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Are Apple Loosing Their "Touch"?

T

thejanssens

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Sep 5, 2010
9
0
UK
This is just a thought I had after watching the September 1st event this year. [To me] this doesn't seem to have been a good year for the design of Apple mobile devices, after all - quality, and attention to detail are what got me (and you?) to make the switch to Apple in the first place.

In my opinion;
The iPad was nothing like what I (most?) where expecting - I was hoping for something more like this
The new mac mini - looks nice and all, but is no longer the mac that everyone could afford.
All the antenna issues with the iPhone 4 (it looks and feels amazing though)
The new iPod Nano - that thing looks ugly and horrible to use (although I haven't touched one yet)

Apple TV seems to be a backward step - loosing functionality for the price point.

And no upgrade to the iPod classic made me sad. :(

I may get hate for this, but it's just my thoughts. If anyone else thinks differently, then please - I would love to hear you thoughts.

EDIT: I forgot to mention PING, why, just why?
 
I think Ive might be past his prime. I think apple has become too big, bloated and well greedy. I was not impressed with the new nano. It simply looked like a rich person's shuffle. the shuffle went back to its roots and got buttons back. Not much (new) innovation there. The only thing that could possibly compel me to make a purchase from that keynote would be the Touch. Though if it is one thing that i would change , make the low end touch a worthwhile investment, if it is gonna take vids , store music , vids apps etc, it need 16GB imo. 8Gb is so little. though this is most likely Apple's plan to upsell people to the 32gb w/ some basic psychology strategy. sorta like, well hey. the bigger touch is only 70 more dollars.
 
I dissagree. I really like most of their new products. But so many people expect Apple to make every product "revolutionary." it cant happen each time there's a new gadget or an update.

BTW, the title should be, "Is Apple losing Their touch?" Apple is one entity (singular).
 
wywern209 said:
I think Ive might be past his prime. I think apple has become too big, bloated and well greedy. I was not impressed with the new nano. It simply looked like a rich person's shuffle. the shuffle went back to its roots and got buttons back. Not much (new) innovation there. The only thing that could possibly compel me to make a purchase from that keynote would be the Touch. Though if it is one thing that i would change , make the low end touch a worthwhile investment, if it is gonna take vids , store music , vids apps etc, it need 16GB imo. 8Gb is so little. though this is most likely Apple's plan to upsell people to the 32gb w/ some basic psychology strategy. sorta like, well hey. the bigger touch is only 70 more dollars.
Click to expand...

I agree, I feel sort of like my favourite band has sold out and now they have to keep churning out albums and don't have time to think about the quality any more because now the money is more important.

I actually prefer the new shuffle, and the 2nd gen to the one without buttons. And also, there was a 16GB touch at one point (I have one) - but they got rid of that - probably for the reason you say - so people will go for the 32GB instead.
 
What we need is another company to make music players that are as good as the iPods. That will force Apple to have bigger updates in order to keep up with the competition.
 
RawBert said:
I dissagree. I really like most of their new products. But so many people expect Apple to make every product "revolutionary." it cant happen each time there's a new gadget or an update.

BTW, the title should be, "Is Apple losing Their touch?" Apple is one entity (singular).
Click to expand...

You may have a point there, it's just nothing from this year really grabs me as being a step forward. Although the iPad is OK - maybe it's just I don't have a use for anything there so my bias is toward the products not being as good.

Yes, I did make an error in the title, I apologise.
 
I disagree

I think the iPhone 4 is awesome, and I have no issues with mine

And I for one am glad the iPad is NOT like the ModBook (gag)
I love my iPad, and watched the Sopranos on the flight over to London today
 
thejanssens said:
You may have a point there, it's just nothing from this year really grabs me as being a step forward. Although the iPad is OK - maybe it's just I don't have a use for anything there so my bias is toward the products not being as good.
Click to expand...

I generally concur with you. The iPad and iPods weren't impressive to me, but the iPhone was. Having HD video recording, 5MP camera, front camera, amazing screen, iOS4, multitasking, etc. is quite the cornucopia of features. The design would be absolutely perfect, except for the antenna bands. I was extremely disappointed with the seams.

The Shuffle applies to a certain niche, a niche falling in prevalence. As I've said, what purpose does the Shuffle have now with a Nano of the same size and shape? The buttons can easily be implemented onto the sides of the Nano. As for the Nano, the round edged screen that contrasts against the square shape is what's less then appealing. The ugly icons don't help at all either.

The iPod Touch I would buy as well, only for the true capability of iOS 4 and the new display, but besides that, it was a less than good upgrade. To be honest, I would sooner buy the Touch without the camera than with the crappy 0.7MP thing. It's almost pointless, and I don't want it. The design I'm baffled by, as it should resemble the iPad's aluminum unibody, or at the very least the iPhone's. I'm done with angled sides and chromed stainless steel. It scratches worse than a dog with fleas.

For my standpoint, there's no point on buying a Shuffle or Nano when I can have all the power the Touch offers. I don't run with music and my pockets can handle more than just a Nano. But for me to buy a Touch, it needs to absolutely have a better camera and more storage. Of course, with Apple's infatuation with thinness, it's unlikely we'll see a Touch with a better sensor, since the damn paper thin body can't house it.
 
Be prepared for LTD. Just, be ready ok? :D

Personally I believe they are. Or rather - they produce products for a different market than what they used to. I got into Apple during the early 2000's when they focussed on multimedia, on creativity, on productivity. As I've said before their hot news page used to be full of new prosumer devices and apps. Now it's iPad this, App store that. What they're doing now is creating their own garden and selling you the content for it.
 
I think people who post on Apple enthusiasts sites in general miss the bigger picture because they think Apple should be as a business catering to them and their exotic needs. How can Apple be losing its touch when they were named the biggest technology company recently.:confused: ? What Apple has done is capture a market who would have never ever considered Apple a viable option in the first place with easy to use and advanced products that allows them to consume. People who thought macs were yucky, that they couldn't work with their PCs, that the operating system was inferior to a windows, that they couldn't print on regular network, that you couldn't open a word file made on a pc on a mac and every other misconception under the sun that existed about Apple that kept it exclusive for all these years is finally over. These products came on the market with relatively low point of entry price and not a significant risk to people who were not Apple fan boys. What you have now is a universal Apple that appeals to a much larger and broader audience. IMHO I like this new Apple, you can only revamp a G4 powerbook or powermac but so many times:rolleyes:. They have been offering exciting new products regularly. But like I said a lot of people around here miss the point or have needs that do not match the average consumer and expect the products to work miracles. Apple has moved on time for some around here to accept that.
 
thejanssens said:
The iPad was nothing like what I (most?) where expecting - I was hoping for something more like this
Click to expand...

I love my iPad and use it all the time. iPad sales have also been VERY strong. Desktop operating systems don't belong on tablets. Windows has been on Tablet PC's for years, how's that working out for them?

thejanssens said:
The new mac mini - looks nice and all, but is no longer the mac that everyone could afford.
Click to expand...

Apple doesn't care to cater to everyone. The Mac Mini is still nice looking but Apple is trying to push people to the iMac.

thejanssens said:
All the antenna issues with the iPhone 4 (it looks and feels amazing though)
Click to expand...

With a case on mine it works great. I admit it was a misstep, but Apple made right on it by giving everyone a free case of their choice and by waving restocking fees. What more can they do?

thejanssens said:
The new iPod Nano - that thing looks ugly and horrible to use (although I haven't touched one yet)
Click to expand...

Purely an opinion.

thejanssens said:
Apple TV seems to be a backward step - loosing functionality for the price point.
Click to expand...

I have a 160GB HD in my AppleTV and I NEVER store content on it. Most people have no issues streaming content as copying to the built in storage over WIFI is a total waste of time.

thejanssens said:
And no upgrade to the iPod classic made me sad. :(
Click to expand...

I walk around my college campus every day and I have not once seen anyone with a classic. Everyone has a nano or touch.

You're right, those are all your opinions, but I think Apple is doing as good as they ever have. I absolutely love the unibody MacBook Pro's. I think the iPad is an amazing device and I use mine every day. I think the iPod Touch is hands down the best bang for the buck MP3 player on the market. Apple is doing great. In my opinion.
 
uberamd said:
I love my iPad and use it all the time. iPad sales have also been VERY strong.
Click to expand...
Apple is ramping up to make millions of ipads every month yet people around here will say Apple is losing its touch.:D Some just don't like the direction the company is going and they are entitled to that opinion, but the products aren't bad because they don't meet the needs of a few fan boys.
 
RawBert said:
BTW, the title should be, "Is Apple losing Their touch?" Apple is one entity (singular).
Click to expand...

thejanssens said:
Yes, I did make an error in the title, I apologise.
Click to expand...
Just as an aside, in UK parlance referring to entities such as companies, sports teams, etc in the plural is generally what we do. With our OP being from the UK, he/she is right to use the 'Are'.

Two countries separated by a common language, and all that. ;)
 
uberamd said:
I walk around my college campus every day and I have not once seen anyone with a classic. Everyone has a nano or touch.
Click to expand...

That could be down to Apple not updating that product line. I'm not at college any more but back then everyone iPod minis. There were some people (me and my friends) who did and still go for the larger capacity you can only get on such a device.
There's a market there. It's just not paved with apps, adverts and other revenue generating services.
 
wywern209 said:
I think apple has become too big, bloated and well greedy.
Click to expand...

I agree.

As a long time Apple customer, I've watched this company go through periods of great products and great management, and I've watched it morph into Apple Inc. the company it is today.

Dropping the name "Apple Computer" was very telling.

They have survived tough times,and are in the midst of very profitable times.

But at what cost to the customer?

No matter what, I do think that this year with it's ups and downs in the press, is one of the best things to happen to them. They needed a slap of reality to get them to think.

Whether they have done some thinking... or chosen to live in denial, one thing is certain. Not every product this year has been a smash hit, and that is good for them.
 
willbro said:
What we need is another company to make music players that are as good as the iPods. That will force Apple to have bigger updates in order to keep up with the competition.
Click to expand...

Zunes aren't that bad...I think the whole thing Microsoft have there with the PC and their Xbox is really quite good.
 
Jaffa Cake said:
Just as an aside, in UK parlance referring to entities such as companies, sports teams, etc in the plural is generally what we do. With our OP being from the UK, he/she is right to use the 'Are'.

Two countries separated by a common language, and all that. ;)
Click to expand...

I'd never hear that before. Live and learn. :)
 
For me it looks like a "consistent year"; the approach to use iOS for all little devices incl AppleTV make sense. Plus to let the iPod Classic phase out. For me the standard iPod now should be the Touch.
Having the AppleTV storage-free makes sense, 160 GB is anyway not very much. And to my understanding it can display also streams from my internal network. So I can still use any Mac (or PC) to feed my own media files to the big screen.

The iPad I love too, as many others. Also here the negative consistency: To put less memory on. The only downside I see. With iOS 4.2 on the horizon that will make the business case for an upgraded iPad next spring.

Also matching to the consistency is the expectation to get multi-touch enabled iMac (or tMac for touchMac) as a hybrid with classical mouse/keyboard or fingerprints on the screen.
Today at work I tell everyone: don't touch my screen. I hate all those fingerprints ...
 
This year was huge for Apple, are you kidding? They introduced a new line of product this year, made great strides in their mobile/music player divisions.

You're upset because they didn't bring along a aging product? The iPod Classic? That is pretty much the best they can do with that device.
 
Matthew Yohe said:
You're upset because they didn't bring along a aging product? The iPod Classic? That is pretty much the best they can do with that device.
Click to expand...

More capacity, longer battery life, better display, new enclosure, faster processor. Need I go on?
 
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