iPhone X So much hate for the iPhone X

[The-Real-Deal82]

I have to disagree sir. The line up is not chaotic at all. You have 3 actual mobiles. The 8 and 8+ plus the X (10). The 8 is for people liking the smaller form factor. The 8+ is for phablet fans. And the X is something new. For people who liked the big screen of the 8+ but in a smaller form factor. So there is for everybody something. And the older models are for not so tech savvy people plus for guys trying to safe some bucks. While the huge portfolio of Samsung mobiles is truly mind boggling. But guess each company has it’s own strategy. But i think apple passed slowly it’s zenith. But something very interesting i mentioned. Im from Switzerland. And all police, ambulances, doctors and state officials use iphone here. Im not quite sure why.

I’m sure there are plenty of people currently with iPhone 7’s and 8’s who would try the X if it was sensibly priced. The 8 was a bit of a cop out in terms of delivering something exciting, it was very much same old. It’s not exactly cheap either and carries quite a premium compared to other flagship smartphones. The X is just at the extreme end.

I’m not sure the older iPhones are for the non tech savvy? I’ve got an iPhone 6S and I can’t see how it is less complicated to use than any of the current iPhones? The X isn’t exactly difficult to use, just slightly different in terms of navigating using gestures. It’s still iOS.

 

[akash.nu]

If I were to predict the next UI evolution, I'd say wave gestures (ie. non-contact finger/hand signals) could be next.

The new Volkswagens have a basic version of this, where you can swipe left/right through menus via the use of waving in either direction.

This could also make its way to phones (possibly moreso for tablets), for eg. The True Depth Camera could evolve to detect finger/hand motions, say a circular motion to refesh a web page or the bringing together of all finger tips to return to the home screen etc..

Such - in the air - gestures are only feasible for very basic interaction. Trying to wave at a screen constantly is pretty tiring and not a feasible solution as a proper interaction method, especially for mobile devices which is mostly going to be in your hand anyway.

 

[akash.nu]

Im not talking about valid criticism. Im talking about video after video why i returned my iphone x. If they would have done there homework before buying a 1300 Dollar mobile, maybe they would have managed to save themselves alot of running around. Before i buy anything i make sure, it’s something i will need and it’s of solid quality. I wait a month two after release and watch reviews and stuff. I search on forums about it and if all seems ok i go on and buy it. And never before i encountered so much negativity about a freaking mobile. And maybe hate was the wrong word i used. English is not my native language. Maybe the word why so much negativity towards the iphone x would have been better.

Why waste so much time and effort when people can just buy the device, try it out and return it?!

Also, unless you use something as your daily driver, a lot of the times, people can’t tell if it fits into their lifestyle.

 

[Itsmagicmagic]

I don't hate the X as I can appreciate the idea of maximizing the screen-to-body ratio. There are definite annoyances though that dampen its appeal for me:

1. Ugly ugly notch
2. OS growing pains
3. $999 starting price

To each his own

 

[raqball]

I don't hate the X as I can appreciate the idea of maximizing the screen-to-body ratio. There are definite annoyances though that dampen its appeal for me:

1. Ugly ugly notch
2. OS growing pains
3. $999 starting price

To each his own

Agree..

re the price: Most people finance their phones though their carrier these days. I'll use AT&T as an example because that my carrier.

Monthly price for each base model:

iPhone 8 = $23.34 a month ($10 more a month than the X)
iPhone 8 Plus = $26.67 month ($6.67 more a month than the X)
iPhone X = $33.34 a month

Now is anyone going to notice $10 or $6.67 a month? If so then they really don't need to be buying the iPhone 8 either in my opinion.

Screen grab:

 

[Norwegian_Imposter]

The notch is really not noticeable after 5 mins of using it.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Agree..

re the price: Most people finance their phones though their carrier these days. I'll use AT&T as an example because that my carrier.

Monthly price for each base model:

iPhone 8 = $23.34 a month ($10 more a month than the X)
iPhone 8 Plus = $26.67 month ($6.67 more a month than the X)
iPhone X = $33.34 a month

Now is anyone going to notice $10 or $6.67 a month? If so then they really don't need to be buying the iPhone 8 either in my opinion.

Screen grab:

View attachment 750823

My word the X is cheap in the US!! If we had those prices in Europe there wouldn’t be any complaints here. The cheapest monthly contract with my carrier is nearly triple that minus $8 (equivalent) and the upfront cost is £500. This is exactly why Americans in these discussions can’t relate to the X being criticised as overpriced. You’ve got it very good.

In regards to my part of the world and ‘hate’, I wouldn’t call it hatred. A lot of people i think don’t get the concept of the iPhone X. It’s a hell of a lot more expensive than an iPhone 8 here so naturally people ask questions as to the benefits. When you are going to be paying between £60 and £140 a month for an iPhone then comparisons are made and to a lot of people here I think don’t see the benefits, I know I don’t and I’ve followed iPhone news on tech sites for years with interest. I think the days of absolute excitement over smartphone releases are over. They are standard everyday tools that most people own and use and the premium price point is lost on a lot of people despite having its own niche market.

 

[Clogger]

The reason the X gets so much hate is because it is the latest device so all attention is on that, when the next batch of iphones get released those will receive all the hate or more correctly phrased criticism, no one will care about the X. Do you see threads daily about the headphone jack ??

 

[raqball]

My word the X is cheap in the US!! If we had those prices in Europe there wouldn’t be any complaints here. The cheapest monthly contract with my carrier is nearly triple that minus $8 (equivalent) and the upfront cost is £500. This is exactly why Americans in these discussions can’t relate to the X being criticised as overpriced. You’ve got it very good.

Wow that's crazy.. The monthly prices I listed is with $0 down too.. I you were to put money down then the payments would be less than that. I put my 8 refund down which was $700 so I am paying $10 a month for the X..

 

[boltjames]

Since i got the iphone X a couple of weeks ago, i mentioned almost everywhere a huge amount of hate regarding the iphone X. From the notch to the price everything about it seems to be bad. i don’t understand why they hate it so much.

The easy answer is "jealousy", but I don't think that's it.

I think the actual answer is "ignorance". They judge based on 5 minutes worth of clickbait YouTube videos and 5 minutes worth of messing around with it in an Apple Store.

I myself was guilty of this. Right after the keynote I was furious, I created a thread about how Face ID was the devil, how it was ruining the X for me, blah blah. And I was dead wrong, all it took was 24 hours of owning the X to understand why it's such a great phone.

Besides lack of hands-on experience, the other factor is price. Some people simply can't afford a $1,200 phone. So they turn against Apple, make them out to be a corporate bad guy and throw the X on the pile of discontent.

 

[Apple Fritter]

My word the X is cheap in the US!! If we had those prices in Europe there wouldn’t be any complaints here.

So true. In the UK or Germany, we pay close to 1,300 USD for the base iPhone X. Rather hefty.

 

[raqball]

They judge based on 5 minutes worth of clickbait YouTube videos and 5 minutes worth of messing around with it in an Apple Store.

I myself was guilty of this. Right after the keynote I was furious, I created a thread about how Face ID was the devil, how it was ruining the X for me, blah blah. And I was dead wrong, all it took was 24 hours of owning the X to understand why it's such a great phone.

I agree with this part of your comments as I was guilty of the same. I saw the keynote and was meh. I played with one in store and was intrigued but still meh. I bought the iPhone 8..

After a week or so with the 8 I started to wonder if the X was for me or not as I did dig the larger screen in the same sized form factor of the 8.

I made the jump and swapped the 8 for the X. I am now thrilled with the decision. faceID works reliably for me, the added screen size is welcomed and the gestures are brilliant. After using the X for a week now I don't think I could ever go back to a button having iPhone.

My .02

 

[KUKitch]

So true. In the UK or Germany, we pay close to 1,300 USD for the base iPhone X. Rather hefty.

But honestly, what would you expect? It's priced in USD and they seem to price it at least somewhat in regard to exchange rates - just as any company does if it's exporting to another country... that's why my wife's Ted Baker jacket was ~$650 in the US and 329 in the UK - so that was helpful for us buying it here. And then we benefited being able to wait to get our Xs until we were home for Christmas and save on that exchange rate. It does suck, I agree with that... but it's not just Apple - it's anything

 

[Calebt59]

Went from the 8 plus to using the X, which I was not a fan of at first that is why I went with the 8 plus. My son shattered screen on his iPhone 6 went to AT&T for an upgrade for him and ended up getting the buy an X and get a 64 gig 8 for free
Since I've begun using the X don't think I could go back to the 8plus. I don't even notice the notch no more. I'm impressed how good Face id works too.

 

[Apple Fritter]

Granted, we're used to that as far as clothes go. Look at the price of Levi's jeans in the U.S. compared to abroad.

As far as tech goes, I think none of the competitors push it that hard, though. And those competitors sell products that live on a much smaller margin as it is.
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Went from the 8 plus to using the X, which I was not a fan of at first that is why I went with the 8 plus. My son shattered screen on his iPhone 6 went to AT&T for an upgrade for him and ended up getting the buy an X and get a 64 gig 8 for free
Since I've begun using the X don't think I could go back to the 8plus. I don't even notice the notch no more. I'm impressed how good Face id works too.

It's funny, I got the X while keeping the 8 plus and after 2 weeks, the X was the one to go. I think noticing the notch or not entirely depends on how you use your phone most. Vertically, it doesn't bother at all. Horizontally, it does.

Same goes for the odd screen ratio. If you don't ever really watch video on your phone, it won't bother you.

I really liked FaceID from start btw, same for the gestures. But the one having me reach up a mile to get to my control center was reason alone to take it back. Another thing you won't notice, unless you use it often. In the end the "hate" is a very personal matter. The former models weren't as divisive.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Wow that's crazy.. The monthly prices I listed is with $0 down too.. I you were to put money down then the payments would be less than that. I put my 8 refund down which was $700 so I am paying $10 a month for the X..

Our carriers have never offered discounts on iPhones. It’s the only phone that has its price firmly fixed without a hardware subsidy. I read on here about ‘buy one get free’ deals and free handset costs and we’ve never had that here. The prices you showed look so cheap I think the X would sell like hot cakes in Britain if we had that. In reality it’s a rare sight and has been largely criticised in the tech press. The iPhone 8 and 7 are pushed more due to a more realistic audience.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Granted, we're used to that as far as clothes go. Look at the price of Levi's jeans in the U.S. compared to abroad.

The Levi’s comparison is a good one. My brother filled a suitcase with jeans when he went to the States as a pair of Levi’s 501’s here is about £65 ($89) and he was buying them in Florida for $25 a pair! High street retailers have their own versions though and I would think Levi’s are less popular here these days.

 

[KUKitch]

Granted, we're used to that as far as clothes go. Look at the price of Levi's jeans in the U.S. compared to abroad.

As far as tech goes, I think none of the competitors push it that hard, though. And those competitors sell products that live on a much smaller margin as it is.
[doublepost=1518363348][/doublepost]

It's funny, I got the X while keeping the 8 plus and after 2 weeks, the X was the one to go. I think noticing the notch or not entirely depends on how you use your phone most. Vertically, it doesn't bother at all. Horizontally, it does.

Same goes for the odd screen ratio. If you don't ever really watch video on your phone, it won't bother you.

I really liked FaceID from start btw, same for the gestures. But the one having me reach up a mile to get to my control center was reason alone to take it back. Another thing you won't notice, unless you use it often. In the end the "hate" is a very personal matter. The former models weren't as divisive.

Levi's is interesting b/c I've always thought of them as pretty ******... and yet they cost a ton here in the UK. As far as the notch - I don't notice it at all/like when software is updated to be aware of it at this point, though that's just like apps not updating for the plus or iPad Pro - and I got the plus originally for the size and because it would "be like an iPad" horizontally... and then I never used it horizontally so I suppose that's why the notch doesn't affect me at all. FaceID and gestures are really incredible for me, I just wouldn't go back at this point - and my work plus is weird to use now. I don't try to swipe and stuff on my iPad yet, which is interesting, but I do on my plus

 

[Clogger]

There is a massive difference between not being able to afford something and not thinking something is worth the asking price and it's here that certain members can't distinguish between the two. This just comes down to I would guess lack of education and a basic grasp of reality.

 

[blairh]

OP I don't think it's hard to understand the backlash towards an iPhone that starts at $1000 domestically. In the past the best new iPhone started at $650. If you now want entry to the latest and greatest you have to pay $1000. Yes, that is going to frustrate and anger countless consumers. The iPhone 8, which now starts at $700, is not a worthy alternative to others who don't want something that essentially looks identical to what they already are using. Apple has out-priced an iPhone that many consumers want for the first time in iPhone history, and that creates a backlash, as expected.

 

[raqball]

OP I don't think it's hard to understand the backlash towards an iPhone that starts at $1000 domestically. In the past the best new iPhone started at $650. If you now want entry to the latest and greatest you have to pay $1000. Yes, that is going to frustrate and anger countless consumers. The iPhone 8, which now starts at $700, is not a worthy alternative to others who don't want something that essentially looks identical to what they already are using. Apple has out-priced an iPhone that many consumers want for the first time in iPhone history, and that creates a backlash, as expected.

Well the $650 price tag for the iPhone 7 was for 32GB of storage and it was considered the base entry level model. The 8 is only $50 more but you get twice the storage so I view the 8 as a better deal than the 7 was even though it's $50 more expensive.

Comparing the X to a base iPhone 7 price wise is not really a fair comparison. One was basically the entry model with 32GB of storage and the other is their flagship with 64GB of storage..

I do agree the X is overpriced by about $100 though. I think at $899 people might be more inclined to buy rather than hate on it.

 

[blairh]

Well the $650 price tag for the iPhone 7 was for 32GB of storage and it was considered the base entry level model. The 8 is only $50 more but you get twice the storage so I view the 8 as a better deal than the 7 was even though it's $50 more expensive.

Comparing the X to a base iPhone 7 price wise is not really a fair comparison. One was basically the entry model with 32GB of storage and the other is their flagship with 64GB of storage..

I do agree the X is overpriced by about $100 though. I think at $899 people might be more inclined to buy other than hate on it.

Or better yet, why not offer the iPhone 8 at the same entry price point at $650? Even with twice the storage I don't think we should celebrate a higher entry level price for the iPhone. It was $650 for many, many years.

I didn't compare the X and the 7. I was speaking in general terms of the latest iPhone entry price ($650 until this year) compared to the X at $1000. And in 2016, the 7 was their flagship phone.

Yes I think $899 would have made a big difference. Even that would have been too much IMO. If the S8 is $750 then the X should have been no more than $850.

 

[Beau10]

My word the X is cheap in the US!! If we had those prices in Europe there wouldn’t be any complaints here. The cheapest monthly contract with my carrier is nearly triple that minus $8 (equivalent) and the upfront cost is £500. This is exactly why Americans in these discussions can’t relate to the X being criticised as overpriced. You’ve got it very good.

Just to be clear, that's just the cost of the device itself in the contract. With service, contracts tend to be well over $100 per month.

But in a way that drives the point home even further. If $300 or extra for a device translates to less than 10% extra on a monthly contract it's seemingly immaterial.

 

[raqball]

Yes I think $899 would have made a big difference. Even that would have been too much IMO. If the S8 is $750 then the X should have been no more than $850.

But the S8 is at end of life now and the S9 will not be priced at $750. The Note 8 is $950 so I don't think Apple is that far off with it's X pricing..

 

[blairh]

But the S8 is at end of life now and the S9 will not be priced at $750. The Note 8 is $950 so I don't think Apple is that far off with it's X pricing..

That remains to be seen regarding S9 pricing. Purely speculation at this point.

The Note 8 is in no way a comparison to the X. It's an enormous phone with a stylus and a completely different user experience. A more accurate comparison will be the pricing of the Note series compared to the inevitable X Plus coming this fall, which will most likely start at $1100 or more for the base model device, creating a wide price gap between it and the Note 9.