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Will iOS 7 look dampen sales?

M

MeatRocket

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jun 9, 2013
142
0
In the Sandbox
Just curious if any of you thought the look of iOS 7 in its present form will deter some potential buyers of the iPhone?
I know there are some Android devices that have suffered from the interface. At the time, the Motorola Atrix was top of the line hardware but the interface (MotoBlur) was so hideous that I opted for a non-stellar competitor (HTC Aspire).
Do you guys forsee any similar problems for Apple?
 
MeatRocket said:
Just curious if any of you thought the look of iOS 7 in its present form will deter some potential buyers of the iPhone?
I know there are some Android devices that have suffered from the interface. At the time, the Motorola Atrix was top of the line hardware but the interface (MotoBlur) was so hideous that I opted for a non-stellar competitor (HTC Aspire).
Do you guys forsee any similar problems for Apple?
Click to expand...


I don't think so because I feel like the new and refreshed look of ios 7 would probe more interest and curiosity than deterring people. Apple has had the same look for years and this is the first major UI overhaul, and I genuinely think that people would be interested to see what Apple came up with. However, after they bought/tried it, whether they like it and decide to stick with it will be up to personal preferences.
 
BasicGreatGuy said:
I think so. To what extent, I can't say. But, I do think that said segment of Apple users will be in the minority.
Click to expand...

I would expect that there probably wouldn't be a lot of existing iPhone users who would fall into the category. I'm more curious about newcomers interested in the iPhone & then disregarding it based solely on its interface - i.e. flourescent/pastel colors turn them off.
 
MeatRocket said:
I would expect that there probably wouldn't be a lot of existing iPhone users who would fall into the category. I'm more curious about newcomers interested in the iPhone & then disregarding it based solely on its interface - i.e. flourescent/pastel colors turn them off.
Click to expand...

Hard to say. Many kids are fickle and embrace logical fallacy, without even realizing what it is. At this point, it is a crap shoot.
 
Yeah, I don't think kids will be an issue. They'll probably like it. I know the colors turn me off to the point I wouldn't buy it, but I'm a 40yo man. I could see buying it if they gave me a way to change the color scheme, but that's not the way Apple's ever done things on the iPhone.
 
I can't believe people will buy a smart phone for looks of Icons or background vs. function but I guess some people are that strange.
It is what a phone does and how easy it is to do it that counts.

I predict and I know nothing about it that iPhones sales will increase when IOS7 comes out.
 
If the aesthetics don't change, and there isn't a mod to change them, then I will be looking to purchase another type of phone for the first time since 2007. I want the new functionality in IOS7, but the new aesthetic (thin font and whites) causes too much strain on my aging eyes.

I understand Google plans to revamp Android in October, so I will see what that brings. If I see nothing there I like, I will stick to IOS 6 until someone releases a mod/jailbreak to change the aesthetics of IOS7.
 
MeatRocket said:
Just curious if any of you thought the look of iOS 7 in its present form will deter some potential buyers of the iPhone?
I know there are some Android devices that have suffered from the interface. At the time, the Motorola Atrix was top of the line hardware but the interface (MotoBlur) was so hideous that I opted for a non-stellar competitor (HTC Aspire).
Do you guys forsee any similar problems for Apple?
Click to expand...

For every 1 person who doesn't buy an iPhone based on the look of their icons, 5 more people will buy it based on the improved functionality.
 
I think there's a possibility that people might buy it, but then use it less. There are many usability problems that make it less pleasant to use, and people could stop using iOS without even consciously knowing why.
 
portishead said:
For every 1 person who doesn't buy an iPhone based on the look of their icons, 5 more people will buy it based on the improved functionality.
Click to expand...
More advanced users, like the members of this forum, are a small minority. As an advanced user, I really like the new functionality. However, most users (think your mom, grandma) are casual users and could care less about the new features. Casual users simply want a simple phone that works. IMO, IOS7 isn't as easy to use for casual users, which account for around 90 percent of smartphone users.
 
KenAF said:
As a more advances users, I really like the new functionality. However, most users (think your mom, grandmother) are casual users and could care less about the new features. Casual users simply want an simple phone that works. IMO, IOS7 isn't as easy to use for casual users, which account for 90 percent of the smartphone market.
Click to expand...

My mom and my grandma would never own an iPhone anyway. They're still stuck using flip phones. Also I don't think 90% of the smartphone market is as dumb as you think they are.
 
MeatRocket said:
Yeah, I don't think kids will be an issue. They'll probably like it. I know the colors turn me off to the point I wouldn't buy it, but I'm a 40yo man. I could see buying it if they gave me a way to change the color scheme, but that's not the way Apple's ever done things on the iPhone.
Click to expand...

Changing the lock/home screen wallpaper makes a big difference in how the overall look of iOS 7 is...try reading in the iOS 7 forum.
 
Defender2010 said:
Changing the lock/home screen wallpaper makes a big difference in how the overall look of iOS 7 is...try reading in the iOS 7 forum.
Click to expand...

Can you point me to a specific thread? Preferably one with screenshots? Sorry to be a PITA, just sometimes finding things on here can be a HUGE chore & if you already know then... :eek:
 
portishead said:
My mom and my grandma would never own an iPhone anyway. They're still stuck using flip phones. Also I don't think 90% of the smartphone market is as dumb as you think they are.
Click to expand...
If you are part of a younger generation, or someone in or just out of school, you may have a distorted sense of the skill of most smartphone users. Those of us in 9-5 jobs, where the average iPhone user is 40-50 years old, see how clueless most users are about their phones. The average iPhone user doesn't even know how to organize their home screen.

The folks using flip phones and the like are the customers that Apple must appeal to to increase its iPhone sales. Virtually all of the "advanced users" already have smart phones, and in the USA, the vast majority of those users have iPhones. There aren't that many existing smartphone users to convert in the USA, where Apple dominates the market.
 
Last edited:
Defender2010 said:
There are lots, but start with the iOS7 screenshots thread to see how different peoples wallpaper can change the look...

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1593760/
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot! I looked through the first 5 pages and can see what you mean. I could see it growing on me. There's no way in hell it could ever be as offensive to me as Windows 8 tiles! Man, I just can't handle them.
 
Here we go again... Yet another pointless iOS 7 "look" thread from someone that is incapable to embrace progress.
Get over it, or buy one of many Android alternatives, it is that simple.
 
Well as a current Iphone 5 user I will be swapping it for another phone soon.

Buying Ipod touch 5th gen to keep all my apps and 32GB is a step up from my 16GB 5.

Got an Ipad 3 and will probably go for Ipad 5 with IOS7 as it looks a tad better on IOS7 with Ipad. Multi tasking looks improved.

I think the time is right to change my phone though and I may hold off updating to IOS7 for a few months.
 
MeatRocket said:
Just curious if any of you thought the look of iOS 7 in its present form will deter some potential buyers of the iPhone?
I know there are some Android devices that have suffered from the interface. At the time, the Motorola Atrix was top of the line hardware but the interface (MotoBlur) was so hideous that I opted for a non-stellar competitor (HTC Aspire).
Do you guys forsee any similar problems for Apple?
Click to expand...
I've watched Apple come and go, in a roller coaster kind of way, and making every possible technology marketing mistake ever thought. From an enclosed device, you can't run the OS if it doesn't have a little glowing apple on it, to highers price overall over the same performing comparable devices in the PC world. After all that, it prevailed.
Some people might buy Apple because is just Apple. Some, because it loves the things they do, other because the need to, but no one can deny they make the best looking devices in the industry. Materials and finish are state of the art. Some even compare Apple devices with jewelry.

Will iOS7 dampen iPhone sales? I don't really think so. I think is quite the opposite. Many have been a bit tired with the iOS look and feel, which is not really that different from the first iteration, over 6 years old. The new design will make it even more desirable. I think is a very welcomed and needed refreshment.

I remember a cartoon I saw about a year ago, when the iPhone 5 was just unveiled, about a guy talking to another while having lunch. The second guy was using a Mac, and had an iPhone on the table. The first one was simply talking and wining about the new iPhone not having anything new, same old design, same software, yada yada yada. The second guy was silent. After a few seconds, the first guy tells the second: "Will you let me play with it when you get yours?"

And this happens all the time.
 
IOS 7 is in my view the best IOS yet.....

That said, I think what will dampen sales this year is the refusal of Apple to give people a bigger screen and a lot of vendors happy to fill the demand.

My wife has owned every iPhone since 2007 (version 1) and has just upgraded to a Galaxy S4 Active

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEGGqW3ruk4

Pretty cool phone. Water / Dust resistant and a great screen.

Just saying.....
 
KenAF said:
The folks using flip phones and the like are the customers that Apple must appeal to to increase its iPhone sales. Virtually all of the "advanced users" already have smart phones, and in the USA, the vast majority of those users have iPhones. There aren't that many existing smartphone users to convert in the USA, where Apple dominates the market.
Click to expand...
I disagree. Those flip phone users aren't rushing into the stores to embrace new technology; they'll switch to touch displays when what they are used to stop being made. They don't have Macs in their homes, and after seeing the price tags they wouldn't go for it anyway. From a marketing standpoint, this demographic is done. They're stuck in Windows XP land with whatever email address the ISP gave them.

What is not done, is the next generation of smart phone users. People in their teens now. Apple doesn't want to just sell them another phone; they want to sell them on the idea of an ecosystem. Once you have your files in their cloud, once you have spent hundreds of dollars in platform-specific apps, once your iCloud email address is tied into every online service you use, you are much less likely to be swayed by the competitor's camp simple based on wallpapers, icons, or half an inch more screen real estate. Brand loyalty - you've got to reel them in early.

And Apple has a huge advantage right now. Just recently, I have been seeing a huge influx of Instagram pics of young graduates posting ecstatically about a new MacBook Pro they got from their parents. I have my doubts as to whether many of those kids really have any real reason for wanting one beyond brand-related bragging rights. On Instagram alone, 355 thousand hits for #macbookpro alone; less than 5 thousand for #chromebook.
 
From surveys carried out amongst the general public, more like the new look than dislike it. So I doubt it will dampen sales at all. Plus, if Apple do release a low cost iPhone this fall, that will open up all new markets so I'd expect another record breaking product launch for Apple.
 
Unhyper said:
On Instagram alone, 355 thousand hits for #macbookpro alone; less than 5 thousand for #chromebook.
Click to expand...

In all fairness, comparing stats of a macbook pro against a chromebook isn't really representative. A chromebook likened to a macbook is comparitive to a pinto limkened to a porsche.
Still, I understand what you're saying and agree. Apple is sucking in the "hipster" stereotypes rather well. The only factor I think that limits them with that demographic is purchasing power. My 18 year old asked me for a new computer last summer for college. I spent $700 on a really nice Toshiba. If she'd asked me for a Macbook, I'd have said no just because I wouldn't want to spend the $$. She certainly couldn't afford to buy herself one.

----------
haydn! said:
Plus, if Apple do release a low cost iPhone this fall, that will open up all new markets so I'd expect another record breaking product launch for Apple.
Click to expand...

True that! They've been missing out on a huge market there. I think the reason they haven't tapped it up till now is, quite honestly, snobbery. Apple profiteers on the smugness of their "exclusive" user base. By only making "high end" products, they've kept their base happy. Now that they have enough market saturation, they can afford to rile some of the elitists a bit by making "mid grade" devices. The snobs aren't going to abandon Apple for it, even if it does piss them off.
 
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