How YOU want the iPhone to be Versus how Apple wants the iPhone to be

[Calidude]

There's often discussion about The Apple Way and what the public wants. Steve Jobs famously said that the "public doesn't know what it wants", but now that the iPhone is out and has matured and its an existing product that is to be refined and improved, I'd like to know if people really trust the Apple Way or what their heart and mind wants the iPhone to be.

What do you want for the iPhone? Are you content with how Apple is handling it or would YOU do a better job at dictating what should go into it?

 

[Caliber26]

So far, my experience with all things Apple has been superb. I have zero complaints and I'm happy to have made a complete transition in just about every way possible. I've had the opportunity to play with all kinds of smart phones and nothing comes close to the iPhone. The way it coexists with everything else in the Apple ecosystem makes it a must-have for me.

HOWEVER, if any of the recent leaks are real, this'll be the first time I'll feel disappointed by the iPhone. I can look past the odd choice of having the two-tone back. It's the longer-but-not-wider rumored display that I'm kinda worried about. If I had any say so in it, I would definitely make it wider too.

Regardless, I'll most likely be among the first to preorder.

 

[Ayemerica]

So far, my experience with all things Apple has been superb. I have zero complaints and I'm happy to have made a complete transition in just about every way possible. I've had the opportunity to play with all kinds of smart phones and nothing comes close to the iPhone. The way it coexists with everything else in the Apple ecosystem makes it a must-have for me.

HOWEVER, if any of the recent leaks are real, this'll be the first time I'll feel disappointed by the iPhone. I can look past the odd choice of having the two-tone back. It's the longer-but-not-wider rumored display that I'm kinda worried about. If I had any say so in it, I would definitely make it wider too.

Regardless, I'll most likely be among the first to preorder.

This is exactly how I feel.

 

[Calidude]

Lets keep in mind how iOS6 is looking right now...

 

[matttye]

I love the iPad but I don't think I'll ever buy another iPhone.

For something that's with me all the time (smartphone) I need it to be as feature packed and customisable as possible.

For a tablet computer that I mainly use at home, I don't need as many features, so the simplicity of the iPad and smoothness in which it runs is perfect.

I really love android for phones and iOS for tablets, but now that my phone has nfc.. Once tablets start making use of nfc and you can use it to interact between the two devices ill probably be looking elsewhere.

Apple are too slow to adopt new technologies.

 

[Calidude]

For a tablet computer that I mainly use at home, I don't need as many features, so the simplicity of the iPad and smoothness in which it runs is perfect.

It's a shame the iPad is actually the market leader in its class and not the iPhone.

 

[lordofthereef]

If we didn't have jailbreak I would probably change my tune. Since we do, and virtually always have, I am mostly ok with what Apple launches.

That said, there isn't a platform out there that does everything right, for me, therefore I suppose "I would like to dictate" what I would like to see in just about every mobile OS.

Simply put, I don't find this to be a good poll. I either have to eat whatever Apple feeds me or want to change it all. I fall into neither category to be honest.

 

[Technarchy]

Let's start with Steve Jobs' own words on this subject.

"You can't just ask customers what they want and then try to give that to them. By the time you get it built, they'll want something new."

"It's really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don't know what they want until you show it to them."

How many times have bloggers and pundits and "consumers" said Apple was doing it wrong? Pretty much every time Apple releases a product...

We've been down this road with the iMac, iPod, iPhone and iPad...Apple has been right thus far and the Internet experts have always been proven wrong.

I trust Apple, and if the day comes when I don't trust Apple anymore, I'll buy something else. Life is that simple.

 

[stevemiller]

After having followed forums like these for a while, I am firmly in agreement with the sentiment that consumers by and large don't know what they want.

If you look back on the iPad 2 reactions when it came out, there were dozens of threads bemoaning the need for a better display and camera. The following iteration addressed both of those issues, and yet now there are tons of people saying "a display upgrade isn't really THAT big of a deal" and "who uses an iPad for taking pictures anyway?"


So to return to the iPhone, the 4s boosted processing power and cameras, and people bemoaned the small screen, lack of redesign and no LTE as apparent deal breakers. All these things, too, seem to be on deck for the next iPhone, and already there are those saying they don't like the new look (where have we heard THAT before???), that the larger screen isn't the shape of larger they wanted, etc.

For all the teeth gnashing of what we have yet to receive (be it from apple or Samsung or whoever) I'd say we've gotten some pretty nifty things already, and we arent as deprived as we like to think we are.

 

[lordofthereef]

Let's start with Steve Jobs' own words on this subject.

"You can't just ask customers what they want and then try to give that to them. By the time you get it built, they'll want something new."

"It's really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don't know what they want until you show it to them."

How many times have bloggers and pundits and "consumers" said Apple was doing it wrong? Pretty much every time Apple releases a product...

We've been down this road with the iMac, iPod, iPhone and iPad...Apple has been right thus far and the Internet experts have always been proven wrong.

I trust Apple, and if the day comes when I don't trust Apple anymore, I'll buy something else. Life is that simple.

Sales does not prove something was done "right" or that it cannot be done better. If we assume that, we also assume the likes of Justin Beiber, Miley Cyrus, etc. to be rock gods....

Apple does a lot of things right, no doubt. There are still a lot of things they can do better (which is evidenced by new features that they slowly trickle into their OS).

 

[Sedrick]

If we didn't have jailbreak I would probably change my tune. Since we do, and virtually always have, I am mostly ok with what Apple launches.

That said, there isn't a platform out there that does everything right, for me, therefore I suppose "I would like to dictate" what I would like to see in just about every mobile OS.

Simply put, I don't find this to be a good poll. I either have to eat whatever Apple feeds me or want to change it all. I fall into neither category to be honest.

I agree with this. Including the required jailbreak. And the poll is loaded. You're either a mindless Apple robot or you want to change everything. Most people fall in the middle somewhere.

 

[cyks]

As if your avatar doesn't speak enough about how you feel about Apple fans, you decided to make a poll...worded in such that people can only be blind followers or free thinkers.

I can't be the only one tired of this type of blatant trolling.

 

[nuckinfutz]

Not only do consumers rarely know what they want but even enthusiasts have a difficult time articulating what they want.

Wish I had a nickel for every time someone on MR said something like

"I wasn't blown away" "I expected more" yet they seemingly become mute after the statement.

Then there are people who are very definitive about what they want and have no problem telling the world.

I simply want a slightly larger screen. 4" would be ideal. I want slightly thinner so that even in a rugged case it doesn't feel excessively bulky. I want faster Wifi networking in the form of 802.11ac. I want louder speakers. I want great battery life and a strong GPS signal.

The rest is easily handled in software.

 

[MacDawg]

I much prefer Apple making the decisions than most of the people on MR

 

[Mister Bumbo]

Apple didn't get to where they are by listening to "bright ideas from users", just saying. In some cases perhaps they should - certainly, but that doesn't mean they ought to nor will.

 

[lordofthereef]

Apple didn't get to where they are by listening to "bright ideas from users", just saying. In some cases perhaps they should - certainly, but that doesn't mean they ought to nor will.

I see Apple implementing a lot of features almost exactly how jailbreak tweaks were implemented in older versions of iOS. That seems to me they are doing exactly that, but rather letting their users test drive features to see how well they are implemented.

Two major features that a lot of people take for granted now are MMS and copy and paste. Both of those came after users bitched up a storm.

 

[Mister Bumbo]

I see Apple implementing a lot of features almost exactly how jailbreak tweaks were implemented in older versions of iOS. That seems to me they are doing exactly that, but rather letting their users test drive features to see how well they are implemented.

Two major features that a lot of people take for granted now are MMS and copy and paste. Both of those came after users bitched up a storm.

I was talking about the iPhone on the whole as a product, not specific features in iOS. The Apple innovativeness that evolves products has little to do with this. In some cases it's the direct opposite of "the Apple way", you mention "features people take for granted" - of course they should be implemented, but what Apple also does is implement new things you didn't even know you wanted/needed/could be done, and then you can't live without them.

 

[bt2184]

is kind of in a tricky spot. Innovation and Fragementation are constantly pulling in opposite directions when it comes to technology. Does Apple make significant innovations within a single year and alienate owners of earlier devices? or do they gradually innovate and improve upon the product giving those legacy device owners some of the goods. Nobody wants their phone to be completely outdated in the span of 1 year. So odds are that we will continue to only see minor upgrades. People expecting huge re-designs are in for disappointment.

 

[sentinelsx]

Apple way will always prevail for the iPhone. So no matter what you want, suck it up.

Of course there is tons of people who will be telling you how you are wrong because of a different viewpoint.

 

[Technarchy]

I much prefer Apple making the decisions than most of the people on MR

That about sums it up perfectly.

 

[VulchR]

As if your [OP's, presumably] avatar doesn't speak enough about how you feel about Apple fans....

Off topic: It also indicates a certain lack of respect regarding the victims of Jim Jones, some of whom having living relatives and friends....

On topic: Apple has done OK by me so far, so I trust them. If this changes, I'll let OP know.

 

[Vegastouch]

I agree with this. Including the required jailbreak. And the poll is loaded. You're either a mindless Apple robot or you want to change everything. Most people fall in the middle somewhere.

Right, i dont care for the two choices. Could of been at least one more better selection. Maybe something like..."i wish Apple would listen more to its customers"?

 

[daviddcmd]

Me me me!!

I hope most of us on the forum understand that the vast majority of Iphone users don't know much about the phone. I'm going to assume most of us know what's under the hood and care about specs, most user however, don't. They want it cause it's an Iphone.

It's up to Apple to maximize profits for it's stockholders which I am one.

The next and future Iphone will appeal to the masses irreguardless of what we want.

 

[lordofthereef]

I was talking about the iPhone on the whole as a product, not specific features in iOS. The Apple innovativeness that evolves products has little to do with this. In some cases it's the direct opposite of "the Apple way", you mention "features people take for granted" - of course they should be implemented, but what Apple also does is implement new things you didn't even know you wanted/needed/could be done, and then you can't live without them.

But so much of what Apple does has to do with software. They even openly admit that. Hardware is nothing without software.

 

[Calidude]

I agree with this. Including the required jailbreak. And the poll is loaded. You're either a mindless Apple robot or you want to change everything. Most people fall in the middle somewhere.

I don't think people fall in the middle. The iPhone is pretty polarizing.