It is by no means a ground-breaking assertion to say that Apple is a dominant force in today’s technology world. Surely this has been said over a billion times, or at least as many times as there have been apps downloaded. But what is interesting is how Apple approaches their branding. Controlled, calculated and downright brilliant. Never mind the beautiful design of their products, the intuitive UI or their clever advertising. Let’s take it a step further and discuss one very specific aspect that is (at least in my opinion) a perfect metaphor for Apple as a company: the sounds available with the iPhone.

There are a dozen or so sounds available for your ringtone/alarm/notifications etc. and unless you download a ringtone creation app (and go through the tedious task of setting it up once you connect your phone to your computer), you cannot add your own sounds. Is this Apple just being Apple and not wanting to provide it’s users with too much choice? Or is this part of a branding initiative to ensure that Apple is not only recognizable through their look, feel and user experience but through the way their products sound?

I like to believe that Apple wants you to know instantly when you hear an iPhone ringtone go off that it is an iPhone. You recognize it right away and boom - another impression for Apple is earned, albeit one almost virtually immeasurable. How many times have you heard your text message alert notification go off only to realize that it was the dude walking behind you on the street whose iPhone went off and not yours? It happens to me all the time.

It is an interesting notion that Apple wants their branding to resonate through all the human senses, not just touch and sight. Sound is no less important and in the coming months/years look for Apple to continue this trend as they continue to innovate. Now they just need to develop the Apple smell – choose from half a dozen branded scents, but don’t even think about uploading your own. Apple wants to own it all.