Why does it matter to you guys what they choose to sell?
Why does it matter? It doesn't, of course. But isn't armchair-quarterbacking Apple's strategy half the point of this forum?
I had the same thought about the line-up today. Obviously, Tim and company are smarter than me. They've analyzed this approach to the nth degree. And Apple will make even
more money with it. But it's not self-evident and, as with the iPad line-up, it represents a further departure from Steve's super simple, four-quadrants line-ups.
Like all of us here, I enjoy keeping-up with the distinctions between Apple's products and advising my friends and family about them. But I'd be hard-pressed to distinguish between the various iPhones now, apart from pointing-out what some of you have already said. --Which is that the SE, 6s, and 6s Plus are all very capable devices for most consumers' needs, and that there aren't necessarily any truly compelling advantages to the 7 and 8 (besides
maybe the 8's wireless charging). --So people can save a lot of money, with little or no downside, by opting for one of the older devices. And how that helps Apple make
more money isn't obvious to me. --I mean, setting aside price-elasticity (which doesn't seem all that unreasonable with smartphones these days, as ridiculous as that is).
Now if Apple were spreading different devices around different geographic markets, some of which are
way more price-sensitive than the US, Europe, etc., I could understand keeping all of these devices around. But that's not what they're doing. Which is why this cluttered line-up seems so strange.
I'm still holding onto an iPhone 6, which is adequate for my purposes. I'd be excited to grab an iPhone X. But at the $1,000 price-point, that's not gonna happen. So how does Apple's line-up motivate me, and others like me, to upgrade? Flooding the space between my 6 and the X with six phones (6s, 6s Plus, 7, 7 Plus, 8, and 8 Plus), none of which are super-compelling just doesn't do it. Pushing the price of the X down to $700, however, might. And I'm sure that day will come eventually. But, for now, this line-up doesn't move me. And I can't imagine being an Apple Store clerk, trying to distinguish between theses devices for the average consumer.
Also, totally off-topic, but,
man, the bezel on the iPhone X's bezel-less screen is huge! Am I right?!
