It depends on the area. In NYC, you NEED LTE to get decent connectivity. HSPA+ is a train wreck. Out here in Eastern CT, HSPA+ is where it's at. That being said, I wouldn't have an iPhone if I lived in NYC, but a lot of people do, even though they perform poorly there.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Next iPhone in fall: will that hurt Apple?
- Thread starter gtgrad95
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
It depends on the area. In NYC, you NEED LTE to get decent connectivity. HSPA+ is a train wreck. Out here in Eastern CT, HSPA+ is where it's at. That being said, I wouldn't have an iPhone if I lived in NYC, but a lot of people do, even though they perform poorly there.
yeh it depends on the area, even LTE doesn't see speed's in NYC that others do elsewhere, too much congestion in an concentrated area and all the buildings interference screw with cell reception there lol. I live in South FL and hspa+ rocks, even at "congested" times still usually around 2-3 and up to 7-9 on the high end... way better then before where my iPhones couldn't even crack 1 at non-congested times, I don't think my iphone 4 ever did higher then .7 range.
In Hong Kong I got excellent speeds on an iphone 4. Much faster than the speed I was getting in Toronto in the suburbs.
That said the Galaxy Nexus I am using now seem to have better reception than the iphone 4.
Will the slow release schedule hurt? Over the long term? Maybe. If they keep releasing things like the 4S while other people add features that could be the case.
The problem for everyone is that we are getting to the point where the low hanging fruits like a pretty interface, basic ability to do stuff online, and have apps are all fulfilled. So where to next is a big question I am sure for Google, Microsoft , RIM and Apple.
Apple appears to think siri is a good answer to people's wants and needs. I am not entirely sure. I haven't hear that many people talking to their iphones yet.
I hate threads like this that are not based off of any facts whatsoever. So let me break it down for the OP:
1) The 4G network is still minuscule in comparison to the robust 3G on Verizon and especially AT&T. Manufacturers still haven't found a way to balance battery life and data speeds. Ask anyone who uses a LTE phone and most of them, who use their phone pretty consistently on a daily basis, will tell you the battery life is pretty bad. Right now Apple is figuring out a way to get it right the first time instead of having a phone with a bad battery life. I'm assuming they've figured it out seeing as how the iPad 3 is rumored to be LTE.
2) The iPhone is the best selling smartphone in the world and Apple is the leading smartphone manufacturer after only being in the game for 5 years. Their sales pretty much double after each release, regardless of any flaws the iPhone model contains. One thing people on this board don't get is that the iPhone isn't built for us nerds/geeks/fanboys. It's built for the average Joe. The average Joe could give 2 $#!+$ about an HDMI output, 4" screen, removable battery, processor speed, RAM, etc. They want a phone that works and is easy to use. The iPhone fits both of those bills.
3) Apple isn't behind the curve. Apple, now, is the curve. Manufactures have been scrambling since the introduction of the iPhone to figure out a way to beat it. Their solution is to come on forums and blogs like this and figure out what us nerds want and cram it into their next phone, therefore forgetting about the average consumer. They think that since the iPhone doesn't have feature A, they can put out 5 models with feature A and advertise it. And the average Conusmer watches/hears/looks at the advertisements like.
4) now to address the features you listed above that the iPhone "lacks."
- A) 4G. See my paragraph above
- B) Bigger Display - Now ill admit that I'd love to see a 4" iPhone screen. But that's it. Any bigger and it's hard to type with one hand. But it's definitely not a reason to turn someone away from getting the iPhone.
- C) No micro-USB - Really?! This is a reason not to get an iPhone? That standard is in Europe only for now. Here in the states it's harder to find a micro USB cord vs an Apple cord. I can find an Apple cord in practically every gas station and dollar store so this is not an issue whatsoever.
- D) No HDMI out - In case you haven't been paying attention to what Apple does, they want to make everything as wireless as possible, hence wifi syncing and AirPlay. Adding and HDMI port increases the price and takes away sales of the AppleTV.
- E) No removable battery - This just makes me laugh. Why would Apple make a device where you have to somewhat disassemble it just to swap out a battery? Why not just make a battery that lasts all day under pretty heavy usage? But wait, they did! My 4S has been going all day long streaming music, watching podcasts, checking and writing emails/texts and I only down to 28%. So why implement a feature that's clumsy at best and not user friendly?
The iPhone 5 will be a huge success for multiple reasons:
- People who bought the 4 and didn't upgrade to the 4S.
- People who just get every iPhone because of quality loyalty (brand loyalty means the consumer likes what the manufacturer is doing so why change?)
- People with Androids waiting for the 5 with hopefully a bigger screen to move away from Android
- People who have never had an iPhone before.
- People who want things to just work properly with no hesitations or complications. Regardless of the hundreds/thousands of threads on this forum talking about problems with their iPhone, there are millions who have no problems whatsoever and never have.
Excellent and well thought out post. You brought up some good points. Thanks for taking the time.
Be curious to see if Apple starts including their Micro USB Adapter "in the box" with European iPhone 5s.
http://store.apple.com/uk/product/MD099ZM/A
http://store.apple.com/uk/product/MD099ZM/A
I don't think Siri is worth %&$*. Hong Kong is irrelevant, some other cities here have great AT&T service. NYC is what it is, and AT&T sucks there.
Why would Hong Kong be irrelevant? It's a big city with exceedingly dense population all totting the latest phones. With more tall buildings than NYC I'd say it's a pretty good counter part to NYC in terms of the RF environment and the density of devices. Yet carriers there manages to provide excellent service without LTE. You don't need LTE to get decent speeds in NYC. What NYC needs is more investment by the carriers to get service levels you'd get else where in the world.
As for Siri well I didn't say I think it's a useful features. I just said that's where Apple seems to have place it's bet.
Apple going to release IPHONE 5 in quarter where earnings need the boost. (july, august, Sept) quarter is well covered by IPAD 3 so most likely iPhone 5 will be late Sept tp Oct and will be just fine.
I personally would rather see it launch in june-July.
I personally would rather see it launch in june-July.
When it comes to the blind loyalists, Apple can never hurt itself on a late release. Just look at the iphone 4S. What a joke of a release. The overwhelming disappointing sigh could be heard around the tech world when it was revealed. But the blind loyalists went out in the masses to pick one up. Even though they cry specs don't matter. And that's all the iPhone 4S was, a spec bump.
But if your talking about people who couldn't care less if they had an iPhone or not, and just want an amazing piece of technology with real value, then yes Apple will lose those sales if they come out late. The Galaxy S3 will be a world beater just as the Galaxy S2 was and still is.
If Samsung comes out with a Windows Phone with Galaxy S2 specs ready for sales this summer, it will also be a world beater as Windows is the most stable, intuitive and efficient mobile OS on the planet. I have left iOS for Android. And now have moved on to Windows Phone. This is the ADVANTAGE of not getting emotionally tied to a brand and image. I didn't care how many apps I invested in. Windows Phone is the real deal. Nothing comes close for such a smooth and stable experience. And this is with only 1ghz single core power. Just imagine the Tango update running dual core support with 250MB min requirement. Unbelievable efficiency.
But if your talking about people who couldn't care less if they had an iPhone or not, and just want an amazing piece of technology with real value, then yes Apple will lose those sales if they come out late. The Galaxy S3 will be a world beater just as the Galaxy S2 was and still is.
If Samsung comes out with a Windows Phone with Galaxy S2 specs ready for sales this summer, it will also be a world beater as Windows is the most stable, intuitive and efficient mobile OS on the planet. I have left iOS for Android. And now have moved on to Windows Phone. This is the ADVANTAGE of not getting emotionally tied to a brand and image. I didn't care how many apps I invested in. Windows Phone is the real deal. Nothing comes close for such a smooth and stable experience. And this is with only 1ghz single core power. Just imagine the Tango update running dual core support with 250MB min requirement. Unbelievable efficiency.
I'm talking about how AT&T's network exists in the real world, today, not what could happen if AT&T did this or that, or the spectrum in the US was divided this way or that, or if AT&T had more sites or whatever.
The fact of the matter is that, today, AT&T's network is terrible in NYC. Could it be good? Maybe. That's not my point.
Not all countries reacted like the USA did to the 4S. Korea and Germany are examples of countries that didn't buy many 4S.
It seems as though Apple is immune to any of the challenges that other companies face. An amazing phenomenon. Sure their products are excellent. But to sustain so much growth, for so long, is rather spectacular.
Then more for the idiots who hang on to every word said by an "Analyst" who thinks but doesn't know ****.
So Apple release a 3G then 3GS and the the 4 then the 4S and everyone is shocked??
Why would Apple dismiss a design after a year when is spent so much time and money developing.
/rant
One other android phone you might want to throw in the mix is the newest Motorola Razr Maxx. 3300mAh battery, amazing battery life, with LTE, and probably going to get ICS. And has a great phone apparently. It is currently sold out in stores after only being out a month. Online is shipping but Verizon didn't think they would sell that well. But the battery life is supposed to be awesome. It has caught my eye.
Exactly, why not sell the same phone all over again and double ur profits.
There's a reason why Apple is one of the most successful comanies in history.
Look how many idiots signed a 2yr contract and ended up with the same exact phone as before.
(I was one of them idiots)