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Apple Acknowledges Consumers Want Larger and Cheaper Phones

MacRumors

MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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The latest internal documents coming out of the Samsung/Apple trial show some candid insight into Apple's analysis of the future of the smartphone market.

The documents posted by Re/code include an Apple slide deck from April, 2013 for 2014 planning. The document includes graphs showing that Apple's growth rates are slowing quarter after quarter. The main reason for the decline amongst consumers? Consumers want less expensive and larger screen smartphones:

whatsgoingon.jpg
In a further breakdown, Apple acknowledges that "consumers want what we don't have" -- which shows that the majority of smartphone growth is in both >4" screen sizes and

Article Link: Apple Acknowledges Consumers Want Larger and Cheaper Phones
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2014/04/06/consumers-want-larger-iphones/
B

bobenhaus

macrumors 65816
Mar 2, 2011
1,025
487
MacRumors said:
[url=http://cdn.macrumors.com/im/macrumorsthreadlogodarkd.png]Image[/url]


The latest internal documents coming out of the Samsung/Apple trial show some candid insight into Apple's analysis of the future of the smartphone market.

The documents posted by Re/code include an Apple slide deck from April, 2013 for 2014 planning. The document includes graphs showing that Apple's growth rates are slowing quarter after quarter. The main reason for the decline amongst consumers? Consumers want less expensive and larger screen smartphones:

In a further breakdown, Apple acknowledges that "consumers want what we don't have" -- which shows that the majority of smartphone growth is in both >4" screen sizes and

Article Link: Apple Acknowledges Consumers Want Larger and Cheaper Phones
Click to expand...

Oh really now?? What a surprise!!! hahah
 
JayCee842

JayCee842

macrumors 6502a
Jan 21, 2013
589
0
If they end up listening to the market, then they'd be facing the "innovators dilemma" which Jobs (I believe highlighted as a favorite book). It's not about giving consumers what they want. Apple will fall behind listening to their customers' needs.

Edit: Apple can't get caught up in current needs. It needs to look to the future.
 
Max(IT)

Max(IT)

Suspended
Dec 8, 2009
8,551
1,662
Italy
Bigger screen and less money ... Will Apple change something ?
I'm quite sure about the bigger screen, but what about prices ?
A 5.5" iPhone 6 could be beautiful, but if it will cost 800$ how many they are going to sell ?
 
F

forcesteeler

macrumors 6502
Oct 1, 2007
280
590
What Apple Needs is New Innovative Products. The iPhone this June will be almost 8 Years old. The iPhone Gravy Train is almost over. Its time to invent some new products. Just like the iPod had its run, The iPhone run is coming to a close soon.
 
ArtOfWarfare

ArtOfWarfare

macrumors G3
Nov 26, 2007
9,558
6,058
I don't think the answer here is to abandon 4" phones altogether. I think a better move would be to have a 4" iPhone 6 Mini, priced as a replacement for the iPhone 5C and a 4.7" iPhone 6, priced as a replacement for the iPhone 5S.

As shown from the iPod Nano and iPad Mini, people are willing to spend less for smaller products, so long as they're still high quality. They aren't willing to compromise on the quality of the product for less money, as shown by the 5C.
 
penter

penter

macrumors 6502a
Jun 15, 2006
600
29
I think we're beginning to see the era where Apple is no longer an innovator, but a mere competitor...
 
Glassed Silver

Glassed Silver

macrumors 68020
Mar 10, 2007
2,096
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Kassel, Germany
JayCee842 said:
If they end up listening to the market, then they'd be facing the "innovators dilemma" which Jobs (I believe highlighted as a favorite book). It's not about giving consumers what they want
Click to expand...

You're wrong. Jobs never said that.
He said that you don't want to listen to sudden trends which get replaced by new trends.
If someone says they want a bigger screen and don't come back to iPhone unless the demand is fulfilled by an iPhone, then that's that.

Glassed Silver:ios
 
jimsowden

jimsowden

macrumors 68000
Sep 6, 2003
1,766
18
NY
Looks like there's a lot more meat in that >$300 segment, especially with how screwed up payment plans are getting now.
 
F

forcesteeler

macrumors 6502
Oct 1, 2007
280
590
JayCee842 said:
If they end up listening to the market, then they'd be facing the "innovators dilemma" which Jobs (I believe highlighted as a favorite book). It's not about giving consumers what they want
Click to expand...

Apple has almost $200 Billion Dollars in its bank account. Its time to use some of that money and release some new products (New Industry's). Waiting Year after Year for something new is frustrating. Im tired of the same old New iPhone 27. Where is the 4K TV? the iWatch? how about a video game console, Game Industry makes a lot of money.
 
P

pedromcm.pm

macrumors 6502
Mar 23, 2014
483
0
Porto, Portugal
forcesteeler said:
What Apple Needs is New Innovative Products. The iPhone this June will be almost 8 Years old. The iPhone Gravy Train is almost over. Its time to invent some new products. Just like the iPod had its run, The iPhone run is coming to a close soon.
Click to expand...

Like the iPad?

Anyway, clearly Apple locked the 4" premium market. I think that they will keep releasing a 4" model with top of the line everything, but a 5" model with the same specifications will be a better iPhone for millions of us.

Either way, Apple wins, competition loses. If Apple attacks the big screen premium market, where will they go? That's the KO pouch to Motorola (already sold), HTC, Windows Phone (Nokia will keep selling cheap Lumias), Sony and Samsung will get a kick in the nose.
 
RMo

RMo

macrumors 65816
Aug 7, 2007
1,253
281
Iowa, USA
Am I the only one who doesn't want a bigger iPhone screen? If they do that, I hope they keep the smaller one as an option. Of course, that will have the disadvantage of making developers account for yet another screen size (unless the bigger iPhone is just bigger pixels), but I really don't want to make the phone any more difficult to put in my pocket, for example.

If I want to get real work done, I'll use a full-fledged computer. The things people are doing, painstakingly, on mobile devices these days scare me. #OldPeopleProblems?
 
Hustler1337

Hustler1337

macrumors 68000
Dec 23, 2010
1,842
1,595
London, UK
It took Apple thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of $$$ and hefty legal costs to figure out that the majority of people want larger and cheaper phones? What kind of geniuses are working at their market research dept?
 
mertyz

mertyz

macrumors regular
Sep 21, 2011
201
4
I used HTC 8X for a year and even 4.3" was painful to use for me, despite the fact that I have large hands. I'm really happy with the size of the display my 5S has really.

Unfortunately it is quite obvious that Apple will take the same route :/
 
JayCee842

JayCee842

macrumors 6502a
Jan 21, 2013
589
0
forcesteeler said:
What Apple Needs is New Innovative Products. The iPhone this June will be almost 8 Years old. The iPhone Gravy Train is almost over. Its time to invent some new products. Just like the iPod had its run, The iPhone run is coming to a close soon.
Click to expand...

I agree and disagree. I'm not sure where to take a stance. While the iPhone is about to be 8 years old, people continue to buy it (and smartphones). I don't see smartphones dying out any time soon. But then again, who knows
 
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