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Apple Acknowledges Consumers Want Larger and Cheaper Phones
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Smartphones are not that "special" items anymore, they're not status symbols anymore, even cheaper smartphones are more than good enough for most people, and I have a feeling that many people are not that willing to pay a lot for a new smartphone, maybe because the price difference is harder to validate.
It's not so much about the specs anymore, but the screen size is important for many people, even for those who don't care about the specs. For example my mother wanted a cheap smartphone with large screen so it's easier for her eyes.
It's not so much about the specs anymore, but the screen size is important for many people, even for those who don't care about the specs. For example my mother wanted a cheap smartphone with large screen so it's easier for her eyes.
It's funny how on the internet, mainly on the internet, on various fora users are being categorized into groups. You're either in this group or you belong to that group. It's called silly tribalism.
Where is the nuance? Sure, a fast amount of people like to get a bigger screen, an amount of people don't; like me. So Apple is going to make larger screens as well so the consumer will have more choices. Good for Apple, even better for the consumer and heaven for those wanting to see the prices for expansive smartphones going down in the near future due of competition.
That's it....
No, that's really it!
No United Nations emergency meeting is acquired here. ^^
No way. Tim hasn't got the taste and style that Steve had. If not the iOS7 design happened, I would have said Jony had it, but anyways he is not in the position to give the final Go or No to a finished product.
I think both points are valid desires. For me, one-hand-operation is an advantage since I travel frequently. My bag in the left hand and iPhone in the right looking up passbook, train schedule, text, phone etc. But I also understand that others would trade that for a larger screen.
Yup.
Nothing wrong with them working out what the market wants - and the competition offers - and meeting demand. I'm sure there's a ton of examples of this happening during the Steve Jobs era.
Also, the phone industry seems competitive because the competition are making good phones, not because Apple isn't making a good phone.
Windows 8 is incredibly unpopular, and most here would agree OS X Mavericks is better, yet Windows 8 has higher total market share. So we know market share doesn't reflect product quality or innovation.
I would be surprised if a new market came along and made smartphones' sales decline in the same way that iPhone cannibalized iPod sales.
Also, the phone industry seems competitive because the competition are making good phones, not because Apple isn't making a good phone.
Windows 8 is incredibly unpopular, and most here would agree OS X Mavericks is better, yet Windows 8 has higher total market share. So we know market share doesn't reflect product quality or innovation.
I would be surprised if a new market came along and made smartphones' sales decline in the same way that iPhone cannibalized iPod sales.
I don't really understand why people want a larger screen so much. My iPhone 4S has a great screen and I've never found myself thinking it's too small. Actually, I think the device is quite large and could do with being thinner (which did happen on the iPhone 5) but also I wouldn't mind it being less tall and less wide. A larger screen is the last thing I'd want!
That you know of. Again, most of us are going on how we perceive Tim and Steve during keynote presentations and interviews.
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It's funny how on the internet, mainly on the internet, on various fora users are being categorized into groups. You're either in this group or you belong to that group. It's called silly tribalism.
Where is the nuance? Sure, a fast amount of people like to get a bigger screen, an amount of people don't; like me. So Apple is going to make larger screens as well so the consumer will have more choices. Good for Apple, even better for the consumer and heaven for those wanting to see the prices for expansive smartphones going down in the near future due of competition.
That's it....
No, that's really it!
No United Nations emergency meeting is acquired here. ^^
How this comment has 0 upvotes, yet all the "apple is doomed" comments get 30+ upvotes, I'll never know.
iPhone 4S size is perfect for me, don't want any bigger so I'll just stick with this until the day it finally dies. I'd like them to branch out in both directions. Rather than the current system with cheap plastic & expensive metal, I'd rather see cheap small (iPhone 4S size) & expensive large (6"?).
This argument drives me up the wall.
Even the biggest phones screen sizes aren't even CLOSE to as big as even the smallest tablets, much less a macbook air. It isn't even remotely comparable. People want bigger phones, they don't want to "just use an iPad". Get over it.
And big phones still fit in pockets, please stop the nonsense that only 4 inch phones fit in pockets.
Partly because Apple doesn't want to cater for corporate users at all? Heck, they have even stopped producing the 17" MBP, which might have been the go-to model for many corporations as an easily-upgradable (and, therefore, long-lasting), dual-spin desktop replacement.
The recent toys sold as MBP's are far less a dream of a corporate than the old line of MBP's, particularly the 17" ones.
You really seem to tie yourself in knots and contradict yourself.
If no-one apart from Apple knows Apple, how then do you know that "APPLE ARE HAPPY"?
I'm more surprised that they don't appear to be listening to that market research.
So they know people want a cheaper phone but they give us what...a 5c that's $100 less than a very expensive 5s (over $1,100 in AU) that quite frankly is starting to look ridiculously overpriced. No wonder it didn't sell as well as expected!
Apple's "maximise profits by slowing development because the competitors are so crap they can't touch us anyway" will only work in so far as the Apple faithful keep upgrading every two years. Quite frankly I'm starting to consider stretching that out to every 3 or 4 years...
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And herein lies the real dilemma for Apple.
Slightly over half of Apple's revenue comes for the iPhone. It doesn't matter what size screen they offer or what new innovations they put in the iPhone. Apple is simply not going to continue see the same growth in sales it has seen in the past. While I believe that smartphone technology is still developing, the market for smartphones has matured.
The smartphone is the "now" device. Apple needs to come up with the "next" device.
I agree. After all its just about the screen size which appears to catching up. Assuming the 4" stays, whats the issue??
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Or, they need to smarten up iOS. We have to use iOS, as we don't want Android or WP, but the restrictions are a PITB at times.
I think Apple can go to 4.5 or 4.7" and still be a one-handed phone, but that's about it. Any larger is clearly too big for one-handed use.
When I use my iPhone 5 single-handedly it kind of rests on top of my pinky finger so if it was wider that would be ok. The problem is if it gets much wider it would be hard to reach the whole keyboard when typing with the thumb.
They'd need to reduce the side bezels around the screen.
When I use my iPhone 5 single-handedly it kind of rests on top of my pinky finger so if it was wider that would be ok. The problem is if it gets much wider it would be hard to reach the whole keyboard when typing with the thumb.
They'd need to reduce the side bezels around the screen.
Consumers dont know what they want, because they are consumers. They just have certian need and think that certain type of devices can fulfill their needs, but at the end, they are not experts. Consumers didnt want a table devices, in fact they rejected many tablet like pc devices with touch/stylus inputs methods much before the iPad, but look now how many of them can imagine their living without their iPads. The same can be said abount the iPhone, the iPod and the Mac. Some 40 years ago who wanted a personal computer in his house? A bunch of tech frickies in the Silicon Valley, and look where are we now. If you leave the consumers to lead your vision about the products of the future, you will stay forever in the stone age. This is how this industry works. Create revolutionaly new products and platforms, build the future based on your own visions and the market will respond positively, it will always will, because even though the consumers are not experts in technology, they have instincts about the great technology in the great product. Thats my opinion.
One can't ever make blanket statements like "Consumers don't know what they want.
In fact, you proved it with your first comment "Consumers didnt want a table devices, in fact they rejected many tablet like pc devices with touch/stylus inputs methods much before the iPad,"
The fact is - they WANTED a tablet device. There was pent up customer demand. A subgroup of that bought and used Windows-based tablets. For many of those, it was exactly what they needed. For others - they wanted something else.
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Which leads to the question: How do you know he is not an inner Apple?
If he is, I am now even more concerned for Apple than I ever was before
So I wonder if we'll get a front page story from MR on this. I'm particularly interested in this bullet point: "understand why consumers buy Apple and develop countermeasures by carrier/retailer". That sounds to me like Samsung working over the carriers/retailers to get them to push Samsung phones. Hmm...might that include carrier spiffs?
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I had iPhones up to and including the 4 but then I switched to the SG3 purely because of the screen size. The first year I had it I loved the screen and it was kinder to my eyes but always in the back of my mind I would jump back to iPhone if and when they release a bigger screen.
Now in my second year I find myself looking to upgrade to a Samsung Note 3 or 4 (when released) and less interested in the iPhone. Why? well I've now got used to Android and I'm finding it a very good OS and love that I can do so much with it, also simple things like live wallpapers and customisations make my phone more my phone and not Samsungs or Apples.
I really don't use my phone very much as a phone any more, 99% of my use is for TXT, WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Web Surfing, Media Streaming and Gaming So why wouldn't I want a bigger Screen?
The only two things in my eyes Apple currently does better are the Appstore and build quality but that does come at a premium.
Now in my second year I find myself looking to upgrade to a Samsung Note 3 or 4 (when released) and less interested in the iPhone. Why? well I've now got used to Android and I'm finding it a very good OS and love that I can do so much with it, also simple things like live wallpapers and customisations make my phone more my phone and not Samsungs or Apples.
I really don't use my phone very much as a phone any more, 99% of my use is for TXT, WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Web Surfing, Media Streaming and Gaming So why wouldn't I want a bigger Screen?
The only two things in my eyes Apple currently does better are the Appstore and build quality but that does come at a premium.