The iPhone 5c is a joke (merged)

[skaertus]

they could just not market it i guess?

Of course they can market it.

But when Tim Cook says that the iPhone business grew so large that Apple could afford releasing two new products, what comes to mind is "Apple must have spent some billion dollars developing the iPhone 5c".

That's not simply marketing. That's inducing people to believe something that is not true.

 

[OneMike]

The moment someone takes out their plastic colored iPhone 5c everyone is going to know they sprang for the cheaper iPhone instead of the 5s. Take that further and find out who sprang for the lame color.

I remember when I was 14... Unless you're either a kid or have the mentality of one. You won't care what someone else has. Who cares how someone views what you have from the other side.

You can tell a 5 from 5S looking at the colors.

 

[BJonson]

All of the iphone suck. Screen too small. Give me a 5" screen and I will shut up and buy one. Gonna bitch until they make one.

 

[lympero]

Sad but true...

 

[skaertus]

The problem with the lumia colorful phones and iphone 5c is lumia didn't have iOS
In my opinion iOS makes everything better
I had a nexus 4 and went back to iPhone because of iOS
If the galaxy s4 had iOS I would buy that also
iOS is just amazing

Yes, the iPhone is way better than Nokia Lumia. Yes, iOS is just amazing and so on.

But does that make a colorful iPhone revolutionary?

 

[eyoungren]

The problem with the lumia colorful phones and iphone 5c is lumia didn't have iOS
In my opinion iOS makes everything better
I had a nexus 4 and went back to iPhone because of iOS
If the galaxy s4 had iOS I would buy that also
iOS is just amazing

iOS is cool. One of the reasons I have my iPhone 5.

That said, iOS 7 is the perfect complement to the 5c. All the preschool primary colors in a wonderful explosion of color puke you could ever want.

Well, some people like colored plastic. That's ok, Apple gave it to them. I'm just not one of those. And I defintely don't care to have my iOS using those colors. I get enough of that from my 5 year old and my 10 year old at home.

 

[BookerDW]

Nobody cares.

 

[eyoungren]

I remember when I was 14... Unless you're either a kid or have the mentality of one. You won't care what someone else has. Who cares how someone views what you have from the other side.

You can tell a 5 from 5S looking at the colors.

You're right and I don't argue that. But the reality in the world is that this judgment exists. If it didn't Apple would have a hard time getting people to buy the new iPhone. If it didn't there wouldn't be multiple manufacturers of phones.

So society on the whole does act like 14 year olds and does care about this.

----------

Nobody cares.

Really?

Then why is Apple trying to sell new iPhones? Why is Apple trying to sell new anything if no one cares and everyone is ok with what they have?

 

[skaertus]

Not everyone is wowed (obviously). However, from the standpoint of someone owning a 4 or 4S, the 5C is certainly not "a joke" as your thread title would have it, and even if 5C is "the old model in a plastic case" (which it's not), it's still new for the 4 or 4S owner.

The joke is not the iPhone 5c. It's fine, although made of plastic. The joke is Tim Cook trying to convince the world that the iPhone 5c is something brand new, a completely different product from the iPhone 5.

On doubt that Apple will "get away with it": now we're to the real wonderment, aren't we. I bet a lot of Apple competitors are wondering this even if they don't phrase it like that. But if they are thinking as you do, that the 5C is like an old lady in a new dress, they are missing the point for every poential customer who does not have any smartphone, or who has a 4 / 4S or older iPhone.

Yes, those potential customers might decide to step up to the 5S. But that is not to say the 5C offers them nothing. It's a valid choice.

Yes, the iPhone 5c is a valid choice. But a US$ 100 cheaper iPhone 5 would be a valid choice as well. Apple just tried to capitalize on it, marketing it as a new product. That's not wrong. But it annoys me to see Apple's executives making a clear effort to desguise the truth with beautiful words. That's silly.

Think with new mind. See with new eyes. The dew on any ol' spiderweb at sunrise is a marvel every morning, if you're not just focused on whether you're going to get your feet wet again while going for the newspaper. So to some of us, that 5C is no joke and not some old model of anything; it's a completely novel product and we're pleased to be able to buy it.

Sure. But Apple is not being honest here.

 

[Onimusha370]

Of course they can market it.

That's not simply marketing. That's inducing people to believe something that is not true.

Or as I call it, marketing.

 

[LizKat]

@ Bargie

Yeah but casemakers -- and makers of sleeves, skins, boxes-- will still have a huge market. Lots of usl like to change it up sometime.

I got 2 cases for my 5C and expect I will get some others (non-Apple ones) by next spring. I like doing that. Usually I try to set one aside unused, too, for when I gift a device on later. That way the person I give it to doesn't have to scout one up on ebay.

 

[blairh]

I'm amazed by the amount of praise aimed towards the 5C by the tech press and tech podcasts.

It's essentially the 5 but heavier and in a plastic shell. I also think not making a black model is a mistake. People will argue that it's aimed towards teenagers but the lack of a black 5C is a mistake IMO.

My biggest issue is that they didn't release an 8 GB 5C retailing at $450 off-contract. Get rid of the 4S and offer us a reasonably priced iPhone with LTE and a 4" screen. That would have been a big deal and I feel it's a missed opportunity this year.

On a related note, I wish there was a way to disable the lock screen on an iPhone without jailbreaking. I've done this on my S4 and I really prefer it.

 

[Zerilos]

The speech of Tim Cooke during the September 10 event, when introducing the new iPhone models, was like this:

“In the past we’ve lowered the price of the older iPhone, making it more accessible to new people. This year we’re not going to do that. This year, the business has become so large, that we’re going to replace the iPhone 5 with not one but two new designs. This allows us to serve even more customers.”

And then, two new iPhone models were released.

One is the iPhone 5s, which keeps the design of last year's iPhone 5, but has new features under the hood, such as a new 64-bit processor and the fingerprint identification. While the design hasn't changed, that was expected, and the iPhone 5s seems to be a true new product, fruit of real development.

The second one is the iPhone 5c, which is basically an iPhone 5 in a different package. OK, there is a slightly larger battery and it perhaps supports more LTE frequencies, but that's about it. And, of course, there's a cheap colorful polycarbonate exterior instead of the fancy metal one which covered the iPhone 5 (and the 5s).

Tim Cooke could only be joking when he said that Apple was releasing two iPhone models because the "business has become so large". iPhone's business is indeed huge. It's, by far, Apple's largest business, and it is arguably the world's most popular device. A multi-billion dollar business.

However, even being so large, Apple couldn't just develop two iPhones. No, Apple wouldn't take the time and effort for that. Instead, it developed just one new iPhone model, the 5s, and wants everybody to believe that the iPhone 5c - which is an iPhone 5 in a cheap desguise - is a brand new product.

It's a joke. A bad joke. Does Tim Cook want to fool us all? Has this multi-billion dollar business grown so much as to allow Apple to finally create a new exterior design for last year's product? Is that it? Why not create a brand new product, a lesser iPhone, but still a brand new one with brand new technology? Perhaps when the iPhone becomes a trillion-dollar business there will be budget for that?

Tim Cook just went up int the stage and told us "you idiots, just believe what I'm saying, and get impressed with the bright colors of these cheap plastic iPhones, which use the very same hardware of last year, and that we're selling for the price of gold. C'mon. Very disappointed here. No wonder why Apple's shares are falling.

I thought the same thing (except without the anger) when Apple announced the iPad Mini, and to my surprise it sold like crazy. It's possible that the 5c is the next Mini. It's also possible that it's a huge failure. I suspect that they did a lot of consumer research and determined that the colors would be very popular and have a higher profit margin.

 

[sportsfrk214]

The joke is not the iPhone 5c. It's fine, although made of plastic. The joke is Tim Cook trying to convince the world that the iPhone 5c is something brand new, a completely different product from the iPhone 5.



Yes, the iPhone 5c is a valid choice. But a US$ 100 cheaper iPhone 5 would be a valid choice as well. Apple just tried to capitalize on it, marketing it as a new product. That's not wrong. But it annoys me to see Apple's executives making a clear effort to desguise the truth with beautiful words. That's silly.



Sure. But Apple is not being honest here.

So what are you exactly mad about? That Apple is lying by touting it as some great innovation, when it actually isn't? Get over it, it's marketing plain and simple. What would you have them say? "Here's our brand new iPhone 5C, which is basically an iPhone 5 but in a cheaper plastic shell." Of course they won't say that. They're in the business of making money, and in that pursuit it's to your advantage to make your product sound as good as you can. It's obviously a stretch for them to give the product so many superlative adjectives, but in the interest of making money its logical. Apple isn't lying, the definitions of the words they're using to describe the product are subjective, not objective. No one will be successfully suing Apple saying that they misrepresented their product. Tim Cook is simply trying to sell his product, and if that's the only thing you're hung up on then maybe it's best to worry about more important things.

 

[oaktree]

“In the past we’ve lowered the price of the older iPhone, making it more accessible to new people. This year we’re not going to do that. This year, the business has become so large, that we’re going to replace the iPhone 5 with not one but two new designs. This allows us to serve even more customers.”

But when Tim Cook says that the iPhone business grew so large that Apple could afford releasing two new products, what comes to mind is "Apple must have spent some billion dollars developing the iPhone 5c".

That's not simply marketing. That's inducing people to believe something that is not true.

Emphasis mine.

He didn't say Apple could afford to release two new products. He said they were going to replace the 5 with two new designs. You heard what you wanted to hear.

 

[50548]

I'm not annoyed by the iPhone 5c per se. It's actually a good product. I'm annoyed by Apple's speech of trying to make every tiny change a huge deal. When Apple released the MacBook Pro with a retina display, that was a huge deal. An achievement in terms of development and technology. I loved it and I bought one for myself. But then Apple changes the color of the iPhone 5 and then it wants to market it as if it had re-invented the wheel. Just release the cheap colorful iPhone 5c and stop calling it "beautifully, unapologetically plastic".

My fellow countryman, I fully agree with you...and yes, I've been an Apple fan since 1989.

 

[Tthomas612]

Some of this thread is a joke. Honestly I do not care if someone thinks I bought the cheap iPhone if I pull out a 5C. I'm going to be honest I had an iPhone 5 and did not like the look of it... It was crazy fast but didn't like its look... So I went back to my 4S until a new iPhone came out. My fiancée was the same way... She went back to her 4S, we sold our white iPhone 5 and black iPhone 5. Not because of the performance really... I just like the look and feel of the 4/4S better.

Now even though "it's basically and iPhone 5" we are both Getting the 5C. I preordered me white and her blue and they will be here September 20th. Does that make me cheap? Or mean I can't afford the 5S? No it makes it my choice ...

That being said I agree with what the OP was trying to say about the way it was introduced, but the phone isn't a joke

 

[cvam1985]

Believe it or not, people have all kinds of different tastes! It's what makes the world beautiful - its diversity.

The iPhone 5c is EXACTLY what I want in an iPhone.....it has personality and it is plastic. I don't take my phone seriously - it is simply a toy to me....I'm glad it looks like a toy! I imagine it feels ten times better "in the hand" than the cold metal jagged 5s.

The "joke" is on me and I'm happy to be laughing!

 

[50548]

I'm amazed by the amount of praise aimed towards the 5C by the tech press and tech podcasts.

It's essentially the 5 but heavier and in a plastic shell. I also think not making a black model is a mistake. People will argue that it's aimed towards teenagers but the lack of a black 5C is a mistake IMO.

My biggest issue is that they didn't release an 8 GB 5C retailing at $450 off-contract. Get rid of the 4S and offer us a reasonably priced iPhone with LTE and a 4" screen. That would have been a big deal and I feel it's a missed opportunity this year.

On a related note, I wish there was a way to disable the lock screen on an iPhone without jailbreaking. I've done this on my S4 and I really prefer it.

Not only heavier, but also bulkier...almost a first for thin-loving Apple; but it's Tim Cook we're talking about here, so no surprises.

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Believe it or not, people have all kinds of different tastes! It's what makes the world beautiful - its diversity.

That reminds me of when Apple used to offer a lot of "diversity" in the 90s...LC, Quadra and Performa Macs - a truly successful story

 

[s15119]

You should probably not buy one. Millions of others will.

 

[skaertus]

So what are you exactly mad about? That Apple is lying by touting it as some great innovation, when it actually isn't? Get over it, it's marketing plain and simple. What would you have them say? "Here's our brand new iPhone 5C, which is basically an iPhone 5 but in a cheaper plastic shell." Of course they won't say that. They're in the business of making money, and in that pursuit it's to your advantage to make your product sound as good as you can. It's obviously a stretch for them to give the product so many superlative adjectives, but in the interest of making money its logical. Apple isn't lying, the definitions of the words they're using to describe the product are subjective, not objective. No one will be successfully suing Apple saying that they misrepresented their product. Tim Cook is simply trying to sell his product, and if that's the only thing you're hung up on then maybe it's best to worry about more important things.

Apple executives are not lying, they are more "desguising" the truth to make it sound much better than it should. It's marketing, but it's a form of very agressive marketing that shouldn't be used by such a huge company as Apple. It may be dangerous to use so much superlatives to market a product which is not superlative at all.

Apple is a public company, and it has not only customers but also investors. Apple shouldn't give any incentive to the creation of any bubble of expectation around its products, as any bubble will most certainly explode in the future, causing harm to consumers, shareholders and executives.

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Emphasis mine.

He didn't say Apple could afford to release two new products. He said they were going to replace the 5 with two new designs. You heard what you wanted to hear.

No, he didn't. But look at the context of what he said. He didn't say it, but he used the words in a way to lead people to believe he'd actually said it. A speech very well prepared to give the wrong impression, even though every word in it was true. A masterpiece.

 

[s15119]

Of course I'm not buying it. And I'm not buying Tim Cook's speech. Apple has all the freedom to release anything. If Tim Cooks wants to release bottled air and sell it for the price of gold, he may well do it. But I also have the freedom to come to this forum and complain about it, expressing my dislike. I'm not stopping Apple from selling it. I liked so many products Apple has released, and I praised them; but I also complain when I don't like something.

I just can't understand why people are so blind about Apple. When Nokia released their colorful Lumia phones, nobody gave a damn about it. And, indeed, there was nothing to write home about. But now everybody is just "wowed" by Apple's release of colorful iPhones. C'mon. It's just the old model in a plastic case. It's even cheaper for Apple to produce it. I doubt Apple will get away with this one.

That's funny. Seriously. I laughed out loud. Your logic is faulty, but you're a funny guy.



hint: apple already "got away" with it.

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Does it sound like he is going to buy it?

I thin khe just might. Sounds more like a plea for attention than anything else.

 

[skaertus]

Some of this thread is a joke. Honestly I do not care if someone thinks I bought the cheap iPhone if I pull out a 5C. I'm going to be honest I had an iPhone 5 and did not like the look of it... It was crazy fast but didn't like its look... So I went back to my 4S until a new iPhone came out. My fiancée was the same way... She went back to her 4S, we sold our white iPhone 5 and black iPhone 5. Not because of the performance really... I just like the look and feel of the 4/4S better.

Now even though "it's basically and iPhone 5" we are both Getting the 5C. I preordered me white and her blue and they will be here September 20th. Does that make me cheap? Or mean I can't afford the 5S? No it makes it my choice ...

That being said I agree with what the OP was trying to say about the way it was introduced, but the phone isn't a joke

Yes, the iPhone 5c is not a joke as a product. In fact, it's a good product, but the expectations around it due to the unfortunate way it was introduced, make the whole thing a joke.

If Microsoft or Samsung or Google or any other company introduced a rebranded product as something entirely new, the media would bash it, and even the audience might boo the presenter. But if Apple does it, then it's perfectly fine...

 

[cvam1985]

Yes, the iPhone 5c is not a joke as a product. In fact, it's a good product, but the expectations around it due to the unfortunate way it was introduced, make the whole thing a joke.

If Microsoft or Samsung or Google or any other company introduced a rebranded product as something entirely new, the media would bash it, and even the audience might boo the presenter. But if Apple does it, then it's perfectly fine...

Hmm did Apple say it is an "entirely new" product? The first thing the man who designed it says in the video is it is the "distillation of the iPhone 5"

 

[s15119]

Of course they can market it.

But when Tim Cook says that the iPhone business grew so large that Apple could afford releasing two new products, what comes to mind is "Apple must have spent some billion dollars developing the iPhone 5c".

That's not simply marketing. That's inducing people to believe something that is not true.

How exactly do you get one from the other? You're just kinda making it up. Or inducing people to believe something that is not true.