Is Apple loosing their touch?

We get this exact same thread about every other week

IMO no

Nope. I think the iPhone 5s has aged quite gracefully and is still worth $400+ for just the 16GB. Apple isn't losing its relevancy yet, and the 6 will solidify the next couple years of success for them. I've been on Android for the past couple years, and I'm honestly so over it. Apple isn't the problem, operating systems and hardware just get stale after a while.

Wow.

Someone is very hard to please.

iOS 8 includes fantastic features/improvements and the iPhone 6 will be the biggest smartphone ever to hit the market.

To your original question, no, Apple are not "losing" their touch.

Derekuda said:

Well then apparently I am not alone, and correct about my feelings.

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You're correct, you're not alone. Although, the iPhone is a phone, web browser, and media player. Of those 3 features which do you feel it's not meeting standards?

Yes the OS has a stale/familiar feeling, but that's what happens after 8 years. It's a simple design that works well for most people using it. Sometimes when things just work, you don't mess with that formula. As someone who watched the keynotes, I'm sure you remember Steve introducing the original iPhone and stating why they picked 3.5" screens for the original. To me, it seems the only reason they're increasing the size of the iPhone is due to consumer demand.

By all standards both the iPhone and most Android phones are still amazing devices. If you want to make an argument for poor innovation give some details, for example:

iPad:
-9.7" screen without dual app options
-unable to use a Bluetooth keyboard to send text via "Enter" key

iBook:
- No playlists via iTunes for easy syncing
- Unable to easily edit metadata
- Unable to sort bookshelf mode

There are just a few examples that quickly come to mind. So try again, what is it you feel that Apple isn't taking advantage of? What upgrade/improvement or new technology do you feel they're missing out on producing?

You go ahead and give Android a try. If this forum is any indication, typically people who think Apple is "losing" their touch and jump ship tend to "lose" it after a while on the other platform and come crawling back to the iPhone.

Derekuda said:

As cliche as this sounds, ever since Steve died, I feel like the innovation of both new iPhones and iOS has stopped. Seriously, the iPhone 5 was a joke with just a .5 inch bigger screen and the the big push for the iPhone 5s was a stupid finger scanner?
I watched the last WWDC with a friend who is a big Android guy, and every new "revolutionary" feature of the new iOS were features stolen from Android or the most popular apps. He showed me every working feature on his phone as they showed it in iOS 8. It's pathetic. And the new biggest feature is a bigger screen again?
I'm just curious at how people feel? What are the upsides of owning an iPhone still, because I feel like I'm ready to switch.

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The original iPhone did about half of what competing smartphones at the time did. Not much functionality at all.

The 3G took the same hardware, slapped a 3G chip in it, put it in a curved plastic case, and suddenly it's a new phone.

The 3GS added a faster processor. Where's the innovation there?

The 4 flattened the phone out and added a display that really wasn't that much fancier than other high-end displays at the time. Meh.

The 4S took the exact same design as the 4 and added a faster processor. What was really new about it?

My point is, I can take every single thing that Apple has ever done or made, even under Steve Jobs, and point out how it wasn't revolutionary. That's not what matters, though. What matters is that the end product is a joy to use. And most people agree that the iPhone is a fantastic experience. It's not for everyone, of course, as some people want the customization ability that Android has to offer.

If you have concrete reasons why you think Android is better for you, buy an Android phone. The new HTC One (M8), in particular, is fantastic. But if your iPhone does everything you want it to do, future iPhones are only going to make your experience even more enjoyable.

Derekuda said:

I'm not hard to please, I just think its pathetic that Apple is releasing new features that in iOS8 that have been around the android scene for the last couple years or so. The iPhone once lead the competition, and now they just copy others. How is that innovation?
To its credit, I will say I like that Apple does not let carriers load bloatware, but that's not what I base my phone buying off of.

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Android has released things in their last two updates that have been in iOS for quite a while.

Each OS has different focuses so features get put on the backburner. Different priorities = different paths to ultimately the same result.

Apple continues to sell the most popular smartphone in the world and the most popular tablet in the world. I think they know exactly what they're doing and have a pretty good read on how to maximize their profits and popularity.

Case-in-point, this fall/winter quarter is going to be the most massive quarter any of these OEMs has ever had....it'll be huge even by Apple standards.

Derekuda said:

I'm not hard to please, I just think its pathetic that Apple is releasing new features that in iOS8 that have been around the android scene for the last couple years or so. The iPhone once lead the competition, and now they just copy others. How is that innovation?
To its credit, I will say I like that Apple does not let carriers load bloatware, but that's not what I base my phone buying off of.

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I'll give you credit where credit is due, yes Apple does get behind at times - Copy/Paste should have been present the day Steve announced the device. I also won't give you the cliche many on this forum will give you, "they only release something once they've gotten it right", uh huh... anybody remember Maps? If not ask Scott Forstall about that.

Like others have said though, iOS 8 is going to be a big improvement due to a lot of small things that just make ease of use more natural.

Derekuda said:

I'm not hard to please, I just think its pathetic that Apple is releasing new features that in iOS8 that have been around the android scene for the last couple years or so.

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If you think it's pathetic, then I strongly recommend you vote with your wallet and go buy an Android phone.

The iPhone once lead the competition, and now they just copy others. How is that innovation?

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If it were that simple, then you would be perfectly right. But it isn't. User experience and integration that WORKS is just as much a part of innovation as loading up a phone with a bunch of features. Let's not forget here, that Apple didn't invent the smartphone. They did however, make the smartphone a bearable piece of technology that worked well enough for everyone to use. Before that, smartphones were a mess, the stuff only geeks would put up with.

Android, let's face it, is the same way... a mess, that only geeks will truly tinker with and make use of. The remaining non-geeks on Android often don't use most of the features offered, and don't even spend a whole lot of time using their phones for even a whole lot of web browsing. They just have a smartphone for the sake of having a smartphone, or because that's what their kids or friends told them they should get. Or worse, it's what the person at the mall wireless kiosk told them to get, solely because it gives him or her a nice fat commission.

On the other hand, iOS users spend a LOT of time using the features available. Because they work well. That's where the innovation is: taking features, and making them work well enough for people to want to use them.

To its credit, I will say I like that Apple does not let carriers load bloatware, but that's not what I base my phone buying off of.

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That's unfortunate and ironic, because Android was supposed to be all about having an open operating system that leaves ALL of the choice up to the user. Any Android user who finds it completely okay that carriers turn around and lock down the phones they sell with bloated, hacked-up versions of Android has completely missed the point of that platform, and is kidding themselves. Carriers hate being relegated to being a "dumb pipe," but frankly that's all they're good at, and all they should aspire to be.


By the way:

I watched the last WWDC with a friend who is a big Android guy, and every new "revolutionary" feature of the new iOS were features stolen from Android or the most popular apps. He showed me every working feature on his phone as they showed it in iOS 8.

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Really? So he showed you how to hand off work on apps from his Android phone to a PC or laptop or tablet? How SMS and phone calls can similarly be taken regardless of device? Wow, which Android release does he have on this amazing phone of his?

Derekuda said:

I'm not hard to please, I just think its pathetic that Apple is releasing new features that in iOS8 that have been around the android scene for the last couple years or so. The iPhone once lead the competition, and now they just copy others. How is that innovation?
To its credit, I will say I like that Apple does not let carriers load bloatware, but that's not what I base my phone buying off of.

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Yes and then, people all moan about how Apple are behind. They just can't win can they? They implement features that users have been asking for and people still moan!

And I know it's not innovation but if the iPhone 6 has sapphire glass, that will be a big plus, yes, I know others will follow but Apple would have done it first.

SMIDG3T said:

And I know it's not innovation but if the iPhone 6 has sapphire glass, that will be a big plus, yes, I know others will follow but Apple would have done it first.

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It will be nice, but my guess is for most users it'll just be hype. I'd guess 90% of iPhone users I see carry their phones in cases and the only thing that ever touches the screen are fingers or items in their pockets/purses.

Nickwell24 said:

It will be nice, but my guess is for most users it'll just be hype. I'd guess 90% of iPhone users I see carry their phones in cases and the only thing that ever touches the screen are fingers or items in their pockets/purses.

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You tell that to all the case-toting iPhone owners who manage to shatter their phones while encased in a case.

Derekuda said:

because I feel like I'm ready to switch.

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People talk about phones like they're married to them. Swapping to a different phone isn't a life-changing decision and it certainly isn't one that can't be reversed.

Rather than moaning about it, try it. Buy an Android phone, second-hand if necessary, and give it a go. If you like it, stay with it, if not, go back to your iPhone.

I was iPhone, got bored, tried Android a few years ago and preferred it so stayed. But I won't hesitate to go back to iPhone if I feel that's the better platform for me.

Mildredop said:

People talk about phones like they're married to them. Swapping to a different phone isn't a life-changing decision and it certainly isn't one that can't be reversed.

Rather than moaning about it, try it. Buy an Android phone, second-hand if necessary, and give it a go. If you like it, stay with it, if not, go back to your iPhone.

I was iPhone, got bored, tried Android a few years ago and preferred it so stayed. But I won't hesitate to go back to iPhone if I feel that's the better platform for me.

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True, not a life changing decision. However, I'm not interesting in relearning a platform unless the current one does not work for me.

JayLenochiniMac said:

You tell that to all the case-toting iPhone owners who manage to shatter their phones while encased in a case.

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What types of cases are those people using that still manage to shatter their phones? I've had an iphone for the last 6 years, and I've yet to have one shatter on me and trust me they've been dropped plenty. I have no doubt that people with cases have shattered their screens, but like I said in my original post, sapphire vs corning won't make a huge difference for most people.

The only iOS device I've had shatter was my iPod touch, it only cracked after being dropped in the street in the middle of the night and ran over at least once before it could be found the following morning.

I7guy said:

True, not a life changing decision. However, I'm not interesting in relearning a platform unless the current one does not work for me.

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If you're happy with your phone, why switch?! My post was in reply to the guy moaning about the iPhone and how he wanted to switch.

Nickwell24 said:

It will be nice, but my guess is for most users it'll just be hype. I'd guess 90% of iPhone users I see carry their phones in cases and the only thing that ever touches the screen are fingers or items in their pockets/purses.

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It may happen.

Here: http://youtu.be/5R0_FJ4r73s

Yes, all the good things we got came from one mind-state:

Steve Jobs' parents' no-nonsense mind-state as entitled American consumers and Steve Jobs using his clever engineering teams to reverse-engineer concepts that he thinks his parents would have accepted as useful quality products from that specific mind set.

And they accurately reflected the tastes of the masses somehow because if they got it, anyone could get it and vice versa.

As good as an idea might be on paper and in theory to us in the tech world, Steve Jobs parents might have seen it as useless ********.

To this day, despite the books and analysis, people don't respect that point of view or fully understand it and what it takes to penetrate that market.

They also can't do much because the last decade was based on them pioneering touch technology and redefining devices based on that new paradigm. But the iPhone, iPad and even MBP are all the merit of touch and battery life due to closed system. So everything is based on the touch screen/pad revolution and them understanding the potential of this.

Theres not much left to invent.

The idea that they were miracle workers was a 5 year illusion based of delivering a variety of products based on that one evolution in tech.

We are pretty much realizing this same tech years later, in all iterations. Every size flat screen device. iPhone 4, iPhone 5, iPhone 6, iPad mini, iPad, iPad Jumbo.

Pretty much every size from small to huge for whatever reason you need and they all replace most of computing.

You can't simplify such a thing anymore, its a screen (you can't remove that) with a battery behind it (that either). Lowest common denominator design.

So there is nothing left, nothing as dramatic as Physical keyboard --> Touch keyboard evolution in scope and profound implication of potential for restructuring.

The TV experience is already that. A large flat screen. You can't improve the TV much either. Voice commands are the same speed as pushing a button and is a static experience.

A watch is actually a redundant step away from efficiency because like you look at your watch you can look at your phone, which is fully functional, and the watch isn't.

So you trade that split second of convenience (pulling phone out vs looking at wrist) for all day annoyance of having something on your wrist (that can scratch or annoy you) and most people don't wear much else besides flip flops shorts and a cotton t shirt for that reason. Its not comfortable to have things on your body and as soon as we got cell phones we got rid of that.

Happened to my wife. Her screen shattered while in her purse. My guess is something pointed hit the screen and as you know most cases do not protect the screen.

I see many people with shattered phones. Anything Apple can do to reduce incidents while still charging AC+ is a win for them.

Derekuda said:

Seriously, the iPhone 5 was a joke with just a .5 inch bigger screen and the the big push for the iPhone 5s was a stupid finger scanner?

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Oh. I must have skipped this bit.

"A stupid finger scanner". Again, wow. Have you used Touch ID, let me guess, it never works?

Touch ID is very good and since in iOS 8 it's open to developers it will become 100x better.

Use Samsung's "fingerprint scanner" and come back to me.

Sometimes I buy an Android phone to play around with. In principle, every year I do it and every time I realize how good iOS is. iOS just flows with my life.