Turnout for iPhone 8 Launch in Australia 'Bleak' as Customers Hold Out for Upcoming iPhone X

[Freida]

I like your response and now I feel that we are on the same page even though we disagree on certain parts.

$89 vs $890

I don't think its fair to scale the price of a gift based on the amount of money you make. In general it works for certain things but in general just because I make 10x more doesn't mean the gift should cost 10x more.
On your example, I think $89 is what it should be regardless if you earn $25k or $250k a year.
Why? Just because I can afford to buy something for my kid doesn't mean I should.
It has to be proportional not to your salary but to the kid and kid's age (and needs).

As for crappy jobs - well, here is another look. Having crappy job and having that experience often teaches us more than just value for money. It teaches us that nothing is perfect and that life is not always easy, It teaches us how to deal with these kinda situation and circumstances. It helps us grow as people and it often gives us better insight overall. Living in a bubble created and protected by parents is not really preparing us for the 'real' world. Yes, the kid may never need to know these things but that is for another discussion.

Here is another thought for a discussion. When we were kids we were taught how to use practical thinking, boy scout taught us how to survive in nature, start fire when its raining etc.
Kids these days don't know these things and you can rightfully say that you can find all the info on google which is correct. However, have a kid that is in outdoor, accident happen and phone battery is empty - that kid is most likely ****ed!
(exaggerated for demonstration but I think you understand my point)

Regardless, I think there should be balance so yeah, teach a kid how to make $1000 is great point and I like your thinking there but also, teach your kid that not everything is perfect and how to deal with it is also great point. The more experience the better, right? Consumerism is not helping anyone and it creates false impression about things.

Anyway, all good here.

that is correct..
however, it's all relative.

my parents were broke.. they made maybe $25,000/year (in today's money)..
my 'big' xmas gift would be something like an $89 bike from kmart..
i'll assume an $89 gift is something you'd consider acceptable, correct?


but, let's say they made $250k/yr.. then, buying an $890 item is equivalent to my parents buying an $89 item.

in a society with a different type of money distribution (in simple terms, say, communism instead of capitalism) then your argument holds more weight.. but in the society many/most of us are in right now, it's not really saying much and you're instead speaking of your personal experience as if it's the same for everyone else.. you're judging what someone else should buy based on the amount of money you're personally familiar with.. which is a mistake (imo).


---
but again, as said by me a few times in this thread.. i didn't buy my childs' phone(s) (i have two daughters)... i pay their phone bill but the physical phones aren't bought by me.. their original phones were but they've since upgraded, a few times, on their own dime.



kids can earn money.. and considerably more than 'pennies'.

i think a key difference between my parenting style and that of those who are offended by my original post regarding this is:
they'll encourage a kid to get a paper route job in which they'll have to wake up at 3am, pack papers, deliver them to houses before anybody else wakes up, get back home by 7am.. and have 50 bucks to save that week..
then these particular adults are further encouraging by being proud of the kid as they're learning some sort of valuable life lesson.. etc.

whereas i-- would make the kid get the paper route job.. just so they can experience what a crappy job that is and the amount of time spent is a complete rip off considering the amount of spending power received.. their time, even as a child

idk, if you teach a kid to get a crappy job that's hardly enjoyable/stimulating and pays very little... and that this is a good thing.. well.. you figure out the rest but it's likely this lesson youre teaching is going to carry with them their entire life.


cool.
you could also show them how to earn $1000.. exploit the fact that they're 11 and that there are certain jobs for 11 year olds which can't be done by a 16+ year old..
teach the kid how to make money.

or, just tell them they're crazy instead.. up to you.

 

[BruceEBonus]

Loads of nonsense. If you believe the 8 is a minor upgrade, you aren’t paying attention. Performance wise it’s blowing everything out of the water. Especially the android knockoffs.
[doublepost=1506085751][/doublepost]
Prove it.

If a speeded up processor is one of the great new "features" of the 8. Then prepare to be unfazed by any future release. The iPhone is ALWAYS faster than its predecessor. It means nothing in the real world and would only be of interest from a current 7 user if that user was a 'Professional' user. And if you find such a person then congratulate him on getting someone daft enough to pay him/her to use it.
For the remaining 99.42% - a faster processor isn't so much a game changer more of a given expectation.
But if you think it's worth shelling out a few hundred quid to make those emails fly faster then be my guest.

If you're stressed, it's your credit card we suggest ... be our guest, be our guest, be our guest!

 

[shastada]

Here's a little secret. I'm Apple's biggest fan but I'm stilling using an iPhone 5S !

I was going to get the 6S but because of shortages I'd have had to wait to January, by which time I thought, might as well wait for the 7.

Then my battery started to go and again I couldn't get my hands on a 7 when they came out, so I changed the battery myself for $25.

So then there was no hurry and the rumours were last year's model was going to be the big new form factor. But it wasn't. So I waited another year. Crazy to change my phone just before the big upgrade.

Meanwhile I'm thinking, wow that $25 iFixit battery has saved me a couple of thousand dollars now. And now with iOS11 my phone is working better and faster than ever lol.

I definitely want to get an X this year. In fact I'm going to force myself to order online and pay the full price rather than wait for my phone company to get them and get a discount, because otherwise I know another year will go by …

Bingo...

They should have made 2 versions of the iPhone X instead of an iPhone 8.

They're saving the upsized X for next year to have something 'new' to show off. Next year you'll have the iPhone 8s, 8s+ and the X2 and X2+ or whatever nonsensical naming convention they use.

 

[MintzMintz]

Still one of my favorite iphone launches

Like that Video !!!

 

[Olganech]

No 11 year old should be carrying around a $1,000.00 phone. It does not matter if the parents can afford it or not.

The child is being placed in danger of being mugged and having the phone stolen.

 

[LordVic]

Sorry to say this, but I just wanna cry. 11 year old kid has iPhone 7+ and wants 8 and its ok?
Not to insult your parenting style or anything so I'll just say that my mum would never allow us to have such expensive things at that age and I hope to continue the same parenting as she gave us because I think it taught us values etc.
I don't mean to insult you (please don't get upset) but I just don't think its right.
Anyway, you have your style, I hope to have mine so we will agree to disagree and no harm is done.

Baffling though

life is far different now for kids than when we were kids. heck, when i was 11, there was no internet. Web wasn't popular until my teen years. first web enabled phones till my 20's

however, kids these days are having the internet and connectivity in their faces since the moment they're born. everything they read, watch and do has online connectivity. from textbooks, schoolbooks, classes, and even friend / social. Where we used to pick up the landline, call our friends and hope they're home, these kids are now doing it with texting and other online sources.

I'm not sure an 11 year old absolutely needs a phone with LTE connection. But at home, they likely need some online device. My nieces are 5 and 10 and have iPad minis. However, they're not getting their own cell phones till they start driving, since at these ages, they're always going to be around adults anyways.

 

[tongefactor40]

Yes, most people I know with an iPhone got it at least partly because they didn't want to spend a lot of time worrying about which model to get because of different features. It's easier to just choose size, color and storage.



True, right now they're all fairly boring slabs. Plus some good features disappeared in the name of "simplicity". (I still miss having an optical trackball beneath the touchscreen, to scroll around without having to move my thumb more than a fraction of an inch.)

But that doesn't mean there's nothing left. Holographic displays come to mind. And I think phones should be able to read your face and hand gestures and just plain be much smarter assistants.

The next big thing that most of us are realistically looking forward to, are phones with folding displays. Allowing a small pocketable item to flip out to a larger mini-tablet.

A projector type camera/display would be cool. I like the X spec bump but don’t think we will see many revolutionary advancements from Apple or Samsung on the next couple years.

I would like to see better AI, the movie “Her” comes to mind, truly a collaborative AI system in that movie. Siri (and all the others) are hot garbage still.

 

[baller1308]

Hold out for X, or just not not getting another iPhone this year?

I'm sure a lot of people are using AUP and are waiting for the X.

 

[bmelson0412]

That is $1000 in Trumpland.. Here that same ifone will retail at least $3000...The same phone, for $2000 more per phone...It works out cheaper to fly via Dubai to New York, stay 1 week in NYC, and fly back with the new ifone than to buy it locally...

Believe me, if you lived in Dubai. You would know how to spell english properly.

 

[NMSUballa]

Not a surprise. A good portion of those lines are usually filled with scalpers and they know there will be no profit on this 8.

 

[gadgetgirl85]

I definitely notice speed/camera differences from my 6S+ to 8+ but the phone doesn't scream wow to me. It's been awhile since an Apple phone did that for me. The X doesn't either. If it wasn't for the fact that I had a big Apple voucher and that I'm so tied into the Apple ecosystem, I probably would have bought an S8.

 

[T-R-S]

those are the people in line that don't want to pay $1000 for a cell phone. I am going to wait for the iPhone X2....
OTH it's getting really hard for people to get a wow these days

 

[DarthMoops]

There needs to be regime change at Apple immediately.

Maybe swap Tim Cook and Kim Jong-Un?

We get a kinder gentler North Korea and man would Apple employees be on their toes!

 

[Breaking Good]

I thought I'd heard that Angela Ahrendts wasn't a fan of people having to line up on release date, and they were working to get more of the initial sales handled online. I thought this was discussed last year. Hmm.

Rich people don’t wait in line. They consider it beneath them.

If you have to wait in line for your new US$1,000 phone, it takes away from the “experience”.

 

[sdugoten]

iPhone 8 is already 5% off here at Hong Kong. The Retail price for iPhone 8 plus is $6888 HKD, but you can now walk in to Smartone store buying iPhone 8 Plus without service plan for $6588 HKD.

 

[Spacetime Anomaly]

Maybe this is indicative of a wider trend, where smartphones are now considered mundane, everyday items.

Like buying a new toaster. When you need a new one, you buy one, but you're not going to queue all morning for it.

 

[norbinhouston]

Apple sells that many phone in part because of the built-in obsolescence of the phone and/or iOS. After a couple of generations, just like a Windows PC, the thing becomes laggy and slow. If it didn't, would people still buy a new phone?

"Try harder"? I hope that is directed at Apple...

That's not planned obsolescence. If you're going to use a bullet point from the Apple Hater's manual, you should at least understand its meaning. lol. I'm sure you don't though, just parroting terms you hear from the Apple Hater's manual.

 

[pgwalsh]

Dear Apple,

Please make a phone that's unbreakable. I want one that I can take scuba diving and take pictures under water (no case required). I want my kids to be able to drop it without needing a ginormous cumbersome case to protect it. I want it to take video like a GoPro and be able to mount it on my mountain bike and not worry about damaging it when I crash into that tree, again. I want my phone to be a warrior while I pretend to be one. Where's the innovation?

 

[Abazigal]

Dear Apple,

Please make a phone that's unbreakable. I want one that I can take scuba diving and take pictures under water (no case required). I want my kids to be able to drop it without needing a ginormous cumbersome case to protect it. I want it to take video like a GoPro and be able to mount it on my mountain bike and not worry about damaging it when I crash into that tree, again. I want my phone to be a warrior while I pretend to be one. Where's the innovation?

Innovation doesn’t necessarily making a product that you specifically want, at the expense of everyone else.

 

[Brandhouse]

Because we're waiting for the X

 

[pgwalsh]

Innovation doesn’t necessarily making a product that you specifically want, at the expense of everyone else.

At the expense of everyone else. ha.. That's hilarious.

How does a stronger and more durable product come at the expense of everyone else. Ever heard of diversifying a product line. Plus no one will force you to buy it, but hey as long as they give you what you want you might as well shoot down things that others might want.

 

[Abazigal]

At the expense of everyone else. ha.. That's hilarious.

Isn’t it? Seems everyone has their own idea of what the ideal smartphone ought to entail, but design always come with its share of compromises, and the reality is that everyone’s needs are different, and a feature won’t always benefit everyone equally. You want more battery, it means a thicker and heavier device, especially for users who might not need that much juice in the first place, for instance.

 

[pgwalsh]

Isn’t it? Seems everyone has their own idea of what the ideal smartphone ought to entail, but design always come with its share of compromises, and the reality is that everyone’s needs are different, and a feature won’t always benefit everyone equally. You want more battery, it means a thicker and heavier device, especially for users who might not need that much juice in the first place, for instance.

The problem is you look through narrow glasses. No where did I say they have to stop producing what they currently produce. I am just asking for something that would appeal to people that have a bit more of an active or rougher lifestyle. There's no harm in that, but it bothers you for some reason which I find hilarious and silly. If it's doesn't suite "your" needs that's okay, no harm done, but there are people that would appreciate that type of product.

 

[Abazigal]

The problem is you look through narrow glasses. No where did I say they have to stop producing what they currently produce. I am just asking for something that would appeal to people that have a bit more of an active or rougher lifestyle. There's no harm in that, but it bothers you for some reason which I find hilarious and silly. If it's doesn't suite "your" needs that's okay, no harm done, but there are people that would appreciate that type of product.

And the issue is that there likely isn’t enough people desiring such a product to make it economically viable. Plus, there are cases precisely for this sort of scenario.

I think it’s ironic that you bring up the issue of narrow glasses, because that seems to be precisely what is going on here. People focusing narrowly on their needs and their needs alone, without also looking at the big picture in its totality and asking “why”.

 

[pgwalsh]

And the issue is that there likely isn’t enough people desiring such a product to make it economically viable. Plus, there are cases precisely for this sort of scenario.

Glad to know you've done the market research already and you know what would and wouldn't sell. Way to be proactive.

I think it’s ironic that you bring up the issue of narrow glasses, because that seems to be precisely what is going on here. People focusing narrowly on their needs and their needs alone, without also looking at the big picture in its totality and asking “why”.

Ah so a few different features and sizes is all that's needed, but that's not narrow. Different needs for different people and precisely why Apple expanded their product line from the original iPhone. I'm talking about a more robust product than what's currently available, about diversification and you have a problem with that. I know a ton of people in the trade industry that would be all over that type of phone.