iPod (Apple\'s MP3 Player) Relates to Maslow\'s

¶ … iPod (Apple's MP3 player) relates to Maslow's hierarchy of human needs.

Abraham Maslow created his theory of a hierarchy of human needs in the late 1960's and early 1970's. The psychologist wrote that human beings are primarily motivated by unsatisfied needs. Certain lower needs must be satisfied before higher needs are satisfied. (Maslow, 1970) Advertising new products often depends upon generating a sense of need, and promising that the new product can fulfill this need.

Take for example the Apple's new MP3 player, the iPod. True, on a Maslow-like physiological level, the first level of need, one cannot eat an iPod, and a less mechanical form of 'apple' is necessary for sustenance, iPods do satisfy the consumer's immediate physical needs for lighter equipment. iPods are portable and more amenable to working out, and for musical use on crowded subway, and the crush and strain of modern urban life. The iPod website from Apple also boasts of the convenience of the technology's 18-hour battery.

In terms of the second hierarchical need for safety, downloadable music is more durable than listening to music on CDs and it is cheaper to download individual songs than purchasing many CDs. Also, the branding of this new technology stresses the ability of the user to create arrangements of personalized collections of music. This tailors the iPod to the consumer's personal "loves," the third of Maslow's needs. The popular and various colors the product is available in, visually provides the component "social esteem," that Maslow defines as the essential fourth need of his hierarchical pyramid. Also, because the iPod is a popular product, simply having one confirms that the owner and user of the iPod is a consumer connected to the 'next big thing' in music. One can even, according to the Apple Website; synchronize music and photos upon one's handheld personal music device. Lastly, "self-actualization" by creating ones' own music mix is achieved through iPod technology -- the iPod personalizes one's listening pleasure through creating a self-tailored musical experience.