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Apple Announces iPad 4 Relaunch, Confirms 8 GB iPhone 5c Limited to Select Countries
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The iPad 2 sold well, actually.
http://allthingsd.com/20131024/why-is-apple-still-selling-the-ipad-2-because-it-can/
Give me a break. This has literally nothing to do with whether or not they focus on new products. It's replacing a very old ipad with an old-but-significantly-newer ipad. Better value for low-cost buyer and, again, literally 100% unrelated to development of new products. Step back from the ledge man.
How are they not innovating?
Have you not seen the new Mac Pro?
Have you not seen the 'rumours' about the iWatch?
I don't understand how, just because they announce a lower end iPad option, they're not 'innovating'.
Looking forward to an explanation
they are innovating, and they should keep their focus on innovation. what they're starting to do, chasing different markets, is a distraction.
I suspect the problem (as many see it) is this...
Board meeting in the past: So, iPhone 5S was good, 5C OK but lessons learned, 6 in the pipeline, let's set about designing a real game changer in 7.
Board meeting now: Have we milked the 5 series for every last cent? Our analysts reckon that if we re-release this in configuration X and that in configuration Y, we might make P and add an extra 0.003243 % to stock value. Let's do that now and worry about the future later.
There is nothing wrong with the above in principle, but it is boring. And to my mind, Apple is becoming very boring indeed. We wait, and we wait, and we wait. Finally we get a vaguely worthwhile update, which is "OK". It's sad. I came to the Apple party quite recently, and it feels like one where many of the guests are just leaving.
Board meeting in the past: So, iPhone 5S was good, 5C OK but lessons learned, 6 in the pipeline, let's set about designing a real game changer in 7.
Board meeting now: Have we milked the 5 series for every last cent? Our analysts reckon that if we re-release this in configuration X and that in configuration Y, we might make P and add an extra 0.003243 % to stock value. Let's do that now and worry about the future later.
There is nothing wrong with the above in principle, but it is boring. And to my mind, Apple is becoming very boring indeed. We wait, and we wait, and we wait. Finally we get a vaguely worthwhile update, which is "OK". It's sad. I came to the Apple party quite recently, and it feels like one where many of the guests are just leaving.
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Not seeing the iPad Air price. If you can afford an iPad 4, you can afford an iPad Air -- or maybe a retina iPad Mini. Still the same mistake. An iPad 4 should cost around $299.
Anyone who shelled out $400 for an iPad 2 in the last couple of months is an idiot, let's face it.
EDIT: Or uninformed. What I meant was that if they paid for an iPad 2 and are complaining about the iPad 4 being re-released in favour of the iPad 2, they really are silly for knowingly buying outdated tech at a high price.
Ok, but how are they chasing different markets? I'll agree maybe it's positioned for a different market, but they're just offering a lower priced version of a product that already sells itself?
Not much effort is needed on their part at all.
In fact, I bet they're giggling at how many people will buy one and how much extra $$$ they'll make.
I know I would be
For the most part, agree. The retina mini has exactly everything the iPad Air has just in a physically smaller chassis. Same display, Camera, and A7 chip.
However, iPad 4 is much better at the cheap model slot than the 2011 iPad 2.
So you're pointing me to an article that was written before the iPad Air actually began selling? Point me to an article about how many they actually sold at the price point next to the iPad Air. Also, point me to how many iPad minis they sold. Because I'm pretty sure the retina mini totally sold out the iPad 2. It was a stupid move to ever allow the iPad 2 on the market in 2014, you can't deny that. If that wasn't the case, they wouldn't have replaced it with the 4 today making themselves look indecisive.
While at first this seems an odd move...bring back a Zombie iPad...
But, this all makes sense. Discontinuing the iPad 4 made the iPad Air a much better "deal" over the other [full size] iPad on the Market (iPad 2). And keeping the iPad 2 was an easy move for Apple, besides pushing people to the iPad Air, it allowed them to take huge profits on an aging device with really cheap parts. Once they successfully made enough money OR perhaps it was based on parts they had mostly used that were pre-purchased or on contract, they killed off the iPad 2 and switched to a BETTER Cheaper option of the iPad 4. This has Retina and a Lightning input. Plus, this means they can focus on better the iOS for more capable devices.
While it may seem silly or ridiculous to do, it was a VERY SMART MOVE by Apple.
But, this all makes sense. Discontinuing the iPad 4 made the iPad Air a much better "deal" over the other [full size] iPad on the Market (iPad 2). And keeping the iPad 2 was an easy move for Apple, besides pushing people to the iPad Air, it allowed them to take huge profits on an aging device with really cheap parts. Once they successfully made enough money OR perhaps it was based on parts they had mostly used that were pre-purchased or on contract, they killed off the iPad 2 and switched to a BETTER Cheaper option of the iPad 4. This has Retina and a Lightning input. Plus, this means they can focus on better the iOS for more capable devices.
While it may seem silly or ridiculous to do, it was a VERY SMART MOVE by Apple.
I don't think iPad 2 support will be dropped this year. Let's not forget that the iPad mini 1st generation used the iPad 2's chip and display. I see no reason why they would need to drop support when supporting the iPad 2 would be effortless if they must continue with the first iPad mini.
Seems to me that Apple is trying everything now to preserve market share short of reducing prices on their latest products. A secondary reason for bringing out an 8GB 5c is to try and prop-up sales of this device which has failed to resonate in the lower end of the market.
Given that 8GB storage is almost useless, once one has a few apps and pics filling the memory, and anyone knowing this, and knowing paying this much for an unlocked version need only pay a 10% premium to double storage, I can't see where this phone will gain traction.
Further, in terms if exploring the bottom end of these wealthier markets, selective release possibly represents a staged introduction, first saturating the 5c market with variants with storage > 8GB, thenaking a 2nd pass 6 mos later and trying to pull out additional sales from budget minded customers.
Finally, depending on how long these remain in the market, they may represent a companion device necessary to support iWatch sales to folks that have no or old iPhones (not optimal for supporting WristPod).
If not the last two of these options, I see this experiment as likely being problematic and not so significant in its result.
Given that 8GB storage is almost useless, once one has a few apps and pics filling the memory, and anyone knowing this, and knowing paying this much for an unlocked version need only pay a 10% premium to double storage, I can't see where this phone will gain traction.
Further, in terms if exploring the bottom end of these wealthier markets, selective release possibly represents a staged introduction, first saturating the 5c market with variants with storage > 8GB, thenaking a 2nd pass 6 mos later and trying to pull out additional sales from budget minded customers.
Finally, depending on how long these remain in the market, they may represent a companion device necessary to support iWatch sales to folks that have no or old iPhones (not optimal for supporting WristPod).
If not the last two of these options, I see this experiment as likely being problematic and not so significant in its result.
Just think, if apple didn't cripple products with slow processors and very little RAM, like the iPad 3 or first gen iPad Mini, they wouldn't have to spend so much time optimizing their new OS's to work on a product from 2011 that they refused to kill and even the one that came out in 2012.