Is Apple starting to suck? Should I lower my expectations for the next iPhone?

[iAppleseed]

As someone who takes a ton of pictures/video from their iPhone, the iPhone 4s camera/video quality spec bump was enough better than the iPhone 4 for me to pay + for an early upgrade. So what's with the "barely anyone cares about those things"?! Again, are you expecting Apple to only put in things that you care about? Exactly how well do you think that a phone built with only what you want would appeal to a general audience?

I was referring to the Improved speaker output and the gps whatever. The camera is ok. Just ok.

Apple used to make me wow on a yearly basis. Now, all I get is speed bumps. A little improvements, but only to catch up with the competition. Nothing is new. Just siri.

 

[Wrathwitch]

LOL! I have made a previous "people are stupid" post (to which of course, I included myself.

This is my "people are people" post.

This sensationalism of which you crave with each new keynote, I compare to a revolutionary or amazing TV show. First season is INCREDIBLE, second season great, third... unless you are talking Dexter, not so great or !!!!! as the first season.

It is the same with tech. Currently there is only so much "new" tech that is revolutionary and amazing which is available. And even Android products are not doing so much new other than changing what is available with Apple products, ie: bigger screen, faster processer, but when all is said and done they are both essentially the same products that do the same thing.

Of course the first iPhone was aaaamaaazing, of course 3GS was WOW!! and add onto that iPhone4 with the new redesign and people were MOBBING Apple store.

Lately Apple has been refining their products, not re-designing them (well some I am sure they are investigating etc) but if you expect to be completely floored every season/update/release you ARE going to be disappointed.

1) WOW!! He bought me flowers that is so sweet!!!!!!
2) OMFG he bought me jewellry that is so romantic/amazing!!!!!
3) Wow I go an engagement ring!!!!

These are hard things to keep building on, much like technology. Novelty is an amazing thing, but there is consequences to being too focused on it.

If you can get past the hype and flash, in either TV/Tech or Romance, and focus on the quality of what is being offered. Either it is going to work for you, or it is not.

Just my 50 cents.

 

[aristobrat]

I was referring to the Improved speaker output and the gps whatever. The camera is ok. Just ok.

Apple used to make me wow on a yearly basis. Now, all I get is speed bumps. A little improvements, but only to catch up with the competition. Nothing is new. Just siri.

When exactly did you jump in on this yearly wow basis?

What wowed you about the iPhone 3G to iPhone 3Gs upgrade?
What wowed you about the iPad 1 to the iPad 2 upgrade?

 

[iAppleseed]

When exactly did you jump in on this yearly wow basis?

What wowed you about the iPhone 3G to iPhone 3Gs upgrade?
What wowed you about the iPad 1 to the iPad 2 upgrade?

Well,
in 2005, there was the transition.
in 2006, (I forgot what it was)
in 2007, there was the iPhone (Of course it was a shocker),
in 2008, there was the App Store (APPS!),
in 2009, there was the iPhone 3Gs' Voice Control (which I eventually found useless) and Snow Leopard's increased performance without any hardware upgrades (now that's shocking),
in 2010, there was the iPad (A whole new thing. It was a shocker.) and the iPhone 4's FaceTime.
in 2011, nothing really shocked me much. Maybe Lion, but not really shocking. iPad 2, thinner design, smart covers (didn't shock me much).
2012? Nah, nothing. iPad? Boring.

 

[HeezyBear]

So what are some of the things you wish the iPhone 4S or the new iPad had that they don't?

 

[inscrewtable]

(Take the retina display off and what are we left with?)

An iPad that could make use of 4 x the processing power instead of powering 4 times the pixels, perhaps?

 

[iAppleseed]

So what are some of the things you wish the iPhone 4S or the new iPad had that they don't?

For the iPhone, it's the credit-card capability. And something else. I don't know what it is, but I know it needs to be there. Maybe Apple should spend more money on R&D so they could have more things to research. I know it needs something.

----------

An iPad that could make use of 4 x the processing power instead of powering 4 times the pixels, perhaps?

Yeah, a processing power that doesn't even feel different than the iPad 2.

 

[Shanekarpi251]

I understand where you're coming from but I don't believe there's a reason to believe Apple "sucks." I love Apple no matter what products that come out. If Android has something that you like then maybe you should switch to them. To say Apple sucks because their products aren't up to your standards is pretty selfish. Apple still builds quality products that a lot of people enjoy and that's all that matters!

 

[taedouni]

Maybe you suck for wanting a new design every year.
Design process takes time and a lot of money. A new design changes EVERYTHING. I think that the current process is sufficient. New design every two years, then in-between the new designs, improve the previous designs such as (camera,CPU,GPU etc.) basically the following year are for those still one the device that was from two years prior.

The upgrade from the iPad to iPad 3 was huge.
Even from the iPad 2 to iPad 3 was significant with the retina display and LTE support.

iPhone 3GS to iPhone 4S is a HUGE upgrade.
iPhone 4 to 4S, still worthy of an upgrade but not a huge upgrade.

The majority of consumers DO NOT upgrade every year. Quit whining.

 

[pooleman]

Do you think it's time to lower our Apple product release standards?

It could be just another disappointing speed bump and battery life increase.
Some of you may say I am an Apple hater. I am not. I am an apple lover. I just can't take this new Apple anymore.
Is Apple really dead without Steve Jobs?



What can you say?

Apple set the bar VERY high in 2007 with the iPhone, and again in 2010 with the iPad. How long can anyone keep a great streak like that going. People may come up with 1 or 2 great ideas in a lifetime. Of course we can all think of a few people in history who came up with many (Franklin, Edison) but that is so rare. Apple may have a hard time keep the streak going with incredibly revolutionary products. But they are still a great company that makes high quality items. And I think they will for a long time to come.

 

[onthecouchagain]

I don't worry too much about Apple hardware. I think, for the most part, regardless of specs, they can keep up (obviously).

Where I think Apple truly needs to step up is in software. Yes, we all know how stable iOS is, but some of the limitations of the OS are starting to wear incredibly thin:

-The keyboard and Safari need revamping (they could really learn something from how intuitive it is to use Chrome. Switching between tabs takes a single swipe, whereas it's at least 3 steps with Safari.)

-Performing certain actions feel cumbersome (I loathe that iOS forces you to watch the animation every time a new app is downloaded from the App Store. It's as if Apple thinks people shop one app at a time all the time. It's ridiculous.)

-iOS desperately needs toggle-widgets (we should be able to easily turn off the lock/password screen when we're at home, and then back on for when we're going out. The only way to do this currently is to reset the whole password each time in Settings). A lot can be benefits from even a few simple widget capabilities, like why not continue building upon widgets in the pull-down screen? You can set toggles there.

-Long overdue for a native and free voice navigation system (personally, I think once Apple implements this, it'll be amazing).

And a few other things could stand improving, like the ability to make attachments to emails (absurd this is not possible yet).

I'm not knocking iOS, but there is a lot of room for improvement. I'm not worried about the hardware side of things at all.

 

[bruinsrme]

I would love to see Apple bring a real OS to the iPad and stop with this infantile iOS.

 

[adampol15]

deleted

 

[aristobrat]

Well,
in 2005, there was the transition.
in 2006, (I forgot what it was)
in 2007, there was the iPhone (Of course it was a shocker),
in 2008, there was the App Store (APPS!),
in 2009, there was the iPhone 3Gs' Voice Control (which I eventually found useless) and Snow Leopard's increased performance without any hardware upgrades (now that's shocking),
in 2010, there was the iPad (A whole new thing. It was a shocker.) and the iPhone 4's FaceTime.
in 2011, nothing really shocked me much. Maybe Lion, but not really shocking. iPad 2, thinner design, smart covers (didn't shock me much).
2012? Nah, nothing. iPad? Boring.

So to recap, in terms of iPhones, the features that exceeded your expectations (wowed you) were Voice Control in the 3Gs and FaceTime in the 4. But Siri is the 4s is just a useless voice app.

Going back to your OP, yes, I do think it's time you lowered your expectation for the next iPhone. God forbid that Apple introduce another revolutionary Siri-like feature that you don't find any use for.

 

[s15119]

For the iPhone, it's the credit-card capability. And something else. I don't know what it is, but I know it needs to be there. Maybe Apple should spend more money on R&D so they could have more things to research. I know it needs something.

Yeah, cause Apple is just losing money hand over fist. sigh.

 

[Tarzanman]

There are somethings I feel let down on but other thing I can understand.

Like NFC, that's cool. Guy in front of me in line at best buy a couple weeks ago was using what looked to be a nexus s (two year old android phone) to pay for his purchase. It was just something that look neat and convenient.

The Nexus S was released December 16, 2010, making it 15 months old.... not 2 years old.

Sprint didn't get the Nexus S until May 2011 (I think Sprint sold more of them than AT&T and T-mobile), so in all likelihood the phone you saw was less than a year old.

 

[blairh]

I think the iPhone has been lacking ever since last fall. I think a larger screen is long overdue. Nothing drastic. Even 4" would make a huge difference.

I'm very curious to see what Apple has in store this fall. If they bring a 4G LTE iPhone to the market however it still has that 3.5" screen, I'll be pretty let down. Problem is that the ppi is so much better on the iPhone compared to the competition. So while there are countless bigger smartphone screens, there is not a single smartphone that can equal the sharpness of text provided by the iPhone currently.

We'll see how this plays out. Apple will lose some current iPhone users if they give us another 3.5" screen this fall.

 

[MonkeySee....]

I think you are waking up from the apple fanboy bubble. Apple products have never been more technologically advanced then anything else out there, and most times actually less advanced.

Starting with the original iPod, apple started to really figure out how to package it all in a sleek casing and with some idiot proof software that attracted the not so intelligent masses to basic tech that the geeks and techies already know about.

Now we are in the natural stage of that process where the shiny packaging and software has now become normal to the masses, so now you are bored looking for something else to wow you. But why would Apple be so stupid to mess with a successful packaging theme right now?

Apple products are in-deed less boring then they were 5 years ago, its just a problem of you getting used to/bored of them. Ive been bored of it all since the first iPhone, but I still appreciate what it is and the ways it makes life easier for me, so I happily use the products and if the updates offer soemthing I need (such as say 4G in the next gen iPhone) then I take that and move on in my life without needing to have something to worship every night before going to bed

Ha. Apple secured one of the largest hard drives for that iPod that wowed not only the consumers but everyone else.

The rest is history as they say.

 

[cynics]

The Nexus S was released December 16, 2010, making it 15 months old.... not 2 years old.

Sprint didn't get the Nexus S until May 2011 (I think Sprint sold more of them than AT&T and T-mobile), so in all likelihood the phone you saw was less than a year old.

So how many months do you think it will be before Apple releases something like that? 22? 28? 34? Never?

Apple has released the 4 and 4S when things like pay pass have already existed. Maybe even more that's just when I noticed it.

Some people might find it a dumb feature but its the only change between the 4S and next iPhone I'll probably get it.

And come on 15 months is an eternity in the tech world.

 

[Jordan921]

I've been thinking of Apple for a while. I just thought of something. Maybe Apple is starting to suck. I mean, the "new" iPad is disappointing (Take the retina display off and what are we left with?) and the iPhone 4S (I mean really. It's just a camera, speed bump and a useless voice recognition app) and the Final Cut Pro X (That is much less powerful), the upcoming Mountain Lion (Which claims to be a "New" OS but is really just a bunch of apps), the Apple TV (A dumped UI), and the white iPod touch (Apple got lazy and just introduced a white model).

Do you think it's time to lower our Apple product release standards?

It could be just another disappointing speed bump and battery life increase.
Some of you may say I am an Apple hater. I am not. I am an apple lover. I just can't take this new Apple anymore.
Is Apple really dead without Steve Jobs?



What can you say?

Looks like you're gonna be in for lots of disappointment if you think Apple is gonna come out with major improvements everytime they release a new product.

 

[cambookpro]

I think we have to accept that as Apple get bigger, their product improvements are going to become less.

10 years ago, Apple could stuff everything they wanted to in a product and sell it. Thousands of people would buy it.

Now, they'll gradually introduce the 'best' technologies, but guess what, millions of people buy it. But it's not just to do with that. Since Apple has become bigger and started selling more, orders for parts have to be put in months in advance to build the millions they need, unlike a few years ago. Gradual changes are likely going to be Apple's forte.

But who can knock them: the business model, with them being the highest valued company in the world, clearly works.

 

[chuges]

I think apple's reached the point where they've made so many paradigm-shifting improvements that there aren't *that* many more areas where they can create something ground-breaking. I'm sure that over the next couple of years we'll see a few more of these revolutionary features, but I definitely wouldn't expect to see them at every update.

They're a victim of their own success because the past few years they've pushed the envelope in new industries but now that they've saturated the industries with their own improvements, people expect them to keep up the same level of innovation in areas where the biggest changes have already been made. Besides small/incremental changes (which people will inevitably complain about), it's a challenge for me to think up that many hypothetical, cool new things apple could add to their products.

 

[emaja]

For the iPhone, it's the credit-card capability. And something else. I don't know what it is, but I know it needs to be there. Maybe Apple should spend more money on R&D so they could have more things to research. I know it needs something.

You say that Apple has disappointed you but can't mention anything that is missing. If you have undefined expectations, how can anyone meet them?

They have been improving their iProducts each and every time a new model comes out. I'm not sure what "revolutionary" feature is out there, but Apple will continue to provide incremental improvements.

 

[MattMJB0188]

Poor OP has -24 down votes for simply offering his opinion.

In my opinion, I don't think Apple sucks, I just think thats how they do business. They'll sell millions of their products no matter what. I guarantee if the next iPhone was exactly the same as the 4s but with LTE they'd out sell it in 2 or 3 days. I buy Apple products because they are good and work but I've lots of people say they only buy them because of the shiny Apple logo on the back and owning an Apple product makes them look cool.

I am by no means a fanboy. I love Android just as much as iOS and prefer my GSII most of the time.

 

[drkryn]

I'd say people expecting a new redesign every year are being pretty spoiled & unrealistic.

Another dissapoint speed bump and increased battery life you say? Lets look at the 4S improvements shall we?

Dual core processor
Siri
Improved 5 lens optics
Increase to 8mp
Video stabilization
1080p recording
Glonass russian GPS technology
Improved battery life to 8 hours 3G talk time
Improved antenna to counteract death grip
Improved antenna to download HSPA+ speeds on Att
Improved speaker output

Sounds like a great improvement to me

Again, people who think Apple needs to change their style and come out with a redesigned model everytime clearly don't understand how Apple works. Look at the iPod touch, that hasn't changed design in years. Look at the Macbook Pro, that hasn't changed design in years. Look at the iPad, that hasn't changed design in 2 years (probably wont change on next years model either).

People whine and say "But, but, but... Android comes out with larger screen phones!" That doesn't matter. What matters to Apple is the fact that they are dominating the market and have become the most valuable company in the world doing what they do best.

Don't like upgraded internals? Tough...

Want a redesign ever year? Get lost... (to Android / Windows phone )

People will disagree with what I am saying but that doesn't mean its not true and that what they want changes nothing about what Apple will do.

It's tough to read these forums sometimes. Apple was a year late to the Dual Core processor game.

The camera increase was a given. So was the video recording upgrade.

The battery life is negligible considering all the problems people had and still have with battery life.

Fixing the death grip issue is considered an upgrade to the new iPhone? Really? Pretty low standards if people consider being able to maintain reception while holding their phone a certain way an upgrade to their new device.

HSPA+ speeds with AT&T was expected and also long overdue.

...basically all you have is a bunch of little improvements. After a year and a half these things are nothing to brag about. Apple was late to the game with a lot of these improvements.

I bet if all Samsung did with their new Galaxy phone was some minor improvements people would be laughing. But because it's Apple, ZOMG GREAT UPGRADES! MUST PRE-ORDER NOW!