I think Apple has been too predictable with their iPhone models over the past few years. 3G, 3GS, 4, 4S, 5, 5S, 6 and now 6S. That is 8 years of the same cadence. I wouldn't mind Apple surprising people once in a while and mixing things up a it. Would you guys be okay with Apple blowing up this naming scheme and starting over and not wait 2 years between making major hardware changes? Once you start getting into double digits, I see it getting ugly. iPhone 12, iPhone 12S, iPhone 13, iPhone 13S? Eh..
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Do you ever see Apple mixing up the 'number' followed by the 'S' upgrade cycle?
- Thread starter saintforlife
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What's the need to mix it up or surprise people? The naming scheme fits well with how they are manufacturing the hardware so why change something that fits, is already established, and conveys what it needs to convey? Just for fun? Just to do it? I mean they might very well do it at some point, but I'm not really sure there's much of actual reasoning (aside from subjective "boredom" or "excitement" on the part of some) that would be behind doing that so far.
I think they will change the naming scheme, and I think this is the year they do it -- both to avoid Samsung "pulling ahead" with the Galaxy S numbering, and also to avoid having to name a phone the "6S Plus."
This fall's phone will probably look just like the 6, but I predict it will be called the "iPhone 7."
I may end up being wrong, but this is my prediction...
This fall's phone will probably look just like the 6, but I predict it will be called the "iPhone 7."
I may end up being wrong, but this is my prediction...
The question I have always wondered but never asked:
Is the name iPhone 5S and Galaxy S5 a coincidence?
Is the name iPhone 5S and Galaxy S5 a coincidence?
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I don't mind the naming scheme they have now. For the most part it's been X gets remodel and Xs gets new hardware features (updated cameras, touch ID, and rumoured ForceTouch this time around plus new camera update) that then become standard in the next X remodel and up.
Pretty much. When Samsung introduced the Galaxy S brand, they did not know that Apple would be sticking with an X / XS nomenclature... And eventually the numbering overlapped.
How is it still overlapping? do they just release phones at the same time same cycle every 2 years?
Samsung goes up a number each year (in the spring). The Galaxy S4 was the current model when the iPhone 5s was released in Fall 2013. The Galaxy S5 was released Spring 2014. The iPhone 6 came out Fall 2014; Galaxy S6 Spring '15. If Apple releases 6s this fall, it will again "overlap" with the current Galaxy model -- until the S7 comes out next year.
EDIT: btw, this is why I predict Samsung's numbering will be a factor in Apple moving away from the "one whole number every two years" scheme -- the numbers are at parity right now, but Samsung will pull further and further "ahead" as the years go by, if Apple sticks with the current plan. And ppl may see the smaller numbered iPhones as "inferior" to the higher-numbered Galaxys.
Even if only, say, 10,000 ppl/year choose Galaxy over iPhone simply b/c of psycoholgical factor (Galaxy having higher number), that's still 10k customers Apple loses... and we know Apple doesn't like to leave money on the table. By contrast, the number of potential customers lost if Apple goes to "one whole number every year" (or just drops out of the numbering game altogether) is probably zero.
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Apple doesn't care about version/model numbers.
They've been on OS 10 on Macs for how long now? Soon to be the 11th version of OS 10.
The naming doesn't bother me too much, but what will is that the iPhone 7 will be the 10th iPhone. I would have wanted something special for the iPhone's 10-year anniversary (I guess you can say that "7" is a lucky number).
People don't take OS version numbers into account when choosing btw a Mac and Windows (or other) machine.
If the current trend continues, people WILL be standing in a carrier store next spring, deciding btw. an iPhone 6s and Galaxy S7 (and then, the following year, iPhone 7 and Galaxy S8; and then iPhone 7s and Galaxy S9 the year after that...).
Apple marketing can't be thrilled about their main (only?) competitor getting further and further ahead in model numbering.
I don't know anyone who picks their phone or any device that are both current brand new released and from different brands based one which has a higher "model number". Comparing model numbers between two different brands means nothing.
Brand A has a model number of 200
Brand B has a model number of 5000
Both released same year. Does not in any way mean brand B is better. Different companies use different model numbers, so I highly doubt Apple is worried at all what the Samsung model number is.
Brand A has a model number of 200
Brand B has a model number of 5000
Both released same year. Does not in any way mean brand B is better. Different companies use different model numbers, so I highly doubt Apple is worried at all what the Samsung model number is.
I don't know anyone who does, either -- but like I said, even if that is a psychological factor for a small fraction of each year's phone-buying public, those are still thousands and thousands of lost sales for Apple.
I could be wrong!
Hey, you could be right. But I don't think Apple is worried about similar model numbers.
I would assume most people pick based on brand (and iOS vs Android) or how the phone looks.
I agree. Same applies to iOS and the A-Series chips. In 2016/7 I can see iOS X, a new Apple X chip series, and a new iPhone naming scheme. Actually, judging from recent events, I can see them renaming it to
Phone. How about Phone S, Phone M and Phone L?
That's not necessarily the case. Years ago Microsoft decided to call their 2nd gen Xbox the Xbox 360 because they didn't want to have an Xbox 2 go up against a Playstation 3. Granted that is different as game consoles tend to get 90% of the same games whereas Samsung and Apple might get the same apps, but they will look and behave differently on those devices. Plus, I agree with your sentiment that people more than likely pick on brand than model number nowadays anyway.
If that was the case for the "360" naming (which I doubt) then why is the Xbox One competing against the PS4?
