Should the iPhone 8/8+ have been released?

[AdonisSMU]

It seems like Apple should've just waited until the iPhone X was fully ready to release and just released the iPhone X and XL rather than waste time and resources on an iPhone 8 and 8+.

The 8 is generating so much bad press... The phone is slow and the battery lifts the display.

What's wrong with focusing in and just release the best iPhone you can rather than these cheese ball partial-upgrades to the iPhone 6 as an iPhone 8.

 

[Paddle1]

The iPhone X shouldn't be any faster. Same processor with a more demanding screen.

Anyway, I think options are good.

 

[1BadManVan]

I like my 8+

 

[acorntoy]

Lol @ people who can't handle the 8. For some reason it seems like some Apple users have the same amount of hate for this model as they do most Androids. It's a fabulous phone, and I love my 8+, if you need to feel it's useless to justify your 1K purchase however you can do that, but don't kid yourself, this phone is amazing for $200 less. I don't need my phone to look different to get some happy feeling for a month before it wears off and it's just a phone again, I really don't give a crap if people think its a 6+, its a phone.

If its slow, the X is gonna be slower considering it has the same exact processor and GPU but more pixels to push.

 

[AdonisSMU]

Lol @ people who can't handle the 8. For some reason it seems like some Apple users have the same amount of hate for this model as they do most Androids. It's a fabulous phone, and I love my 8+, if you need to feel it's useless to justify your 1K purchase however you can do that, but don't kid yourself, this phone is amazing for $300 less. I don't need my phone to look different to get some happy feeling for a month before it wears off and it's just a phone again, I really don't give a crap if people think its a 6+, its a phone.

If its slow, the X is gonna be slower considering it has the same exact processor and GPU but more pixels to push.

Its using a more efficient display in terms of power usage. If all other factors were the same I could give you that performance is the same.

 

[acorntoy]

Its using a more efficient display in terms of power usage. If all other factors were the same I could give you that performance were the same.

But even that doesn't matter, as battery life is being advertised as less than the 8+. The bigger battery more than makes up for the LCD. the X is a cool phone, but it isn't magical.

But I do agree with you on one thing - I think Apple should have waited a year, then released the X and X+ next year with no notch, face id+ touch id under the display for added security.

Honestly it's like a built in upgrade just waiting to happen, I could totally see Apple cutting off that notch, integrating the cameras and sensors somewhere else (perhaps fire phone style?), and then advertising how much more screen space the new X can utilize over the old one simple because it doesn't have a big black bar in it.

 

[eyoungren]

Lol @ people who can't handle the 8. For some reason it seems like some Apple users have the same amount of hate for this model as they do most Androids. It's a fabulous phone, and I love my 8+…

I have an equal amount of dislike for the 6+, the 6s+ (my current phone), the 7+ (which I skipped on purpose) and the 8+ (which I also skipped on purpose).

All four models share the same 'feature' I don't care for.

That said, I don't really have an opinion one way or the other if Apple should or should not have released it.

People like it. It's selling. Apple will make lots of money (again).

 

[acorntoy]

I have an equal amount of dislike for the 6+, the 6s+ (my current phone), the 7+ (which I skipped on purpose) and the 8+ (which I also skipped on purpose).

All four models share the same 'feature' I don't care for.

That said, I don't really have an opinion one way or the other if Apple should or should not have released it.

People like it. It's selling. Apple will make lots of money (again).

I'm gonna take a while guess based off my knowledge of your postings and say its the camera hump ? I don't really mind it yet I see the grievance, for me it's biggest issue is that for the first time shattering the lenses on the cameras became relatively common. Before the 6 was introduced it was common for androids camera glass to shatter on back drops, but never the iPhone, that changed with the 6/6+.

Even noticed on some of the 8/8+ drop test that the lenses shattered along with the back, but nobody even mentioned the camera just showed the spiderwebbed back.

Shows you what the screens could have been like though had they gone to sapphire

 

[JPack]

Because most people are interested in the iPhone 8.

https://www.macrumors.com/2017/10/02/iphone-x-survey-rbc/

People in this forum are not representative of the average consumer. In here, it's an echo chamber where people believe ordering at 12:05 a.m. will result in a March 2018 shipping date.

 

[Ladybug]

I think releasing the 8/8+ was a good move on Apples part. Many people object to the X because of price, notch, or FaceID. The 8/8+ gives those of us not enamored with the X for whatever reason something to upgrade too.

 

[JPack]

Its using a more efficient display in terms of power usage. If all other factors were the same I could give you that performance were the same.

Actually, it doesn't. There's this myth that OLED is somehow more power efficient.

The iPhone X has a bigger battery and smaller display compared to iPhone 8 Plus.

Yet, Apple rates the iPhone 8 Plus with 14 hours of video playback vs. 13 for the X.

 

[eyoungren]

Because most people are interested in the iPhone 8.

https://www.macrumors.com/2017/10/02/iphone-x-survey-rbc/

People in this forum are not representative of the average consumer. In here, it's an echo chamber where people believe ordering at 12:05 a.m. will result in a March 2018 shipping date.

Not to knock your graph, but the same could be said of each past iPhone.

The graph doesn't really change too much year to year, just the labels with the newest iPhone occupying the biggest slice.

People just want new.

 

[AdonisSMU]

Because most people are interested in the iPhone 8.

https://www.macrumors.com/2017/10/02/iphone-x-survey-rbc/

People in this forum are not representative of the average consumer. In here, it's an echo chamber where people believe ordering at 12:05 a.m. will result in a March 2018 shipping date.

Then why is the iPhone 7 outselling the iPhone 8?
[doublepost=1508212599][/doublepost]

Actually, it doesn't. There's this myth that OLED is somehow more power efficient.

The iPhone X has a bigger battery and smaller display compared to iPhone 8 Plus.

Yet, Apple rates the iPhone 8 Plus with 14 hours of video playback vs. 13 for the X.

umm the X is pushing way more pixels than the 8.... and getting only slightly less battery life. Like I said more power efficient.

 

[xxray]

The phone is slow and the battery lifts the display.

The fastest phone ever is slow? And the iPhone 8 is slow, but the X isn't, even though the same processor is in the X? Hmm...

 

[booksbooks]

It seems like Apple should've just waited until the iPhone X was fully ready to release and just released the iPhone X and XL rather than waste time and resources on an iPhone 8 and 8+.

The 8 is generating so much bad press... The phone is slow and the battery lifts the display.

What's wrong with focusing in and just release the best iPhone you can rather than these cheese ball partial-upgrades to the iPhone 6 as an iPhone 8.

This is exactly what I have been talking about on these forums. There are so many fanboys so it's hard to have an objective business discussion.

Tim Cook is driving Apple's balance sheet more than he is focused on innovating. This is why he is keeping old products around because he wants as many revenues streams as possible to the widest gamut of people possible. And, he's staying with the same designs because of economies of scale. By discontinuing, say, the iPhone 6S, Cook may miss out on maybe 1 million customers in a year who will buy it because of features/price. And by keeping the iPhone 8 the same effective design as the iPhones since 2014, he achieves economies of scale in manufacturing and cost savings.

We've been led down this fragmented road where we now have several products with old tech still being marketed and sold by Apple. Like the iPhone SE, iPhone 6S, MacBook Air...

When it comes to iPhones, the technology is advancing to the point where actively marketing a phone like the iPhone SE (yes, I get some people like the size), is irresponsible. No Apps based off of ARKIT will work with it. Those bluetooth Beats headphones you just bought that work with the W1 chip in Apple's latest phones... forget it. Longer range bluetooth in BT 5... not available in older devices. Wireless charging? Nope. Etc. etc.

The "just work" mantra starts to crumble. No, Apps don't just work anymore. The device doesn't "just work" anymore, as iOS continues forward, leaving older devices behind.

The iPhone 8 / 8 Plus has no reason to live. It's effectively the same as the 7 just heavier and with a better camera. Apple should have ushered in the iPhone X in two sizes, and kept the iPhone 7 at a reduced price, and killed the iPhone 6S and SE (yes, I know I know, some like the smaller size).

They can convince large numbers of people to jump onto the new iPhone X, instead of giving far too many options, and ones that fragment their ecosystem. Some of those folks opting for older junk like the iPhone 6S, will buy the iPhone X instead when the older choice is taken away.

An important note: the iPhone X DOES NOT have the Pro Motion based 120 MHz refresh rate. It is 60 MHz. And the screen brightness isn't that great either.

I expect Apple will introduce Pro Motion on the X next year, along with a brighter screen, and two size devices. If Jobs were around, I am almost certain all of this would be packed into gen 1 iPhone X. And we'd have two screen sizes. And there would be no iPhone SE, or iPhone 6S still available. And there also wouldn't be an iPhone 8.

 

[JPack]

Then why is the iPhone 7 outselling the iPhone 8?

Because you're quoting incomplete data. "It should be noted that the survey is limited to sales through carrier stores, which may attract more price-focused customers than Apple stores."

If you're going to quote an article from 9to5Mac, at least read the entire article first.

umm the X is pushing way more pixels than the 8.... and getting only slightly less battery life. Like I said more power efficient.

No, it doesn't "push way more pixels." Both iPhone X and iPhone 8+ render in the same 2.7MP canvas.

https://www.paintcodeapp.com/news/ultimate-guide-to-iphone-resolutions

First the OLED power myth. Now the "pushes more pixels" myth...

 

[eyoungren]

This is exactly what I have been talking about on these forums. There are so many fanboys so it's hard to have an objective business discussion.

Tim Cook is driving Apple's balance sheet more than he is focused on innovating. This is why he is keeping old products around because he wants as many revenues streams as possible to the widest gamut of people possible. And, he's staying with the same designs because of economies of scale. By discontinuing, say, the iPhone 6S, Cook may miss out on maybe 1 million customers in a year who will buy it because of features/price. And by keeping the iPhone 8 the same effective design as the iPhones since 2014, he achieves economies of scale in manufacturing and cost savings.

We've been led down this fragmented road where we now have several products with old tech still being marketed and sold by Apple. Like the iPhone SE, iPhone 6S, MacBook Air...

When it comes to iPhones, the technology is advancing to the point where actively marketing a phone like the iPhone SE (yes, I get some people like the size), is irresponsible. No Apps based off of ARKIT will work with it. Those bluetooth Beats headphones you just bought that work with the W1 chip in Apple's latest phones... forget it. Longer range bluetooth in BT 5... not available in older devices. Wireless charging? Nope. Etc. etc.

The "just work" mantra starts to crumble. No, Apps don't just work anymore. The device doesn't "just work" anymore, as iOS continues forward, leaving older devices behind.

The iPhone 8 / 8 Plus has no reason to live. It's effectively the same as the 7 just heavier and with a better camera. Apple should have ushered in the iPhone X in two sizes, and kept the iPhone 7 at a reduced price, and killed the iPhone 6S and SE (yes, I know I know, some like the smaller size).

They can convince large numbers of people to jump onto the new iPhone X, instead of giving far too many options, and ones that fragment their ecosystem. Some of those folks opting for older junk like the iPhone 6S, will buy the iPhone X instead when the older choice is taken away.

An important note: the iPhone X DOES NOT have the Pro Motion based 120 MHz refresh rate. It is 60 MHz. And the screen brightness isn't that great either.

I expect Apple will introduce Pro Motion on the X next year, along with a brighter screen, and two size devices. If Jobs were around, I am almost certain all of this would be packed into gen 1 iPhone X. And we'd have two screen sizes. And there would be no iPhone SE, or iPhone 6S still available. And there also wouldn't be an iPhone 8.

I mostly agree with you on this. Not much I don't agree with.

Just quoting you to make the comment that under Cook's leadership Apple had zero problems killing the iPhone 5 a year after it's release. I don't know how that squares with your assessment.

Considering the length of time Apple kept the 4s around though (even after killing the 5) that's pretty much in line with what you've stated.

 

[Juan007]

iPhone 8 is by far the best phone you can buy today. YES, Apple should have released it! What kind of question is that?!?

Should Steve Jobs have launched the iPhone 1? 100% of Microsoft CEOs surveyed said it would fail, how did that turn out??

 

[44267547]

I think releasing the 8/8+ was a good move on Apples part. Many people object to the X because of price, notch, or FaceID. The 8/8+ gives those of us not enamored with the X for whatever reason something to upgrade too.

This. There are many iPhone users who are not interested in Face ID or the price point of the iPhone X. Having the iPhone 8 still offers a middle ground iPhone that has the latest specifications and still retains touch ID.

 

[AdonisSMU]

Because you're quoting incomplete data. "It should be noted that the survey is limited to sales through carrier stores, which may attract more price-focused customers than Apple stores."

If you're going to quote an article from 9to5Mac, at least read the entire article first.



No, it doesn't "push way more pixels." Both iPhone X and iPhone 8+ render in the same 2.7MP canvas.

https://www.paintcodeapp.com/news/ultimate-guide-to-iphone-resolutions

First the OLED power myth. Now the "pushes more pixels" myth...

I read the article. Stop trying to deflect from the data to me. The bottom line is the currently available data says that the iPhone 7 is outselling the iPhone 8. If there is new data that comes out I'll use that. There isn't any other data yet. So girl have a seat. You're just being obtuse and insulting.

It's pushing more pixels per inch, have better brightness and other benefits which made Apple introduce OLED displays. OLED displays are technologically superior to LCD displays and everyone knows it. That was the point. So what if it has an hour less of battery life when it's superior in every way.

Apple should've focused on delivering the superior experience rather than these piece mail feature phones like the iPhone 8 which is barely any different than the iPhone 6.
[doublepost=1508216926][/doublepost]

This. There are many iPhone users who are not interested in Face ID or the price point of the iPhone X. Having the iPhone 8 still offers a middle ground iPhone that has the latest specifications and still retains touch ID.

That's a fair point. Some people don't care about a high end display....but then Apple is still selling the iPhone 7. The only difference between the 7 and 8 is the wireless charging, true tone and a better camera which most people won't notice anyway. I understand if people want to buy something new for the sake of it...or their plan requires an upgrade right now.

 

[iSayBoourns]

Actually, it doesn't. There's this myth that OLED is somehow more power efficient.

The iPhone X has a bigger battery and smaller display compared to iPhone 8 Plus.

Yet, Apple rates the iPhone 8 Plus with 14 hours of video playback vs. 13 for the X.

X has a higher resolution panel to power

 

[flat five]

It seems like Apple should've just waited until the iPhone X was fully ready to release and just released the iPhone X and XL rather than waste time and resources on an iPhone 8 and 8+.

The 8 is generating so much bad press... The phone is slow and the battery lifts the display.

What's wrong with focusing in and just release the best iPhone you can rather than these cheese ball partial-upgrades to the iPhone 6 as an iPhone 8.

maybe Apple's strategy is longer term outlook than how we typically view this stuff.
like- next year, what phones will Apple be selling?
probably not the 6s.
the 7 will drop to its spot.
etc.

2 years from now, the 8 will sell as one of the lower priced models..
etc.

(sorry i wrote that out so choppy.. but something like that might be a reasoning behind the 8 models)

 

[iSayBoourns]

The 8 had to be released.

With the shift of moving away from TouchID towards FaceID, they needed to offer a current chip iPhone that keeps TouchID for those who are unsure about FaceID. So that this year wasn’t an all or nothing change for everyone. It allows people to get used to the new method of authentication before the old is gone completely from the newest September lineup.

Look at all the hoopla FaceID is stirring as is, even with a TouchID model along side it. Now imagine if all new 2017 models only offered FaceID.

This gives everyone a year to see how it works and so on, before it takes over as the only option.

 

[Vundu]

It's pushing more pixels per inch, have better brightness and other benefits which made Apple introduce OLED displays. OLED displays are technologically superior to LCD displays and everyone knows it. That was the point. So what if it has an hour less of battery life when it's superior in every way.

Yes and all those extra pixels take up resource which is why the 8+ has better benchmark scores than the X. So if you think the 8 is slow your not gonna be impressed by the X.

 

[StarShot]

It seems like Apple should've just waited until the iPhone X was fully ready to release and just released the iPhone X and XL rather than waste time and resources on an iPhone 8 and 8+....

I like my IP8. Seems to have more "pop" than my old IP7.