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TheRealAlex

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Sep 2, 2015
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So some rumors have been swirling of a iPhone Ultra A SKU above the Pro Max level of products.
Whats the vibe on something like this ?
personally I for one would jump on it. And many people with matching Apple Watch Ultras would too. We need something to differentiate.
 
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Why not? Samsung started the game of selling sub 2k phones, why can’t apple.
Personally i care only about macs, cause current technology is so ahead of the game that base phones suffice.

Back in the day, you obviously needed top of the line phones to drive 32-64ohm headphones, to capture a video while others only did photo, have more than 4 inch screen to remote desktop to your pc on the go, to attach hdds and flash drives with otg cable, to be able even run and open the high end game but not anymore.
 
So some rumors have been swirling of a iPhone Ultra A SKU above the Pro Max level of products.
Whats the vibe on something like this ?
personally I for one would jump on it. And many people with matching Apple Watch Ultras would too. We need something to differentiate.
It would ultimately depend on what additional features the ultra iPhone came with.

For one, I think it might come with extra storage (maybe 512gb base) to support the more powerful camera (it would be nice if they did something like what Halide did and allow users to take 48mp pro-res images directly from within the camera app), so it would not really be that much more expensive compared to a pro max with that much storage. We might get an even larger screen and maybe longer battery life also. And you are getting nicer build quality and iPhones are being supported for longer as well.

The iPhone is unique in terms of monthly payment options, contracts and trade-ins. The reality is that many customers do not base their purchase decision on the device's total selling price. Apple also sells several flagship iPhones including lower-priced variants, and still consumers tend to opt for the pricier models. Cutting iPhone Pro pricing in an attempt to juice gross margin dollars would eat into market segments currently filled by lower-priced iPhone siblings. In this context, I think there is opportunity for iPhone pricing to climb even higher while keeping budget-friendly iPhone models at their current price.

I am not sure if I would get one, but if I were planning to get a phone for the next 5-6 years, why not get the best one there is?
 
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I am not sure if I would get one, but if I were planning to get a phone for the next 5-6 years, why not get the best one there is?
Just because in 5-6 years even best of the best fade versus cheaper new base models. Lots of people bought 12PM because it was separated by a camera - base iphone 13 inherited camera directly from 12PM.
13PM again had better camera than 13P - Iphone 14 has the same camera from 13PM.
Iphone 12 lived 5-7 hrs from battery, now iphone 13 mini does the same, while 13 pushes further up to 9 hrs.
The same works in Macs - $50K Mac pros on intel are now losing to $800 mac minis. There is no need to buy a phone for 5-6 years by opting for the best - bests will fade away really fast.
If person just tends to hold any of their phones for 5-6 years, then that is another story.
 
It would be IMO as an Ultra device.
#1. Faster storage speed
#2. Maybe 2GB more RAM
#3. Be the first USB-C iPhone
#4. complete Sapphire glass
#5. Have a Titanium case with unique colors
#6. As an Ultra device have special animations when paired with an Apple Watch Ultra
#7. Special packaging
#8. better and louder speakers
#9. Improved durability
 
Sapphire glass and titanium wouldn’t tempt me.
I’d rather have higher end internal tech specs rather than a different look to the iPhone.

Personally I hope they do not do this. Call the Pro an Ultra if you want.
But it would be like buying a car where you have to pay a ridiculously higher amount to get the one feature that only comes on the premium model.

I hope they keep the iPhone vs iPhone Pro offerings.
 
It would be IMO as an Ultra device.
#1. Faster storage speed
#2. Maybe 2GB more RAM
#3. Be the first USB-C iPhone
#4. complete Sapphire glass
#5. Have a Titanium case with unique colors
#6. As an Ultra device have special animations when paired with an Apple Watch Ultra
#7. Special packaging
#8. better and louder speakers
#9. Improved durability
I tend to think of higher end models costing more because they contain components or features that are more costly. So for me things like colors, packaging and even USB-C aren’t anything premium.
The thing I struggle with is how they would differentiate a Pro from an Ultra.
 
Unless they use technologies like microLED for the display and maybe a new battery technology that is more hard-wearing, I can’t think of any good differentiating factor for the Ultra.
 
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Absolutely not, people are forgetting that sapphire crystal, while more scratch resistant, is a lot more brittle.
It would be the most scratch resistant iPhone sure, but it has a much higher chance of being absolutely destroyed on a drop.
Also, Apple has already tried the “pay more for better materials” when they have the Apple Watch edition, and most people just opted for the aluminum anyway.
It would be IMO as an Ultra device.
#1. Faster storage speed
#2. Maybe 2GB more RAM
#3. Be the first USB-C iPhone
#4. complete Sapphire glass
#5. Have a Titanium case with unique colors
#6. As an Ultra device have special animations when paired with an Apple Watch Ultra
#7. Special packaging
#8. better and louder speakers
#9. Improved durability
I don’t think of any of these as “ultra” features.
The “pro” is already rumored to get two extra gigabytes of faster RAM this year, and titanium edges as well.
By the end of 2024, the entire iPhone lineup will have to have switched to USB-C, so they could only market that as an “ultra” feature for a year. And it’s not really that good of an ultra feature anyway when their $59 Apple TV remote already has it.
Better speakers isn’t important to most, the current speakers are fine for a phone and most people will end up connecting headphones to it anyway for actual listening.
Sapphire doesn’t automatically mean more durable, and better packaging and animations really don’t matter. If Apple could ship the iPhone without a box they would.
None of these features are worth anywhere close to $2000 or an “ultra” name.
 
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I wouldn’t mind spending, so long as it doesn’t have the ugliness of the Apple Watch ultra.

If I’m spending that much on a phone, I want it to look nice, not like a tool built for extreme sports/environments.
 
I personally am very happy with my Mini so any Ultra model would probably not be for me (sadly, small phones FTW). I will say that 2000$ US is not too much of a stretch. By the way, iPhone 14 Pro Max 1TB retails in The Netherlands for €2126,-, I know this is including taxes and conversion rate is not what it was, but the psychological barrier remains sort of the same.

Looking back I did not mind the iPhone 8 / X lineup. A completely new design + upgraded current design. The gap between Pro and non-Pro is pretty small nowadays. A higher-end model would probably push it all closer together still.
 
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I wouldn’t. It’s too much for my budget. Of course there are people that can afford to and would.

It’s already at the point where the Apple mobile devices to someone that doesn’t understand is a bit confusing compared to the old days of choosing storage and colour and that’s it!
 
2k is a bit too much. I can think if it's 1500. but not going to pay 2k for it even though I can afford It
 
If they’re trying to be consistent with Apple Watch, ultra will be more rugged, not more flashy. If anything, the Apple Watch Ultra has an REIMfeev vs regular Apple Watch that feels more Movado.

An iPhone ultra could be a more rugged, double battery life, less glitzy coatings, with chunkier buttons to be usable without a case and with gloves.
 
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I'd like to pay what I paid for my 13 pro for this new thing and the 13 pro should be 30% less. Then I'd buy the 14, which would be even cheaper than that!
 
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