5s more of the same. Apple is treading water

mellofello · Sep 9, 2013

Myself and a core group of my buddies are all "gadget guys". We all are the demographic that apple used to covet. 18-40 year old guys who are creative types with enough disposable income to have the hottest new thing. Sometime around the 4s apple list the race to be the most cutting edge phone. Android is leaps and bounds better for guys like us. It just does more. Anytime I get bored I can find a cool little feature to enable on my phone, and it really has become nearly as capable as my macbook air.

Apple is no longer designing phones for us. They are making phones for everyone. A few years ago paying $30 per month for data on your phone was a crazy concept reserved only for the affluent.

The only problem is that gadget guys are the tastemakers of the world. Our ambivalence to iOS will eventually catch up with them.

It is hard to feel excited about that new Iphone when the dorky guy in the office is playing games on his 5.7 inch phone with a ps3 controller. Then plugging it into his Sony car stereo with full mirroring, all the while torrenting the last season of game of thrones.

So IMO the 5s is enough to move some units, but apple has lost the gadget guys who brought them envouge in the first place, and that is a big issue since all my iphone wielding friends get green with envy when they see the crazy stuff I'm doing with my note 2.

cynics · Sep 9, 2013

I never really considered the iPhone (or any Apple product for that matter) geared toward "gadget guys/gals". Not saying you can't do geeky type stuff on them but when it comes to the stuff you mentioned (ps3 controllers and torrents) Android has always been in a league of its own.

I think the jailbreak community has been helping guys like you (and me) stay content. I keep a Android tablet around when I feel the urge do mess around with things like that. And I use my Apple products to do what they were designed to do.

mellofello · Sep 9, 2013

Should qualify this by saying that I own 3 current macs, an apple TV and have owned every generation of iPad, and Iphone(waited in line for first Iphone).

For years I was a apple evangalist, and started using their computers in 1999 when their were real trade offs over windows.

They were always a year or 2 ahead of the competition. Leaders in the industry. Now they are lagging.

I personally sold apple 10-20 iphones over the years converting sceptic feature phone Luddites.

The same thing has happened with android since switching. I probably converted 4-5 people to the note once they saw what kind of tricks you can do with it.

I love apple and really want to come back to iOS someday. But there is no lust left in the Iphone IMO.

Michael CM1 · Sep 9, 2013

Wow. So Android is better for using a video game console controller (made by Sony even) and watching videos illegally in a way that keeps the creators from making money off their work.

Tell me more about these killer Android features I'm missing. You might also want to tell me which version of Android you're pimping because the manufacturers are so good about pushing updates.

It's called MacRumors. You're in the iPhone forum. So we get that you're trolling. If you want to talk about how awesome Android is, I'm sure there's a website or 80 for that.

adam044 · Sep 9, 2013

I'm not even going to read that post but apple isn't treading water with more cash in the bank than anyone

bozzykid · Sep 9, 2013

adam044 said:
I'm not even going to read that post but apple isn't treading water with more cash in the bank than anyone

I don't think they are treading water either... But, how much money they have in the bank has little to do with what the original poster is talking about.

yth · Sep 9, 2013

I don't know anything about smartphones, so please help me out. What kinds of things can Android do that iOS can't? Playing videogames with a PS3 controller is a little gimmicky. Does Android run something like Linux that I can install anything I want on? Is it a completely open system?

RichardC300 · Sep 9, 2013

I must agree with you. I only stay with iOS because everybody has iOS, so it's more convenient with iMessage and all.

11bE5 · Sep 9, 2013

5s more of the same. Apple is treading water

bozzykid said:
I don't think they are treading water either... But, how much money they have in the bank has little to do with what the original poster is talking about.

Strike this post I put foot in mouth

^ he is right lol

cardinalryan · Sep 9, 2013

mellofello said:
Myself and a core group of my buddies are all "gadget guys". We all are the demographic that apple used to covet. 18-40 year old guys who are creative types with enough disposable income to have the hottest new thing. Sometime around the 4s apple list the race to be the most cutting edge phone. Android is leaps and bounds better for guys like us. It just does more. Anytime I get bored I can find a cool little feature to enable on my phone, and it really has become nearly as capable as my macbook air.

Apple is no longer designing phones for us. They are making phones for everyone. A few years ago paying $30 per month for data on your phone was a crazy concept reserved only for the affluent.

The only problem is that gadget guys are the tastemakers of the world. Our ambivalence to iOS will eventually catch up with them.

It is hard to feel excited about that new Iphone when the dorky guy in the office is playing games on his 5.7 inch phone with a ps3 controller. Then plugging it into his Sony car stereo with full mirroring, all the while torrenting the last season of game of thrones.

So IMO the 5s is enough to move some units, but apple has lost the gadget guys who brought them envouge in the first place, and that is a big issue since all my iphone wielding friends get green with envy when they see the crazy stuff I'm doing with my note 2.

Some people call this trolling, some call it the truth. I believe it's the latter. I'm continually stunned by fanboys of either side. I'm a fanboy of what's best which means I was an Apple fanboy all the way up to the 4 and an Android fanboy since. There's one thing that is not debatable right now and that is that Android is far superior at this point in time. Maybe that will change in the future, but with Apple basically giving up on its customers and ceasing to innovate, I have my doubts,

For those of you still in love with Apple products, enjoy tomorrow, and I mean that sincerely.

zbarvian · Sep 9, 2013

cardinalryan said:
Some people call this trolling, some call it the truth. I believe it's the latter. I'm continually stunned by fanboys of either side. I'm a fanboy of what's best which means I was an Apple fanboy all the way up to the 4 and an Android fanboy since. There's one thing that is not debatable right now and that is that Android is far superior at this point in time. Maybe that will change in the future, but with Apple basically giving up on its customers and ceasing to innovate, I have my doubts,

For those of you still in love with Apple products, enjoy tomorrow, and I mean that sincerely.

Kinda subjective, no? Preferring iOS isn't wrong.

srsub3 · Sep 9, 2013

if you don't like apple products, please don't show up in apple forums.... it seems that the lack of cool status of your phones is preventing you from having a normal life!

zipster · Sep 9, 2013

I hope the leaks are wrong.

The 5C is a complete waste if it's just a crippled 5 in a polycarbonate. And the 5S looks to be completely boring.

Before the 4S, we were all convinced the 5 was going to be released and it had a tapered/teardrop design.... right up until Cook announced the 4S.

But we'll see.

ahfu25 · Sep 9, 2013

srsub3 said:
if you don't like apple products, please don't show up in apple forums.... it seems that the lack of cool status of your phones is preventing you from having a normal life!

Again...more and more people like you ruin these forums. Even on Xda..SO what if its called mac rumors. Its a website on the internet where every ones opinion should be respected...but wait its the internet...lol. I can say I've had every mac book, ipad and iphone ever released. Then I say how I dislike the iphone 5s and how I think the samsung galaxy s4 or note 3 is a better device, and you guys come bashing people for it. And yet they've been more 'Loyal' or "fanboys" longer than half the newbies on here. In my opinion the Galaxy S4 is a better device all around than the iPhone 5. The 5S and Note 3 I'll compare whe I get my hands on them. For now I give the benefit of the doubt to the Note 3. And it has nothing to do with screen size!!

EM2013 · Sep 9, 2013

cardinalryan said:
Some people call this trolling, some call it the truth. I believe it's the latter. I'm continually stunned by fanboys of either side. I'm a fanboy of what's best which means I was an Apple fanboy all the way up to the 4 and an Android fanboy since. There's one thing that is not debatable right now and that is that Android is far superior at this point in time. Maybe that will change in the future, but with Apple basically giving up on its customers and ceasing to innovate, I have my doubts,

Why is it "not debatable" that it's "far superior?" Just cause you like it more doesn't make it superior, just your opinion.

Rufuss Sewell · Sep 9, 2013

Something else happened right around the release of the 4S.

I'm looking forward to getting the 5S, and to me ALL of the Android screens look terrible. Like over saturated vomit. But I must admit that the 2 year cycle is too slow. The 5S will pretty much look like my 2010 iphone 4. Kinda sad. It's also extremely arrogant to ignore the fact that the vast majority of people prefer a bigger phone with a bigger battery. At least give us two screen size options. These are NO LONGER PHONES!! They're pocket computers and they should be treated that way.

That said, I'm invested in iOS and Android just looks absolutely horrid. All that crap you can do with torrents and PS3 controllers can be done to jailbroken iPhones so get real please. If you're a tweaker you'll jailbreak, no biggie. So I'll grab a 5S.

Rest in peace Steve!

12vElectronics · Sep 9, 2013

I'm a tech guy. But I'm very picky about what electronics I buy. The iPhone is perfect at what it does and that's why I'm sticking with it forever. I'm not willing to give up the flawless execution of the iPhone because I want to 'tinker' with gimmicky android features.

Technarchy · Sep 9, 2013

Apple has a philosophy and business model that we should all be familiar with by now.

If it doesn't work for you, then move on.

mellofello · Sep 9, 2013

ahfu25 said:
Again...more and more people like you ruin these forums. Even on Xda..SO what if its called mac rumors. Its a website on the internet where every ones opinion should be respected...but wait its the internet...lol. I can say I've had every mac book, ipad and iphone ever released. Then I say how I dislike the iphone 5s and how I think the samsung galaxy s4 or note 3 is a better device, and you guys come bashing people for it. And yet they've been more 'Loyal' or "fanboys" longer than half the newbies on here. In my opinion the Galaxy S4 is a better device all around than the iPhone 5. The 5S and Note 3 I'll compare whe I get my hands on them. For now I give the benefit of the doubt to the Note 3. And it has nothing to do with screen size!!

Amen. I am not a troll or a hater. I meant this post more as a dear john letter to apple. It isn't too late. If apple diversified its line up and offered a broader range of phones, sped up its release dates, and loosened a few restrictions on iOS development higher end users would come back.

Apple has transitioned from making the highest end hardware on the market to milquetoast comoditised phones.

They can do better, and everyone knows it. But then what incremental update will they sell for Iphone 6?

Reaching lower with the 5c is the worst thing I have heard in a while. Why not shoot for the stars with a Iphone pro cost be damned cram everything and the kitchen sink in. People will buy it.

Morrius · Sep 9, 2013

Rufuss Sewell said:
It's also extremely arrogant to ignore the fact that the vast majority of people prefer a bigger phone with a bigger battery. At least give us two screen size options. These are NO LONGER PHONES!! They're pocket computers and they should be treated that way.

Source? And we do have screen size options. It's called the iPad.

Gizmodo explains it pretty well:

"The iPhone has been in a design holding pattern for the last several years. That's not a knock; it's just savvy marketing. The iPhone 4S looked exactly like the iPhone 4. The iPhone 5 looked different from those, but not so much that you couldn't very clearly identify it as an iPhone. The iPhone 5S will look exactly like the iPhone 5. And so on.

Apple keeps its iPhone hardware consistent because to do anything else would be insane. Six years after its release, it remains one of the most popular, pervasive consumer products of all time. If your product is universally loved and insanely profitable, there's little incentive to radically alter it once a decade, much less every year. Until people stop buying iPhones, all Apple needs to do is make enough tweaks to feel current. That's what it's done."

OP, I hate to tell you this, but "everyone" is a much more lucrative market than gadget aficionados.

Ajones330 · Sep 9, 2013

ahfu25 said:
Again...more and more people like you ruin these forums. Even on Xda..SO what if its called mac rumors. Its a website on the internet where every ones opinion should be respected...but wait its the internet...lol. I can say I've had every mac book, ipad and iphone ever released. Then I say how I dislike the iphone 5s and how I think the samsung galaxy s4 or note 3 is a better device, and you guys come bashing people for it. And yet they've been more 'Loyal' or "fanboys" longer than half the newbies on here. In my opinion the Galaxy S4 is a better device all around than the iPhone 5. The 5S and Note 3 I'll compare whe I get my hands on them. For now I give the benefit of the doubt to the Note 3. And it has nothing to do with screen size!!

I've yet to hear something innovative about android. Sounds like people are upset that Apple is not considered the new cool and everyone is using it. I have the 5 and a Galaxy S4 and use both everyday. If smart view or air view is the innovation everyone is talking about then people have that definition all wrong. These gimmicky features are just that gimmicks. The Note 3 has ton of horses under the hood but how does it handle when you get it on the track.

HelloMikee · Sep 9, 2013

I've tried android twice and went back to iPhone. My latest attempt was the HTC One which I really liked. Mostly for the larger screen. Unfortunately I rely heavy on iMessages and the ability to copy and paste photos onto iMessages and emails and have somewhat large jpegs sent that way. Apple does simple tasks really really well. I do however want a bigger screen.

ahfu25 · Sep 9, 2013

Ajones330 said:
I've yet to hear something innovative about android. Sounds like people are upset that Apple is not considered the new cool and everyone is using it. I have the 5 and a Galaxy S4 and use both everyday. If smart view or air view is the innovation everyone is talking about then people have that definition all wrong. These gimmicky features are just that gimmicks. The Note 3 has ton of horses under the hood but how does it handle when you get it on the track.

For me the Galaxy S4 has more features that I use on a daily basis. Only thing superior on the iphone 5 in my opinion is itunes and the sound I get with the basic headphones that both phones supply but for that I use my ipod classic. I dont use s voice or siri. The apps I use are equal on both devices. My iphone 5 is jailbroken and my galaxy s4 is rooted. I have my s4 on stock software and just removed some bloat. I've come to use love my S4 more. This is just MY OPINION! lol

Rufuss Sewell · Sep 9, 2013

Morrius said:
Source? And we do have screen size options. It's called the iPad.

Source: I tour the country in a rock band for a living. We play in clubs with 300-1000 people a night. I spend a good 2 hours a night signing autographs and taking pictures. It's a wide spectrum of people from little kids to old rockers in every city across the US. In 2010 it was all iPhone. Now the VAST majority are Android. They ALL brag about the screen size. Several people laugh and ridicule the tiny crappy iPhone screen. It's hundreds of people a night, not just my immediate friends. I disagree with them. To me iOS is worth putting up with the out of date screen size.

I'm guessing Steve would've realized the trend and made it appear as though Apple created the 5" screen. Cook is stuck.

iPad? I have an iPad. My personal computer needs to fit in my pocket.

Michael CM1 · Sep 9, 2013

Rufuss Sewell said:
Something else happened right around the release of the 4S.

I'm looking forward to getting the 5S, and to me ALL of the Android screens look terrible. Like over saturated vomit. But I must admit that the 2 year cycle is too slow. The 5S will pretty much look like my 2010 iphone 4. Kinda sad. It's also extremely arrogant to ignore the fact that the vast majority of people prefer a bigger phone with a bigger battery. At least give us two screen size options. These are NO LONGER PHONES!! They're pocket computers and they should be treated that way.

That said, I'm invested in iOS and Android just looks absolutely horrid. All that crap you can do with torrents and PS3 controllers can be done to jailbroken iPhones so get real please. If you're a tweaker you'll jailbreak, no biggie. So I'll grab a 5S.

Rest in peace Steve!

About half of all iPhones sold worldwide are the iPhone 4 and 4S. I'd say this debunks the "vast majority" of people wanting a bigger phone as gospel. Between bigger and cheaper, they choose cheaper. Hence the iPhone 5C.

If research indicated most people wanted a 6-inch iPhone, there would be a 6-inch iPhone.

5s more of the same. Apple is treading water

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