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iPhone prices haven't really changed much over the years.

At least for Europeans they have, and I guess the same applies at least to Australia and Canada too. All 6s models received a 70-80€ price hike compared to previous models when they were released. And they were rather expensive even before that, so I think the price contributes to the lower demand.
 
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1. The smartphone revolution is essentially over. The West is saturated. Even the third world is rapidly approaching maturity. Until the next seismic leap in technology, iteration is the name of the game, which means PC lifespans and lower sales.

Exactly my thought. I wrote a post about this where the mobile environment is hitting a plateau. The iPhone 4S lasted for 3 years (and still sees occasional use), and barring any accidents, the iPhone 6 should also see the same.

The iPhone 6 is an amazing device, one which I hope to be using well into 2017. The two year cycle of replacing phones might become more a thing of the past as the hardware and software improves to a point where these devices' lifespans can reach out to 3+ years (barring the usual accidents). Personal computers in the 1980s had a life expectancy of around three years before they became too antiquated to run the latest software. The computers built in the 21st century have reached a point where they can easily reach 5, 7, or more years of use.
 
iPhone 6S is nice but not $1500 Canadian Dollar nice after the taxes... When considering the price went from under $1000 all/in couple years ago, to over $1200 in 2014 for the 6 and a huge jump in 2015.

I am completely priced out from the value perspective (and my salary didn't go up as fast as the iPhone price)

(And try almost $1700 CAD for the S+)

Exactly. I almost got myself a 64GB 6s+, but I ended up getting a 64GB Nexus 6P instead. The 6P configuration costing almost 300€ less than the 6s+ was definitely a factor in the decision. With that kind of difference the more expensive phone should be clearly better in almost every way, but as that's not the case I went with the 6P instead. In some areas it's better than the 6s+ while the 6s+ excels in others. The iPhone 6s+ is nice, but not 979€ nice.
 
I really worry about the future of Apple since Steve died.

The Apple Battery Case raised the alarm for me in a big way. I think it damages Apple's brand.

I fear that Apple's current immense treasure chest, huge revenues and profits are no guarantee of their long-term success. I think that there are three main weaknesses facing Apple today:

1. The smartphone revolution is essentially over. The West is saturated. Even the third world is rapidly approaching maturity. Until the next seismic leap in technology, iteration is the name of the game, which means PC lifespans and lower sales.

2. Steve Jobs really mattered. His vision and passion meant that he captured the imagination of the public. Tim Cook has failed to achieve this.

3. Steve Jobs has died. He was the captain of Apple; he steered and inspired his team like no-one else. This was crucial, I think, and made all the difference. Take Jony Ive: here is a highly talented designer, whose gifts Jobs brought out and heightened. But without Jobs, Ive doesn't have a guide to channel him, so we get little mistakes like the jutting camera on the iPhone 6, and big mistakes like the Apple Battery Case.

I wonder who will take up the gauntlet of Steve Jobs. Maybe no-one. It has been amazing to live through the advent of the iPhone and iPad.

My gut feeling is that we have lived through a Golden Era of Computing, and that tech is now going to take a more mundane role in our lives; the light will shine less bright. Thanks Apple for the light nonetheless.

Boy, this is so alarmist and dramatic, I had to find my old password and log-in to reply.
 
Actually, I would say people thought they were getting the iPhone $199. Aside from the people that keep tracking of what is going on in the business, I would say the majority DON'T, it is a big difference. I have 6 phones on my plan, 4 of them iPhones. 3 of the people on my play wanted to upgrade and since I moved to the AT&T Family Share plan when I got my new iPhone last year, they are no longer eligible for the "Pay one price for the phone" deal, now they have to make PAYMENTS. This was a concern for all 3 of these people. I, on the other hand, watch what this industry is doing and realized the difference (or the really no difference, reason I switch to the Family Share Plan) between the two. All these people see now is $27 per month for 24 months....they do the math, (and they do the math) see that it is costing them, not $199 for the phone, but $649. This is what the COMMON person is seeing. They are seeing the retail price, because now, unlike before, they are seeing the amount the phone is costing them on the bill.

Millions of people currently on contract will "think" they're now being ripped off by Apple/the carrier. We'll see the full effect of this by this time next year or maybe even sooner. I think we'll be seeing a significant number of people who would have upgraded to the 7 if the two-year subsidized contracts continued to be offered decide to hold on to their iPhone 6/6+ for another year or two. I could be wrong, but based on the talks I've had discussing this with those currently on contract, I think there's some validity to this. The only thing that may "force" them to upgrade sooner is if iOS 10 or 11 does a number on performance.
 
The 6 sold too well. All that pent-up demand for the bigger screen couldn't be matched this time around.

Or maybe the 6s is just too thick.
No doubt that. IMO, it can't be made thinner this time around though it is supposed to, seeing camera still "out" there. Expect 7 to be improved anyway.
 
At least for Europeans they have, and I guess the same applies at least to Australia and Canada too. All 6s models received a 70-80€ price hike compared to previous models when they were released. And they were rather expensive even before that, so I think the price contributes to the lower demand.

Yeah, here in Sweden the 16GB 6/6s came with the same price as the 32GB 5s had when it came out a year earlier.. 64GB 6/6s is just about $12 more than the 64GB 5s, and the 128GB (inc VAT) is about $1115 or $1250 for the Plus-size..

$1250 is a bit much to pay for 3Dt and live-photos.. :)
 
This forum is amazing.... An unconfirmed news about a supply chain cut (so typical after Christmas) and all the "experts" of the forum start the old Apple is doomed adagio

Poor Apple. They sold so few iPhones 6S since October... Lol
 
The big difference for me is in Touch ID, which is worlds faster and more accurate on the 6s. This was always a point of contention for me with the 5s.

I don't expect much of a slowdown for 6s sales, since really what you're still seeing is all the 5s owners coming off contract and upgrading. The real test will be for the 7, and whether it is different enough from the 6 to force an upgrade from an already really great phone.

Dave
 
This has got to be down to the price. The 6s is ferociously expensive in Europe, comparable phones from competitors are hundreds of euro cheaper.

Really? In the UK the iPhone 6s 64GB is £619 and the Samsung S6 edge+ 64GB is £719 from the Samsung store. Even on Amazon UK the cheapest sim-free price for the Samsung is £629.

If by "comparable" you mean good but lower-end smartphones then yes, there is a big price gap, but I'm not seeing that on the top of the line models.
[doublepost=1452349543][/doublepost]
I really worry about the future of Apple since Steve died.

The Apple Battery Case raised the alarm for me in a big way. I think it damages Apple's brand.

I fear that Apple's current immense treasure chest, huge revenues and profits are no guarantee of their long-term success. I think that there are three main weaknesses facing Apple today:

1. The smartphone revolution is essentially over. The West is saturated. Even the third world is rapidly approaching maturity. Until the next seismic leap in technology, iteration is the name of the game, which means PC lifespans and lower sales.

2. Steve Jobs really mattered. His vision and passion meant that he captured the imagination of the public. Tim Cook has failed to achieve this.

3. Steve Jobs has died. He was the captain of Apple; he steered and inspired his team like no-one else. This was crucial, I think, and made all the difference. Take Jony Ive: here is a highly talented designer, whose gifts Jobs brought out and heightened. But without Jobs, Ive doesn't have a guide to channel him, so we get little mistakes like the jutting camera on the iPhone 6, and big mistakes like the Apple Battery Case.

I wonder who will take up the gauntlet of Steve Jobs. Maybe no-one. It has been amazing to live through the advent of the iPhone and iPad.

My gut feeling is that we have lived through a Golden Era of Computing, and that tech is now going to take a more mundane role in our lives; the light will shine less bright. Thanks Apple for the light nonetheless.

As great as Jobs was, he was very far from perfect. Yes, under his control the iPod, iMac and iPhone launched and were all amazing and far reaching in shaping the market. And yes he had a tyrannical obsession with detail. The thing is, even Jobs could not oversee every single detail in the end as the company grew so massively. Are we already forgetting about what a disaster maps was? Or iCloud? Or how about the severely underpowered first MacBook Air? Or the weird variations of the iPod nano/shuffles. These are just recent examples off the top of my head, go back in time and you'll see a whole string of failures like the Apple III, the Newton or the decision to allow third party manufacturers to build Mac OS hardware.

He was also against a smaller iPad or a larger iPhone because in his arrogant world view what wasn't perfect for him wasn't perfect for the rest of the world. Fortunately, his staff had the sense to see beyond that and now large iPhones and small iPads sell like hot cakes.

Tim Cook will never be as charismatic as Jobs, but let's not forget he's been in holding the reins since even before Jobs' death, and overall he's done a superb job. Probably the most undervalued part of Jobs' legacy was his talent in finding exceptionally gifted people and cementing a company culture that will ensure Apple keeps going strong for many years to come. This isn't to say that if Jobs was still around today he wouldn't be doing a great job, he probably would, but his ego and arrogance sometimes trumped his vision and common sense, and long term that can be really damaging to a company. The new Apple under Cook may not be as flashy as before, but his more rational and open-minded approach will likely be better for the business in the long run.
 
Exactly. I almost got myself a 64GB 6s+, but I ended up getting a 64GB Nexus 6P instead.

I'm in the USA and did the same thing. I love my iPhone 5s but wanted a more screen real estate since my eyes aren't what they used to be. Maybe if I were a moderate to heavy user I could have justified the cost of the iPhone but as a light user I couldn't bring myself to pay $849 for the iPhone when the the $499 Nexus would work just a well for me. And being a Nexus it gets the monthly updates from Google and none of the usual bloatware that most Android phones are plagued with. So far I am happy with it considering the iPhone would have been 70% higher in price than the 6s+. As you mentioned, the Nexus is superior in some areas while in other areas the iPhone is better but not $350 better, at least for me.
 
I'm in the USA and did the same thing. I love my iPhone 5s but wanted a more screen real estate since my eyes aren't what they used to be. Maybe if I were a moderate to heavy user I could have justified the cost of the iPhone but as a light user I couldn't bring myself to pay $849 for the iPhone when the the $499 Nexus would work just a well for me. And being a Nexus it gets the monthly updates from Google and none of the usual bloatware that most Android phones are plagued with. So far I am happy with it considering the iPhone would have been 70% higher in price than the 6s+. As you mentioned, the Nexus is superior in some areas while in other areas the iPhone is better but not $350 better, at least for me.

You have gone over to the dark side. o_O
 
Tim Cook will never be as charismatic as Jobs, but let's not forget he's been in holding the reins since even before Jobs' death, and overall he's done a superb job. Probably the most undervalued part of Jobs' legacy was his talent in finding exceptionally gifted people and cementing a company culture that will ensure Apple keeps going strong for many years to come. This isn't to say that if Jobs was still around today he wouldn't be doing a great job, he probably would, but his ego and arrogance sometimes trumped his vision and common sense, and long term that can be really damaging to a company. The new Apple under Cook may not be as flashy as before, but his more rational and open-minded approach will likely be better for the business in the long run.

The big danger here is the Cook has created a situation where Apple is riding on their reputation with policies that produce short term profits only. The warning sign here is they are doing too well. Companies cannot sustain these types of profits, without undermining their long term viability. Cook has managed to antagonise a large amount of the long term user base, and turned a large number users, who would regularly update products, into those who are hanging onto old tech, because the new models are considerably WORSE than the old ones. Take the Mac Mini, with its soldered in memory and total lack of upgradeability. Many users are hanging on to the 2012 model, rather than upgrade because there is no longer an i7 quad core option, and the hard drive and memory cannot be upgraded by users. Other examples are the iMac 21" the latest model of which doesn't even come with a discrete graphics card option, and comes with soldered memory. You can also look at the iPhone and iPads, which have had considerable upgrades to almost every component, but still have a base model with a laughable 16gb of memory. There is the same situation with almost EVERY Apple product, where user upgradeability has been stripped away, so Apple can squeeze a few extra dollars out of users by forcing upgrades through the Apple Store. For things like memory, this forces users to pay 300% of the price for things like memory upgrades, that would previously have been bought elsewhere.

Apple products are also becoming increasingly unrepairable, with so much adhesive being used in their construction that it damages components when they are removed for servicing. Glue is a cheap alternative to screws, and probably saves Apple a few dollars, but it is unacceptable in an upmarket product, which should be as repairable as possible.

I think it is fair to say that a large number of users are fed up with the greed and cheapness that Apple is now displaying. Even some employees at Apple stores have got to the point of questioning decisions over low memory amounts on things like iPhones (though they don't like to admit it), and have fought back over being expected to wait 20 minutes or so to get their bags checked after their shifts have ended.

Apple may be doing well at the moment, but this type of situation cannot last forever and they could be setting up a classic boom/bust situation. While I don't think they will go out of business anytime soon, and I'm not suggesting they will, Apple could easily be on the edge of a major decrease in profits. The fact that sales are decreasing could be an indication of what is to come. Personally, I think the next 5 years or so will be a very interesting time for Apple; it will be interesting to see if they learn from their mistakes, or continue on a course that in time will damage the reputation of the company beyond repair.
 
Nikkei didn't cite any sources for their information so their article seems pretty sketchy... The relatively modest drop in Apple's stock price seems to reflect investors' skepticism.
If you have a broker or trade online the sources are there. Not a rosy outlook till the 7 comes out actually
 
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