many stores were sold out after only a few hours.  Despite the iPhone’s problems with its external antenna it is reshaping the smart phone arena.  The same can be said for the iPad.  Both are cool devices.  My point is not to be critical of Apple, its products or its sales.  My point is that in the midst of what is suppose to be our most challenging economic time since The Great Depression people are spending money.

If you really want an example of how Americans spend money for non essentials consider the Pet Economy.  It is estimated that Americans will spend $47.7 BILLION on pets in 2010.  That is more than the gross domestic product of all but 64 countries in the world.  It is double what we spent just a decade earlier.  If times are so tough why are we continuing to shell out money for our pets much of which goes for items other than simply feeding Fido?

I could go on and on but I think you get the point.  We have money for what we want.  We find a way to buy the things we are passionate about.  There is perhaps no more passionate person about their product than an Apple customer.  Talking to Apple customers about why you choose not to buy the iPad or the iPhone is like talking to a Jehovah’s Witness.  I had that experience today in my drive way with a JW adherent.  I have had similar conversations with Apple devotees.  I am happy for the Apple people but content as a PC and Blackberry Verizon guy.  I sometimes envy the passion Apple people have for their product.  I wish church members had the same passion and excitement for Christ.

Which brings me to my ultimate point.  If only the church could inspire the same kind of commitment and passion to what we do then I believe our giving problems would go away.  Why do we let our members become passionate about Apple or Fido or the Georgia Bulldogs but lukewarm about our mission?  I have said for three years that good vision trumps bad economy.

Apple creates the passion in their customers that make them want to stand in line for an upgrade they really don’t need spending hundreds of dollars.  Why is it that we cannot or will not communicate what we are about in such a compelling way that people will sacrifice the new iPhone to give to our eternal cause?  I submit that the fault is not with our “product.”  The fault is in how we communicate what we do and who we do it for.

Even in this challenging economic time people are spending money.  If your offerings are down it might not be the economy, it might be something you are not doing.  Too many churches are using the excuse of the economy to explain giving shortfalls.  The real answer might be much closer to home than we would like to admit.  After all if times are so bad why are iPhone’s selling so fast?

Mark Brooks

Founder and President

The Charis Group