iPhone 5S/5C thread

[desura]

Why the fishnet holes? (C's official case) The half-hidden name/logo sticks out like a sore thumb.

I find it attractive, one of the first phone cases I can say this for.

Hopefully we'll see rapid discounting of the 5c. I actually like it, though.

 

[StrangerGuy]

People say Apple is slow to change, or uses slow change to hype up changes that have been made in the Android world or on other OSes. Whatever the theory is, in the end it works out pretty well.

During the iOS4 launch, Steve said that they may not be the first to implement things, but it works damn well. Sure we made fun of them for copy and paste, but the Android implementation was piss poor til Gingerbread came out. People laughed at them for multitasking, yet Android's memory management system isn't perfect and takes 2gb RAM or massive specs in general to make it decent. People made fun of them for MMS which didn't come til iOS4, yet Android messaging apps fail at MMS left and right. Hell group MMS didn't hit til Android 4.2.

You don't HAVE to be the first one there especially if your implementation is meh at best. It's like saying Android had dual core CPUs first, but what good did that do? I guess it made the OS less of a lagfest. But in the end the lag issue required OS level changes as well as yet even faster CPUs like Kraits and quad cores to solve.

So yeah, I do want Apple to pick up the pace and jump in, but its slow and steady pace hasn't really hurt it too much. Sure they may not be market leaders, but their products to me are pretty well polished and if you look at the evolution since 2007, they've come a LONG way.

People are just giving it flak for the big screen. If they released a 4.5" phone instead, I bet a lot of the criticism would go away, and we would be even more focused on the 5C pricing.

I dunno about Apple but Android has some horrible battery management. There is simply no good reason why a 2D sudoku puzzle app has to draw much more power than a web browser.

 

[AViking]

The iphone makes no sense outside of the US. Even then it probably doesn't make sense in the US if you have a reliable pay as you go carrier you can use.

They've basically rebadged the 5 in a shittier shell and still are charging $550 for it.

I have never understood buying an iphone outside of the states since it costs $70 a month to get one for a 2 year contract. I can buy a $550 phone and use my $37 pay as you go service and come out $242 ahead all on the same network. More really since I won't pay for my mobile service for a month while on vacation.

Now granted everything is more expensive over here and I'm factoring in buying a phone in the states but what do you think everyone does over here? We fly to new york to buy our electronics and save tons of money. I have my family in the states mail me electronics. This is an electronics enthusiast board after all. If we don't do that we can buy from Amazon in the UK or other places for a fraction of the cost but more expensive than the states.

It's actually quite crazy since an iphone 5 in Sweden costs about $920-$1210 off contract here. They price it like that to make the on contract look sweet. I'm really curious how they'll truly price the 5C and 5S here.

Totally beyond me why everyone isn't buying the competition. A S3 with 4G costs about half the price and a S4 is definitely cheaper by a fair margin.

 

[tstm]

It's actually quite crazy since an iphone 5 in Sweden costs about $920-$1210 off contract here. They price it like that to make the on contract look sweet. I'm really curious how they'll truly price the 5C and 5S here.

The iPhone is not that differently priced in Sweden. You have to remember that the US prices are quoted without tax. In Sweden, the VAT for phones is 25% AFAIK.

$920 / 1.25 = $736 - when you factor in the shipping costs, it's not that much more expensive really.

Also, if you travel to the US and buy an iPhone and bring it back, you have to pay the customs fee and the VAT for the phone. Or else you're doing something criminal, namely smuggling. You can import cheaper items without going through customs, but the limit is somewhere around 400 euros.

Also, before anyone gets any ideas, the US iPhones are not operating on all the same bands as the european ones, so importing them is not such a good idea anyway.

Totally beyond me why everyone isn't buying the competition. A S3 with 4G costs about half the price and a S4 is definitely cheaper by a fair margin.

Now that is a better question. The 199 euro Nexus 4 is a really good deal. But Apple counts on having the better product and thus being able to charge more for it. For now, they have had the better product. But Android is really getting closer and closer. With 4.4 they will even fix the (IMHO) biggest app store problem - you can revoke access rights per-app basis after installing something.

 

[AViking]

I forgot about VAT. Been a while and that's definitely an important consideration and brings the prices closer in line. Still doesn't explain the massive price difference between platforms though. You bring up the Nexus and that's obviously the most extreme example. If they price the Nexus 5 like the 4 it'll blow minds since we have 4G everywhere at 80Mbps (40-60 is average) and buying that thing off contract plus $37 a month is a steal. If you don't use the phone that much you can get by for much less too.

I'm a dual citizen so smuggling isn't an issue. I pay the taxes in each respective country and only bring things back and forth for personal use. You can also gift items though which gets around paying import duties. Not sure what the max amount is but for small electronics like hard drives I've never had a problem getting them mailed here by family.

I'm in the market for a new phone so thus why I dropped in here. I was just expecting much lower prices on the 5C since it was apparently supposed to be good for off contract users. Someone must have misspoke. $550 is not a good deal unless you are only comparing Apples to Apples.

Bands wise I still have to figure it out. Waiting to see what the Nexus 5 looks like.

 

[AViking]

With 4.4 they will even fix the (IMHO) biggest app store problem - you can revoke access rights per-app basis after installing something.

Thank god! Does that mean you can stop any app from monitoring your entire phone for no good reason? I've always assumed these freeware apps gather all your information to sell.

 

[MrX8503]

Even if they came up with the idea independently and not as a reaction to Microsoft/Nokia, Nokia did it better with truly cheaper phones available, and it's pretty obvious and funny that Apple is advertising the colors as if they are the only ones doing so.

I like Nokia's color palette more. Its brighter rather than the pastel pale that Apple went with. I would never buy the 5C, so I guess it doesn't matter to me.

 

[Eug]

The battery for the 5C is 4.7% bigger than the 5's.
The battery for the 5S is 9.0% bigger than the 5's.

http://anandtech.com/show/7324/apple-increases-iphone-5c-and-5s-battery-sizes-relative-to-5

 

[Rakehellion]

What we are talking about is now, this current generation of products. Apple moved away from color designs a few years ago

This is still current generation. Next?

 

[Eug]

New Apple product video:

Gold is best

 

[Rakehellion]

I dunno about Apple but Android has some horrible battery management. There is simply no good reason why a 2D sudoku puzzle app has to draw much more power than a web browser.

Sounds like bad programming.

 

[Crono]

This is still current generation. Next?

When did they introduce those? Last year?

In any case, my point still stands. Nokia did inexpensive phones with colors and a color matching theme first. And even if you don't think that Apple was following suit there - it would be hard to ignore the timing considering Nokia and others starting to gain momentum internationally recently - Apple still isn't doing anything innovative on the design front for such an expensive phone relative to what it is and its competition.

That's my point mentioning that Nokia did it first. I couldn't care less that Apple is copying someone else (though it's funny how defensive people can get, considering Apple has a history of stealing or buying ideas from others, just as others have done to them), I'm just pointing out that their color options isn't even worth a bullet point in their favor.

 

[WelshBloke]

New Apple product video:

Gold is best

The gold one is pretty tacky looking, dark one looks ok though. Shame they aren't doing the black one anymore, that probably looked the best of the recent ones.

 

[Eug]

I'm surprised anyone is concerned about this. The concept of multiple colours in a product line has been around for just about forever. FWIW, I bought my blue iPod mini in 2004.

Unfortunately, the click wheel is dying now.

The gold one is pretty tacky looking, dark one looks ok though. Shame they aren't doing the black one anymore, that probably looked the best of the recent ones.

My favourite is gold. My least favourite is grey. Silver is the "safest" as there is no anodization to wear off. Silver matches my MacBook Pro too. However, maybe their VP Gold pushed through a gold MacBook Pro for October?

 

[WelshBloke]

... My favourite is gold. My least favourite is grey. Silver is the "safest" as there is no anodization to wear off. Silver matches my MacBook Pro too. However, maybe their VP Gold pushed through a gold MacBook Pro for October?

I'd imagine that they have probably sorted out any problems with the anodisation by now so I'd not worry too much about that unless there's a bunch of reports at retail launch.

Gold is only OK if you're a Russian gangster, an old Chinese woman or want to hang it on a Christmas tree.

 

[Eug]

I'm not convinced about the anodization, but I'm getting a sapphire on my phone, so I may as well get gold.

P.S. I have a 24-carat gold thick necklace with a heavy solid gold pendant that an old relative gave me many years ago. It's over an ounce in total weight IIRC. (Obviously I never wear it. It just sits in a safety deposit box.) I should put that on with my purple suit, to purchase the gold 5S in person at the Apple Store.

I'd have to pick up a big hat and Elton John glasses to make it complete though.

 

[MrX8503]

When did they introduce those? Last year?

In any case, my point still stands. Nokia did inexpensive phones with colors and a color matching theme first. And even if you don't think that Apple was following suit there - it would be hard to ignore the timing considering Nokia and others starting to gain momentum internationally recently - Apple still isn't doing anything innovative on the design front for such an expensive phone relative to what it is and its competition.

That's my point mentioning that Nokia did it first. I couldn't care less that Apple is copying someone else (though it's funny how defensive people can get, considering Apple has a history of stealing or buying ideas from others, just as others have done to them), I'm just pointing out that their color options isn't even worth a bullet point in their favor.

Dude, the competition is 30 miles behind Apple's construction of their iDevices. How about those Nokia phones that are thick as hell?

 

[Crono]

Dude, the competition is 30 miles behind Apple's construction of their iDevices. How about those Nokia phones that are thick as hell?

Apple's new low-cost phone: $550
Nokia's: $100

You could buy 5 Lumia 520s in a different color each and still have money left over for a 64GB microSD card for the price of one 16GB iPhone 5c.

I have no problem if Apple wants to follow a similar design path as Nokia (again, even if Apple had colors before, I don't recall them having color matching), my point is this is nothing new and it is overpriced. Apple is prominently featuring the colors of the device as its selling point, so fine if you like them.

But more power to Apple's marketing department if they can find people to buy the phone. It's certainly their right to make a profit with 3x BOM when other companies want to and are doing the same. It's just a shame that a company which provides itself on design more than any other tech company trots out a phone like the 5c. You have to admit, even the press and investors weren't impressed as they were in the past with the release of older iPhones; it received faint praise, at best.

I'll gladly praise Apple when praise is due (always been positive about the iPad and the Macbook Air on the whole, as well as Apple TV to a limited degree considering the fair price). I'm just concerned about value. Good products can be worth paying for, but I am not sold on the 5c at all versus the competition.

Anyone who really likes Apple as a company should be critical of it.

 

[Eug]

Well, the Nokia Lumia 520 is a low end 8 GB 800x480 HSPA+ phone, with no app support.

Mind you, if I could get it locally for <$100 unlocked, I'd consider it just to play with it. Unfortunately, they're more like $200 unlocked.

 

[WelshBloke]

I'm not convinced about the anodization, but I'm getting a sapphire on my phone, so I may as well get gold.

P.S. I have a 24-carat gold thick necklace with a heavy solid gold pendant that an old relative gave me many years ago. It's over an ounce in total weight IIRC. (Obviously I never wear it. It just sits in a safety deposit box.) I should put that on with my purple suit, to purchase the gold 5S in person at the Apple Store.

I'd have to pick up a big hat and Elton John glasses to make it complete though.

You, Sir, need a champagne cocktail. :thumbsup:

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Sounds like bad programming.

It could be, but bad programming and inconsistent implementations across 3rd party apps also give the platform a bad name.

 

[MrX8503]

Apple's new low-cost phone: $550
Nokia's: $100

You could buy 5 Lumia 520s in a different color each and still have money left over for a 64GB microSD card for the price of one 16GB iPhone 5c.

I have no problem if Apple wants to follow a similar design path as Nokia (again, even if Apple had colors before, I don't recall them having color matching), my point is this is nothing new and it is overpriced. Apple is prominently featuring the colors of the device as its selling point, so fine if you like them.

But more power to Apple's marketing department if they can find people to buy the phone. It's certainly their right to make a profit with 3x BOM when other companies want to and are doing the same. It's just a shame that a company which provides itself on design more than any other tech company trots out a phone like the 5c. You have to admit, even the press and investors weren't impressed as they were in the past with the release of older iPhones; it received faint praise, at best.

I'll gladly praise Apple when praise is due (always been positive about the iPad and the Macbook Air on the whole, as well as Apple TV to a limited degree considering the fair price). I'm just concerned about value. Good products can be worth paying for, but I am not sold on the 5c at all versus the competition.

Anyone who really likes Apple as a company should be critical of it.

I would never buy the 5C as I prefer my metal phones. As for the 520, its considered low end. The 5C's specs are quite a bit better than that.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

When did they introduce those? Last year?

In any case, my point still stands. Nokia did inexpensive phones with colors and a color matching theme first. And even if you don't think that Apple was following suit there - it would be hard to ignore the timing considering Nokia and others starting to gain momentum internationally recently - Apple still isn't doing anything innovative on the design front for such an expensive phone relative to what it is and its competition.

That's my point mentioning that Nokia did it first. I couldn't care less that Apple is copying someone else (though it's funny how defensive people can get, considering Apple has a history of stealing or buying ideas from others, just as others have done to them), I'm just pointing out that their color options isn't even worth a bullet point in their favor.

Oh come on, the whole colorful devices was done with the iPod Mini back in 2005 or so. The Nanos had colors too remember? They're just now extending it to iPods and phones. If anything Nokia stole the whole bright colors idea from Apple. Who else releases electronic devices with a rainbow assortment?

Also it's not so much who does it first or whatever. People have tried tablets for some time now and as much as we laughed at the iPad in 2010 as a giant iPod, it took off and look at all the Android manufacturers following along. Time and time again I see Apple taking a concept )and maybe they're not the first), and executing it well, and then tons of companies lining up to copy them. You can say the iPhone copied some Samsung MP3 player from 2006, but is it more likely that Samsung saw the success of the iPhone and tried to mimic iOS with TouchWiz icons, or is it that Apple saw Samsung's MP3 player as a winner (who the hell even heard of that thing before the lawsuits anyway?), and said "jeez, let's copy this, turn it into a phone and we'll make billions."

 

[Ns1]

If anything Nokia stole the whole bright colors idea from Apple. Who else releases electronic devices with a rainbow assortment?

 

[WelshBloke]