Sound the alarms. Apple is dead. Better pre-order. Some dumb schmuck will pay triple on ebay for a phone he can pick up at his local t-mobile.
You're absolutely right, there are people who just want the cheapest phone and don't care about the tech. But what's stopping those people from getting the 7 this time next year once the price drops, or even the SE which is the cheapest iPhone on the market right now.
My point wasn't that everyone is going to want the iPhone 8, but that no one is going to want the 7S, there's no market for it. If you're buying a new phone for new tech, you're getting the 8. If you're buying a new phone because you need a phone and want a cheaper option, you're getting the oldest model (right now 6S, next year 7) or the SE. The 7S, as rumored, offers no value to the current product line, it offers marginally upgraded tech and is (currently) rumored to be the same price as a new iPhone right now. There are better options on both ends of the spectrum.
A trillion-dollar company that can't put out a product on schedule. Great.
Against the reasonable benchmark of September iPhone releases, the 8 will be late. It may not be a reasonable benchmark in your eyes but... that’s how reality works, as you put it...I don't get it. How can something unannounced be delayed. Just because Apple has pretty much established a pattern for iPhone releases does not mean that the pattern is permanent. If and when a new product is ready, then it is ready. That is how reality works.
Absolutely true. But Apple didn't NEED to announce that it would be available in September. They should drop their insistence on clockwork release cycles. Just release the new hardware when it's ready. They used to do that.
The more I hear about this, the more I believe the best buy this year will be the iPhone 7.
You're totally right, I have no idea why Apple is pushing the 7S still. Maybe just to say they're not moving away from their normal upgrade cycle, I don't know. I mean even if the 8 does cost $1200, no one is buying it outright. Even at $700, no one buys the current iPhone outright. People will finance it thru their phone carrier, and it'll be $40/ month instead of $25.
I agree, it's a waste of time, resources, and money. If the rumors of the 8 being delayed are true, than Apple should nix the 7S and use all the manpower and machinery to bump up initial supplies at launch, instead of wasting all that on a phone hardly anyone is going to buy, while restrict supplies of the phone everyone wants.
Lastly, you may actually be right in the S variant not happening. Up until today's rumor (which I don't believe) the 7S was believed to be on track, yet we had hardly any rumors and literally no parts leaks (and no one noticed bc all the hype is on the 8). I had attributed that to Apple's ability to finally double down on security, but what if the phone just doesn't exist. All the rumors pointed to one of the most marginally upgraded S variants to begin with...
It would be a weird move for Apple to release the 7s and 8 at different times. The sales for the 7s could be hurt by the people who will wait for the 8 to arrive. And maybe even vice versa.
This situation would probably be pretty confusing to the average consumer, too - the people who don't know a thing about phones, but always want "the new iPhone."
"You're getting the new iPhone?!"
"Yeah! The 8, so not until November."
"Cool! Wait, what? I thought the new one already came out?"
"Yes, the 7S did."
"Wait, so there's two? Why?"
...See what I'm getting at?
This is my position too.
My gut feel is that quite a few of the changing design choice and production delay rumours on the iPhone 8 have been true this year.
The thing is, even at this late stage, Apple has the cash to dig itself out of most problems and minimise or even eradicate delays. So you can't really compare Apple's ability to respond with other companies were they faced with a similar situation.
We've seen an indicator of this already with them making extra production equipment available on lease back for their suppliers.
I agree, but my point is, no one is taking $1200 or $700 out of their pocket at one time to buy an iPhone. They finance it thru their carrier, which will only amount to roughly a $15 or $20 increase per month. Not a whole lot of extra money to get the latest and greatest tech. Therefore, I still think no one is going to buy the 7S because the barrier to entry of the 8 isn't that much greater. This, combined with the fact that it's expected to be least upgraded S model ever and the 8 is expected to be completely revamped, results in the 7S failing/being a was of time and resources.
What happened to Tim Cook being the 'supply chain God'?
You're absolutely right, there are people who just want the cheapest phone and don't care about the tech. But what's stopping those people from getting the 7 this time next year once the price drops, or even the SE which is the cheapest iPhone on the market right now.
My point wasn't that everyone is going to want the iPhone 8, but that no one is going to want the 7S, there's no market for it. If you're buying a new phone for new tech, you're getting the 8. If you're buying a new phone because you need a phone and want a cheaper option, you're getting the oldest model (right now 6S, next year 7) or the SE. The 7S, as rumored, offers no value to the current product line, it offers marginally upgraded tech and is (currently) rumored to be the same price as a new iPhone right now. There are better options on both ends of the spectrum.
Yes, because no company in the history of forever has EVER released more than one new model of something.It would be a weird move for Apple to release the 7s and 8 at different times. The sales for the 7s could be hurt by the people who will wait for the 8 to arrive. And maybe even vice versa.
This situation would probably be pretty confusing to the average consumer, too - the people who don't know a thing about phones, but always want "the new iPhone."
"You're getting the new iPhone?!"
"Yeah! The 8, so not until November."
"Cool! Wait, what? I thought the new one already came out?"
"Yes, the 7S did."
"Wait, so there's two? Why?"
...See what I'm getting at?
I can't live with Galaxy S8 – I tried to keep it as my daily driver for a month or so, and always found iPhone 7 to be a superior experience.
Yet I give props for Samsung to actually have the S8 available on launch day with no supply constraints. Apple will launch their new iPhones, but apparently cannot deliver. For a 700B company, that is kind of getting old. It takes the fun out of new product launches.
Every year we hear this same report and Every year iPhone has been released at it's normal Date. This Report has never been true till date :-(
I can see the internet in my minds eye come October: "sure the iPhone Pro is sold out, they are only making 1000 per month. It's typical Apple to limit supply to create headlines of sold out for months."
Well, we do get these every year but this year seem a bit different. We really haven't seen many leaks and by this time we usually have most of the components leaked. So maybe there is a delay this year. Who knows!
However, if even part of the rumours about iPhone 8 are correct then I don't think I'll be getting one. Too expensive to begin with and it will be version 1 of a new design which is always a massive gamble. Lets see what they do though![]()
Especially if there is a under-display touch-id. The touch-id improvement between 6 and 6s was massive. And I am sure people will crib if the touch id speed is back to 5s level. No one is going to be thankful for it being on the front then.
Thing is, if these delays and various issues with the new parts/tech do turn out to be true, it would seem very risky to get one of the first batches anyway given history of problems for early adopters. I wonder how many more bloody tedious "gates" the new iPhone will have at this rate...
[doublepost=1500366418][/doublepost]
Actually haven't really noticed many issues with touch ID speed on the SE and isn't that 5s tech in the touch sensor? I was coming down from the 6 too!
I'm sure with a bit of advertising, Apple can pull it off.
It’s really not as confusing as you make it out to be.
Does anyone really get iPhones as Christmas presents?
Why only 10 months and not a full year? You know that the next phone will be along then.
To your points, the 7S will really only have 2 things that the 8 doesn't have. Consumers don't care about how many devices Apple produces, they only care about how available the product is, and those two points pretty much equate to the same thing. Also, availability really only applies to the first two months of the product's life cycle, there's still another 10 months of sales. So really, the only lasting differentiating factor the 7S will have over the 8 is price, and to my point, if you're looking for a cost savings phone, why are you buying a brand new 7S? The previous years model will be cheaper, and to the general public (who are not techies) will be exactly the same.You made an unprovable claim. The claim I am referring to is that there is no market for the 7S.
The 7S will have three things the 8 won’t:
- higher manufactured volume of devices
- immediate and / or greater availability
- lower price
Some people will like these things
There will not be enough 8 supply to go around. The extent of the dearth is tbd.
Manufacturing delays/supply shortages only applies to the launch, and is only exacerbated by producing a 7S. Using those resources to produce the 8 instead will help with supplies at launch. Additionally, I say $1200 bc that's what rumors have been saying, but I have real issues with that number. What does the 8 offer to the entire smart phone market that justifies a $1200 price tag? Nothing. $999 tops I think is a more realistic number, and would be an easier price jump for consumers to swallow. Apple wants everyone to purchase the iPhone 8 (obviously), but crossing that $1000 marker makes it feel too premium. Apple wants to find the happy medium where it feels premium, but not to the point where you look at it and say I will never afford that (like the Apple Watch Edition, remember that?).7S for me. My 6S is on the outs.
[doublepost=1500339152][/doublepost]
Apple will release a 7S because it will not be able to produce as many 8 devices at the 7. It’s that simple.
I’d bet whatever amount of moolah of an iPhone 8 is going to be, that iPhone 7S will be put on sale sooner than 8 and Apple will sell more of them than 8.
Everyone planning on buying 8 should prepare for a ginormous price tag, and a wait.
[doublepost=1500339401][/doublepost]
It’s really not as confusing as you make it out to be.
[doublepost=1500339693][/doublepost]
Apple will not be able to manufacturer as many 8 devices as 7 and 7S.
Apple will sell the 7S, and it will sell more of them than the 8, and it will be put on sale faster than the 8.
8 buyers will have to endure a higher price and a wait. 7S buyers may get an inferior device, but they’ll get it faster and cheaper.
If you think Apple Is goin to move into the 1200 cell phone market while abandoning the 700 dollar market, you may be craycray.
If you think Apple will only release the 8 and pray that the manufacturing gods save Apple from production difficulties, you may be cray cray.
You are assuming decreasing 7S production would increase 8 production. I doubt that is the case. 8 production issues exist regardless of how many 7S' are made.To your points, the 7S will really only have 2 things that the 8 doesn't have. Consumers don't care about how many devices Apple produces, they only care about how available the product is, and those two points pretty much equate to the same thing. Also, availability really only applies to the first two months of the product's life cycle, there's still another 10 months of sales. So really, the only lasting differentiating factor the 7S will have over the 8 is price, and to my point, if you're looking for a cost savings phone, why are you buying a brand new 7S? The previous years model will be cheaper, and to the general public (who are not techies) will be exactly the same.
Now, when it comes to those first two months, the people hit the hardest by the availability issue will be the early adopters. But early adopters are usually techies who will wait the extra time to get the 8 over the 7S bc they understand the differences. Over those first two months, as more of the mass population of consumers look to purchase a new phone, the 8 will slowly become more available. Additionally, if Apple were to nix the 7S and use the resources to produce the 8, it would greatly (although not completely) diminish the supply shortage at launch.
Of course, there will always be exceptions to the rules, like people who break their phone during launch and would buy the 8 if it were available but instead settle on the 7S, and etc. for other reasons. But these people make up a small percentage of the iPhone market. By and large, that is how Apple looks at their demographics, so for the life of me, I can't understand why they would release a 7S unless it really does have something that makes it feel different than the 7.
[doublepost=1500395568][/doublepost]
Manufacturing delays/supply shortages only applies to the launch, and is only exacerbated by producing a 7S. Using those resources to produce the 8 instead will help with supplies at launch. Additionally, I say $1200 bc that's what rumors have been saying, but I have real issues with that number. What does the 8 offer to the entire smart phone market that justifies a $1200 price tag? Nothing. $999 tops I think is a more realistic number, and would be an easier price jump for consumers to swallow. Apple wants everyone to purchase the iPhone 8 (obviously), but crossing that $1000 marker makes it feel too premium. Apple wants to find the happy medium where it feels premium, but not to the point where you look at it and say I will never afford that (like the Apple Watch Edition, remember that?).
I personally think that if they release both phones, one will cannibalize the other's market.
But the fact of the matter is, that's how most consumers look at the phones. Do you think a 16 year old girl knows the difference between the processors of the 7S and 8? No! All she's gonna see is the physical shell and say "Wow the 8 looks SOOOO different!" and she's gonna beg mommy and daddy to buy it for her. That's how a lot of people (of all different ages) buy their phones. Myself, I'm all about the latest tech, but the reality is that people who aren't, usually want something that's cheaper. iPhones, for years, have been held by two people. People who understand the tech and want the new one right away, and people who want an iPhone bc everyone they know has an iPhone, but doesn't care about the tech and just wants something cheap. Yes there are certain exceptions, and in no way do I say Apple should abandon the different colors or size options, but I just don't see the market for the 7S. Aside from initial supply shortages at launch, I think in the long run the 8 will cannibalize the 7S market.You assume there are only two types of people:
1. People who want the cheapest iPhone
2. People who want the most cutting edge iPhone
The existence, for YEARS now of a range of models both on the iPhone AND Android side prove this wrong. It turns out, unsurprisingly, that people have many different needs and tastes. Physical size, storage size, price, color, etc. all these are things which matter more or less to different people. It will still be true.
The iPhone 7s will be a notable improvement over the 7, just as every previous iPhone has been an improvment over its predecessor. That Apple may be adding a higher end, even MORE advanced phone will of course draw some people from the 7s market, but it won't draw them all because not everyone will need/want what it offers, and not everyone will be willing to pay for the difference. If everything about the iPhone 8 (or whatever they call it) is true, its not something even Apple will be able to manufacture for a price as low as the 7s.
Just because the 7s comes in the same physical shape as the previous model doesn't mean it won't offer improvements in processor speed, camera, etc. If the only thing you judge a phone by is the physical shell being different you have a very shallow understanding of technology. I'd much rather have a stable, well designed phone that performs better, than a new look just for the hell of it.
We don't know what the production issues are, so there is no way to assume one way or the other. But, from a supply chain perspective, it would make sense that devoting all resources to 8 production, instead of splitting between 8 and 7S, would result in greater availability at launch.You are assuming decreasing 7S production would increase 8 production. I doubt that is the case. 8 production issues exist regardless of how many 7S' are made.
But the fact of the matter is, that's how most consumers look at the phones. Do you think a 16 year old girl knows the difference between the processors of the 7S and 8? No! All she's gonna see is the physical shell and say "Wow the 8 looks SOOOO different!" and she's gonna beg mommy and daddy to buy it for her. That's how a lot of people (of all different ages) buy their phones. Myself, I'm all about the latest tech, but the reality is that people who aren't, usually want something that's cheaper. iPhones, for years, have been held by two people. People who understand the tech and want the new one right away, and people who want an iPhone bc everyone they know has an iPhone, but doesn't care about the tech and just wants something cheap. Yes there are certain exceptions, and in no way do I say Apple should abandon the different colors or size options, but I just don't see the market for the 7S. Aside from initial supply shortages at launch, I think in the long run the 8 will cannibalize the 7S market.
[doublepost=1500396713][/doublepost]
We don't know what the production issues are, so there is no way to assume one way or the other. But, from a supply chain perspective, it would make sense that devoting all resources to 8 production, instead of splitting between 8 and 7S, would result in greater availability at launch.
Fine point. Apple's marketing team is no joke.
[doublepost=1500376481][/doublepost]
To us and others that mildly follow the tech industry, no. But to the average consumer, probably. At least at first.
But the fact of the matter is, that's how most consumers look at the phones. Do you think a 16 year old girl knows the difference between the processors of the 7S and 8? No! All she's gonna see is the physical shell and say "Wow the 8 looks SOOOO different!" and she's gonna beg mommy and daddy to buy it for her. That's how a lot of people (of all different ages) buy their phones. Myself, I'm all about the latest tech, but the reality is that people who aren't, usually want something that's cheaper. iPhones, for years, have been held by two people. People who understand the tech and want the new one right away, and people who want an iPhone bc everyone they know has an iPhone, but doesn't care about the tech and just wants something cheap. Yes there are certain exceptions, and in no way do I say Apple should abandon the different colors or size options, but I just don't see the market for the 7S. Aside from initial supply shortages at launch, I think in the long run the 8 will cannibalize the 7S market.