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absynth

macrumors regular
Original poster
Nov 8, 2009
192
79
I am a bit puzzled by Apple's strategy with the iphone 8 / X. There are two reasons.

First reason is they are stepping into a new form factor with new UI while also offering the same old form-factor with the old UI. This kind of half-hearted launch is very unlike the Apple of yore. Wouldn't it be strange had Apple launched the original iphone alongside a blackberry type device with a different version of iOS? We've seen the same with the touchbar on the new MacBook Pro's, which doesn't bode well.

The second reason I'm puzzled is the OLED screen seems to have serious manufacturing restraints, so it will be hard for them to meet demand, leading to lost sales.

So, here's my question: why didnt Apple launch the iPhone 8 / 8+ with the same fullscreen design, but using regular LED screens? The Essential phone is also bezelless with a notch yet it's a regular LED panel. There would still be room for an iPhone 8X with OLED at the very top-end, but demand would be much less hard to serve when the majority can get the new form factor in a cheaper model.

The entirely new larger screen form factor could allow for a slightly higher price-point without feeling they're gauging you.

The line up could look like this:

iPhone 8 5.0" LED $750
iPhone 8+ 5.8" LED $900
iPhone 8x 5.8" OLED $1000 --> the current X

Am I the only one that is puzzled by the regular 8 / 8+ versions?
 

absynth

macrumors regular
Original poster
Nov 8, 2009
192
79
The majority of users don’t know their screen is LED or OLED, so it can’t be the primary selling point between the 8 and X range.

It would be a top of the line model for those that want OLED, yet offer the new form factor to everyone.
They could also offer the OLED model with different finishes like gold / rose gold / jet black as a way to further distinguish it, like they did in the past.
 

44267547

Cancelled
Jul 12, 2016
37,642
42,494
It would be a top of the line model for those that want OLED, yet offer the new form factor to everyone.
They could also offer the OLED model with different finishes like gold / rose gold / jet black as a way to further distinguish it, like they did in the past.

I would say aside from the 5.8 OLED display, face ID is what Apple wants the consumer to have exclusivity to with the iPhone X. I think this technology has a mysterious appeal that most want to have hands on experience with And identity for themselves if this really is the future based on what Apple saying.
 

bufffilm

Suspended
May 3, 2011
4,227
2,536
I am a bit puzzled by Apple's strategy with the iphone 8 / X. There are two reasons.

First reason is they are stepping into a new form factor with new UI while also offering the same old form-factor with the old UI. This kind of half-hearted launch is very unlike the Apple of yore. Wouldn't it be strange had Apple launched the original iphone alongside a blackberry type device with a different version of iOS? We've seen the same with the touchbar on the new MacBook Pro's, which doesn't bode well.

The second reason I'm puzzled is the OLED screen seems to have serious manufacturing restraints, so it will be hard for them to meet demand, leading to lost sales.

So, here's my question: why didnt Apple launch the iPhone 8 / 8+ with the same fullscreen design, but using regular LED screens? The Essential phone is also bezelless with a notch yet it's a regular LED panel. There would still be room for an iPhone 8X with OLED at the very top-end, but demand would be much less hard to serve when the majority can get the new form factor in a cheaper model.

The entirely new larger screen form factor could allow for a slightly higher price-point without feeling they're gauging you.

The line up could look like this:

iPhone 8 5.0" LED $750
iPhone 8+ 5.8" LED $900
iPhone 8x 5.8" OLED $1000 --> the current X

Am I the only one that is puzzled by the regular 8 / 8+ versions?

I didn't read your entire post (too early in the morning and I haven't eaten yet ie. had my coffee), but I'm really only waiting for one thing from Apple - OLED in the 4.7" or 4" iPhone.

When they do that...it's a BUY for me.

But just putting a edge-to-edge LCD display on the phone wouldn't be enough for me.

Want to know something?

If Apple had released the ipX in a 4.4"-4.7" form factor...I'm not so sure I would buy it. That's how much I like TouchID.

Fortunately, that hard choice was avoided. (And the notch needs to go too.)

FaceID may well be the bees-knees. We will await results after the phone reaches people's hands.

But you don't throw out TouchID for Gen1 FaceID at the inception.

That's kinda reckless, Apple.
 
Last edited:

HarryWild

macrumors 68020
Oct 27, 2012
2,049
720
The amount of retooling and testing would be tripled. Apple of today,is about profit margin and marketing. It does not want to do heavy engineering of three different products at the same time. Apple did not even care to bump up the screen resolution the 8 and 8+ since the screens can go up to 2K. Left them the same since the 6 series. It would be better for the user to have true native screen resolution instead of writing it back to 720p for 8 and'1080p for 8+! It would have been just be a software fix!

Refresh rate also is the same too!
 
Last edited:

AppleRobert

macrumors 603
Nov 12, 2012
5,729
1,133
I have never seen carrier, BB or Apple stores in my area so quiet on release day. Just sayin, I do not feel folks think what they have now cannot carry them through for another year. A design change might have influenced more purchases though.
 

Feenician

macrumors 603
Jun 13, 2016
5,313
5,100
I am a bit puzzled by Apple's strategy with the iphone 8 / X. There are two reasons.

First reason is they are stepping into a new form factor with new UI while also offering the same old form-factor with the old UI. This kind of half-hearted launch is very unlike the Apple of yore. Wouldn't it be strange had Apple launched the original iphone alongside a blackberry type device with a different version of iOS? We've seen the same with the touchbar on the new MacBook Pro's, which doesn't bode well.

The second reason I'm puzzled is the OLED screen seems to have serious manufacturing restraints, so it will be hard for them to meet demand, leading to lost sales.

So, here's my question: why didnt Apple launch the iPhone 8 / 8+ with the same fullscreen design, but using regular LED screens? The Essential phone is also bezelless with a notch yet it's a regular LED panel. There would still be room for an iPhone 8X with OLED at the very top-end, but demand would be much less hard to serve when the majority can get the new form factor in a cheaper model.

The entirely new larger screen form factor could allow for a slightly higher price-point without feeling they're gauging you.

The line up could look like this:

iPhone 8 5.0" LED $750
iPhone 8+ 5.8" LED $900
iPhone 8x 5.8" OLED $1000 --> the current X

Am I the only one that is puzzled by the regular 8 / 8+ versions?

For one thing, you can’t cut the notch out of a led screen the ay you can with oled
 
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protoxx

macrumors 6502a
Oct 10, 2013
599
360
With same size and edge to edge screen, more pixels, battery life would be less. If same screen size and dimensions shrunk to make it edge to edge, it would have a smaller battery. Either case battery life would be less.
 
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TinaBelcher

macrumors 65816
Jul 23, 2017
1,221
721
Honestly I never cared for OLED screen. It looked awful on all my past Samsung’s, so fake and so sharp. It made me think all my photos were gorgeous until I uploaded them to my computer and realized how different and color-less they actually were. I’ve always loved LED for being more natural and realistic. I’d rather have LED display for iPhone X, then we would at least have them produced faster. I also thing it’s embarrassing that Apple would have the nerve to ask Samsung to produce the screens as they have sued them many times in the past, and Samsung being dumb for helping someone who took their money.
 
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