Apple Users Underwhelmed by iPhone 13 and Apple Watch Series 7, Survey Shows

[audiophilosophy]

After having a XR for a few years (upgraded from an iPhone 5), it’s nice to have a 13 mini. I think a pocket mobile device really ought to be easily held and gripped in one hand, the screen real estate should be easily accessible with that hand’s thumb, and it should also be light weight. The 13 mini satisfies that for me. Really wish it had 120hz, but I’ll probably get an iPad Pro in a year or two once the iPad Pro can start doing macro photos and cinematic video. iPad Pro will be my mobile big screen, not a large phone. Assuming the mini line is cancelled, I’ll probably be holding onto this 13 mini for a very long time.

 

[jarman92]

If they're serious about selling the 13 Pro as a device for filmmakers using prores (an absurd idea, but whatever) then they'll need to ditch lightning. Imagine transferring over a shoot in RAW over such a slow cable, it would take hours.

Apple would say to use wireless, either AirDrop or iCloud or some future transfer protocol they’ll announce with the port-less iPhone.

 

[aleni]

I think the general agreement with the iPhone mini is that people want a mini pro. Small screen with the same specs as the max.

iPhone 13 Pro is the iPhone 13 mini Pro because there’s no way apple could fit those behemoth cameras in the current mini casing. As much as I’d love to see a pro version with the current mini size, but I bet the battery will suck because they have to compromise it in order to fit the big cameras that take so much space.

 

[JetLaw]

It's hard to take an article seriously when it is discussing how customers are underwhelmed by a watch that hasn't even been released yet. I get that excitement can exist merely based on an announcement, but the article is written in a way that suggests it is focusing on customer satisfaction rather than excitement.

 

[WaxedJacket]

It's strange when I'm more excited about a phone getting USB-C over tech an apps they're cramming in it. I imagine the iPhone 13 is amazing for people making a large generation jump. I'm still sitting on my XS until a few more boxes are ticked for me. One being the addition of a finger print unlock. I understand I'll probably be waiting a long time but this is just a few reasons why I'm not excited about what Apple is currently launching.

 

[atomwork]

It shows clearly only 5% of Apple users are "pros" using the camera for either work or personal work. That sums up well that the company isn't well focused on pro users anymore. Another example would be to have released the pro-M1 chip first for professionals in need of faster CPU/GPU power and then a lower-speed version.

 

[Piplodocus]

It's definitely got a bit faster and got a better camera. So it's a reasonable update. Sure, somewhat underwhelming, but phone upgrades usually are these days.

The only phones I've actually thought were "exciting" recently were the galaxy fold ones. They have a big screen that folds up! Exciting, but with issues when initially launched. You could say too exciting. Now the Fold 3 is out the issues seem to have been overcome so it kinda is genuinely worth being a bit excited about in my book. Will I buy one? No. The cost of the big folding screen + the outer screen is too expensive and I'd rather the cheaper "un-exciting" iPhone with its better camera and performance, and likely longer term support (as well as fitting with all the apps I have).

Will I buy an iPhone 13? Actually, probably yes. Because I'm still on a 6S with a big but not-too-noticeable crack across it's screen, a slightly dodgy lighting port and poor battery life. Still otherwise works fine though. So b***ocks to rampant consumerism and living in a disposable society, I'm sticking with it it bit longer and gonna squeeze a bit more life out of it. But hey, I just got iOS 15 on it, so it's already a "slightly newer" phone in terms of features for now, but will no doubt be overjoyed when I do likely get one before long.

If you expect to be amazed by phone update announcements *every* year by *any* manufacturer you're gonna be disappointed. However, you should expect to be wowed those every few years you do actually update, and if you're not you're probably wasting money and the planet updating more often than you need to (although I wouldn't blame you if you updated a bit more often than I have)!

 

[thebeans]

Apple device users are largely underwhelmed by the iPhone 13 lineup and the Apple Watch Series 7, according to the findings of a new survey by SellCell.

The survey asked 5,000 iPhone users aged 18 or over in the United States between September 23 and 30 what they thought of the recently announced iPhone 13 models and Apple Watch Series 7.

64 percent of users said that the iPhone 13 lineup is "not very" or "not at all" exciting. 21.5 percent felt that the iPhone 13 models are "somewhat" exciting, and only 14.4 percent said that they are "extremely" or "very exciting."

A minority of respondents, 23.3 percent, intend to upgrade to an iPhone 13 model, which is a 20.5 percent drop from a pre-launch survey conducted two months ago that put purchase intent for the iPhone 13 as high as 43.7 percent. This indicates a significant decline in interest around the iPhone 13 after it was announced.

Among the 23.3 percent that intend to upgrade to an iPhone 13 model, the 6.1-inch iPhone 13 Pro is overwhelmingly the most popular pick with 42.5 percent of responses. The 6.7-inch iPhone 13 Pro Max was the next most popular with 26.3 percent, followed by the standard 6.1-inch iPhone 13 with 22 percent.

The 5.4-inch iPhone 13 mini continues the trend of the iPhone 12 mini, with just 9.2 percent of respondents intending to buy the smallest iPhone 13. Apple's smallest iPhones have struggled to gain traction with a significant proportion of consumers over the past year, leading to the expectation that Apple will discontinue the 5.4-inch model size in 2022 in favor of a new, larger 6.7-inch "iPhone 14 Max" model.

Of the 23.3 percent that plan to upgrade, the main reason to do so was the ProMotion display and longer battery life for 34.1 percent and 25.3 percent of respondents, respectively. 26.2 percent said that there was no clear reason to buy an iPhone 13 model but they were simply due an upgrade or were locked into a yearly upgrade or trade-in program.

The iPhone 13's camera improvements, such as larger sensors and Cinematic mode, have been among the features most heavily promoted by Apple this year, but just 5.4 percent of respondents planning to upgrade cited the camera improvements as the main reason to upgrade.

Likewise, the new 1TB storage option was only credited by 3.2 percent of users as a reason to upgrade. The much-decried notch, which finally saw a 20 percent reduction in size on the iPhone 13 models, was commended by only 1.5 percent of respondents as a main reason to upgrade.

Of the 76.8 percent of existing iPhone users who are not interested in buying an iPhone 13 model, 29.3 percent said that the lack of a Touch ID fingerprint scanner was the main factor for holding off. 19.5 percent said that there were no major features to warrant an upgrade, but other criticisms included the lack of an always-on display, a notch-free design, 120Hz on the standard models, and a USB-C port.

New color options, such as Sierra Blue and Starlight, were the main reason to upgrade for 1.1 percent of respondents. On the other hand, 2.4 percent said that dislike of the available color options was the main reason for not upgrading.

36.8 percent of those that are not planning to upgrade said that they are waiting for the iPhone 14 instead. 16.1 percent are switching to an Android device, with 45.1 percent of these users planning to buy a Google device, 41.8 percent planning to buy a Samsung device, and 8.4 percent planning to buy a OnePlus device.

With regards to the other products that Apple announced at its California Streaming special event last month, 18.2 percent of iPhone users are planning to buy a new iPad following the launch of the sixth-generation iPad mini and ninth-generation iPad.

Like the iPhone 13, the Apple Watch Series 7 also appears to have underwhelmed users according to the survey, despite its larger display, more durable design, and faster charging. Just 7.5 percent of iPhone users said that they are planning to buy an Apple Watch Series 7 model. Pre-orders for the Apple Watch Series 7 open on Friday, October 8.

Article Link: Apple Users Underwhelmed by iPhone 13 and Apple Watch Series 7, Survey Shows

People need to understand something. There will NEVER be a new iPhone, or any phone for that matter, that is revolutionary or offers any major change year over year unless / until there is some revolutionary new battery tech that offers much longer life or crazy fast charging or something. Mobile phones are a mature product. All changes are going to be minor.

 

[karnsculpture]

I'm still using the XS Max and it still feels new, still works great. I smashed the screen last week so was tempted to upgrade, but got an affordable repair so will hang on for the 14. These phones cost a lot - and they are worth it - but that cost means unlike in the past (3G to XS) I am not upgrading every time. I didn't feel that the 11 and 12 offered much in advance of the XS Max either. At least with the XS Max I can get repairs done affordably whereas with the newer models that is not an option unless you go official.

 

[B4U]

Yes, but will those people really notice a difference between the 12 and the 13? I doubt it.

I was strictly responding to someone whose comment was telling people to buy a camera not a phone.
Not sure how it got understood as 12 vs 13.

 

[cardfan]

Well yes. Smart phones are commodity products now, so just evolution. If apple would indeed manage to add a glucose sensor for diabetics in the Apple Watch I'm sure it will receive more rave than the last two upgrades, which were also mainly evolution.

Maybe they should go to cycles of 18 months or even 2 year cycles.

If Apple Watch could do blood sugar with any kind of reliability, it’d the most talked about thing ever. You’ve no idea.

 

[cardfan]

Apple isn’t targeting 12 owners. I mean, they’ll entertain anybody that’s willing to upgrade, but nobody is expected as an average consumer to upgrade iPhone every year, (Unless they’re on some type of specific upgrade plan.)For the most part, Apple is still targeting iPhone 7/iPhone 8 users. it’s the consumers that are holding onto a five year old iPhone, that they want to see upgrade.

Lol. Do you really believe that? Apple targets the mainstream. Android users. iPhone users. Did you see the carrier promos this year? They didn’t happen without a push from apple. And it’s the ones with a 1-3 yr old iPhone they made the promos for.

Heck it’s not even worthwhile to go after iPhone 7 users. But as an afterthought there’s always SE and Mini.

 

[cardfan]

If they're serious about selling the 13 Pro as a device for filmmakers using prores (an absurd idea, but whatever) then they'll need to ditch lightning. Imagine transferring over a shoot in RAW over such a slow cable, it would take hours.

Not just that but they’re using cameras to differentiate the iPhone pros. Next comes more megapixels and bigger files. They increased the space to one tb. They’ll continue to do this. You need a fast way to get these pics and video transferred.

 

[blizaine]

I mean isn’t this just a matter of perspective and subjective opinions? For example with myself as an iPhone 11 user, I thought the 13 Pro was amazing and I couldn’t wait to upgrade which I did on day 1.

As a Series 5 watch owner, I’m not impressed by the Series 7 watch. But Someone who has a S0-S4 might find the S7 very enticing.

If you are someone who upgrades every year then sure these are all very incremental upgrades. That doesn’t mean they aren’t giant leaps forwards for people who upgrade every few years or so.

agree. I have a 12 Pro Max and have no desire to upgrade. Especially because I really like the Ocean Blue color and they no longer have that. However, I've had an Apple Watch 1, 3 and my current one is a 4. I haven't really felt compelled to upgrade that until now, so I'll be ordering the 7 on Fri.

 

[return2sendai]

Have to be careful how far you take this avoiding germs approach. We need to be exposed to germs and some viruses. Overuse of hand sanitiser which is currently happening is not good as it kills good bacteria as well.

Oh I get plenty of good bacteria from the preschool kids I teach. Try keeping a mask on a 3 year old.

 

[svish]

Whatever the survey says, people will always buy the latest iPhone. The demand is very high for every iPhone launched.

 

[return2sendai]

Yeah here in UK only place where you see masks are in supermarkets. Pubs no masks are worn

Can’t wait to visit my mum, possibly at Christmas. Over 2 years since I last got home to the UK. But I will be masking up.

 

[rjjacobson]

I guess this is expected. The camera upgrades caught me, but if you are not into photography I can see not upgrading. I came from a 12 PM and am very happy with the upgrade. The camera is much better, screen is much smoother, overall a bit snappier.

Yeah it seems for me camera updates always catch me LOL. My iPhones slowly are getting to the point they can do most of what carrying my bulky DSLR does (of course its still good for telephoto with birds and such so will never totally replace). It is nice to have a good camera always with me for scenery, people, and now a good macro (for my fossils and specimens, let alone nature ).

I also had wanted the 1TB rumored with 12 ProMax but was not there so with the 1TB option and the camera improvements apple got me again LOL

 

[I7guy]

Still not sure what the big deal is. [...]

There is no big deal. Someone went out an asked a couple of people (a few thousand, which is a drop in the bucket) what they thought about the iphone 13 at a point in time:
- the surveyers then extrapolated that result
- MR picked it up and reported it. Made it into a headline starting with "Apple Users...", which was a few thousand according to the survey but those opinions represent no opinions other than themselves
- will probably turn out the survey will be meaningless.

 

[nquinn]

I'm really upset this is going to be the last mini model because it's such a boring upgrade. At least for the regular/pro models this year there is a massive lengthening of battery/device time.

The best improvement is probably the 2x sensor size since the mini inherited the sensor from the 12 pro from last year.

Missing:
- wi-fi 6e
- av1 hardware decoding in the A15
- dual frequency / high accuracy GPS chip
- 120hz on the mini model

 

[MacBebe]

Maybe underwhelming to some but amazing to others. It's all subjective.

In my case, I am still using a 256GB 11 Pro as it still serves me well. I'll wait for the 14 Pro.

 

[imola.zhp]

I came from an insurance replacement 11, iPhone XS before that. I'm loving the 13 Pro, I just wish I had gotten blue. My mother in-law is getting the blue so I'm sure I'll be bitter when she gets it.

Also, the AWS7 isn't even out yet, I don't even think there are reviews, just information Apple has released... I'll be coming from an AWS4 so I'm also excited about that.

I think we're entering a late phase of exponential growth where the devices are so good that we don't need to upgrade EVERY year. Some might see this as a bad thing, or boring, but its actually good. Better devices will last longer and be less impactful on our resources.

 

[scotty321]

Not sure how accurate this survey is. In fact, the answers might be the EXACT OPPOSITE of what they stated.

Normally, in all surveys that I’ve ever taken, the higher numbers mean higher satisfaction.

However, in this survey, they REVERSED the numbers, where 1 means “excellent” and 5 means “terrible”.

I’ve never taken a survey like that before. Higher numbers always mean higher satisfaction on all the surveys I’ve taken.

 

[rjjacobson]

agree. I have a 12 Pro Max and have no desire to upgrade. Especially because I really like the Ocean Blue color and they no longer have that. However, I've had an Apple Watch 1, 3 and my current one is a 4. I haven't really felt compelled to upgrade that until now, so I'll be ordering the 7 on Fri.

I had the 3 then 4 watch that I currently have. The. 5 and 6 did not grab me. And I am still unsure about the 7 as my 4 is doing quite well. What drew you to plan an upgrade to the 7 from your 4. I am sorta on the fence and will wait til I can see on in local store to decide if it is time to move up. Wondering about the larger screen, wish the battery life was a bit improved as my new 13 ProMax is.

 

[the 12th Doctor]

I'll file this one under "no ****." The iPhone 13 was such a modest update in an "S" year, it was the first time I have ever skipped an annual upgrade since the 3GS

Which is kind of funny seeing how the 3GS was a big upgrade from the 3G. The 3GS was the first iPhone to have video recording without jailbreak