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

[flottenheimer]

Wait! Weight. No one talks about weight.
The 13 Pros are just way too heavy for me. Not comfortable in my pocket.

So, I ordered the regular 13 to replace my 11 Pro.
Loving it. Battery life is really, really great. Speed, camera, screen, MagSafe – enjoying it all.

 

[Jetscreamer]

No need to upgrade for people on the 11 or 12. The updated specs are not game changer. I am waiting for the 14 Pro for the design refresh as well as the Qualcomm X65 modem, which is supposed to be the last time Apple will use them. I am ready to ditch the notch look.

 

[4jasontv]

They have. You are just moving goal posts to say it needs to have the same feature set as the Pro Max model before it is consider flagship, and that's not what flagship is.

The goal posts were always there. It’s always had to be the best specs to be a flagship. That’s why it’s called the flagship device.

 

[Joe Dohn]

I have this idea, but it might be totally crazy.
What if Apple actually were more flexible with sideloading and virtualization, so we could actually make use of the insane processor power they are giving us?

I know, I know. Crazy, right?

 

[4jasontv]

Ok well I disagree that it is not a flagship. And the survey is not a joke, it is a reasonable survey that polls 5000 members of the iPhone market. And it is exactly what I would expect to see. Nothing surprising or unbelievable at all.

The iPhone mini is exactly what people said they wanted. An all screen design, with Face ID, and the latest processor and features, that was smaller than the iPhone X. And within the iPhone 12 and 13 lineup, the feature gap is really small across standard and Pro. So an iPhone 12/13 mini is a fully packed iPhone with all of the latest features found in the regular iPhone 12/13. Which itself is very close to the Pro models. Very small gaps. So the iPhone mini is a perfectly capable flagship phone sporting all of the latest things that can be had for $700.

But it doesn't sell. And here is the thing you need to understand: it doesn't even sell well compared to the standard iPhone 12/13. It is by all accounts functionally equivalent and cheaper at the same time, and iPhone 12/13 still outsells it 3 to 1. That isn't because of "features". The features are the same. It is because people generally do not want such a small phone, especially not at that price.

Given this, you have to understand why there won't be a mini Pro. If people are unwilling to opt for the mini instead of the standard, given that they are functionally identical yet at a lower price, then they will never pay even more for mini with Pro features. That's why it doesn't exist, and won't. And if reports are to be believed, the mini itself will cease to exist after this year.

How are you defending the idea that the 12 mini and 13 mini are flagships when even Apple doesn't list them alongside the 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max?

The survey is a joke because the questions are poorly worded and they don't clarify what population they asked. Someone with an iPhone 12, another with an iPhone 7, and someone with a Pixel are totally different populations that need to be clearly defined when asking if they are excited by the new iPhones. Using switching vs upgrading to ask the same question but positive vs negative is poor design. Asking why do you want to switch to the 13 implies that it's a lateral move while why don't you want to upgrade emphasizes the cost over the benefit of the features. The whole survey reads like it was crafted by a high school android club.

The iPhone mini has never been what people said they wanted. We want the top-end specs in the mini size. That has never happened. We don't want an iPhone 13 in a mini shell, we want an iPhone 13 Pro Max in a mini shell. That's why it's not a flagship device. It's an entry-level device that doesn't even have the same features as the non-mini 12/13. It doesn't matter if the mini is $2000, price doesn't qualify it as flagship. Features do.

Despite not being at all what people asked for it still accounts for about 10% of sales. It has totally different features than the 12/13 and 12/13 Pro/Pro Max. People want the small phone to have FOMO.

They are not identical. Stop repeating a false statement. They have different features from camera to battery life. They are not the same device at any spec.

 

[Pro Apple Silicon]

Ok I'm not going to argue it further. You have strong personal feelings about the iPhone mini that the market doesn't.

 

[dampfnudel]

Suited me as I tend to go for the 's' updates - the ones where the bugs from new hardware models etc have been ironed out!

There were really no hardware bugs with the 12 Pro.

 

[technole]

Around where I live there have always been lines whenever we have an iPhone release and typically persists for a few weeks. But this time, even the store is not crowded at all. Interestingly, there's always a line outside the Louis Vuitton store!

Nike store has more lines than Apple store these days.

 

[cosmichobo]

Even with all those graphs... (Yikes!) Does it take into account the fact that the iPhone has been in existence now for over a decade, and a few new bells and whistles on top of what is now basically a mature product ain't gonna excite people like when the iPhone was still more of a work in progress?

Stop updating the thing yearly, go to a 2 year refresh cycle, so that the upgrades can give more wow.

 

[coasterider]

My 13 Mini is the perfection of the iPhone 5 which was the perfect iPhone.

 

[throAU]

How about data transfer? Thunderbolt can go 40Gbps right now. Wifi 6 is… 1Gbps or something? I don’t remember, but not 40Gbps. Apple is apparently having 40GHz super short range wireless transfer that is capable of great speed for Apple Watch, but locked out at the moment.

With all of these ProRes and video size approaching 240GB/hr, asking only wireless charging is far from enough, and nobody would settle transferring 240GB per hour. They’d prefer transferring data at 240GB per minute, or 32Gbps.

Going wireless doesn’t mean it doesn’t have its own problems, as wireless signals are far easier to be intercepted than wired connection, plus single drop issues due to range etc etc. It’s not unequivocally superior than wired connection in every way with minimal downsides.

I think you maybe misunderstand.

I'm not saying we don't need a standard data transfer port necessarily (that's a different argument to the one I'm making - personally I believe that mandating standards like that restrict advancement - someone HAS to include some old legacy port that could otherwise be better - USB type C is already 5+ years old).

More so that USB Type-C is not the thing to mandate as it is not standard itself. Cables differ (does this one support thunderbolt? who knows!), port capabilities differ, etc. i.e., type C as a "standard" is stupid because it isn't sufficiently standardised.

ALSO, for charging - i'd rather wireless charge for mobiles be the standard (and thus made available everywhere) as it not possible to hack the phone via inductive charging, but it is possible to hack the majority of handsets via physically plugging a cable into the port.

i.e., you can't trust plugging random chargers into your device - because the charger may be malicious. Criminals could have a field day dropping malicious charge stations in public places. They've done things like installing a fake ATM in Heathrow airport before, dropping malicious charge stations would be trivial.

I mean you could always use your own special charging cable that omits the data pins, but then you're back to carrying your own cables, hence defeating the purpose of the "standard" for charging...

 

[Shirasaki]

ALSO, for charging - i'd rather wireless charge for mobiles be the standard as it not possible to hack the phone via inductive charging, but it is possible to hack the majority of handsets via physically plugging into the port.

They can hack because those ports serve two purposes: charge AND data. I don’t think too many cables out there that supports literally only charging, and not even a single bit of data transfer. I would be surprised if a USB-C cable can be used to hack a device if all it does is giving +5V and ground.

Plus, apple MagSafe charger include a circuit board to negotiate with iPhone telling them how should the charge be performed. Induction coil itself has no such functionality. What if apple also include data transfer on later MagSafe chargers?

 

[Apple_Robert]

Reality often has a way of slapping the underwhelmed across the face and waking them from their false expectation fantasies.

 

[throAU]

They can hack because those ports serve two purposes: charge AND data. I don’t think too many cables out there that supports literally only charging, and not even a single bit of data transfer. I would be surprised if a USB-C cable can be used to hack a device if all it does is giving +5V and ground.

Yes. This is a problem for mandating type C for charging. This is what i am saying. Apple's "Charge cables" for example can be used for data. My statement about using your own cables was to hack them up yourself by manually severing the connection to the data pins so there's no way they can physically transmit data.

Otherwise, how do you know the cable/charger at the airport/cafe/random stranger has is not malicious?

Which means you need to carry your own custom hacked up cable to be safe to plug into random chargers, defeating the purpose of the EU mandate to make charging your phone from random chargers easy.

Apple's induction charging has a controller inside the phone to turn charge on/off and regulate it already.

 

[cute-ladybug-2019]

That is true for professional photographers or people who love to take professional pictures.
For other folks however, the best camera is the one with them.
How often do those of us who are not professional photographers carry a dedicated camera outside of the house all the time?

Taking photographs is a very difficult process for any camera, it is certainly convenient to have it on your phone and use it when communicating, but still, I think this technology deserves to be a separate device.

 

[BvizioN]

The historical success of the iPhone proves people like smaller devices, but more importantly, the mini wasn't released as a flagship model so no one has the ability to choose.

Do they heck! When original iPhone was released had one of the largest display of that time. Small display smartphones did poorly on Android platform to the point they stooped making them. Apple had to increase the display size of the iPhone and make changes because people were switching platform. Small phones may be good for making phone calls and sending text messages but nowadays phones are computers and as such display is very very important part of the phone. Not many like to browse the internet, watch videos, use powerful applications on a teeny tiny small screen. Small display phones do attract a very small niche, as it has been proven by the poor sales.

 

[BeerboyUK]

And under screen Touch ID. Worth bringing back in this era of masks worn indoors.

If they incorporated TouchID into an iPad Mini power button they can do the same for the iPhone in a few generations. Underscreen tech is better utilized with more compelling technology.

 

[russell_314]

I don’t see how this is surprising to anyone. Most iPhone users or most people that have a mobile phone don’t get all excited about the new version unless it’s something crazy like a folding phone. The survey is just iPhone users in general not enthusiast that would be on this form

 

[4jasontv]

Do they heck! When original iPhone was released had one of the largest display of that time. Small display smartphones did poorly on Android platform to the point they stooped making them. Apple had to increase the display size of the iPhone and make changes because people were switching platform. Small phones may be good for making phone calls and sending text messages but nowadays phones are computers and as such display is very very important part of the phone. Not many like to browse the internet, watch videos, use powerful applications on a teeny tiny small screen. Small display phones do attract a very small niche, as it has been proven by the poor sales.

Can you name one android flagship device that was smaller than basic models? No. Oh.

Apple and other manufactures changing sizes isn’t evidence of sales preference. They made it bigger and customers were forced to buy the bigger device to get the best specs.

 

[BvizioN]

Can you name one android flagship device that was smaller than basic models? No. Oh.

Miniature phones are not a flagship for one very good reason. People (except for these 20-30 ones) are not interested in them. Therefore companies won't spend their resources to make them flagships.

 

[furious]

Damn. Why are there stock shortages for something underwhelming.. imagine what the situation would be if the product was whelming.

 

[el-John-o]

That’s so stupid though. Lol

I didn't say I liked it, lol. It just is what it is.

It's especially obnoxious because of the new ProRes feature. It's like Ferrari putting in a 1,200hp engine and a 35mph speed limiter.

These phones will be able to shoot amazingly high quality video when the ProRes update hits, the type of video that is designed to be offloaded and edited; but the fastest you'll be able to download the footage is via USB 2.0 and, later, wireless only?

They need USB-C, it just isn't going to happen. Contrary to popular belief around here, "I really want it to happen" isn't evidence that something IS going to happen.

 

[el-John-o]

I don't think Apple will go portless. Especially given the heat issues of wireless pad charging. Apple may switch to USB Type C because of the EU requirement I mentioned earlier and the need for a fast interface to transfer ProRes video files.

I wish, and I'd hope. The EU issue is easily solved with a dongle. Apple is only fighting it because Apple will fight ANY regulatory agency telling them how to design their phones. Apple doesn't like standardization because it makes it harder for them to make everything proprietary.

I just really think that if USB-C was going to happen, it would already be here.

 

[OneMike]

I was underwhelmed with the 13 pro max having a 12 pro max.

first time I skipped since… iPhone 3G I believe.

On one hand though I’m not so much underwhelming as I’m impressed with my current device. In the past few years I’ve only really upgraded because I promised my devices to other family members.

 

[SactoGuy18]

I wish, and I'd hope. The EU issue is easily solved with a dongle. Apple is only fighting it because Apple will fight ANY regulatory agency telling them how to design their phones. Apple doesn't like standardization because it makes it harder for them to make everything proprietary.

I just really think that if USB-C was going to happen, it would already be here.

Given that the final specs for the iPhone 14 won't be finalized until (usually) around March 2022, Apple still has plentiful time to switch from Lightning to USB Type C charging. Given that Apple has just about switched everything else running off a battery to USB Type C, they might as well take the final step.