BBC News: Apple's iPhone launches no longer excite


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Really interesting OP-ed piece by the guy who created the Fake Steve Jobs blog several years ago, about why Apple are starting to look on increasingly shaky ground - lacking innovation and not being brave.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-19557497

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I agree with him. I really looked forward to seeing what Apple had to offer. Had an iPhone 3G for 2 years, then a 4 for 2 years which I've just sold ready for a new phone - it's the first time I've had a specific type of phone for more than 6 months. This time around, with all the leaks et al. I see a taller, slimmer iPhone 4S, and that's all. There's probably an improved camera and better battery life - but unless Tim can pull off a "one more thing", I just don't see what makes it worth ?500 any more.

But seeing that design of the Ativ S, and then the feature of the Lumia 920 - those are the two that really excite me. Infact, after playing for a week or so on Windows Phone 7, makes me all the more willing to try WP8 out. Just a shame my Lumia 710 got pinched a few days ago!

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I agree with him too. Also really liked the following quote

To use a car analogy, six years ago the iPhone was like a sexy new flagship model from BMW or Porsche. Today it's a Toyota Camry. Safe, reliable, boring. The car your mom drives. The car that's so popular that its maker doesn't dare mess with the formula.

It sums up the iPhone these days. We used to refer to it as the grandma phone in our stores, as that's the only people who bought them

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The endless leaks have definitely hurt them that is for sure. Knowing what the iPhone 5 is going to look like before release has deflated a lot of people because it looks almost the same as the iPhone 4 and 4S but worse with that metal piece at the back separating the two glass pieces.

I had an iPhone 3GS, I upgraded to an iPhone 4S last year, I'm typing this on a MacBook Pro. I'm an Apple product user but I gotta say I agree with him. I'm looking at alternative products I'm using Spotify because Apple still doesn't offer any kind of subscription based all-you-can eat music service on iTunes and I'm thinking about buying the next Google Nexus device now that Jelly Bean has arrived and fixed a lot of the things I didn't like about Android.

The rest of the industry is moving on and leaving Apple by the wayside. iOS 5 and 6 are very similar. iPhone 4 and 4S are very similar. This wouldn't be a problem except that's a two year time scale between these things and not much changed. I've been running iOS 6 on my iPhone 4S since the day they announced it (developer account) but it doesn't thrill me it has no big features it feels more like a 5.2 than a 6.0 it's a nice release but not innovative by any means and then I look at Google adding Google Now to all Android phones that receive the Jelly Bean update and I think gosh.. I had to buy a whole new phone to get a feature similar to that (Siri on iPhone 4S) and Google is just giving it away with a software update.

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I agree with him too. Also really liked the following quote

It sums up the iPhone these days. We used to refer to it as the grandma phone in our stores, as that's the only people who bought them

Agreed. I guess from a business point of view it's great - spend the least amount of money on R&D and keep raking in the cash. But surely they will have to do something about it soon as surely people will start to desert and go to other more interesting handsets?

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Apple has a horrible knack for not innovating fast enough, and rarely opts in to change. This is going to get them in trouble future tech coming from Microsoft, and to a lesser extent, Android devices.

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I agree with him. I really looked forward to seeing what Apple had to offer . . . unless Tim

can pull off a "one more thing", I just don't see what makes it worth ?500 any more.

I realy don't see what makes the iPhone (and similar phones not from Apple) worth ?500 at all. Why should a

glorified cellphone with a bunch of pre-installed online apps cost so much more to buy, than an entry level

or mid range laptop PC? If I want to buy a so-called "smartphone", I'll pay no more than around ?150.

If I wanted to spend over ?300 on a mobile internet device, I'll buy a laptop. OK, it might not be something

that I can just slip into my pocket, but I know I'll be getting much better value for money, buying a device

in which I'll have far more freedom to install whatever I want, from the apps to the operating system.

Anyone that puts down ?400-500 on an iPhone (or similar smartphone device) has more money than sense.

A well known old saying applies here ... fools and their money are easily parted.

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It sums up the iPhone these days. We used to refer to it as the grandma phone in our stores, as that's the only people who bought them

Do you call the yellow Lumia 920 the banana phone?

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The endless leaks have definitely hurt them that is for sure. Knowing what the iPhone 5 is going to look like before release has deflated a lot of people because it looks almost the same as the iPhone 4 and 4S but worse with that metal piece at the back separating the two glass pieces.

I had an iPhone 3GS, I upgraded to an iPhone 4S last year, I'm typing this on a MacBook Pro. I'm an Apple product user but I gotta say I agree with him. I'm looking at alternative products I'm using Spotify because Apple still doesn't offer any kind of subscription based all-you-can eat music service on iTunes and I'm thinking about buying the next Google Nexus device now that Jelly Bean has arrived and fixed a lot of the things I didn't like about Android.

The rest of the industry is moving on and leaving Apple by the wayside. iOS 5 and 6 are very similar. iPhone 4 and 4S are very similar. This wouldn't be a problem except that's a two year time scale between these things and not much changed. I've been running iOS 6 on my iPhone 4S since the day they announced it (developer account) but it doesn't thrill me it has no big features it feels more like a 5.2 than a 6.0 it's a nice release but not innovative by any means and then I look at Google adding Google Now to all Android phones that receive the Jelly Bean update and I think gosh.. I had to buy a whole new phone to get a feature similar to that (Siri on iPhone 4S) and Google is just giving it away with a software update.

I agree with the comment and I'd like to point out that Google Now won't be limited just for Android as I can remember Google said that Google Now will be coming to iOS as well via their Google Search App.

I guess what it really sums up is that so far only Steve Jobs can run Apple he is irreplaceable.

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I realy don't see what makes the iPhone (and similar phones not from Apple) worth ?500 at all. Why should a

glorified cellphone with a bunch of pre-installed online apps cost so much more to buy, than an entry level

or mid range laptop PC? If I want to buy a so-called "smartphone", I'll pay no more than around ?150.

You know what, you're bang on. I was one to drop that much money on a phone (the sim free contract more than made up that cost however) - but then I got a Lumia 710 from Carphone Warehouse for ?90. That phone if I'm not mistaken, has about the same insides as it's big brothers - so it was mighty quick. (Had a play on a few android phones under ?100 - they were terrible). That proves is possible to make a smart phone at such low cost... and it's a decent bit of kit.

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Thanks for sharing this, Chicane!

The author is absolutely right on several key points: how Apple is lacking innovation nowadays and how the company has forfeited its core values.

Apple seems less interested in blowing people away than it is in milking profit out of the existing lineup.

So...I'm gonna monitor the share price more closely now, look for a new high of APPL, and then maybe open a short position. imho $700 is the ceiling and once it's been reached, the stock price should go down. It can't go upwards indefinitely...and taking into account the current market situation, Apple's heydays are over.

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I have never been interested in the iPhone tbh, never excited me at all but then again the Lumia 920 is the only upcoming phone that has ever excited me and made me want to chuck money at Nokia NOW lol

But the news reporters are not doing apple any favours. For example last night there was a report about the new 4g networks being started in the UK and they used an iPhone 4S to show the current speed of a 3G network, and a Samsung Galaxy SIII to show the speed of a 4G network. iPhone got blown away. So people seeing that that arent clued up on what exactly the report is about will see "oh the iPhone is so slow"

Then the next thing that was said after ranting and raving about 4G was "there are no reports to say whether Apples next phone release will have 4g capabilities"

That news report alone will make people look for alternatives and will seriously doubt apple.

tbh, I don't care as my attention is solely on the lumia releases as well as other w8p's. But it isnt looking very good for them.

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So...I'm gonna monitor the share price more closely now, look for a new high of APPL, and then maybe open a short position. imho $700 is the ceiling and once it's been reached, the stock price should go down. It can't go upwards indefinitely...and taking into account the current market situation, Apple's heydays are over.

If you say so. :laugh:

This was bound to happen after the FIFTH revision of the same phone. That said, Apple is still sitting on top of one of the best supply chains in the industry, and they have the software to match.

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but unless Tim can pull off a "one more thing"

Some of the changes that Tim Cook has done since Job has died make me think that he is going to drive Apple to the ground. :/ The changes in their retail business model are mighty disturbing. I don't buy Apple products but I do like going into those stores once in a while.

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I'm really surprised at how poorly Apple has done keeping iTunes up-to-date and relevant - the user interface has remained static for years, Ping was a complete failure, performance on Windows is simply terrible and it lacks basic features like Cloud sync for playlists. The same is true of the iPod, which has been completely ignored since Apple started to focus on the iPhone. And the iPad has added upgraded components (processors, GPUs and screens) but haven't been innovative since the original launch.

Apple is playing off the success of the launch models and it's entitled to do that. However, by doing that it ceases to be regarded as an innovative company. If the iPhone 5 rumours are true then it will be an incredibly underwhelming launch, especially when Android has a much greater variety of handsets to choose from.

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if iphone 5 comes with 4g then you knowe who will be on their case :). Samsung

Exactly! What I posted along with the samsung stuff Apple will not win any customers. I think this next generation of smart phones will not be a good one for Apple.

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Yeah of course they will sell tonnes, but the main thing I am wondering about is the amount of tradeins that will happen when Windows phones come out or when 4g gets rolled out.

If the iPhone 5 is released without 4g capabilities apple are STUPID and the iPhone 5 will not stand a chance IMO

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