Even though car analogies are usually off the mark, I think there may be some apt comparisons made to the the way cars were designed in the 50s and 60s to the way they have been designed more recently.
In the 50s-60s every year a completely new body style was released while the chassis and drive chain were relatively unchanged. Now the body styles are slightly updated every few years but the internal technology and components receive evolutionary upgrades. The later method makes a lot more sense since it allows the manufacturer to conserve on costs and also gives them the opportunity to refine the functionality without having to re-invent the wheel every year, so to speak.
I think Apple is just trying to bring some sanity to the cell phone market. Your iPhone 3Gs or iPhone 4 will serve you well for many years since you can upgrade the OS. Upgrade the hardware if you have the money but there is no need to if you want to get a few more years from your current model.
And the 3GS is still being sold two years later and is the No. 2 best selling smartphone in the US. The 16 months old iPhone 4 is No 1. However, no matter what you will still find those who say...
Apple is Doomed?
like 2 people say that out of 1000...but of course they are who you hear.
I totally agree. Apple times their iPhone release with the 2 year cycle that we all have to abide by.
It is a smart move from a business perspective but nonetheless, it's a disappointing move after making us wait for so long. This is what happens when you keep raising the bar. People have expectations.
I think Apple can afford to offer more models in their lineup especially in the high end price point where the new Samsung Galaxy 2 is really superior in terms of lightness and thinness. Heck, a new color would have been a good enough differentiator from the current iPhone 4 model.
I have the iPhone 3G and I am definitely gonna wait until the next one comes out. As much as I like the new features, the phone looks the same and why will I lock myself in another 3 year contract (in Canada) with an old design? Superficial? Absolutely !
The Galaxy S2 .6oz lighter and actually THICKER than the iPhone.
I still can't believe people are disappointed with the 4S. This phone isn't for the current iPhone 4 users. It's for users or older iPhones, dumb phones, and crappy android phones. I have a droid eris and can't wait to get rid of it for the iPhone.
Even if the iPhone 5 came out with a 4" screen, 4G LTE, 10hr battery life. People will still be disappointed because it didn't come with a unicorn crapping rainbows!
You obviously have never seen them side by side. Not only is the SII bigger and thinner, but the display is infinitely better.
For everyone who says the iphone 4S has "EVERYTHING" they need, then I suppose if a model came out tomorrow with a sleeker mmore exciting design, slightly larger screen and a low power LTE radio, you say why oh why did apple waste their money giving me that crap. I want a 16 month old design, a smaller screen and slow internet speeds for the next two years.
Let's face it, if the only thing Apple did was add Siri, and nothing else, you would have said, "IT's PERFECT. Who needs a A5 chip, the iphone 4 is fast enough. Who needs a better camera, the iPhone 4 camera is great."
I haven't seen them side by side, no. But if you're saying bigger, then that's not a design change- that's a feature change. And the improved screen bring it what... up to par with the iPhone 4 screen?
The larger screen issue aside, your points are moot. Apple did release an iPhone with an improved camera and faster processor. Apple has made it very clear that LTE isn't in the cards until they can ensure that it won't mean a hit to battery life. They have to at least be able to meet if not exceed the battery performance of the current iPhone. And if you're saying you also want a thinner design as well, THAT's going to impact the quality of the camera, and the space for battery as well. None of these things live in isolation. Maybe what your asking for isn't possible until next year by Apple's standards.
So to throw it back at you- the only thing they DIDN'T change is the design. And it seems like that's all some people are interested in. Unless you wanted a bigger screen, which just didn't happen.
Quite a few of my coworkers that have an iPhone 3GS plan to jump ship to Android. The iPhone 3GS was powerful for its time, but the iPhone 4S is just playing incremental catch-up to Android, and even then, it's still behind. Has Apple even revealed how much RAM is in the iPhone 4S or what the A5 is even clocked at? Android has dual-core 1.5 GHz phones with 1 GB RAM. We will be seeing 16 MP cameras in Android phones starting next month and quad-cores are coming.
Most of the iPhone 4S sales will be iPhone 3GS owners that have been out of contract for months. But, I do not think it will convert Android users or bring in new customers excluding new Sprint customers.
I for one, am sort of disappointed. What was I expecting? I'm not sure. Innovation, I guess.
I have a 3GS. I love it. I have noticed it being a bit slower with iOS 4. My music did not skip on iOS 3. I would sort of like to use Facetime, but I have an iPad 2 for that. Yes, I would like a HD camera, the iPad 2 camera sucks in my opinion.
So why should I upgrade to a 4s? Siri doesnt really do it for me. Sure, an A5 would be nice. Im really holding out for iOS 5. Im mean, if the 3GS didnt run iOS 5, I would upgrade in a minute.
So $199 for an HD camera, a better display, and faster chip? I dont play games on the phone.
Im also stuck on the "S" upgrade cycle. If I upgrade now, it'll be 2 years before I can upgrade again. Say next year the real iPhone 5 comes out. I wont be able to upgrade without paying more. So I wait until the 5s?
Also, I was hoping for an upgraded Apple TV. I have a first gen Apple TV. Would like a 2nd, but dont want to buy one if a 3rd is coming out soon...which apparently it's not.
Im not a "hater" or whatever. I love my Apple products, would recommend them to anyone. Im just not sure it's worth it to upgrade right now. Meanwhile the specs on the Droid Bionic look really nice...too bad I hate Droids.
Btw..these are all first world problems.
I think the upgrade time frames are not as static as you think. I got my 3Gs in September 2009. When the iphone 4 came out Summer 2010 (a bit less than a year), I was already eligible for a full upgrade. I think if you remain in good graces with your carrier you would be eligible for upgrade much sooner than two years (at least with AT&T anyway, can't speak for sprint or verizon). Of course you do have to sign a new 2 yr contract when you upgrade, but you would have to do that anyway.
Spring 2013. This is if Apple maintains a 16 month cycle. So no iPhone in 2012, is that realistic?
One final point, Apple is aiming for the Chinese market, Asia works in a different way, the 4S will be seen as last year's phone, it is not about the specs, but showing you have the latest gadget, so a design change was very important for the Chinese market.
In summary, the 4S is awesome, but 6 months too late, and it will screw up the owners of iPhone 4 phones.
There you go, guessing Apple's *aim* and their release schedule. Haven't you learned from their history that they don't do and don't care what you or anyone else predict or guess?
The 4S is not aimed at any market, other than the mobile market at large. It is the embodiment of what they think should go into a phone at this new point in time. They do not deviate from their design process just because pundits say the Asian or Martian market works in whatever way. After all, did Apple go along with how the market worked before the iphone (e.g. carrier branding, etc.)?
Jobs has said this more than once - produce the best design possible, things like sales and stock price will take care of themselves.
this AI piece is totally based on remarks by one "analyst," Alex Gauna. he is a notorious Apple bad-mouther.
as Katie notes, in March he downgraded Apple stock from "outperform" the market to "perform." what Katie did not do is check how things actually turned out. in the six months since then, the DJ is down 12%, but Apple is up 10%. so clearly Apple has "outperformed" the market, and Gauna was plainly wrong.
more notable, tho, is one of his statements Katie missed. as Fortune reported on 8/26, he also believes the departure of Jobs means: "I am skeptical. This is the beginning of the end of the innovation that we have seen Apple usher into the new era. I think investors should be looking for diversified positions out of Apple at this point."
for a much better evaluation of Gauna's "analyst" work, go again to Fortune and this piece by Philip Elmer-DeWitt, "The Day Apple Landed In Gauna":
Again... what is it that you can't DO with this phone?
I suppose its the nature of geeks that its the device itself that matters, but really folks, it isn't. Its what you can DO with it.
Its my new realization. For too many people, the device is a sexual fetish.
Turn it around and USE IT!!!
Seriously? People are disappointed because of the form factor and it's a decent complaint given how long it took to come to market. The iPhone is more than a smartphone. It's the device the revolutionized the smartphone industry, it's a status symbol, a trend setter, a category leader that others try to copy, even a fetish perhaps as you say.
The thing is this: People do not want to lock themselves down for another 2-3 years with a design that has been around more than a year and a half ago.
You obviously have never seen them side by side. Not only is the SII bigger and thinner, but the display is infinitely better.
For everyone who says the iphone 4S has "EVERYTHING" they need, then I suppose if a model came out tomorrow with a sleeker mmore exciting design, slightly larger screen and a low power LTE radio, you say why oh why did apple waste their money giving me that crap. I want a 16 month old design, a smaller screen and slow internet speeds for the next two years.
Let's face it, if the only thing Apple did was add Siri, and nothing else, you would have said, "IT's PERFECT. Who needs a A5 chip, the iphone 4 is fast enough. Who needs a better camera, the iPhone 4 camera is great."
Hyperbole much. Christ, I think the point is much more reasonable than that. Being nearly everything else BUT the design was changed about the phone (hardware and software both) this is a very acceptable upgrade. Everyone thinks Apple should make business decisions based on customer wants all of the time, but they are a company and they don't. They gave their customers a really nice upgrade in almost every front AND managed to NOT waste their time retooling their manufacturing lines. Had they wasted resources redesigning it entirely we almost certainly wouldn't have gotten the upgrades that we did get.
The iPhone 3GS was powerful for its time, but the iPhone 4S is just playing incremental catch-up to Android, and even then, it's still behind.
Good grief, Terrence... do you even think about this stuff before you write it? The mere fact that all you can think about is the specs shows that you don't get it.
Consumers want something useful - something that adds value to their lives. They don't care if it has 512MB of RAM and an onboard GPU and two cores running at 1.2GHZ - they care that it takes great pictures, it's easy and fun to use, it has a ton of apps, they are safe to obtain, that you can access great content offerings, and watch them anywhere when you want, etc.
Only the geeks with the pointy hats think the amount of RAM is more important than the experience of using the device and how it adds value to your life, and only the geeks think that characteristics like "bytes of RAM" and "end user value" are actually synonymous.
Your Galaxy comparison is lacking. It is quite different. Well, more so than IP4 vs 4S anyway. First of all the Galaxy S2 is larger than the S1, both form wise and screen wise (4.3-4.5" vs 4.0") but still managed to be a little bit lighter. The screen is also of a different kind (SAMOLED+ vs SAMOLED) with the former supposedly providing more clarity, more vibrant colors and less battery consumption. These along with significant internal upgrades, larger battery and better camera, and on some variants, LTE, NFC and soon to come, 720p SAMOLED+ HD screen providing retina-like resolutions.
Right, but outside of the larger screen, none of what you've said is exterior design. And it seems to me that design is really the hang up here. It's not enough that the iPhone4S is dramatically faster and with a better camera and new voice control system. A superficial case change seems to be the only metric by which anyone is willing to gauge this.
Not to mention that the new phone is getting tons of new features with iOS5.
Whereas you'd have to either know the phone REALLY well to tell the difference between the GS and GSII without holding it in your hands and it gets a pass.
It's a distinct possibility that the 3GS already outsells the iPhone 4 at ATT.
Interesting possibility but ... I might be wrong, but I believe the 3GS has been consistently ranked as the 2nd best selling smartphone in the US, even before Verizon entered the picture?
Comments
In the 50s-60s every year a completely new body style was released while the chassis and drive chain were relatively unchanged. Now the body styles are slightly updated every few years but the internal technology and components receive evolutionary upgrades. The later method makes a lot more sense since it allows the manufacturer to conserve on costs and also gives them the opportunity to refine the functionality without having to re-invent the wheel every year, so to speak.
I think Apple is just trying to bring some sanity to the cell phone market. Your iPhone 3Gs or iPhone 4 will serve you well for many years since you can upgrade the OS. Upgrade the hardware if you have the money but there is no need to if you want to get a few more years from your current model.
And the 3GS is still being sold two years later and is the No. 2 best selling smartphone in the US. The 16 months old iPhone 4 is No 1. However, no matter what you will still find those who say...
Apple is Doomed?
like 2 people say that out of 1000...but of course they are who you hear.
I totally agree. Apple times their iPhone release with the 2 year cycle that we all have to abide by.
It is a smart move from a business perspective but nonetheless, it's a disappointing move after making us wait for so long. This is what happens when you keep raising the bar. People have expectations.
I think Apple can afford to offer more models in their lineup especially in the high end price point where the new Samsung Galaxy 2 is really superior in terms of lightness and thinness. Heck, a new color would have been a good enough differentiator from the current iPhone 4 model.
I have the iPhone 3G and I am definitely gonna wait until the next one comes out. As much as I like the new features, the phone looks the same and why will I lock myself in another 3 year contract (in Canada) with an old design? Superficial? Absolutely !
The Galaxy S2 .6oz lighter and actually THICKER than the iPhone.
http://www.ubergizmo.com/2011/09/iph...rds-authority/
Are you really suggesting this matters?
Even if the iPhone 5 came out with a 4" screen, 4G LTE, 10hr battery life. People will still be disappointed because it didn't come with a unicorn crapping rainbows!
It's a good thing you're not eh? Otherwise rounded rectangular PC monitors and TVs would be banned everywhere.
Yes, you are exactly correct.
You obviously have never seen them side by side. Not only is the SII bigger and thinner, but the display is infinitely better.
For everyone who says the iphone 4S has "EVERYTHING" they need, then I suppose if a model came out tomorrow with a sleeker mmore exciting design, slightly larger screen and a low power LTE radio, you say why oh why did apple waste their money giving me that crap. I want a 16 month old design, a smaller screen and slow internet speeds for the next two years.
Let's face it, if the only thing Apple did was add Siri, and nothing else, you would have said, "IT's PERFECT. Who needs a A5 chip, the iphone 4 is fast enough. Who needs a better camera, the iPhone 4 camera is great."
I haven't seen them side by side, no. But if you're saying bigger, then that's not a design change- that's a feature change. And the improved screen bring it what... up to par with the iPhone 4 screen?
The larger screen issue aside, your points are moot. Apple did release an iPhone with an improved camera and faster processor. Apple has made it very clear that LTE isn't in the cards until they can ensure that it won't mean a hit to battery life. They have to at least be able to meet if not exceed the battery performance of the current iPhone. And if you're saying you also want a thinner design as well, THAT's going to impact the quality of the camera, and the space for battery as well. None of these things live in isolation. Maybe what your asking for isn't possible until next year by Apple's standards.
So to throw it back at you- the only thing they DIDN'T change is the design. And it seems like that's all some people are interested in. Unless you wanted a bigger screen, which just didn't happen.
Different case, Larger screen, NFC chip (along with the inside upgrades they made).
A led on the front of the case to see if you miss phone calls.
iPhone 4S > iPhone 4 >>>>>> Android crap phone
a flip phone is >>>> an Android crap phone...
A high end Android = iPhone depending on your preferences...but in Apple land and Fandroid land such logic is blasphemy.
Most of the iPhone 4S sales will be iPhone 3GS owners that have been out of contract for months. But, I do not think it will convert Android users or bring in new customers excluding new Sprint customers.
I for one, am sort of disappointed. What was I expecting? I'm not sure. Innovation, I guess.
I have a 3GS. I love it. I have noticed it being a bit slower with iOS 4. My music did not skip on iOS 3. I would sort of like to use Facetime, but I have an iPad 2 for that. Yes, I would like a HD camera, the iPad 2 camera sucks in my opinion.
So why should I upgrade to a 4s? Siri doesnt really do it for me. Sure, an A5 would be nice. Im really holding out for iOS 5. Im mean, if the 3GS didnt run iOS 5, I would upgrade in a minute.
So $199 for an HD camera, a better display, and faster chip? I dont play games on the phone.
Im also stuck on the "S" upgrade cycle. If I upgrade now, it'll be 2 years before I can upgrade again. Say next year the real iPhone 5 comes out. I wont be able to upgrade without paying more. So I wait until the 5s?
Also, I was hoping for an upgraded Apple TV. I have a first gen Apple TV. Would like a 2nd, but dont want to buy one if a 3rd is coming out soon...which apparently it's not.
Im not a "hater" or whatever. I love my Apple products, would recommend them to anyone. Im just not sure it's worth it to upgrade right now. Meanwhile the specs on the Droid Bionic look really nice...too bad I hate Droids.
Btw..these are all first world problems.
I think the upgrade time frames are not as static as you think. I got my 3Gs in September 2009. When the iphone 4 came out Summer 2010 (a bit less than a year), I was already eligible for a full upgrade. I think if you remain in good graces with your carrier you would be eligible for upgrade much sooner than two years (at least with AT&T anyway, can't speak for sprint or verizon). Of course you do have to sign a new 2 yr contract when you upgrade, but you would have to do that anyway.
Summer 2012...
Fall 2012 ...
Spring 2013. This is if Apple maintains a 16 month cycle. So no iPhone in 2012, is that realistic?
One final point, Apple is aiming for the Chinese market, Asia works in a different way, the 4S will be seen as last year's phone, it is not about the specs, but showing you have the latest gadget, so a design change was very important for the Chinese market.
In summary, the 4S is awesome, but 6 months too late, and it will screw up the owners of iPhone 4 phones.
There you go, guessing Apple's *aim* and their release schedule. Haven't you learned from their history that they don't do and don't care what you or anyone else predict or guess?
The 4S is not aimed at any market, other than the mobile market at large. It is the embodiment of what they think should go into a phone at this new point in time. They do not deviate from their design process just because pundits say the Asian or Martian market works in whatever way. After all, did Apple go along with how the market worked before the iphone (e.g. carrier branding, etc.)?
Jobs has said this more than once - produce the best design possible, things like sales and stock price will take care of themselves.
as Katie notes, in March he downgraded Apple stock from "outperform" the market to "perform." what Katie did not do is check how things actually turned out. in the six months since then, the DJ is down 12%, but Apple is up 10%. so clearly Apple has "outperformed" the market, and Gauna was plainly wrong.
more notable, tho, is one of his statements Katie missed. as Fortune reported on 8/26, he also believes the departure of Jobs means: "I am skeptical. This is the beginning of the end of the innovation that we have seen Apple usher into the new era. I think investors should be looking for diversified positions out of Apple at this point."
for a much better evaluation of Gauna's "analyst" work, go again to Fortune and this piece by Philip Elmer-DeWitt, "The Day Apple Landed In Gauna":
http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2011/03/...nded-in-guana/
that's how it's done, Katie. this guy Gauna has a personal agenda, and his stuff doesn't merit coverage in AI.
1.) Consumer Reports should issue a "recommend " rating
and
2.) Bumper sales will slide.
Apple's iPhone 4S event seen lacking 'panache,' allowing Android to gain
That's the understatement of the year.
Again... what is it that you can't DO with this phone?
I suppose its the nature of geeks that its the device itself that matters, but really folks, it isn't. Its what you can DO with it.
Its my new realization. For too many people, the device is a sexual fetish.
Turn it around and USE IT!!!
Seriously? People are disappointed because of the form factor and it's a decent complaint given how long it took to come to market. The iPhone is more than a smartphone. It's the device the revolutionized the smartphone industry, it's a status symbol, a trend setter, a category leader that others try to copy, even a fetish perhaps as you say.
The thing is this: People do not want to lock themselves down for another 2-3 years with a design that has been around more than a year and a half ago.
And this is where I think Apple can improve on.
You obviously have never seen them side by side. Not only is the SII bigger and thinner, but the display is infinitely better.
For everyone who says the iphone 4S has "EVERYTHING" they need, then I suppose if a model came out tomorrow with a sleeker mmore exciting design, slightly larger screen and a low power LTE radio, you say why oh why did apple waste their money giving me that crap. I want a 16 month old design, a smaller screen and slow internet speeds for the next two years.
Let's face it, if the only thing Apple did was add Siri, and nothing else, you would have said, "IT's PERFECT. Who needs a A5 chip, the iphone 4 is fast enough. Who needs a better camera, the iPhone 4 camera is great."
Hyperbole much. Christ, I think the point is much more reasonable than that. Being nearly everything else BUT the design was changed about the phone (hardware and software both) this is a very acceptable upgrade. Everyone thinks Apple should make business decisions based on customer wants all of the time, but they are a company and they don't. They gave their customers a really nice upgrade in almost every front AND managed to NOT waste their time retooling their manufacturing lines. Had they wasted resources redesigning it entirely we almost certainly wouldn't have gotten the upgrades that we did get.
The iPhone 3GS was powerful for its time, but the iPhone 4S is just playing incremental catch-up to Android, and even then, it's still behind.
Good grief, Terrence... do you even think about this stuff before you write it? The mere fact that all you can think about is the specs shows that you don't get it.
Consumers want something useful - something that adds value to their lives. They don't care if it has 512MB of RAM and an onboard GPU and two cores running at 1.2GHZ - they care that it takes great pictures, it's easy and fun to use, it has a ton of apps, they are safe to obtain, that you can access great content offerings, and watch them anywhere when you want, etc.
Only the geeks with the pointy hats think the amount of RAM is more important than the experience of using the device and how it adds value to your life, and only the geeks think that characteristics like "bytes of RAM" and "end user value" are actually synonymous.
Your Galaxy comparison is lacking. It is quite different. Well, more so than IP4 vs 4S anyway. First of all the Galaxy S2 is larger than the S1, both form wise and screen wise (4.3-4.5" vs 4.0") but still managed to be a little bit lighter. The screen is also of a different kind (SAMOLED+ vs SAMOLED) with the former supposedly providing more clarity, more vibrant colors and less battery consumption. These along with significant internal upgrades, larger battery and better camera, and on some variants, LTE, NFC and soon to come, 720p SAMOLED+ HD screen providing retina-like resolutions.
Right, but outside of the larger screen, none of what you've said is exterior design. And it seems to me that design is really the hang up here. It's not enough that the iPhone4S is dramatically faster and with a better camera and new voice control system. A superficial case change seems to be the only metric by which anyone is willing to gauge this.
Not to mention that the new phone is getting tons of new features with iOS5.
Whereas you'd have to either know the phone REALLY well to tell the difference between the GS and GSII without holding it in your hands and it gets a pass.
It's a distinct possibility that the 3GS already outsells the iPhone 4 at ATT.
Interesting possibility but ... I might be wrong, but I believe the 3GS has been consistently ranked as the 2nd best selling smartphone in the US, even before Verizon entered the picture?
If you look at my reaction in the Steve's Return topic, you can see that I and a lot more people feel a bit ....
"let down" is the only way I can think of to describe the way I feel after this Apple Event.
Not just on the hardware side, but, as much as I like Timmy, he's not Steve.
And what I mean by that is, his presentation seems like it's forced "AppleVibe".
He's even got on the black mock turtleneck, for criminy's sake.
Oh, well.
Given this debut, the good takeaway from this is that his presentation performance can only go up.
Way up.
And I say that because I love.
Who knows -- maybe they're saving Steve for the Apple HDTV unveiling.