When I pay for something that is supposed to have style and I receive an item that has what appear to be cracks, then I don't care what name you give to it. If I am told ahead of time that there will be mould lines in the finished product and that those lines are a part of the aesthetic then I have a choice as to whether I want to buy that product. Obviously that wasn't the case with the Cube as it went down as a sales disaster.
As far as polycarbonate plastic... so... you are saying it isn't a type of plastic? I don't remember adding the word "mere" to my post. If it's a type of plastic then it's plastic.
I see that you din't bother bringing up the faulty on-off button. Again, when I buy a product I really don't want to have to apply shims to something that is supposed to just work.
I'm not certain what you're talking about when you refer to a faulty on-off button. It only has a touch sensitive "on" spot you touched, it didn't even move. I'm not seeing how you could "shim" it in any functional way.
If the so-called "cracks" were aesthetically displeasing to you, why didn't you return it and buy a box type Mac? I've seen many of the polycarbonate cases with mould marking and they are hard to see. They were essentially mere distortions in the clarity of the material. Frankly, I don't think you even owned one.
Google's business model abhors privacy. It obliterates it by intelligent design. Apple's business model adores privacy. It nurtures it by brilliant design. YouTube vectorizes proxy-warfare from the former on to the latter. iPhone vectorizes moxie-warfare from the latter on to the former.
That seems backwards to me .. but thanks, I now know about the American side too.. We have had fun here for the last several pages discussing this along with sealing-wax, cabbages and kings ... amongst many other splendid things.
... And we are pouring scorn on fake iPhone videos too.
Yes, I finally caught up with the derailment. What a train wreck it could have been, but instead much railment over weak and strong, Middle and Olde was put to bear, and the line was toed.
Now could we talk about the British "woken up" vs. my American-preferred "awakened"?
This is a biased article. Until the great man - Steve Jobs passed away, iPhones have been dominating the market, it was solid and rapid. Apple is at the beginning of an end if we are talking about smartphones. In my opinion iPhone 4 and 4s is the best and last iPhone that is loyal to its fame and quality. Lots of my friends have iPhone 4 and 4s and they all still look fantastic and brand new. They are like unboxed seconds ago. I never have been a hater, as I wrote above, I think that iPhone 4s is still one of the best phones of all times - easily...And I and my wife have two iPods (Touch 4) and still use it happily despite of the fact that we cannot use newer apps as majority of them supports only iOS 7.
This site has lots of clever people and I am sure they all remember this: When Apple was months close to declare the iPhone 5S and 5C, if you wanted to buy a regular iPhone 5, you just could not find it anywhere. Later on, we were so dissapointed of the fact that Apple actually pulled those iPhones from the stores to put colourful plastic cases and call it "iPhone 5C" and sell it for more bucks although the material of the iPhone 5C was less good. Come on, just for the sake of iPhone fans who made fun of Samsungs as "plastic sh...s" is it really okey to make a plastic iPhone, betraying to the its premium feel, fame, quality and history? I was surprised that fans were feeling good when they were making fun of plastic Samsungs and they just ignore that Apple also began to use plastic. And now Apple is trying to hard to catch up with the market's demands like larger screens but this is a field that the rivals have more experience. They know which material is better for larger and thinner screens. As the days will pass, there will be more people who will test its durability and I am afraid the tests of Unbox Therapy are true. iPhone 6 Plus is one of the lesser durable smartphones at the market.
Apple needs a meditation to figure out what Steve Jobs would have done. Please write unbiased articles.
I do not hate iPhones, I always love and respect what Stece Jobs had done not only for Apple but for all the consumers.
Then it should be quite easy for you go through the article and illustrate, point by point, any inconsistencies or inaccuracies and set the record straight.
We'll assume, if we don't hear back from you, that you can't.
Nah. He wouldn't want to confuse the issue with facts.
And under Jobs, their handling of the antennae thing was unbelievably poor because it hey kept drawing attention to competitors' products
Couldn't disagree more. I feel Apple's handling of antennagate was exemplary.
1) First and foremost, Jobs reiterated Apple's policy allowing customers a grace period for returning their phones if they were unhappy with them for any reason, and emphasized there would be no penalties or restocking fees.
2) He delivered a fantastic presentation where he clearly demonstrated that a) the issue affected virtually every other phone in its category, b) backed up that claim with video demonstrations and a layman's explanation of the underlying technical issues.
3) He cited call center reports demonstrating that they received significantly fewer complaints and/or returns of the affected model compared with the 3Gs which was enormously popular and universally lauded, shining a light on the ridiculousness of the media-generated scandal.
4) Despite all of the above he went above and beyond by offering affected customers a choice of a) free Apple bumpers, b) credit towards the purchase of third party bumpers or cases, c) compensation towards any already purchased bumpers or cases.
5) He did all of the above with grace, dignity, and a hint of his trademark sardonic humor, accompanied by a hilarious YouTube video that totally hit the mark.
In the end, every iPhone ever sold has beat previous sales records and maintained top customer satisfaction scores, so any negative assessment of either the product or their handling of the issue is unfounded.
I can't honestly agree that this did less harm than good for Apple. I know far too many people who would otherwise know nothing of iPhone 6.... Tell me, "oh I heard that bends really easily".
This is a fantastic case study of the way the modern fiction sphere works: total and utter fraud can and frequently is perpetrated through what passes for news outlets, such as social media, YouTube, and the idiot box. The real problem is, this happens far too often with other information that most people wouldn't even stop to think about or question...I would venture to say almost all information. Lies are the backbone of all media. Ignorance is their platform. When you think about it: how crazy is it to believe [I]anything[/I] you're told without verification, by advertising-sponsored media?
I think Apple panicked with the iPhone 6 Plus. They thought they had to bring it out because of the large Samsung phones, when, in fact, they should have only brought out the 4.7" along with an improved 4".
With luck, Cook and Ive will learn from their mistakes and rectify them next autumn. It's just a shame that we will have to endure a year of sales that will not be as stellar as they should be.
I think Apple panicked with the iPhone 6 Plus. They thought they had to bring it out because of the large Samsung phones, when, in fact, they should have only brought out the 4.7" along with an improved 4".
With luck, Cook and Ive will learn from their mistakes and rectify them next autumn. It's just a shame that we will have to endure a year of sales that will not be as stellar as they should be.
The smartphone market is approaching saturation, at least at the high end where all the profits are. It made perfect sense for Apple to release a larger phablet-sized model targeting the addressable market of people who would love an iPhone but require a bigger screen. I suspect the next two quarters' financials will prove the wisdom of this move, especially when compared to their competitors' performance in the same time period. If deprecation of the 4" model has a negative impact on sales, it will be a trivial effort for Apple to release a premium 4" model next year.
I agree that dumping the 4" model was unfortunate for the not insignificant number of customers that wanted a normal sized flagship product. But I can also see how too many product lines could negatively impact their supply chain management.
Most reviews of the 4.7" model seem in sync with my own feelings: the larger size is less comfortable to hold and operate with one hand, but this is offset quite a bit by the appeal of the larger screen - adding up to a reasonable compromise. Given the choice of 4, 4.7, or 5.5 with identical features, I think I would have ended up with the 4.7 anyway. I realize I don't speak for everyone though.
I think Apple panicked with the iPhone 6 Plus. They thought they had to bring it out because of the large Samsung phones, when, in fact, they should have only brought out the 4.7" along with an improved 4".
With luck, Cook and Ive will learn from their mistakes and rectify them next autumn. It's just a shame that we will have to endure a year of sales that will not be as stellar as they should be.
The smartphone market is approaching saturation, at least at the high end where all the profits are. It made perfect sense for Apple to release a larger phablet-sized model targeting the addressable market of people who would love an iPhone but require a bigger screen. I suspect the next two quarters' financials will prove the wisdom of this move, especially when compared to their competitors' performance in the same time period.
I agree that dumping the 4" model was unfortunate for the not insignificant number of customers that wanted a normal sized flagship product from Apple, but I can also see how too many product lines could negatively impact their supply chain management.
You raise an interesting point about product lines.
I think Apple felt they had to keep the 5c alive, as it's only been out for one year. It's also logical for it to take the place of the last low-end, which was the 4s. But because they've introduced two brand new models, they faced a new situation; although the 5c was a new design, the innards were mostly made up of the 5, whereas the 6 and the 6 Plus are wholly new.
So where does that leave the 5s? In a sense, Apple are tacitly saying, "You want a new 4"? Too bad, but we're keeping the 5s as a sop to you." But this means that they're keeping open four distinctly different product lines. On balance, it's probably cheaper for Apple do do this than to discontinue the 5s and create a 4" 6. Really, I feel that the 5c is somewhat of an anomaly in the Western markets, as it is too low-end. It's only because of its relative newness that they still offer it.
What I'm trying to say in a very messy way is that ideally they might have offered the 6 in 4", 4.7" and 5.5", plus the 5s and the 5c. But that's too many SKUs and would dent their margins too much, quite apart from all the other problems with the 6 Plus.
All this would have been mitigated if only they had had Jobs's vision and realised that they didn't need to offer the 5.5".
I'm not certain what you're talking about when you refer to a faulty on-off button. It only has a touch sensitive "on" spot you touched, it didn't even move. I'm not seeing how you could "shim" it in any functional way.
If the so-called "cracks" were aesthetically displeasing to you, why didn't you return it and buy a box type Mac? I've seen many of the polycarbonate cases with mould marking and they are hard to see. They were essentially mere distortions in the clarity of the material. Frankly, I don't think you even owned one.
For the most part, what I dispute is people second guessing Apple's design, most of whom have limited knowledge of engineering basics, let alone of structural design and analysis. But as a Mechanical Engineer by education, my curiosity of the failure mode in bending probably isn't of interest to forum members predisposed to a particular point of view, and my viewpoint doesn't necessarily mean the I am any more correct than anyone else. Merely that I am interested in the failure mode as insight in to Apple's design intent, not of any concern that it is a failed design, which it isn't.
True! But he also had the ability to change his mind and admit to making mistakes.
I recall where Jobs admitted Apple made a mistake (ie Mobile Me) but cannot think of an instance of Mr Jobs personally and publicly admitting to a mistake. He didn't really have that type of personality to publicly accept fault IMHO, tho I'd imagine he did so in private on a few occasions. We all do that (hopefully).
Jobs wasn't always right. He reportedly fought tooth and nail against opening up the iPhone to third party development.
I think that there is context associated with Steve's position, which was that resources were extremely short at the time, and were needed to continue developing the operating system. There is also the context of system reliability which, as a consumer product, was the primary concern, and risk of system compromise by 3rd party software was high, and unacceptable.
Of course, I'm wasting my time second guessing Steve some seven years ago, just as everyone else does.
We all know how it turned out, don't we, so arguably the process that came to these decisions seems to be working well; Steve needed to be convinced.
It made perfect sense for Apple to release a larger phablet-sized model targeting the addressable market of people who would love an iPhone but require a bigger screen.
How? They’re a nigh-insignificant part of the market.
Comments
I'm not certain what you're talking about when you refer to a faulty on-off button. It only has a touch sensitive "on" spot you touched, it didn't even move. I'm not seeing how you could "shim" it in any functional way.
If the so-called "cracks" were aesthetically displeasing to you, why didn't you return it and buy a box type Mac? I've seen many of the polycarbonate cases with mould marking and they are hard to see. They were essentially mere distortions in the clarity of the material. Frankly, I don't think you even owned one.
A clash of profit-making ideologies, foremost.
Yes, I finally caught up with the derailment. What a train wreck it could have been, but instead much railment over weak and strong, Middle and Olde was put to bear, and the line was toed.
Now could we talk about the British "woken up" vs. my American-preferred "awakened"?
This is a biased article. Until the great man - Steve Jobs passed away, iPhones have been dominating the market, it was solid and rapid. Apple is at the beginning of an end if we are talking about smartphones. In my opinion iPhone 4 and 4s is the best and last iPhone that is loyal to its fame and quality. Lots of my friends have iPhone 4 and 4s and they all still look fantastic and brand new. They are like unboxed seconds ago. I never have been a hater, as I wrote above, I think that iPhone 4s is still one of the best phones of all times - easily...And I and my wife have two iPods (Touch 4) and still use it happily despite of the fact that we cannot use newer apps as majority of them supports only iOS 7.
This site has lots of clever people and I am sure they all remember this: When Apple was months close to declare the iPhone 5S and 5C, if you wanted to buy a regular iPhone 5, you just could not find it anywhere. Later on, we were so dissapointed of the fact that Apple actually pulled those iPhones from the stores to put colourful plastic cases and call it "iPhone 5C" and sell it for more bucks although the material of the iPhone 5C was less good. Come on, just for the sake of iPhone fans who made fun of Samsungs as "plastic sh...s" is it really okey to make a plastic iPhone, betraying to the its premium feel, fame, quality and history? I was surprised that fans were feeling good when they were making fun of plastic Samsungs and they just ignore that Apple also began to use plastic. And now Apple is trying to hard to catch up with the market's demands like larger screens but this is a field that the rivals have more experience. They know which material is better for larger and thinner screens. As the days will pass, there will be more people who will test its durability and I am afraid the tests of Unbox Therapy are true. iPhone 6 Plus is one of the lesser durable smartphones at the market.
Apple needs a meditation to figure out what Steve Jobs would have done. Please write unbiased articles.
I do not hate iPhones, I always love and respect what Stece Jobs had done not only for Apple but for all the consumers.
Tim Cook is also less good which means the company is now less good.
Then it should be quite easy for you go through the article and illustrate, point by point, any inconsistencies or inaccuracies and set the record straight.
We'll assume, if we don't hear back from you, that you can't.
Nah. He wouldn't want to confuse the issue with facts.
And under Jobs, their handling of the antennae thing was unbelievably poor because it hey kept drawing attention to competitors' products
Couldn't disagree more. I feel Apple's handling of antennagate was exemplary.
1) First and foremost, Jobs reiterated Apple's policy allowing customers a grace period for returning their phones if they were unhappy with them for any reason, and emphasized there would be no penalties or restocking fees.
2) He delivered a fantastic presentation where he clearly demonstrated that a) the issue affected virtually every other phone in its category, b) backed up that claim with video demonstrations and a layman's explanation of the underlying technical issues.
3) He cited call center reports demonstrating that they received significantly fewer complaints and/or returns of the affected model compared with the 3Gs which was enormously popular and universally lauded, shining a light on the ridiculousness of the media-generated scandal.
4) Despite all of the above he went above and beyond by offering affected customers a choice of a) free Apple bumpers, b) credit towards the purchase of third party bumpers or cases, c) compensation towards any already purchased bumpers or cases.
5) He did all of the above with grace, dignity, and a hint of his trademark sardonic humor, accompanied by a hilarious YouTube video that totally hit the mark.
In the end, every iPhone ever sold has beat previous sales records and maintained top customer satisfaction scores, so any negative assessment of either the product or their handling of the issue is unfounded.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IorfYuF4gMM
This is a fantastic case study of the way the modern fiction sphere works: total and utter fraud can and frequently is perpetrated through what passes for news outlets, such as social media, YouTube, and the idiot box.
The real problem is, this happens far too often with other information that most people wouldn't even stop to think about or question...I would venture to say almost all information. Lies are the backbone of all media. Ignorance is their platform.
When you think about it: how crazy is it to believe [I]anything[/I] you're told without verification, by advertising-sponsored media?
With luck, Cook and Ive will learn from their mistakes and rectify them next autumn. It's just a shame that we will have to endure a year of sales that will not be as stellar as they should be.
I think Apple panicked with the iPhone 6 Plus. They thought they had to bring it out because of the large Samsung phones, when, in fact, they should have only brought out the 4.7" along with an improved 4".
With luck, Cook and Ive will learn from their mistakes and rectify them next autumn. It's just a shame that we will have to endure a year of sales that will not be as stellar as they should be.
The smartphone market is approaching saturation, at least at the high end where all the profits are. It made perfect sense for Apple to release a larger phablet-sized model targeting the addressable market of people who would love an iPhone but require a bigger screen. I suspect the next two quarters' financials will prove the wisdom of this move, especially when compared to their competitors' performance in the same time period. If deprecation of the 4" model has a negative impact on sales, it will be a trivial effort for Apple to release a premium 4" model next year.
I agree that dumping the 4" model was unfortunate for the not insignificant number of customers that wanted a normal sized flagship product. But I can also see how too many product lines could negatively impact their supply chain management.
Most reviews of the 4.7" model seem in sync with my own feelings: the larger size is less comfortable to hold and operate with one hand, but this is offset quite a bit by the appeal of the larger screen - adding up to a reasonable compromise. Given the choice of 4, 4.7, or 5.5 with identical features, I think I would have ended up with the 4.7 anyway. I realize I don't speak for everyone though.
You raise an interesting point about product lines.
I think Apple felt they had to keep the 5c alive, as it's only been out for one year. It's also logical for it to take the place of the last low-end, which was the 4s. But because they've introduced two brand new models, they faced a new situation; although the 5c was a new design, the innards were mostly made up of the 5, whereas the 6 and the 6 Plus are wholly new.
So where does that leave the 5s? In a sense, Apple are tacitly saying, "You want a new 4"? Too bad, but we're keeping the 5s as a sop to you." But this means that they're keeping open four distinctly different product lines. On balance, it's probably cheaper for Apple do do this than to discontinue the 5s and create a 4" 6. Really, I feel that the 5c is somewhat of an anomaly in the Western markets, as it is too low-end. It's only because of its relative newness that they still offer it.
What I'm trying to say in a very messy way is that ideally they might have offered the 6 in 4", 4.7" and 5.5", plus the 5s and the 5c. But that's too many SKUs and would dent their margins too much, quite apart from all the other problems with the 6 Plus.
All this would have been mitigated if only they had had Jobs's vision and realised that they didn't need to offer the 5.5".
All this would have been mitigated if only they had had Jobs's vision and realised that they didn't need to offer the 5.5".
Jobs wasn't always right. He reportedly fought tooth and nail against opening up the iPhone to third party development.
True! But he also had the ability to change his mind and admit to making mistakes.
I'm not certain what you're talking about when you refer to a faulty on-off button. It only has a touch sensitive "on" spot you touched, it didn't even move. I'm not seeing how you could "shim" it in any functional way.
If the so-called "cracks" were aesthetically displeasing to you, why didn't you return it and buy a box type Mac? I've seen many of the polycarbonate cases with mould marking and they are hard to see. They were essentially mere distortions in the clarity of the material. Frankly, I don't think you even owned one.
Of course I didn't own one.
Never owned an Edsel either.
I'd rather talk about the Br 'got' versus the American 'gotten.'
Yes, the screen "adds" structural strength.
I don't see what you've "disputed" (?)
For the most part, what I dispute is people second guessing Apple's design, most of whom have limited knowledge of engineering basics, let alone of structural design and analysis. But as a Mechanical Engineer by education, my curiosity of the failure mode in bending probably isn't of interest to forum members predisposed to a particular point of view, and my viewpoint doesn't necessarily mean the I am any more correct than anyone else. Merely that I am interested in the failure mode as insight in to Apple's design intent, not of any concern that it is a failed design, which it isn't.
I recall where Jobs admitted Apple made a mistake (ie Mobile Me) but cannot think of an instance of Mr Jobs personally and publicly admitting to a mistake. He didn't really have that type of personality to publicly accept fault IMHO, tho I'd imagine he did so in private on a few occasions. We all do that (hopefully).
Jobs wasn't always right. He reportedly fought tooth and nail against opening up the iPhone to third party development.
I think that there is context associated with Steve's position, which was that resources were extremely short at the time, and were needed to continue developing the operating system. There is also the context of system reliability which, as a consumer product, was the primary concern, and risk of system compromise by 3rd party software was high, and unacceptable.
Of course, I'm wasting my time second guessing Steve some seven years ago, just as everyone else does.
We all know how it turned out, don't we, so arguably the process that came to these decisions seems to be working well; Steve needed to be convinced.
How? They’re a nigh-insignificant part of the market.