Or there is a simpler reason; Apple needs an answer for Samsung's S8 asap.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple Leasing Equipment to Suppliers to Make Sure Key iPhone 8 Components Get Made
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Or there is a simpler reason; Apple needs an answer for Samsung's S8 asap.
You may be missing the nature of curated rumors by embedded news sources (at ludicrous proportions needed to temper AAPL expectations) - to be pumped up even more by some rumor yummie's.
There is lots of irony in it - as it's exactly what the Cookette Apple Board wants to achieve, to conceal its Pandabear tenure.
Enjoy.
Last edited:
Point. Head. Zoom.
Yes it was well on the way. Being recalled does not change the fact that Samsung always plans more than one flagship, and that not all Apple's sales are top of the line phones.
This speaks to the effect that a higher priced model with more features would have on its lesser siblings. If anything, it has a halo effect where the desire is to get the closest thing possible.
Just as the Note relates to the regular S, and the iPhone 6/7 relates to the SE, and stainless Watch relates to the Sport, so I think the same would apply to a Pro model iPhone.
If you've paid attention to what goes on inside Apple then this is pretty much par for the course. The original iPhone had some massive software problems that still needed to be fixed when it was first shown and it was only blind luck that they didn't show themselves and interrupt any of the demos shown when the iPhone was first unveiled.
So many mistakes in so few words:
- The abbreviation VAG hasn't been used for over two decades.
- It only ever referred to a distribution subsidiary, not to the whole company.
- It's official spelling included dots: V.A.G
- The VW group itself hasn't been a 'GmbH' since 1960.
- GmbH is spelled with a capital H.
Sure, but those are different brands, you won't find the name Volkswagen on an Audi or even less so on a Lamborghini. These also aren't artificial brands, created by a PR department. They all used to be independent companies. And to use other examples from the auto industry, adding a higher-positioned brand worked out for Lexus, Infiniti, and Acura (at least in the U.S., much less so in Europe, Acura never even made it to Europe), it did not work out for Daimler with the Maybach brand, nor did introducing a higher-end model under the Volkswagen brand, the Phaeton, work out so great.
It's great that you think that there are zero risks involved with a change in strategy. Or maybe 'great' is not the right word and 'overbearing' describes your posture better.
Last edited:
If Apple is having issues , does that also mean when Samsung get on-board as well.. we should we a wave of production delays across the board from all manufactures wanting Touch ID under the display, or other issues with their phones?
If there was a way to have perfection, don't you think we would have found it by now
If there was a way to have perfection, don't you think we would have found it by now
Point. Head. Zoom.
Yes it was well on the way. Being recalled does not change the fact that Samsung always plans more than one flagship, and that not all Apple's sales are top of the line phones.
This speaks to the effect that a higher priced model with more features would have on its lesser siblings. If anything, it has a halo effect where the desire is to get the closest thing possible.
Just as the Note relates to the regular S, and the iPhone 6/7 relates to the SE, and stainless Watch relates to the Sport, so I think the same would apply to a Pro model iPhone.
If they can pull it off, great. The issue is that the current 7/7+ are the 'flagship' phones - the ones that people aspire to. There is the SE for those that either want a smaller phone, or need a more affordable phone. If you then add another tier, you're effectively making the 7/7+ tier less attractive. If you don't compensate with a price adjustment it could impact sales.
Not sure why you don't see the obvious answer. The iPhone has simply been a much more compelling product and the improvements year-over-year (or even more over a two-year cycle) or more pronounced than with, eg, Macs.
People have got in line for many other, non-Apple products. Various game consoles come to mind. It's function of how much endorphins a product releases and of how much supply-constrained a product is (how many weeks out an expected delivery date is). 'Instant' gratification vs gratification two months from now.
[doublepost=1500292698][/doublepost]
The different Watch variants are about optics (and haptics), not about functionality (minor aspects like weight and display reflectivity aside). That's quite different from what is expected from the iPhone '8' vs the iPhone 7s.
You're right if Apple is playing a numbers game (S8, iPhone 8), what if Apple decides the iPhone 7s/7s+ is the best phone out there?
Fair point.
Umm, the Note is higher priced than the S and yet both are attractive for different reasons, the pen being the main differentiator.
So I mildly disagree that Apple would have to lower the price on their normal flagship. I think they could come out with, say, a pen based "Pro" model at a higher price without lowering the status of their other top phones.
Heck, we already have that situation somewhat with the Plus versions. In other words, I think it's been proven quite possible to have more than one flagship model and price range.
Well, that could be the case as well. I was just thinking this; the 'S' model in iPhone line always has the same external characteristics and includes only internal upgrades. After S8 launch, though, I think apple will want to hit back with something externally better/different (e.g. edge-to-edge front) rather than trying to convince everyone that the same-looking device is a good choice against samsung's new flagship.
Sometimes, impressions matter more than tech itself
It has been said that the iPhone is to some degree an egalitarian product. Everybody, from the person that can barely afford it to the richest person in the world, all get exactly the same phone. Similarly as to the President of the U.S. drinking the same Coke as you and me. Sure, the larger phone costs more, but choosing the smaller phone doesn't scream less-rich-person, you might just prefer the smaller size. There is the storage size differentiator, but in most aspects, the phone still performs exactly the same and you cannot tell from the outside how much storage a phone has.
The only real differentiator is how old your iPhone is. That stratification is something Apple can do little about (cutting of software support would be its only tool) and even then, keeping the same design for two years (or maybe longer now) mitigates that differentiator. Note that Apple tried to introduce a different differentiator, the case material with iPhone 5c, and overall it didn't work out so great for them, the polycarbonate phone never got an update.
I am not saying that adding a higher-end phone will have overall negative effects, just that there is a risk that it might. Given the consistent rumours about three new phones, Apple pretty much appears to have decided that they are willing to take that risk (though, how they price things might not have been decided yet).
But they don't
There are differences in radios, for one thing. We've already seen how much people value some iPhone models over others, simply based on that.
Then there's the SE model being made for (and in the case of India, by) less affluent market regions. And/or for people who simply like a smaller form factor. But it's missing a lot of features of the 6 and 7.
I think what Cook is doing, is continuing to copy some of what makes Samsung devices unique, in order to steal their sales. Apple followed Samsung's smaller tablets and larger displays and now it's about to do the bezel-less style, and I think Cook would love to add a pen iPhone just as he did a pen iPad.
I'm not heavily mentally invested in any of this, though. Just debating for fun. It'll be interesting to see what Apple does!
Last edited:
Ah, so it is very well possible to define a lower volume, more premium market segment (which is where they come from) and if there is one company that can enforce it with minimal risk it is...Apple
Who can even do a MacPro (after extensive reconsideration...)
If they only were run by some entrepreneurial types instead of greyed naysayers (thinking in dots and obstacles instead of solutions) we would have had some new form factors and more enticing specials in our bleaky bezel-land by now.
And oh, Phaeton may have had slight overlap with A6 - after Jörg Haider crashed his one it was over.
Why put a flagship model in the mid-tier brand (same for iPhone "8"/"X") - even if you only sit there to avoid risk !!
Last edited:
I could hardly call it an egalitarian product, though. Regarding iPhone:
- There is a vast number of people who cannot afford it at all
- There is a bug number of people who can only afford the smaller one, that is always inferior
- iPhone offers a different experience when used in different places in the world, even feature-wise
This is not to blame iPhone per se, but I wouldn't call it egalitarian.
So we have people with actual industry experience saying that it's HARD to move,in a year or less, from the lab to manufacturing 300 million units; and we have random internet guy saying it's easy as long as you quote the right slogans.
Hmm, I wonder which of these two I should believe...
[doublepost=1500403791][/doublepost]
Really? Why? The number of people who ACTUALLY are considering buying one vs the other can be counted on one hand.
People chose Apple or Samsung years ago and they stick with their choices.
The iPhone 2017 competes with the iPhone 2015. It does not compete much with the iPhone 2016, and it barely competes with any Android device, Samsung S8 or otherwise.
[doublepost=1500404411][/doublepost]
That's only the case if you're an incompetent marketer. The "iPhone 8" only competes with the "iPhone 7S" if you position it that way.
For example, call it the iPhone Pro. Or call it the iPhone Anniversary Edition. Both of those suggest a more specific status, something that's nice for "the right people" but not something for "normal people like us" to really care about. (Most people who buy iMacs don't consider it a second best Mac Pro...)
The first name suggests an on-going future pattern (just like MacBook vs MacBook Pro, likewise iPad); the second suggests a one-time event --- either are reasonable choices depending on Apple's longer term plans.
I explained you that segmenting into lower volume, high-end would allow Apple to launch premium features which prevents then getting into 300 mio economies of scale - with the Audi example.
Whether or not that goes beyond your cognitive capabilities, is even to me.
For your belief: if my industrial experience would become insufficient, you're the first I will consult...
Happy hiking.
Last edited:
Nah, most people are not that biased or so much platform dependent. They switch constantly to whatever 'looks better / more modern' (mind the quotes). Otherwise there would be no competition. It's a constant race as I see it.