Why is it so hard to get excited for the new iPhone?

[ryanbates]

I've owned every iPhone (currently have the 6s Plus) and I think I'm going to move to the Note 7, at least until iPhone 8.

After a year of owning the Plus, I've found the size to be annoying. It's a big phone, too big thanks to the large bezels. I planned to go with the 4.7" iPhone 7 but it seems like this time around the Plus is the only one getting the real benefits. Yes the Note 7 is a big phone but it's a big phone in a smaller body than the 6s Plus.

 

[boltjames]

The emotional answer is:

Because the iPhone 6 is the Greatest Consumer Electronic Product of All Time and by definition anything after it will only be slightly incremental.

The financial answer is:

Because the mobile companies changed their pricing structure where iPhone's are no longer subsidized, these cost real money now, you can't sell your iPhone on Craigslist for what you paid for it and use that money to pay for the brand new one anymore.

BJ

 

[I7guy]

The emotional answer is:

Because the iPhone 6 is the Greatest Consumer Electronic Product of All Time and by definition anything after it will only be slightly incremental.

The financial answer is:

Because the mobile companies changed their pricing structure where iPhone's are no longer subsidized, these cost real money now, you can't sell your iPhone on Craigslist for what you paid for it and use that money to pay for the brand new one anymore.

BJ

The subsidies were also removed for HTC and Samsung. Except the carriers want to still sell phones and so does apple so financing is available.

 

[boltjames]

The subsidies were also removed for HTC and Samsung. Except the carriers want to still sell phones and so does apple so financing is available.

I would never consider an Android so what the other manufacturers have done is of no interest to me.

Where I used to be able to purchase the iPhone 6 via AT&T for $299 and then sell the phone 2 years later for the same $299 I will now have to spend $700 with no hope of recouping that all. And I have a family of 6 with 4 iPhone's in use, that's $2,800 I'll spend and perhaps only get back $1,000 years down the road. There is nothing incremental enough in the 7 to make me want to lose that much money on the 6's I already have, and they will cost me $0 over the next two years instead of $2,800.

BJ

 

[aces99]

I think the reason is that people are not getting excited and upgrading to new ones as much because phones has kind of peaked and there are not much innovation from iteration to iteration. If something really innovative or exciting comes along then people will get excited about the new phones. But I haven't really soon anything exciting come out for awhile now that would make me upgrade and it doesn't sound like the iPhone 7 is any different.

 

[I7guy]

I would never consider an Android so what the other manufacturers have done is of no interest to me.

Where I used to be able to purchase the iPhone 6 via AT&T for $299 and then sell the phone 2 years later for the same $299 I will now have to spend $700 with no hope of recouping that all. And I have a family of 6 with 4 iPhone's in use, that's $2,800 I'll spend and perhaps only get back $1,000 years down the road. There is nothing incremental enough in the 7 to make me want to lose that much money on the 6's I already have, and they will cost me $0 over the next two years instead of $2,800.

BJ

I understand your point, but my point is this is the industry as it stands today. I have 4 iphones in the family and we trickle down the updates.

 

[boltjames]

I understand your point, but my point is this is the industry as it stands today. I have 4 iphones in the family and we trickle down the updates.

Fair enough, but I believe we are officially at the point where the iPhone 6 is the top of the heap, it's fast enough, it's powerful enough, it performs brilliantly and no next-gen version can separate itself enough to make it a value. We're on the downtrend from here, market is saturated, pricing is 2x what it once was.

If the rumors are true, we are gaining very little. Sure, an extra few minutes of battery life, a better camera, but clearly the days of quantum leap releases are over and when there is no function to get excited about it comes down to fashion and in the protective cases we all use a black screen is a black screen and iOS is iOS.

Point being, as it stands now you're looking at an original line-waiter for all the iPhone releases, I was one of those nutjobs waiting at a mall door at 4AM on release day in 2008, getting the phone by 10AM, going home exhausted and unfit for work, you know the drill. And if I'm going to take a pass on the iPhone 7 you know a whole bunch more without my passion and my financial means will as well. Salad days are over for Apple. It's sad for the fans, I'm going to miss the excitement at the keynote, the desperate preorder at 3AM west coast time, the waiting by the front door for the FedEx truck.

It sure was a great run though. From the iPod Nano to the iPhone 6, best 10 year span in consumer electronics history.

BJ

 

[JackieInCo]

I notice it's getting harder and harder to get excited about the new iPhone launches. Why do you think it is? Are we just to spoiled by all the great technology? Or has Apple really failed to innovate ?

For me, it's kind of like an iPhone is an iPhone is an iPhone and so on.

Several years ago, I skipped the iPhone 5 and bought a Nexus 4. That kind of started me on this thing where I didn't need to have every iPhone every year because there just isn't enough changes to make the cost worth it,

This last year, I bought an iPhone 6S, 6S+, Note 5 and two S 7 Edge phones. I skipped the iPhone 6 and will likely skip the 7. I'll be skipping the Note 7 as well and will likely wait and see what happens with the next Nexus but my next phone will be an Android again.

 

[Radon87000]

And there you have it, the sales kept on going up and up. Clearly something was there for people to keep buying it more and more.

Steve Jobs.The guy responsible for 90% of Apple's profits and product line

 

[C DM]

Steve Jobs.The guy responsible for 90% of Apple's profits and product line

Right, the guy who didn't believe in larger iPhones, the ones that actually sold better than any other iPhones. Clearly that must be it. I'm guessing this will be spun some other way, simply deflected, or just ignored as usual though.

 

[Dave245]

I think because sometimes people have higher expectations than what are being met at the time. Take the iPhone 7 rumours for example, some people are not happy about it keeping the same design (apparently obviously it's all just rumour at this point). Personally I don't mind because the iPhone 6 desigin was one of the best in my option. I think people are expecting Apple to change the game every year and it's just not going to happen.

Am I excited for the iPhone 7? I should probably answer that better after Apple's event next month. But being someone who has an iPhone 6 Plus, I'm looking forward to seeing what happens, I'm excited to see what Apple does with the rumoured dual camera and I'm also excited to see if there are any little surprises that haven't leaked out yet

 

[JayIsAwesome]

I'm still excited.. but the days of iPhone launches like it was in 2010 are long gone..

Sadly the summer 2010 phone releases were awesome. Droid X (Verizon) vs. iPhone 4 (AT&T) vs. HTC Evo (Sprint). There was also the arrival of Samsung's Galaxy S line

 

[Radon87000]

Right, the guy who didn't believe in larger iPhones, the ones that actually sold better than any other iPhones. Clearly that must be it. I'm guessing this will be spun some other way, simply deflected, or just ignored as usual though.

Unlike Tim,Jobs didn't focus on getting profit no matter what.Increasing screen size to boost sales by copying what the competition does using your own strengths to magnify it was a short term manoeuver and it fizzled out shortly after iPhone 6 launched.Now key revenue indicators are dropping.If Steve were alive he would be focused on redefining other product categories(Hint-Its not audio innovation or removing antenna bands or birthday emojis)

 

[I7guy]

Right, the guy who didn't believe in larger iPhones, the ones that actually sold better than any other iPhones. Clearly that must be it. I'm guessing this will be spun some other way, simply deflected, or just ignored as usual though.

You were correct.
[doublepost=1471347438][/doublepost]

Fair enough, but I believe we are officially at the point where the iPhone 6 is the top of the heap, it's fast enough, it's powerful enough, it performs brilliantly and no next-gen version can separate itself enough to make it a value. We're on the downtrend from here, market is saturated, pricing is 2x what it once was.

If the rumors are true, we are gaining very little. Sure, an extra few minutes of battery life, a better camera, but clearly the days of quantum leap releases are over and when there is no function to get excited about it comes down to fashion and in the protective cases we all use a black screen is a black screen and iOS is iOS.

Point being, as it stands now you're looking at an original line-waiter for all the iPhone releases, I was one of those nutjobs waiting at a mall door at 4AM on release day in 2008, getting the phone by 10AM, going home exhausted and unfit for work, you know the drill. And if I'm going to take a pass on the iPhone 7 you know a whole bunch more without my passion and my financial means will as well. Salad days are over for Apple. It's sad for the fans, I'm going to miss the excitement at the keynote, the desperate preorder at 3AM west coast time, the waiting by the front door for the FedEx truck.

It sure was a great run though. From the iPod Nano to the iPhone 6, best 10 year span in consumer electronics history.

BJ

Fair enough. However, in going to do what I did last year...wait a month or so and try our the different models. I may even get the 7+. Wife gets my 6s.

 

[Radon87000]

You were correct.
[doublepost=1471347438][/doublepost]
Fair enough. However, in going to do what I did last year...wait a month or so and try our the different models. I may even get the 7+. Wife gets my 6s.

Of course you would say that

 

[I7guy]

Of course you would say that

Back at you. As predictable as the sun rising in the east.
[doublepost=1471349531][/doublepost]

Unlike Tim,Jobs didn't focus on getting profit no matter what.Increasing screen size to boost sales by copying what the competition does using your own strengths to magnify it was a short term manoeuver and it fizzled out shortly after iPhone 6 launched.Now key revenue indicators are dropping.If Steve were alive he would be focused on redefining other product categories(Hint-Its not audio innovation or removing antenna bands or birthday emojis)

By the same token, Steve's judgement could have been off and he might have produced another failure, sending apple into a nosedive. Something Timmy hasn't done. The issue with projecting such hypothetical "what would Steve" do, is that it ignores, a lapse in judgement could have been fatal for apple. For whatever you say about Timmy, he has brought the company to most valuable brand, most valuable company, many record breaking quarters. People are buying the products.

 

[Three141]

Down to the following:

No more mystery, ever since Gizmodo leaked the Iphone 4 Apple's just not been that great at keeping secrets and that was part of the 'ohhhh...ahhhh' appeal of Apple. I mean it is crazy that the 2016 iphone has not been released but we have good rumours and ideas of how the 2017 iphone will be for example, it's almost as if we've all written this one off and are awaiting the anniversary special.

Samsung, technology wise they have thrown the kitchen sink at the smart phone market and each phone released shows how far back the competition is.

No longer king of design or variety, Apple phone designs of late have been 'meh' of late with Android phones out shining them and the colour options looks like they are straight out of a black and white film, it's almost hard to imagine this is the company that gave us multi coloured mac and Ipods.

 

[GrandeLatte]

I think it's because newer phones do everything already, and with every new release, there's only so much advancement/ excitement Apple can add.

Then all the sizes are out at varying price points, so that satisfies many customers, so we get less and less excited. Personally, I'm holding onto my SE until 2017- hoping for that revolutionary new iPhone!

 

[geta]

It will be like any another new phone that will do 99% what other smartphones can do these days... are you excited when Samsung, LG or other company releasing new TV model?

The day my phone will make me coffee and fresh muffin in the morning i will be excited.

 

[macfacts]

Apple needs to release more iOS updates to slow old iphones, then people will upgrade.

 

[BenTrovato]

Minor improvements that cost a thousand dollars is a bit much. Apple changed the formula from getting people excited to ticking people off.

 

[boltjames]

Apple needs to release more iOS updates to slow old iphones, then people will upgrade.

No joke, it's the reason my iPad 2 needed to be upgraded to the Air. That last iOS update a month before the Air's release just nuked my older iPad, slowed it to the point of making it practically unusable. I'm holding off on all iPhone iOS updates until they are verified as safe for the 6, especially in the next few months when this trick usually gets played.

BJ

 

[C DM]

Unlike Tim,Jobs didn't focus on getting profit no matter what.Increasing screen size to boost sales by copying what the competition does using your own strengths to magnify it was a short term manoeuver and it fizzled out shortly after iPhone 6 launched.Now key revenue indicators are dropping.If Steve were alive he would be focused on redefining other product categories(Hint-Its not audio innovation or removing antenna bands or birthday emojis)

Well, like I said: deflected, spun, and ignored as usual. Seems like my point still stands, also as usual.

 

[I7guy]

Minor improvements that cost a thousand dollars is a bit much. Apple changed the formula from getting people excited to ticking people off.

Ticking people off? How do you know how many people are ticked off? I'm not.
[doublepost=1471356932][/doublepost]

No joke, it's the reason my iPad 2 needed to be upgraded to the Air. That last iOS update a month before the Air's release just nuked my older iPad, slowed it to the point of making it practically unusable. I'm holding off on all iPhone iOS updates until they are verified as safe for the 6, especially in the next few months when this trick usually gets played.

BJ

my iPad 2 is quite usable on 9.3.4. And for an almost 6 year old device has current functionality and a patched operating system.

 

[mende1]

Looking at what the rumors say about the next year iPhone is quite hard to get excited about the 2016 iPhone. However, nobody forces you to always buy the latest and greatest device, and let's be serious: only people like us care about rumors. There will be people who will get this year's iPhone no matter what the rumors say, and just because they need a new phone (or they can't stand owning an old device ).

Last year I had to get a phone (my first phone), and I decided to get a Nokia Lumia 735. It was cheap and it came with Windows Phone 8.1 (now running Windows 10 Mobile): although it may not have a lot of apps, it's fast, beautiful and it meets my needs. Perfect. But now I'm worried about the future of Windows phones, as more and more developers are stopping apps support for Windows Phone, and I may have to leave the platform if an app I use do it. So right now I'm looking for a (possible) new phone.

As a "long" Apple user (6 years since I got my iMac, and user of a MacBook Pro and a 4th generation iPad with the latest iOS version), I find iOS a bit boring, and iOS 10 made things a bit worse, so I looked at the Android ship and found the Nexus 6P. A bit expensive (not quite different from the iPhone in that aspect) but beautiful and with the quality of a stock Android system.

The main problem of Android is its terrible update system, probably the worst I've ever seen, so I looked at the end-of-support date (referring to the date when Google may stop releasing Android updates with new features for it)... and it's September 2017 . How could anyone get a phone that will be left behind in only one year?

Apart from that, another terrifying issue is Android's security. Last week a bug that affects 800 million Android phones (related to Qualcomm parts) was discovered, and now there's another one related to the Linux kernel that may affect up to 1.4 billion devices (I just quote what I read at ArsTechnica, but I find that number a bit strange considering that 3.6 is a very recent Linux kernel version).

Because of all those reasons, I would never consider anything different to the iPhone until Google fixes those serious issues with the Android ecosystem, no matter how boring iOS could be. A suitable phone to me should last for about 5 years, and only an iPhone gives me that support. I've suffered enough with other Android brands (and Samsung is/was the worst with their mid-range phones) to not even consider them.

So there's a high possibility that my next phone would be the 2016 iPhone even when I'd love to try Android again, but I cannot (and I don't want to) buy a new phone every 1 or 2 years just to get updates and be relatively safe. It's sad