Apple's Cook explains 'one-a-year' iPhone strategy, hints at future models at variable price points

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  • Reply 21 of 79
    enatureenature Posts: 77member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by scotty321 View Post



    Please, Dear God, no bigger phones. Those "phablets" are a TERRIBLE size. Too big to hold, too big to use one-handed, too big to fit into a pocket. They are the very definition of disgusting.


    A typical response from someone who never owned anything over 4.5"  Well, times changed nowadays. Small is not cool anymore. Size matters. No wonder Apple is losing its ground in China and Asia in general. And Cook, as always, is clueless about products when he claims:  "Customers are clearly looking at the size, but they also look at things like 'do the photos show the proper color? The white balance, the reflectivity, battery life."


    Right... when a person interacts with their phone, which nowadays usually means browsing, email, texting, and games, it is "proper color" and "white balance" that's on their minds. Laughable! Imagine Steve Jobs utter such nonsense. Never! What a customer actually feels is this: "This screen is too shitty tiny for most stuff I'm actually doing on my phone" 


    How many hundreds of  billions of AAPL value (so far $200 billion) gonna be lost before shareholders realize the damage Cook has inflicted on this used-to-be shiniest star of American technology. 

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  • Reply 22 of 79

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Michael Scrip View Post





    Phablets? Sure... I agree that 5.5" to 6.3" is a little ridiculous.



    But people have been buying phones larger than 4" for quite some time... there might be something to them...




    It's because of supply, not demand. There are no top-of-the-line android handsets under 4".

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  • Reply 23 of 79
    thepixeldocthepixeldoc Posts: 2,257member
    asdasd wrote: »
    That isn't probably what he meant. However a device with a limited iOS feature set would be a good idea, we already have that with SIRI etc.
    If anything, charlituna is describing or alluding to a completely different device to do "telephony" kinds of things IMO.

    I think it's technically feasible... and what Apple is working on... rather than enlarging the iPhone, miniaturizing the components, as in a wearable device (watch?) and a BT earbud/microphone combination, that would also pair with a larger device such as an iPad of any size.

    Simple "semi-smart" phones can be had for as little as $20 these days. Why would Apple ever go "there"?

    Actually... no one has said it yet... but I think the "super smart phone" market has peaked. There's just not a whole lot more that it can do elegantly and efficiently as a singular device with built in capabilities, and the Galaxy S4 proves that point to an extent.

    It comes down to software and the App ecosystem... and iOS is leading the way, and will become even stronger after the WWDC. For Apple to build a crippled "iPhone-kind-of-device" would be just plain dumb. Creating a mobile telephony enabling device... that could "have legs"....8-)
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  • Reply 24 of 79


    I posted this link already but felt that it needs to posted here as well. The truth about how Apple reports its sales numbers. Apple is no different than Samsung, HTC, Nokia Motorola or any other company when it is reporting its sales numbers for the quarter.


     


    Time after time I read in these forums Apple fans stating that Apples sales numbers are the number of phones that has reached the end customers hands, i.e. in their purse, pocket or brief case. That is simply FALSE!


     


    Apple just like all the other companies has channel inventory and yes even Apple reports their channel inventory as sold and includes those numbers in their quarterly reports for number of units sold even though many units have not been sold to the end user yet. They have only been shipped to someone like  BestBuy, Walmart, AT&T, Verizon ect.


     


    This is no different than Samsung or any other company. So I think we can now lay the myth to rest that Apples quarterly reported numbers are sales to people on the street. An example is Apple reports 37 million phones sold, but there are still 11 million phones sitting in inventory at said stores listed above still unsold to an end user yet Apple has reported them sold on their quarterly report.


     


    This is being posted simply for the sole purpose to set the record straight about how Apple reports its sold number and it is no different than any other company.


     


    http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:rG3F6eFX_AsJ:money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/gigaom/articles/2013_05_09_what_apple_really_means_when_it_says_it_has_sold_a_product.html+&cd=13&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

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  • Reply 25 of 79
    thepixeldocthepixeldoc Posts: 2,257member
    enature wrote: »
    A typical response from someone who never owned anything over 4.5"  <span style="font-size:13px;line-height:1.231;">Well, times changed nowadays. Small is not cool anymore. Size matters. No wonder Apple is losing its ground in China and Asia in general. And Cook, as always, is clueless about products when he claims: </span>
    <span style="color:rgb(24,24,24);font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;line-height:18.196022033691406px;font-size:13px;"> "Customers are clearly looking at the size, but they also look at things like 'do the photos show the proper color? The white balance, the reflectivity, battery life."</span>

    <span style="color:rgb(24,24,24);font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;line-height:18.196022033691406px;font-size:13px;">Right... when a person interacts with their phone, which nowadays usually means browsing, email, texting, and games, it is "proper color" and "white balance" that's on their minds. </span>
    <span style="font-size:13px;line-height:1.231;">Laughable! Imagine Steve Jobs utter such nonsense. Never! What a customer actually feels is this: "This screen is too shitty tiny for most stuff I'm actually doing on my phone" </span>

    <span style="font-size:13px;line-height:1.231;">How many hundreds of  billions of AAPL value (so far $200 billion) gonna be lost before shareholders realize the damage Cook has inflicted on this used-to-be shiniest star of American technology. </span>

    Both of your posts are disgusting! Although I must agree with @enature that TC's comments about "white balance" were seriously cringe-worthy.

    He needed only to say that Apple wants to continue to only offer products where the viewing experience is top-notch, while making the entire user experience considering speed, software and battery life.... also, the bar for which all other devices are (should be) judged.

    Size alone is just stupid, and not worth the investment.... and yes... Apple could have different sizes if they wanted to long time ago. Instead they have the iPad series, the leader in it's class for anything larger than an iPhone.

    Regardless... IF Apple decides to create a larger iPhone, I actually think it will be marketed as a "smaller" iPad, with tethering to a far smaller mobile chip enclosure of some kind. (See above post).
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  • Reply 26 of 79
    thepixeldocthepixeldoc Posts: 2,257member
    I posted this link already but fell that it needs to posted here as well. The truth about how Apple reports its sales numbers. Apple is no different than Samsung, HTC, Nokia Motorola or any other company when it is reporting its sales numbers for the quarter.

    Time after time I read in these forums Apple fans stating that apples sales numbers are the number of phones that has reached the end customers hands, i.e. in their purse, pocket or brief case. That is simply FALSE!

    Apple just like all the other companies has channel inventory and yes even Apple reports their channel inventory as sold and includes those number in their quarterly reports for number of units sold even though many units have not been sold to the end user yet. They have only been shipped to someone like  BestBuy, Walmart, AT&T, Verizon ect.

    This is no different than Samsung or any other company. So I think we can not lay the myth to rest that Apples quarterly reported numbers are sales to people on the street. An example is Apple reports 37 million phones sold, but there are still 11 million phones sitting in inventory at said stores listed above still unsold to an end user yet Apple has reported them sold on their quarterly report.

    This is being posted simply for the sole purpose to set the record straight about how Apple reports its sold number and it is no different than any other company.

    http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:rG3F6eFX_AsJ:money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/gigaom/articles/2013_05_09_what_apple_really_means_when_it_says_it_has_sold_a_product.html+&cd=13&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

    AFAIK, they are sold though, with now refunds, buy backs, or even discounting allowed by the providers or stores that are allowed to sell the iPhone.

    Apple is facing an EU inquiry into this very tough and unwieldy contract for this very reason.

    So... reporting as sold is correct. Reporting of activations and current active Apple ID accounts would give a better picture though.... agreed.
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  • Reply 27 of 79
    joshuarayerjoshuarayer Posts: 151member


    Removed from re-reading that the talk, in this seeming context, was about phablet phones only.

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  • Reply 28 of 79
    asdasdasdasd Posts: 5,686member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Victory2013 View Post


    I posted this link already but felt that it needs to posted here as well. The truth about how Apple reports its sales numbers. Apple is no different than Samsung, HTC, Nokia Motorola or any other company when it is reporting its sales numbers for the quarter.


     


    Time after time I read in these forums Apple fans stating that Apples sales numbers are the number of phones that has reached the end customers hands, i.e. in their purse, pocket or brief case. That is simply FALSE!


     


    Apple just like all the other companies has channel inventory and yes even Apple reports their channel inventory as sold and includes those numbers in their quarterly reports for number of units sold even though many units have not been sold to the end user yet. They have only been shipped to someone like  BestBuy, Walmart, AT&T, Verizon ect.


     


    This is no different than Samsung or any other company. So I think we can now lay the myth to rest that Apples quarterly reported numbers are sales to people on the street. An example is Apple reports 37 million phones sold, but there are still 11 million phones sitting in inventory at said stores listed above still unsold to an end user yet Apple has reported them sold on their quarterly report.


     


    This is being posted simply for the sole purpose to set the record straight about how Apple reports its sold number and it is no different than any other company.


     


    http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:rG3F6eFX_AsJ:money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/gigaom/articles/2013_05_09_what_apple_really_means_when_it_says_it_has_sold_a_product.html+&cd=13&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us



     


    I've made that point in all threads where it comes up. Although 11M seems like a lot in channel, they try and estimate it to a number of "weeks inventory". Which means that sales to channel can drop off significantly when there is a slowdown from Q-Q, as we'll see next Q.

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  • Reply 29 of 79
    asdasdasdasd Posts: 5,686member


    Obviously Cook couldn't answer that question with any real information, as that would be giving strategy away. Since he did say "they might" we can take it that they will. 

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  • Reply 30 of 79
    andrzejlsandrzejls Posts: 84member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by OllieWallieWhiskers View Post




    It's because of supply, not demand. There are no top-of-the-line android handsets under 4".





    People are buying larger phones because they are in the store? No, they are in the store because people want larger screens and that is exactly the reason you do not see top-of-the-line android handsets under 4" in the stores. People will pay top $ for larger screen. And that is demand and supply. People demand, companies supply. Not the other way around.

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  • Reply 31 of 79
    crowleycrowley Posts: 10,453member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by charlituna View Post



    I don't need a phablet or a cheap plastic phone and I don't think Apple needs them either. What might be good however is a limited feature phone, which because it is limited would be cheaper. Makes calls, sends texts, music player, camera, contacts, calendar etc. but no apps, no email or safari. An iPhone for those that do all their big stuff on an iPad and don't need a fancy phone.


     


    If it had a data connection that an iPad could to tether to, I could go for that.  I use my iPad for internet and apps much more than I do my iPhone, to the point where the iPhone offers little value to me beyond a large (yes, I'm complaining it's too big!) feature phone and a Mi-Fi (in a much nicer package, obv).


     


    Niche appeal though.  If another manufacturer could give me a slick feature phone that could tether I'd probably jump.  iPad will be prised from my cold dead hands, however :)

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  • Reply 32 of 79
    anonymouseanonymouse Posts: 7,123member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by andrzejls View Post




    People are buying larger phones because they are in the store? No, they are in the store because people want larger screens and that is exactly the reason you do not see top-of-the-line android handsets under 4" in the stores. People will pay top $ for larger screen. And that is demand and supply. People demand, companies supply. Not the other way around.



     


    Oh, the naiveté of those who think the world works like Econ 101.

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  • Reply 33 of 79
    neilmneilm Posts: 1,004member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by scotty321 View Post



    Please, Dear God, no bigger phones. Those "phablets" are a TERRIBLE size. Too big to hold, too big to use one-handed, too big to fit into a pocket. They are the very definition of disgusting.


     


    For you, sure.


     


    Me too, but then in addition to an iPhone 5 I also have a MBP and an iPad, and so can choose the tool for the job. There's clearly a significant market for 4" and bigger format phones that Apple has so far decided not to serve. That may or may not change. I can certainly imagine that, for people whose only internet connected device is a phone, a larger device would be attractive.


     


    Neil

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  • Reply 34 of 79
    vorsosvorsos Posts: 302member


    Michael Scrip View Post

    But people have been buying phones larger than 4" for quite some time... there might be something to them...


    People buy comically oversized pickup trucks for quite some time. There's nothing to explain that except the macho American-style bigger-is-better mentality.


     



    enature View Post



    scotty321 View Post

    Please, Dear God, no bigger phones. Those "phablets" are a TERRIBLE size. Too big to hold, too big to use one-handed, too big to fit into a pocket. They are the very definition of disgusting.


    A typical response from someone who never owned anything over 4.5"  Well, times changed nowadays. Small is not cool anymore. Size matters. No wonder Apple is losing its ground in China and Asia in general. And Cook, as always, is clueless about products when he claims:  "Customers are clearly looking at the size, but they also look at things like 'do the photos show the proper color? The white balance, the reflectivity, battery life."


    Right... when a person interacts with their phone, which nowadays usually means browsing, email, texting, and games, it is "proper color" and "white balance" that's on their minds. Laughable! Imagine Steve Jobs utter such nonsense. Never! What a customer actually feels is this: "This screen is too shitty tiny for most stuff I'm actually doing on my phone" 


    How many hundreds of  billions of AAPL value (so far $200 billion) gonna be lost before shareholders realize the damage Cook has inflicted on this used-to-be shiniest star of American technology. 



    This might sound amazing, but there is more than one kind of customer. That's why demographic studies are so important.


    Take JCPenney: Ron Johnson wanted to target a higher quality customer, but the brand was so far gone by then, the company brought back their old CEO to win back their core demographic of bottom-feeding bulk clearance hunters. Demographics are why we laugh when Walmart adds upscale merchandise to their stores, because they are the chain of lowest common denominators.


    Apple is targeting the kind of customer that does care about quality over quantity. It's that simple.


     



    andrzejls View Post



    OllieWallieWhiskers View Post


    It's because of supply, not demand. There are no top-of-the-line android handsets under 4".



    People are buying larger phones because they are in the store? No, they are in the store because people want larger screens and that is exactly the reason you do not see top-of-the-line android handsets under 4" in the stores. People will pay top $ for larger screen. And that is demand and supply. People demand, companies supply. Not the other way around.



    You give customers too much credit. The majority are driven by my aforementioned 'keeping up with the Joneses' mentality, and being steered more by marketing than their individual needs. It's also a conundrum: most companies ask customers what they want, and then make it for them, without researching if it's the best idea. Going back to the old Henry Ford quote: "If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses."

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  • Reply 35 of 79
    herbapouherbapou Posts: 2,228member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post





    To this, Cook said, "A large screen today comes with a lot of tradeoffs. Customers are clearly looking at the size, but they also look at things like 'do the photos show the proper color? The white balance, the reflectivity, battery life. The longevity of the display.'" According to Cook, customers want Apple to weigh those benefits and make a decision as to what is best.


     


    In short, they dont want to use OLED.   imo IGZO would solved his concerns. I have the feeling they will make a big thing out of it when they release the retina ipad mini.


     


    Quote:

    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post

    Preceding the lengthy answer, Cook was quick to point out that Apple may one day release a second model alongside a future flagship iPhone, perhaps with a different feature set and price point.



    "Well we haven't so far," he said. "That doesn't shut off the future."


     


    They need something they can sell unlock, something very cheap sold only in emeging market and something around $300 for internationnal markets.

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  • Reply 36 of 79
    herbapouherbapou Posts: 2,228member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by scotty321 View Post



    Please, Dear God, no bigger phones. Those "phablets" are a TERRIBLE size. Too big to hold, too big to use one-handed, too big to fit into a pocket. They are the very definition of disgusting.


     


    I lot of people dont want to carry 2 devices. The fact that you dont like them doesnt mean that nobody does.

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  • Reply 37 of 79
    andrzejls wrote: »

    People are buying larger phones because they are in the store? No, they are in the store because people want larger screens and that is exactly the reason you do not see top-of-the-line android handsets under 4" in the stores. People will pay top $ for larger screen. And that is demand and supply. People demand, companies supply. Not the other way around.
    In this case you are completely wrong. Early LTE phones required such a huge battery that the screen size had to increase. There was no pent up demand for larger phones. People did want LTE speeds though
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  • Reply 38 of 79
    ruel24ruel24 Posts: 432member
    A smaller less featured phone? Nah... I think that's the opposite of the market direction. The market wants more. It wants as much crammed into a phone as possible. If anything, Apple should release a bigger iPhone for those of us that need reading glasses and the current model is hard to read, at times. Keep the aspect ratio the same, and just use bigger pixels. I'd be all over that. And, I'm sorry, but I love my iPhone's glass and aluminum. Plastic phones feel cheap and that's not what I expect from Apple. Carbon fiber, maybe, but plastic, never...
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  • Reply 39 of 79
    jungmarkjungmark Posts: 6,928member
    charlituna wrote: »
    I don't need a phablet or a cheap plastic phone and I don't think Apple needs them either. What might be good however is a limited feature phone, which because it is limited would be cheaper. Makes calls, sends texts, music player, camera, contacts, calendar etc. but no apps, no email or safari. An iPhone for those that do all their big stuff on an iPad and don't need a fancy phone.

    Then it wouldn't be an iPhone. People don't buy Apple products because of the logo.

    poksi wrote: »
    No. Apple would just occupy 2d and 3rd place as well.

    Apple already occupies #2. It'll push Sammy out of #3/4.

    I posted this link already but felt that it needs to posted here as well. The truth about how Apple reports its sales numbers. Apple is no different than Samsung, HTC, Nokia Motorola or any other company when it is reporting its sales numbers for the quarter.

    Wrong because only Apple release numbers.
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  • Reply 40 of 79
    herbapouherbapou Posts: 2,228member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by enature View Post


    A typical response from someone who never owned anything over 4.5"  Well, times changed nowadays. Small is not cool anymore. Size matters. No wonder Apple is losing its ground in China and Asia in general. And Cook, as always, is clueless about products when he claims:  "Customers are clearly looking at the size, but they also look at things like 'do the photos show the proper color? The white balance, the reflectivity, battery life."


    Right... when a person interacts with their phone, which nowadays usually means browsing, email, texting, and games, it is "proper color" and "white balance" that's on their minds. Laughable! Imagine Steve Jobs utter such nonsense. Never! What a customer actually feels is this: "This screen is too shitty tiny for most stuff I'm actually doing on my phone" 


    How many hundreds of  billions of AAPL value (so far $200 billion) gonna be lost before shareholders realize the damage Cook has inflicted on this used-to-be shiniest star of American technology. 



     


    Indeed. I do think a FEW people will bother about color accuracy on a PHONE, but size and maybe reflectivity are way more important specs for the average customer. I really dont like that comment too, it shows a total lack of vision. I take this as a attempt to noted OLED sucks. I think they will do it when then can do a thin, retina one without using OLED.


     


    IF you put a iphone 5 side by side with a OLED screen phone (Galaxy S3, Nexus 4, ...) you will immediatly notice how great the colors are on the iphone. This is what he means. imo they will use LCD/IGZO/IPS screens in future product. We will see.

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