Apple's 'iPhone 5S Problem' Suggests Need to Be Less Predictable

[dvoros]

"s" series of iPhones

In case you haven't figured this out yet, the "s" line stands for "****". This article was spot on. Apple, by going with the "s" line every other year, just continues to fall behind in the innovation taking place by other companies with smartphones. It will be fall 2014 before someone in Apples says, "Hey, maybe we should put out a phone with a larger screen, longer battery life, better camera, eye-scrolling software, etc.".. Meanwhile, Samsung will be launching its next series on the planet Mars and laughing all the way to the bank.

 

[charlituna]

Isn't this one of the problems that was supposedly going to be solved by ditching Macworld?

It was more about it being a schedule set by someone they didn't control. At least if they are setting the tick and the tock they can change it when needed. Like they did with the iPhone 4s and the iPad 4.

 

[Bartboy919]

I can swear that when 4S was released, the reaction here was that it's already behind the competition.

Lack of LTE was incredibly disappointing to me. The fact that they had the gall to promote HSPA+ and not even MENTION LTE was deeply saddening to me.

 

[charlituna]

We've been conditioned to want things to be predictable and consistent from Apple. Look how much uproar there was when Apple abandoned the 30-pin connector.

I think they would get far more criticism for radically altering their product year-to-year than the criticism for not innovating enough.

actually no, because then folks would scream about how what they just bought is 'obsolete'. and they would open themselves up for negatives about every little flaw and how they shouldn't have changed so much so fast because they couldn't keep up with quality control

basically no matter what Apple does someone with a big mouth and a blog to talk on isn't happy and thinks they are losing it and should close up now

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You neglect to mention that Apple's stock is half of what it was six months ago while the rest of the stock market has skyrocketed.

Much of that was due to the analysts bad mouthing Apple and how it was going to fall any moment so get out while there was this kill profit to be made. So folks listened and did

 

[BaldiMac]

In case you haven't figured this out yet, the "s" line stands for "****". This article was spot on. Apple, by going with the "s" line every other year, just continues to fall behind in the innovation taking place by other companies with smartphones.

Because the only innovation in smartphones is redesigning the case!

 

[Bartboy919]

Those are some pretty convenient assumptions there.

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And what about the millions upon millions of people represented by the consumer who is switching to the iPhone? Because there are more of those.

Android has a solid majority of of US Smartphone marketshare: http://cdn.macrumors.com/article-ne...ne-Subscriber-Market-Share-comScore-Inc-1.jpg

While they may be the biggest manufacturer, way more people are using android devices than Apple devices. They need to move people from Android to iOS, and power users like me are migrating.

 

[UnfetteredMind]

They can't win, if they break release cycle like they did with the iPad then people on here feel cheated because their latest shiny isn't the latest shiny.

And they will be sued for "obsoleting" the prior product too quickly (and breaking their normal product release schedule).

 

[mono1980]

The iPhone 5 design is the most pristine example of laziness. It is literally no different than the 4s.. mostly because developers don't have the incentive to utilize the extra processing power on the device due to limits of the OS. I could sell my 32GB 4s and pay roughly $100 for a 5s equivalent - but I have no desire to do that. The 5s isn't going to be worth $100 to me. Apple's stock is half of what it was 6 months ago, and it's because the company is no longer innovative, not that people can predict what they are doing.

This is total BS. Developers don't utilize the extra processing power, because they want to make apps that work great on the iPhone 4 and 4S as well as the iPod Touch. It has nothing to do with laziness or a on the developer's part or Apple's. Frankly, the iPhone 4 and 4S processor's are "fast enough". Most people would gladly trade some processing power for better battery life at this point.

 

[eiuro]

Apple 5S Problem

It's funny how it's always up to apple to innovate and show the world the next best thing. People demand too much from apple because their number 1. I keep hearing people say their iphone or iPad is obsolete after a few months when they release new ones. Thats the dumbest thing i've ever heard. Is your car obsolete after a 3 year lease?? NO of course not. As long as it still drives and works properly it's not obsolete. Obsolete means.. you can no longer using with existing products or it doesn't work for your new way of living. My wife went from her original iPhone to the iphone just as the iphone 4s was released. She didn't think it was obsolete because she was still able to do everything she normally could do. Samsung makes cheaper phones loaded with features that are subpar or useless at best. They make a million phones yet they are scratching and fighting with a company that makes 2 phones per year. Apple should sit back, take their time and keep making QUALITY products. They don't have to worry about competition because the truth is... if they really wanted to kill all competition they'd make a really cheap $100 phone and say buy buy to google, samsung and windows phones.

 

[Colpeas]

Apple's approach of maintaining the same external casing and largely unchanged internal components in its 'S' models limits the innovation that can be offered, making consumers far more likely to look around at competitor products in 'S' years, giving competitors a great opportunity to launch major new models.

Well, I always prefer the tweaked "S" model over the newest generation. So this rule doesn't work universally.

Also I find it ridiculous how is innovation connected to change of design these days. Nowadays, people want to have the newest and the best device on the market and, for some reason, need to let others know that they have it. How pathetic...

The iPhone could look the same for all I care as long as it provides good user experience. I am quite content with its current design. Hell, I was content even with the previous! Now I am on the 4S and won't be upgrading as long as it copes with daily work.

 

[charlituna]

I question how the conclusion in bold can be reached based on the 'S' years to date.

It also misses the point that most folks don't update their phone every year but rather every other year when their contract is up. So there is really no need to have a huge change year after year but every two years. The 4 to the 4s not a big change but the 4 to a 5 was. 3gs to the 4 wasn't but 3gs to 4s was. and so on.

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The iPhone 5 design is the most pristine example of laziness. It is literally no different than the 4s..

how so? the 5 is physically taller and thinner with a totally different enclosure material. It has a different camera in terms of the new low light sensor if not also MP count. etc.

so how is it 'no different'

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Is it just me or does this title make no sense?

it makes little sense to me either. If Apple was completely unpredictable they would lose sales from those that are always scared they will buy something and something better will turn up a month later.

if they are on a roughly set schedule folks know there's less change if that happening and will just jump in when they need something.

 

[BaldiMac]

Android has a solid majority of of US Smartphone marketshare: http://cdn.macrumors.com/article-ne...ne-Subscriber-Market-Share-comScore-Inc-1.jpg

I'm not sure what your point is here. Apple is growing. Android is shrinking. Apple has a solid majority among the big 3 US carriers that it supports if we are just bringing up random facts about the US market.

While they may be the biggest manufacturer, way more people are using android devices than Apple devices.

Yep.

They need to move people from Android to iOS, and power users like me are migrating.

And more people are migrating to iOS than away from iOS. Why do you keep ignoring that fact?

 

[charlituna]

The iPhone 4S's absurd lack of LTE,

not absurd when there wasn't massive and stable carrier support at that time

and same small screen size, and just general sameness in the iOS when coming from the 3GS made me just feel like, why the hell did I buy this?

a reaction had by tech geeks that want bright and shiny and new but often not shared by the common masses who are scared of having to relearn everything over and over. They generally love the sameness, especially in the OS cause it is familiar and they can operate it.

and since the common folks are a bigger audience than geeks like you, me and everyone that hangs on sites like this, guess which way they go.

If you really insist on something snazzy, jailbreak. It's not illegal etc. Sure you won't get support from Apple if you walk in with a jailbroken phone but you can remove that with a restore etc

EDIT: If you bring up Siri, well, lets just say, its the feature advertised the most, which is used the least. It became more a problem when I was in my college classes, with the damn device muted, it would continue to think I was putting the phone up to my ear, and make a bunch of noise.

Siri needs to be used for it to learn and improve so the hyping makes sense. As for the putting the phone up to your ear, that was a simple settings adjustment that a techie like you should have been able to figure out by googling after the first incident. Or even just looking in your phone's settings. As someone your friends and classmates go to for support it's dismaying to think you didn't figure it out on your own.

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I doubt Apple's goal is 100% market share in the smartphone market.

Every company shoots for 100%. But I agree that Apple doesn't seem to be so obsessed with that number that they will design and release just to add to their percent. Thus no 15 versions of iOS, no 20 models of the iphone etc in all possible sizes, shapes, materials and so on

 

[Born Again]

I don't care what you haters or apple lovers say

The market has spoken and the facts say people are bored with apple

 

[charlituna]

Reasons why people might be disappointed with the 5 :

- The lightning connector may pay dividends in the future, but initially it just meant that many of those 30-pin accessories were much less convenient. If Apple had been at the top of their game, they'd have made a 30-pin-to-lightning adapter designed to sit in a dock.

if you understood how the lighting connector worked you'd understand why they couldn't make it any smaller than they did.

 

[kimvette]

I am still using an iPhone 4; I am waiting for a bigger screen, one that is wider and taller. Bigger screens do attract users It's been working to sell Android phones to former iPhone users! If I hadn't spent so much on apps, I'd jump ship to Android myself.

 

[Dr McKay]

And they will be sued for "obsoleting" the prior product too quickly (and breaking their normal product release schedule).

I don't get this "obsoleting". The device the people bought will continue to do what they bought it for, it will continue to receive updates and new features. It's not obsolete because one has a better processor etc.

 

[charlituna]

No he's not, but he's a representation of millions upon millions of people.

So exactly how did you track down all these millions upon millions of people to ask them how they feel.

Or is this just your attempt at hyperbole

 

[iBug2]

Every company shoots for 100%.

They most certainly don't.

 

[charlituna]

They most certainly don't.

Of course they do. Companies are about making money and as much money as they can, getting 100% means getting the maximum possible money and is every company's ultimate goal.

The only difference is how they aim to get there. Some do it by catering to every possibly audience, some do it by making a few really great products and trying to convince folks of that greatness. The latter plan tends to fail in reaching the goal at least in the short term but it doesn't change the ultimate end game. I think where folks get confused and think that this isn't also Apple's goal is that they have taken a public stance that they don't fear the existence of other companies and products. Nor do they fear when those products capture a portion of the share. Why should they? In the end the existing of those products validates when they are deemed the best because the ruling isn't based on their stuff being the only thing to do be had. And legally when there's competition it lessens talk of anti-trust.

Apple would love to have the whole world using their stuff, but as they deem to make it. Not by making something different to suit each possible audience of desires like some companies do.

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I don't get this "obsoleting". The device the people bought will continue to do what they bought it for, it will continue to receive updates and new features. It's not obsolete because one has a better processor etc.

It's a psychological thing. Our egos are pumped by having the best of the best. When something better comes out, our egos take a hit. When we see other folks with that better thing, our egos take a hit. Double when that better comes at the same cost. We feel like we didn't get as much value for our money and were 'scammed'

 

[baryon]

Siri?

I think Siri is quite good and useful. Usually voice command has always sucked in every phone before Siri and Google, and the only point of it was to impress your friends at the pub. Siri is a feature that really does work so I wouldn't say it was a pointless and gimmicky one. Plus it's a software feature, so in theory it doesn't require you to get a new device, though Apple did impose limitations on that for some reason.

 

[BaldiMac]

Of course they do. Companies are about making money and as much money as they can, getting 100% means getting the maximum possible money and is every company's ultimate goal.

The only difference is how they aim to get there. Some do it by catering to every possibly audience, some do it by making a few really great products and trying to convince folks of that greatness. The latter plan tends to fail in reaching the goal at least in the short term but it doesn't change the ultimate end game. I think where folks get confused and think that this isn't also Apple's goal is that they have taken a public stance that they don't fear the existence of other companies and products. Nor do they fear when those products capture a portion of the share. Why should they? In the end the existing of those products validates when they are deemed the best because the ruling isn't based on their stuff being the only thing to do be had. And legally when there's competition it lessens talk of anti-trust.

Apple would love to have the whole world using their stuff, but as they deem to make it. Not by making something different to suit each possible audience of desires like some companies do.

I think you are just arguing semantics here. There is a difference between a wish that you have no intention of achieving and an actual goal.

 

[Bartboy919]

not absurd when there wasn't massive and stable carrier support at that time



a reaction had by tech geeks that want bright and shiny and new but often not shared by the common masses who are scared of having to relearn everything over and over. They generally love the sameness, especially in the OS cause it is familiar and they can operate it.

and since the common folks are a bigger audience than geeks like you, me and everyone that hangs on sites like this, guess which way they go.

If you really insist on something snazzy, jailbreak. It's not illegal etc. Sure you won't get support from Apple if you walk in with a jailbroken phone but you can remove that with a restore etc



Siri needs to be used for it to learn and improve so the hyping makes sense. As for the putting the phone up to your ear, that was a simple settings adjustment that a techie like you should have been able to figure out by googling after the first incident. Or even just looking in your phone's settings. As someone your friends and classmates go to for support it's dismaying to think you didn't figure it out on your own.

Your LTE argument is weak, Verizon had an LTE network since the start of the year, and AT&T was ramping it up right around the time the iPhone 4S was released, and covered a majority of people in the state Apple and I both reside, California, less than three months after it was released.

And yeah, I knew how to solve the siri pocket problem. I turned the "raise to ear for siri" option off. Then I just turned the whole damn thing off, because I never used it.

 

[akbarali.ch]

Seriously? People like you give iPhone people a bad rap.

The S1, S2 and S3. They all look pretty different to me. Let alone the major changes in hardware/software through those models.

Compared to the 3, 4, and 5 Samsung and Android have moved in leaps and bounds. Well beyond the iPhone and iOS.

what you talking about, leaps and bound? in what ? screen size is the only things i see...battery is still better in iphone comapred to android, all the latest games and apps run smoothly in 2 year old iphone 4 also...malware free. i took an andoird phone of a friend, i clicked an image, it gave me option to 2-3 apps to open in ....iphone just opens it...

at present Android and iphone are just matter of choice. they both doing good. But leaps and bound? hell no.

what did change in s1 to s2 to s3

processor, os , memory, screensize thats same for iphone too... leaps n bound ?

 

[thefourthpope]

For me it's a problem of contracts and upgrades. Even if apple released a truly new phone every single year, I'm stuck in a two-year cycle between upgrades imposed by AT&T. I switch my iPhone every two years, and it just happens to hit the 'S' refresh.
I like that regularity. Helps me plan. And we can also enjoy the ramping up of rumors and excitement before the events, though that's been diminished lately with all the leaks.