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For weeks now, we've been reading stories with a common, unimaginative theme – The iPhone X is too expensive – although the herd of tech reviewers, analysts and unnamed "critics" singing this song seldom went out on the limb of predicting poor sales. Now, many of the same reviewers and critics have switched to a new theme – the iPhone 8 and 8+ aren't going to sell well because too many potential buyers are going to hold out for the iPhone X. An amazing and contradictory about-face in a remarkably short time. At the same time, the iPhone 8 and 8+ are being panned by many in the same herd as "minor" upgrades of a familiar design. Shouldn't adjectives like "minor" and "major" get some kind of definition? To me, the specs of the A11 chip are incredible, the still and video camera improvements are substantial, especially in the 8+, and the addition of True Tone display technology and induction charging are significant upgrades to the 7+ I'm now using. Everybody's iPhone use case is a little bit different – and there are hundreds of millions of us – but the camera is the big issue to me when weighing upgrades. I have a big investment in camera equipment, but the iPhone is the camera that is always in my pocket. So, I'll be taking a careful look at the 8+ and wondering if I really want the OLED display and facial recognition technology of the iPhone X. Either way, I think I'll be pretty happy. My only concern is whether Apple can make enough of the iPhone X so that it doesn't turn into a six month wait to get one.

I'm guessing we're now seeing the end of the two year "tick tock" cycle of IPhone model introduction, followed by an update with the "S" designation. It's really been a marketing failure as too many in the media pan the "S" model as a minor update and tell consumers to wait for the next cycle. Sure, this kind of criticism has usually been unfair as the "S" model always adds substantial hardware and software improvements.  Apple should introduce new models as soon as they're ready and call them what they think best describes them from a marketing point of view. Apple will set new sales records with a lineup of four new 2017 models (by adding an updated SE) with different form factors, varying hardware internals and price points, not to mention keeping the 7 and 7 plus (and in some markets, the 6 and 6 plus) around a bit longer at lower price points. In 2018, Apple should release new phones as they are ready to hit the market, and not tie themselves to a September IPhone event. A side benefit: This would really disrupt Samsung's piggyback marketing ploys that aim to come out just before the IPhone's new models.

There are several problems, as I see it, with the J.D. Power survey, and DED certainly got at some of them. The big one is what really is being compared? The satisfaction level of Microsoft Surface Pro buyers with the satisfaction level of IPad buyers generally? That doesn’t make much sense, right off the bat. It seems to me the Surface Pro and iPad Pro are very comparable products, so narrowing the survey to those who purchased one or the other might shed some insights into the merits of either product. When you are not comparing buyer experiences with similar products, I think you are just wasting your time with the survey and our time reading about it. The other big problem is getting separate sales figures for the Microsoft Surface and iPad Pros. Those would tell us how the market generally has reacted to the strengths and weakness of both products. But, as far as I know, Apple has never provided a breakdown on iPad Pro sales and I don’t know if any analysts’ guesses are worth considering. I don't know how much companies pay for these kinds of surveys, but I wouldn't spend a dime on this one myself. The bottom line result seems to be people who buy high-end, expensive tablets really like them. Gee, what a surprise.