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When will the iPhone lose the "newness" factor?

TheSpaz

TheSpaz

macrumors 604
Original poster
Jun 20, 2005
7,032
1
Almost year and a half ago, I bought an iPod touch. This is what started my obsession with Apple's new touch screen devices. I was crazy about it! I loved everything about it and I hacked 100 ways. Now I have 3 iPhones and an iPod touch (Don't ask why) but, to me, the iPhone still hasn't lost it's coolness or "newness" feeling for me. I think this is the longest I've ever loved a piece of electronics.

In the past, I would by a phone or an iPod and it would be the greatest thing for a few months, then I would stop caring about it... take it out of the case... toss it around because it wasn't as cool or awesome anymore.... Until I got the NEXT iPod which was even BETTER! This would happen ALL the time to me... I'd love something for a while and then it would get old.

Well... this hasn't happened with the iPhone yet. I also still love my iPod touch... I don't use it as much anymore, but I take good care of it still and I don't wanna sell it. I'm wondering when my love for the iPhone/iPod touch will wear out... it hasn't yet.

Anyone else feel this way? I know it's just a phone, but it has a strange grip on me.
 
I'd give it 24 months since the release launch ;)
There'll be a better phone by that time (it might be Apple's or someone else's who knows), I'm pretty sure most people will update to the new "phone" by then just like we did when the iPhone was released (if not, keep the iPhone and play with it still)

Right now, I really love my iPhone 3G.
 
I love my phone. I take it with me everywhere and am always playing around with it during my downtime. However, I find myself constantly checking appshopper.com because I feel the iPhone has lost its newness and I have only had it for 3 months. I need that next app "fix" or next firmware update. I'm certainly not completely satisfied with my iPhone experience, otherwise I wouldn't always be looking for that next killer app.

I'm actually inching towards that point where I really am going to need a very new feature soon, likely from a firmware update because all I have been seeing from the App Store the last 2 months are recycled tired ideas.
 
I love my iPhone too ... but man, that Pre is looking red-hot.

Android didn't take away any "shine" from the iPhone, but the Pre might .....
 
No one can answer that for you.

But I know it feels good to have a 16gb white iphone 3g. :) I know that it is the best phone that anyone can have in the world right now (IMO).

Honestly I will be saddened when the iphone gets an upgrade (whether it's just memory or all around), because then I can no longer say that I have the bestest phone I possibly can. haha.
 
kas23 said:
I love my phone. I take it with me everywhere and am always playing around with it during my downtime. However, I find myself constantly checking appshopper.com because I feel the iPhone has lost its newness and I have only had it for 3 months. I need that next app "fix" or next firmware update. I'm certainly not completely satisfied with my iPhone experience, otherwise I wouldn't always be looking for that next killer app.

I'm actually inching towards that point where I really am going to need a very new feature soon, likely from a firmware update because all I have been seeing from the App Store the last 2 months are recycled tired ideas.
Click to expand...

I hear you loud and clear. I guess that's been happening to me lately too. I need the next newest App or Firmware upgrade, but lately, none of the Apps look any good. Just about 10 fart apps per day kinda get boring to sift through. Where are the USEFUL APPS? I don't need games or fart machines... come on developers! Come out with better stuff!
 
Part of the iPhone not loosing its newness is due to the number of Apps available. There's always something new available to play with, and lots of those Apps find a new way to remind you have high the phone's capabilities are.
 
TheSpaz said:
Where are the USEFUL APPS? I don't need games or fart machines... come on developers! Come out with better stuff!
Click to expand...


Unfortunately, I don't think its the developers, but the highly restrictive SDK. Otherwise, we would have had our TomTom, our MMS, our video camera, etc. a very long time ago. Apple really needs to loosen up a bit. The developers have really hit a creative glass ceiling likely due to being handcuffed. For God's sake, there is a combined flashlight/fart app right now! What's next, combination fart app/one touch dialers?
 
TheSpaz said:
Almost year and a half ago, I bought an iPod touch. This is what started my obsession with Apple's new touch screen devices. I was crazy about it! I loved everything about it and I hacked 100 ways. Now I have 3 iPhones and an iPod touch (Don't ask why) but, to me, the iPhone still hasn't lost it's coolness or "newness" feeling for me. I think this is the longest I've ever loved a piece of electronics.

In the past, I would by a phone or an iPod and it would be the greatest thing for a few months, then I would stop caring about it... take it out of the case... toss it around because it wasn't as cool or awesome anymore.... Until I got the NEXT iPod which was even BETTER! This would happen ALL the time to me... I'd love something for a while and then it would get old.

Well... this hasn't happened with the iPhone yet. I also still love my iPod touch... I don't use it as much anymore, but I take good care of it still and I don't wanna sell it. I'm wondering when my love for the iPhone/iPod touch will wear out... it hasn't yet.

Anyone else feel this way? I know it's just a phone, but it has a strange grip on me.
Click to expand...

I've also been hooked on the platform (of Apple's touchscreen devices) since I bought my Touch over a year ago.

It's a fundamentally fantastic piece of kit - perfect size, large, bright screen, wonderful interface etc.
But the device I love now is essentially different to the one I bought a year ago (not only because it's become a phone!)
Apple has continued updating the software, and all-importantly, now so too can anybody, within some limits.

It's the phenomenal openness and potential of Apps (but don't leave the first standard deviation of them, or they start sucking) which has kept me a loving customer.

My last ooooooze of enthusiasm: what Apple's really done is to create a new operating system, and platform. And thanks to the App store, this platform is unique.:D
 
Lose the "newness" factor? A few weeks after people no longer had to stand in line in front of an Apple store to get a 3G.

iPhones are all over the place now. And the copycat competitors have already turned up their PR campaigns for their one-upmanship vaporware, which of course, they hope, will render every device announced the previous week or earlier as utterly obsolete and useless.

.
 
Lets face it... The iphone is the honda civic of cell phones just like the Razor was the Chevy Cavalier of cell phones in its day.
 
firewood said:
Lose the "newness" factor? A few weeks after people no longer had to stand in line in front of an Apple store to get a 3G.

iPhones are all over the place now. And the copycat competitors have already turned up their PR campaigns for their one-upmanship vaporware, which of course, they hope, will render every device announced the previous week or earlier as utterly obsolete and useless.

.
Click to expand...

I believe he means a personal newness, like a marriage's honeymoon period.
 
It still has a newness factor to me, and I have the iPhone Classic (my trademark). I find new uses for it quite often, so it still seems very new, albeit slow. I just found the USA Today and ABC News apps, which go nicely with AP news and the NY Times. I still have a problem filtering out the crap apps, but it still beats the combination of my old Razr and my 30GB iPod.
 
dissdnt said:
It felt dated the moment i saw the new Palm.
Click to expand...

I agree. After I saw the UI demos, my iPhone's UI felt old and counter-intuitive. I REALLY, REALLY like the new WebOS from Palm. After my AT&T contract is up next year, I think I'm going to be considering a Palm Pre, unless Apple has leveled-up the iPhone by then. Either way, the Pre is definitely going to push Apple to make iPhone even better. Forget the Blackberry, LG, HTC, and Samsung touchscreen phones. Now, iPhone has a true competitor worthy of the title "iPhone killer".
 
I think the iPhone doesn't loose its newness factor quickly is because you will always find a new use for it ever single day, solving a different problem, finding out a new piece of information. Its constantly being used in really diverse ways and your always doing something different with it.

That's my theory anyway :)
 
Santa Rosa said:
I think the iPhone doesn't loose its newness factor quickly is because you will always find a new use for it ever single day, solving a different problem, finding out a new piece of information. Its constantly being used in really diverse ways and your always doing something different with it.

That's my theory anyway :)
Click to expand...

How long have you had your phone? I've had mine for 3 months and I'm struggling to find new uses for my phone everyday. Since I'm an appshopper junky, I know about most everything (about 99%) that is available on the App Store and I'm seeing a depressing trend in what I have been seeing come out lately.

However, Google of all companies has been giving me hope because they come out with fresh ideas about every week and many of these idea and uses can be accomplished via the iPhone. Google has been very innovative lately - and very open and forthcoming too, which I find refreshing.
 
kas23 said:
I love my phone. I take it with me everywhere and am always playing around with it during my downtime. However, I find myself constantly checking appshopper.com because I feel the iPhone has lost its newness and I have only had it for 3 months. I need that next app "fix" or next firmware update. I'm certainly not completely satisfied with my iPhone experience, otherwise I wouldn't always be looking for that next killer app.

I'm actually inching towards that point where I really am going to need a very new feature soon, likely from a firmware update because all I have been seeing from the App Store the last 2 months are recycled tired ideas.
Click to expand...

Hey I agree with you on almost everything you said here...I have my 1st gen phone from september 2007...got a little bored during april, but when the app store was introduced ....started liking it more than ever. (I didnt want to move to iphone 3g cause of the plastic feel, was willing to sacrifice 3g for the aluminium solid build form factor on my 1st gen). I still love my iphone, and will be happy as long as new firmware updates keep coming along with new features (i hope push notification comes [more of a messenger person]..wouldnt want to exchange my iphone for another new phone for now.
 
TheSpaz said:
Anyone else feel this way? I know it's just a phone, but it has a strange grip on me.
Click to expand...

yaiss someone said that you can buy your freedom with money and also your prision. Why do you've have 3 iphones and 1 touch? why not only 1 device?
JzzChrst, kids are starving in the world right now...
 
I have 3 iPhone's and an iPod touch also! I'm not bragging when I say this, but isn't it cool when you hold your iPhone in your hand and think "This is the best phone ever made, and I have one?"
I love them.
 
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