Apple keeps customers happy – and paying a little more each year

Does the wisdom of crowds apply to Apple? Because there is a large crowd of people who hate it. But usually with American companies that make huge amounts of money – such as mobile carriers or TV companies – the hatred comes from their own customers. In contrast, Apple’s growing customer base seems to love it; it is the people who are not customers that don’t.Apple’s formula sounds simple: keep people happy to pay a premium. But it is a trick that is far from simple to pull off. Last week it announced two new phones in larger sizes: a 5.5in “phablet”, the iPhone 6 Plus, which looks tailored to the Asian market, and a smaller 4.7in phone whose size finally catches up with what rival makers have offered for years.