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Yup. And the reality is this --

1. It shouldn't take 16 months to put a new chip into a phone.

2. A flagship product shouldn't go 16 months without a single redesign.

1) It didn't. It took 16 months to finish iOS and iCloud.

2) Oh so how do you feel about the time between the 3G and 4? :rolleyes:
 
1) It didn't. It took 16 months to finish iOS and iCloud.

2) Oh so how do you feel about the time between the 3G and 4? :rolleyes:

1. You can release a new iPhone and have the iOS release come later. It won't bite.

2. The 3GS was an unacceptable upgrade at the time as well. It just happened early in the game before Apple had serious competition that could hammer them with the missing features.
 
I remember Apple getting blasted for not allowing flash on iOS. Yet years later, it's recognized that it was the right decision. Steve Jobs was a visionary who put his foot down and said NO, you're not putting that battery-draining crap on my platform. Now Apple puts their foot down and says NO, you're not putting a 747-sized screen on our phones.

It's a bold gambit, one that might just pay off.
 
This was pretty neutral for me. Waiting an extra 4 months wasn't too bad and if it meant releasing with a great software all ready, then I look forward to upgrading from my cracked-screen 3GS.

The more ridiculous wait has been for that freaking Facebook iPad app.
 
I remember Apple getting blasted for not allowing flash on iOS. Yet years later, it's recognized that it was the right decision. Steve Jobs was a visionary who put his foot down and said NO, you're not putting that battery-draining crap on my platform. Now Apple puts their foot down and says NO, you're not putting a 747-sized screen on our phones.

It's a bold gambit, one that might just pay off.

In my experience with selling the iPhone ...the younger generations tends to like the bigger screens. The older generations haven't been as sensitive to screen size. Of course this could be totally regional but large phones just don't seem that appealing to certain cross sections of users. It's certainly not a slam dunk.
 
1. You can release a new iPhone and have the iOS release come later. It won't bite.

2. The 3GS was an unacceptable upgrade at the time as well. It just happened early in the game before Apple had serious competition that could hammer them with the missing features.

1) No, but it will result in customers being on an old version of an OS that you can't upgrade independently or use without a computer. Waiting to get everyone on the latest OS didnt kill anyone. Also, dont make believe as though a lot has happened in the last three to four months in the smartphone world because there hasn't been much of importance since the summer. Waiting to finish both iOS and iCloud was the best move they could've done.

2) Yet you still bought it. Go figure. :rolleyes:

My 3GS has a few small cracks
 
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Would I have been ok with a redesign and bigger screen? Sure. But I'm not disappointed because in the grand scheme of things the 4S is a very good upgrade. All the internals of the phone have been upgraded, It got more capacity, along with iOS5 its going to feel very different and work much better. Plus as a fan of apple Im excited about it going to sprint. not because I would EVER switch to sprint but because it gives the iPhone more room to expand.

Exactly. Why does a new product have to look new/different? The 4S has a much faster processor than the 4, 8 MP camera (vs. 5MP), and better video capability. If Apple had put all those into a different body, how many of you whiners would still call it a major disappointment?
 
2) Yet you still bought it. Go figure. :rolleyes:

Why the eye roll? My phone stopped working w/ Sprint and I needed a new phone -- the 3GS was the top of the line iPhone available. Just because I bought it doesn't mean it was OK for Apple to sit on their hands in the name of maximizing the profit on a design for 2 cycles.

If I had been able to wait for the iPhone 4, I would have.
 
Why the eye roll? My phone stopped working w/ Sprint and I needed a new phone -- the 3GS was the top of the line iPhone available. Just because I bought it doesn't mean it was OK for Apple to sit on their hands in the name of maximizing the profit on a design for 2 cycles.

If I had been able to wait for the iPhone 4, I would have.

Because you had just stated that it was an unacceptable upgrade. There were other smartphones at the time that you could've purchased. I don't see why you think Apple should change the design every year just for the sake of changing it.
 
Because you had just stated that it was an unacceptable upgrade. There were other smartphones at the time that you could've purchased. I don't see why you think Apple should change the design every year just for the sake of changing it.

Summer of '09, the Android world wasn't worth jumping into. Believe me, I looked.

And the design should change every year because devices should get better, not stagnate.
 
The bad thing about being top dog is your under a microscope and the news outlets are just blasting Apple about the 4s.

One local News channel in NYC called it iLame 4s

Very bad press day for Apple.

Apple deserves all the heat they get for such a shabby event.

With some luck this will escalate enough to wake up Apple. They've had a free ride for too long.
 
And the design should change every year because devices should get better, not stagnate.

So the only way for the phone to improve in your mind is for the most superficial aspect of it to change? It obviously can't have anything to do with the internals, since those were significantly improved across the board in the new model.
 
Summer of '09, the Android world wasn't worth jumping into. Believe me, I looked.

And the design should change every year because devices should get better, not stagnate.

So you think it stagnates by skipping one year for a spec bump instead? Do you think the Mac Pro has stagnated because it still has the same design as the PowerMac G5 that was introduced in 2003?

Getting better is all relative to what you're looking for. Simply because the design doesn't change doesn't mean that they aren't progressing. Changing something just to change it can do more harm than good.
 
Not here on the bbc. They didn't really dismiss it they just announced the new phone and had a few technology commentators saying that it's nice and others saying other phones are available.
 
Once again they were preparing the software and not the hardware. The 4S could've been released at WWDC had iCloud and iOS 5 been ready.

On top of this people need to stop acting as though three to four extra months is a lifetime.

I think a lot of people now a days forget that Apple:apple: is just as much a software company as a hardware company. I mean look at how long it took for them to come out with copy and paste on iOS because they had to have it done perfect in their own way.

There's a reason that iOS 5 comes out 2 days before the iPhone 4S...
 
So you think it stagnates by skipping one year for a spec bump instead? Do you think the Mac Pro has stagnated because it still has the same design as the PowerMac G5 that was introduced in 2003?

Getting better is all relative to what you're looking for. Simply because the design doesn't change doesn't mean that they aren't progressing. Changing something just to change it can do more harm than good.

It might be something if the spec bump was good but the spec bump still puts the phone to 6 at least 6-8 months outdated. Out of the gate the iPhone 4s will be 6 at least 6 months outdated.
 
And what makes you think people want a 4.6" screen on their phone? The sizes of these android handsets is getting ridiculous.

But why are more Android phones being sold than iPhones if everyone hates them?

Also we need to remember, one of the leading mobiles people are comparing the new iPhone, which is not even for sale yet, is the Samsung Galaxy S2 which is nearly a year old.
So a bit silly to try and compare a brand new phone to one almost a year old.
 
But why are more Android phones being sold than iPhones if everyone hates them?

Because they are less expensive and there are approximately 10 million different Android models. Not to mention that up until the beginning of this year, the iPhone was only available on one U.S. carrier.
 
I am not surprised. It is a long time to do a refresh and then just produce what they did. Everyone has their own opinion, but I stayed with the 3GS because I never liked the 4 form factor, the glass back, square edges, external antenna etc

I will probably still buy the phone because I am locked into the apple eco system with a MAC pro, IPad etc. and not sure I want to keep the 3GS for another year. However, I had rather hoped for a redesign.

It is rather like a car manufacturer just putting in a new Engine, updating the seats and dashboard and doing a relaunch. They always change the externals because that is what the customers expect.
 
It is rather like a car manufacturer just putting in a new Engine, updating the seats and dashboard and doing a relaunch. They always change the externals because that is what the customers expect.

I'm no car expert, but I believe the common practice is exactly to keep a given model looking essentially the same for several model years while tweaking the internals, and then doing a more dramatic external redesign.
 
Why am I not surprised Apple's lost share value over 1Lame 4s, after all, phones like the Galaxy S II are WAY more powerful than this so-called phone which is already a year or two out of date!

I can understand why Apple are scared of Samsung and Android, it's because of the fact that they're more innovative than they'll ever be!

----------

They deserve every bit of critical response. Today's event was very underwhelming and far from "magical".

I truly agree with you there, Apple deserve every bit of criticism they get, especially with the farce concerning the Galaxy Tab 10.1!

If it wasn't for their arrogance, they could be an even better company than they currently are.
 
In my mind, they do deserve to be raked over the coals on this one. Times have changed, and Apple needs to adjust to stay relevant. In my mind, some of the things to consider...

With it's market success, Apple is under greater scrutiny to be constantly pushing the envelope. When they first entered the smartphone arena, no one took them seriously, yet they brought a device to market that was revolutionary and unmatched. Today, with every new super phone to hit the market, the question is asked "Is this the iPhone Killer?".

The Competition is catching up. When iPhone 4 launched, there was nothing on the market that rivalled it. In 16 short months, while Apple has basically sat on their hands, the likes of Samsung, HTC, and Motorola have brought new devices to market that match or exceed the technical specs of the iPhone 4S, leaving only their ecosystem and branding as the deciding factors.

The 4S is outdated out of the gate. Apple's window to launch this phone was really when they brought Verizon into the fold. The A5 chip was ready then, as was the new Antenna design. Releasing it then would have kept them ahead of the curve, making the spec bump acceptable. If they didn't want to interfere with iPad 2 launch, they could have held off the 4S launch until May. By going the route they did, engineering resources were wasted on the CDMA iPhone 4, as it has only had 7 months on the market before being deemed outdated.

This was Tim Cook's Chance to show the world Apple was in good hands under his watch. iPhone is their flagship product, and the timing could't be better for Cook to launch a new device that, once again, set Apple far ahead of the pack. Instead, they serve up a "refresh" that is 4 months late. No wonder Steve stepped down, wouldn't want the 4S to be the last product I announced either.

Finally...You can't compare their PC business with their Mobile Business. A few posters have mentioned that Apple only does slight refreshes of their computer lines on an annual basis, so why should the iPhone be any different, and why should we expect anything else. Quite simply it's because they are 2 different market segments. The PC market is a mature market that runs basically flat in terms of growth. That war was fought in the 80's and 90's. This decade, the war is in the mobile platforms - Tablets and Super Phones. To win the war, you need to constantly evolve, not sit back and admire the battlefield. Today, Apple was caught admiring their past battles.
 
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