apple have played this just perfectly

N

needthephone

macrumors 6502a
Ok initially I was a little dissapointed by the iphone news.

Where was the front facing camera, the new cases, the jaw dropping feature we haven't thought of.

But it has been less than a year since the 3G was launched and most of us are on 18 or 24 month contracts.

What they have done is a mid term face lift with some nice spec upgrades giving us more of the same thing.

They can't drop something totally new every year (or even after 9 months) they or us couldn't keep it up.

It's enough to tempt many existing iphone 3G owners to upgrade but also not so much that it will piss the people who couldn't afford to upgrade off.

They could have made the s a different colour or colours but interestingly they didn't. It looks like they are really concious of not upsetting the existing owners.

With mobile phones the contact period has a profound influence on the buying cycle so like it or not apple are locked into a 18-24 month product replacement cycle after when they release the radical update we all want. In between there will be these spec upgrades.

The 3G was launched to replace a non 3G iphone which was a non starter outside the US.

Personally I don't think I will get the S but I am also a bit relieved I don't have to throw money away just to keep chasing the latest iphone. It just wouldn't seem right spending a few hundread dollars replacing a perfectly good iphone.

apple have played this just right I reckon.
 
I agree, its enough for the 1st gen iPhone customers, but not enough that its going to make the 3G users want to upgrade in droves.

Just wait - 2010 will have a great update for the iPhone!
 
I'm guessing we might see a 64Gb iPod touch in september with OLED screen and some other new features and that'll form the springboard for larger revision in 2010
 
I agree, I can see Apple doing a major upgrade every-other year. So in 2010 we get a major new phone/design, and then 2011, the "S" version, then major change in 2012 and so on.
 
As a 1st gen iPhone user, I'm ready for the 3GS. I'm ready to get off the EDGE network and I can really use the 32GB. I'm also able to get the $299 price, so I'm going for it.
 
Very well said OP! :D

I am not MAD that I can't upgrade my 3G.

I am, however, mad that people seem to get different price quotes for upgrading and it doesn't seem to based on any thing in particular.

I MIGHT get the 16 GIG for 199 if I could, but since I can't, I will just wait till next year.

I have this weird feeling that if I upgrade to the 3GS I am really going to regret it come this time next year.
 
I don't see the need in chasing the latest iphone... isn't that just a bit..... i dunno. brainwashed, to think you NEED the latest?

Which means i agree apple have pulled the perfect trick, because millions of people who bough a 3G like, maybe even less than a month ago, will STILL chuck it away just for a 3G S....


strange.


well done apple


(I STILL have my first gen iphone, complete with large crack in screen (y)
 
I've waited so long to get an iPhone (stood 5 hours in line to get a 3G, then Rogers told me that my contract for my old phone was still up, and I couldn't cancel it or upgrade it) and when my contract did run out the 3G was already half way through it's lifecycle and I figured that I'd wait. But the 3GS doesn't cut it for me, and I'm worried that if I get one, in half a year or so a new iPhone will come out that actually has some cool changes, and then I'd want that one and feel bad for having bought the 3GS.

So I wait.
 
I find this to be a much bigger upgrade than the V1 to 3G.

Maybe if they had talked more about the specifics of the processor, people would really feel the need to upgrade.
 
gowanis said:
As a 1st gen iPhone user, I'm ready for the 3GS. I'm ready to get off the EDGE network and I can really use the 32GB. I'm also able to get the $299 price, so I'm going for it.
Click to expand...

That's my situation exactly. I can understand 3G owners holding firm -- but as a person who's been carrying this iPhone for almost two years, I need a change of pace. :)
 
needthephone said:
Ok initially I was a little dissapointed by the iphone news.

Where was the front facing camera, the new cases, the jaw dropping feature we haven't thought of.
Click to expand...

The front facing camera always seemed misguided to me. Of course Apple is going to do that down the line, but I'm guessing that their thinking is that the technology isn't really up to doing it right yet. They did the same with iChat AV, and didn't debut it until high quality video chat was possible (they even made their own camera to make sure it worked well).

I think the same goes for open multitasking, and some of the other things that the geekocracy wants.

What they have done is a mid term face lift with some nice spec upgrades giving us more of the same thing.
Click to expand...

What they have done is eliminate a lot of the small picky things that people had been complaining about. If I had a dollar for every time I've heard someone say "the iPhone doesn't do X that this cheap phone does" I could afford to buy the company.

They could have made the s a different colour or colours but interestingly they didn't. It looks like they are really concious of not upsetting the existing owners.
Click to expand...

I think you are right. Apple wants to lock people in to using the iPhone. The more apps people buy and the better the apps get, the less reason there is going to be to move to another phone.

apple have played this just right I reckon.
Click to expand...

I think so too.
 
nerdish said:
Just wait - 2010 will have a great update for the iPhone!
Click to expand...

Hahaha this made me think back to what people have been saying since the original iPhone - "just wait for iPhone 3, iPhone 3 will be The One" :eek:

arkitect said:
Nope.
Not enough for all of us.
A 1st gen iPhone with 3.0 OS will do just fine until the next release.
Click to expand...

Same. The storage has finally got to where I wanted it, but my 30GB iPod still works. I'll hang onto my 2G until it/my iPod stops working, then I'll reassess.
As for speed, I've dealt fine with 2G until now, so it's clearly not a desperate need.
 
I don't think apple would hold back and i don't think they really care too much about upsetting current iphone owners. They always update their products and sometimes not too long after a product was just released or updated.

I do think their goal is to get as many sales as they can. There are only 40 million iphone/touches sold so far and probably tens of millions or more potential new iphone/touch customers. I think they would want to update the products as fast as they can. it may just be that the technology isn't available to do some of the things they are planning or the cost is too high, or the parts are too big.
 
I agree with you OP, I have a 3G day one iPhone and I got to say, this update feels a little weird. I mean it's not typical Apple update where you simply get a new color to show off you have the brand new or the most expensive model (like when they released the black macbook). If I have to guess, I would say this is just a temporary update and we should see a real (read bigger) update in less than a year.

I just feel that buying a 3GS is not as much of a good deal for a 3G user than a 1G user. Future will tell ;)
 
arkitect said:
Nope.
Not enough for all of us.
A 1st gen iPhone with 3.0 OS will do just fine until the next release.
Click to expand...

Agreed. I was ready to give my money to Apple for this revision but... blah. I can wait another year and with all luck maybe a Verizon phone next year. The OS upgrade will be plenty for me. The plastic, the ugly curve, and lack of other major updates just isn't worth the $350 it would take to pick one up. Combine that with the lack of MMS and tethering for possibly months... I just don't see why I should spend my money here.

I'm not saying Apple dropped the ball here, because not every update will be revolutionary but I really did think they would have a little more in store to compete with the other smart phones coming out over the next year.

--

Edit: In fact, I think overall this was a good update. The OS stuff alone will make a huge difference. The addition of a $99 iPhone will bring lots of people to the phone. I just don't think there's much for existing iPhone users in the hardware department.
 
Just my opinion, and maybe I'm wrong, but I think that anyone who thinks Apple is holding off on updates for the sake of 3G users is fooling themselves. Apple is looking to increase the number of people with iPhones in their hand, and as big as the installed 3G base is, it pales in comparison to the number of people without any iPhone whatsoever. That is who Apple is going after.

(As a side note, in a computer, nearly doubling (I'm giving Apple the benefit of the doubt until benchmarks come out) the speed of many functions would be considered a *huge* upgrade. But somehow, in a phone, it isn't at all.)
 
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