Lower the price and see the effect. You know you can get alternative smartphone with 32-bit high quality DAC and with five cameras with AI that make better pictures than iPhones for several hundred dollars less, right? No it is not Samsung. You missed other brands. Do the research. OnePlus, LG and few other brands.
I’m planning to upgrade this year, but — in truth — mainly for Portrait Mode, which is one of the few new features my iPhone 6s (which, thanks to the battery replacement program, was not upgraded at the end of the two-year cycle) can’t do. Otherwise, the 6s is a fine phone. If the Android world designed and updated its phones so as to not be obsolete in about two years, they’d have a lot fewer upgraders, particularly at the premium levels.
I upgraded my 6s to an Xs before taking a family trip a few weeks ago primarily because I wanted the better camera. I am totally happy with the Xs. I was satisfied with my 6s, but the Xs is definitely a huge step up and the camera is awesome!
Cook basically said "ditto" to what I posted here a few days ago...despite all the offers and glowing comparisons, the XR/XS do not provide enough added value over my current iPhone 8 Plus for me to spend $400+ at this time.
You and many other people have been saying that for weeks, while all the syncophants have been slamming the comments of trolling and coming up with all sorts of other excuses for the supply chain rumors that were coming out. Now that cook has come right out and said it they’re oddly silent...
Better quality phones, OS updates for older models, continual increase in cost in new models, OS updates that increase speed, bargain priced battery replacement program, telecom subsidy changes combined with not so exciting evolutionary enhancements (not revolutionary) have moved the upgrade cycle from about 2-3 years to 4, even 5 years. Combine this with a Chinese economy ‘collapse/ boycott’ and you sell less phones.
This makes sense. I've got an SE that's almost three years old. It's still on the latest iOS and does everything I want so why SHOULD I upgrade?
Likewise. The form factor of the SE is exactly what I want. Apple really screwed up when they discontinued the smaller form factor size and lower price points. And it's ironic now that the newest iPads now are aping the iPhone4/5 styling.
iOS is getting fat and slow in every newer version. Native iOS apps are not evolving and new versions come with new bugs while old bugs are not fixed. Those on the App Store are mostly reinvented wheels. New iPhone features are nice-to-have upgrades but not essential. New hardware always lack of RAM for real multi-tasking. In short, iPhone is ageing.
This is a somewhat surprising admission. One would think that a company that has the size and sophistication of Apple would have had the market intelligence/marketing research to see something like this coming a mile away, especially given the size of the foot-traffic in Apple stores. Stuff like this doesn't happen overnight.
I truly hope -- and expect -- that some heads will roll in marketing.
For me it was an odd combination of the factors others are mentioning—my 6s is still serving me well and $1000+ is a lot to drop on a phone. But I would have done it—I was about to get the XS Max—when I got the $29 battery upgrade instead. I know it isn’t logical, but the extra discount on the battery replace probably pushed me over the edge to keeping my old phone. That might be hard to predict—I hope no one loses their job over it!!
(I did use some “saved” upgrade money to get AirPods, though. And a HomePod isn’t out of the question...)
This makes sense. I've got an SE that's almost three years old. It's still on the latest iOS and does everything I want so why SHOULD I upgrade? We replaced the battery in my wife's 6 last year and likely will do my iPhone in the next few months. Then we're likely good for another couple at least. I don't mind being one rev out on iOS. As long as Apple keeps making solid hardware I'll keep it running.
Yup. But I’d pay top dollar if Apple released an Xe with most of the features of the Xr, and upgrade now, even though I don’t need too. Heck if any of those 128GB Clearance SEs turn up when I’m checking, I’ll be buying one instantly.
So Tim ? How about starting product development with 10k patents on the shelves, 20bn/yrly R&D, the best designer in constant hibernation How about taking over carrier subsidies yourself (as a way to reactivate billions of unused assets) Instead of just inventarising problems
Lower the price and see the effect. You know you can get alternative smartphone with 32-bit high quality DAC and with five cameras with AI that make better pictures than iPhones for several hundred dollars less, right? No it is not Samsung. You missed other brands. Do the research. OnePlus, LG and few other brands.
Dude. Hardware alone doesn’t make a product. I had some flagship droids in the past . They all sucked in day to day use. I will admit I am a very heavy user.
If you look at the evolution from the iPhone3 to the iPhone6+ on one hand and the evolution from the iPhone6+ to the current models on the other hand, you can only conclude that progress you can only conclude that the pace of innovation has slowed down. This is logical as the smartphone is a more mature market now, but it shows why there are more user with no compelling reason to upgrade.
The basic functionality is not changing anymore. Although faceID is technically a brilliant piece of technology, it just replaces the existing authentication mechanism and does not allow the user to do more
My iPhone 4s starts refusing to run most of the apps or getting really slow/crashing all the time. Not sure if this has anything to do with upgrade campaign.
It's because we're tired of being screwed. Even Apple loyalist aren't stupid - we can see Android phones getting better and cheaper and more polished every year and Apple is putting prices UP. I used to upgrade every 2 years but when the price of the phones are increasing and features I want are being taken away (Qualcomm modem, TouchID, headphone jack, home button) I'd be crazy to upgrade.
Why should I pay tons more than I did last time for features I don't want (Intel modem, Face ID, Animoji, Ugly notch, No battery status percentage) ? And then I have to go pay extra for a fast charger, wireless, airpods, case. You don't even include the headphone jack adapter in the box anymore! The XS Max with 256gb is $2399 in Australia! Are you kidding me?! Even wealthy educated people earning big 6 figure salaries don't want to pay that. Apple has shot up to becoming an elitist brand for snooty upper class douchebags, not middle class like it used to be. You're smoking crack, Tim. Put the pipe down.
Better screen/camera/memory/CPU, on the order of 2-4x previous version
Price - Don't make it a purchase on the order of a driveable used car
Durability - Make it blendable
Longevity - Have it so I can give it to my kids as a decent phone
I used to be on a two year cycle, and now we're on a 3 year one. With the latest "Super Spasmodic BoFingo" "Innovations" of the iPhones of late, plus the cost may make me go to a 4-5 year upgrade cycle.
It's becoming so "meh" that I don't even watch the announcements anymore.
New hardware is increasingly expensive, the old hardware is well built and durable, and a lack of options in the new phones all adds up to people hanging on to their current setup.
Personally, I love my Xr and it's lightyears better (obviously) than my 6 it replaced. But if I could get an Xr that was the size of the 6 I would. If I could get one the size of my old 4s, I'd make that purchase even faster. But for years when looking at upgrades I would have to spend a good chunk of money, get a larger phone which I don't want, and my current one still works pretty well...that's what a majority of consumers go through.
Why do we still hear the term "carrier subsidies" when in reality they were simply "carrier financing" plans? Over the term of the plan buyers were still paying for the phone in the form of mandatory service payments with all the added fun benefits like early termination fees and having a carrier locked phone. To me it was a self delusional BS scheme, but I guess self delusion still has its place.
Comments
Hmmmm..."Privacy?"
You and many other people have been saying that for weeks, while all the syncophants have been slamming the comments of trolling and coming up with all sorts of other excuses for the supply chain rumors that were coming out. Now that cook has come right out and said it they’re oddly silent...
I know it isn’t logical, but the extra discount on the battery replace probably pushed me over the edge to keeping my old phone.
That might be hard to predict—I hope no one loses their job over it!!
(I did use some “saved” upgrade money to get AirPods, though. And a HomePod isn’t out of the question...)
How about starting product development with 10k patents on the shelves, 20bn/yrly R&D, the best designer in constant hibernation
How about taking over carrier subsidies yourself (as a way to reactivate billions of unused assets)
Instead of just inventarising problems
It's because we're tired of being screwed. Even Apple loyalist aren't stupid - we can see Android phones getting better and cheaper and more polished every year and Apple is putting prices UP. I used to upgrade every 2 years but when the price of the phones are increasing and features I want are being taken away (Qualcomm modem, TouchID, headphone jack, home button) I'd be crazy to upgrade.
Why should I pay tons more than I did last time for features I don't want (Intel modem, Face ID, Animoji, Ugly notch, No battery status percentage) ? And then I have to go pay extra for a fast charger, wireless, airpods, case. You don't even include the headphone jack adapter in the box anymore! The XS Max with 256gb is $2399 in Australia! Are you kidding me?! Even wealthy educated people earning big 6 figure salaries don't want to pay that. Apple has shot up to becoming an elitist brand for snooty upper class douchebags, not middle class like it used to be. You're smoking crack, Tim. Put the pipe down.
Personally, I love my Xr and it's lightyears better (obviously) than my 6 it replaced. But if I could get an Xr that was the size of the 6 I would. If I could get one the size of my old 4s, I'd make that purchase even faster. But for years when looking at upgrades I would have to spend a good chunk of money, get a larger phone which I don't want, and my current one still works pretty well...that's what a majority of consumers go through.