Is Apple losing it's "cool" factor? How big will the iphone sell?

[Dulanic]

as far as I'm concerned, any high end phone is $200 + tax and has the exact same monthly fees (iPhone5, SGS, Nexus, etc...)

who gives a fuck what the pre-subsidy price is when most of us US folk are going to be paying the post-subsidy price.

it's like comparing price is right MSRP's, they mean nothing.

And if you have to buy a new one outside of contract? It is kind of sad how people are getting to the point where they will sign away anything to get a cheap phone. You think it is coincidental that Sprint raised ETF fees and cut premier status weeks before the iPhone? Sureeeeeee. It is part of the reason I am tempted to go prepaid in order to not pay more and get less just so they can offer the iPhone.

 

[MrX8503]

This isn't a rip on apple, but what else do they have to offer at this point? I can maybe see wireless charging and a larger screen, but what is going to be the "wow" factor this time? I guess I just don't see anything "new" and wowing that apple might be doing.

I think the wow factor that Apple is banking on is the voice recognition app. They've been working on it for a while after acquiring Siri/Nuance. Its a different beast from Android's app, and supposedly it's pretty advance and will only run on iP5 hardware. At least efficiently only on the iP5.

 

[Dulanic]

I think the wow factor that Apple is banking on is the voice recognition app. They've been working on it for a while after acquiring Siri/Nuance. Its a different beast from Android's app, and supposedly it's pretty advance and will only run on iP5 hardware. At least efficiently only on the iP5.

I am curious to see what it is. I am slightly skeptical it will do tons more, but I would like to see what it has to offer in that aspect.

 

[senseamp]

I think the wow factor that Apple is banking on is the voice recognition app. They've been working on it for a while after acquiring Siri/Nuance. Its a different beast from Android's app, and supposedly it's pretty advance and will only run on iP5 hardware. At least efficiently only on the iP5.

If that's what they are banking on for the wow factor, the iPhone has jumped the shark. There is no way to not look like a dork talking to your phone/computer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyLqUf4cdwc

 

[Fingolfin269]

I think people are just becoming more and more numb to smartphone releases in general. The iPhone used to be special, and still is in its own way, but I think it has lost a lot of its luster.

 

[cheezy321]

And if you have to buy a new one outside of contract? It is kind of sad how people are getting to the point where they will sign away anything to get a cheap phone. You think it is coincidental that Sprint raised ETF fees and cut premier status weeks before the iPhone? Sureeeeeee. It is part of the reason I am tempted to go prepaid in order to not pay more and get less just so they can offer the iPhone.

The majority of phones sold in the US are under contract. I would compare prices based on what the majority of consumers do. Your 'premium' might be valid when it comes to buying a phone out of contract, but the 'premium' paid is not true for the majority of users who buy a phone w/ a 2 year contract.

 

[cheezy321]

I think people are just becoming more and more numb to smartphone releases in general. The iPhone used to be special, and still is in its own way, but I think it has lost a lot of its luster.

This. It will also be hard to replicate the fever pitch for the iPhone 4, especially after a prototype got leaked.

 

[smartpatrol]

They don't however pay 25% less for the parts because of their contracts. They pay 25% less for parts because they are older parts. We all know Apple doesn't use hardware that is cutting edge. Now don't get me wrong, obviously their software makes up for this, and as such... they charge a premium for their items.

?? iPhone 5's screen was cutting edge when it launched. The A5 chip in the iPad 2 (and supposedly in the iPhone 5) was absolutely cutting edge when it launched, and it's still cutting edge in the sense that it has by far the most powerful GPU in a smartphone/tablet SOC. Not only that, but Apple uses much higher-quality materials in their construction than most of their Android competition does.

If anything, Apple's higher profit margins are due to the insane volume of devices they produce. They can design ONE device, order parts for it by the tens of millions (thus guaranteeing them top priority from their suppliers as well as a great price), and produce them in volumes far higher than any of the competition.

Contrast that with Android phones. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of models from several different OEMs all competing with each other. It seems pretty obvious that an OEM buying say 200,000 LCD screens is going to get much lower priority, and pay more per unit, than Apple will buying 10 million of them.

 

[Ns1]

If anything, Apple's higher profit margins are due to the insane volume of devices they produce. They can design ONE device, order parts for it by the tens of millions (thus guaranteeing them top priority from their suppliers as well as a great price), and produce them in volumes far higher than any of the competition.

Contrast that with Android phones. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of models from several different OEMs all competing with each other. It seems pretty obvious that an OEM buying say 200,000 LCD screens is going to get much lower priority, and pay more per unit, than Apple will buying 10 million of them.

economies of scale :thumbsup:

 

[poofyhairguy]

I am gonna go ahead and support the OP - I do think the iPhone is less cool than it once was like most products that are successful.

I notice it in my college classes. Young tech savvy women and men in my class all seem to have Android phones. Meanwhile the non-traditional students, older professors, and the non-tech savvy young (mostly women- please don't flame) all seem to have iPhones. Every real life tech friend I know has an Android phone (and would chide me about my iPhone) except for one or two guys that are 100% Apple.

The iPhone is THE phone for the older than 30 crowd it seems. Works great for Apple right now- as they are the people that can best afford the iLife of an iPhone+iPad+iMac+Macbook+2 data plans (I just described my mother-in-law).

What I wonder is- will the embrace by this demographic harm the "hip" image Apple has tried to cultivate for years? Or is this just a sign of Apple's maturation as a brand, and an understanding that playing the same songs to an older crowd that can pay is more profitable than squeezing high-school and college kids out of all of their summer job money (a philosophy I call "Bruce Springsteenism")?

 

[runawayprisoner]

I am gonna go ahead and support the OP - I do think the iPhone is less cool than it once was like most products that are successful.

I notice it in my college classes. Young tech savvy women and men in my class all seem to have Android phones. Meanwhile the non-traditional students, older professors, and the non-tech savvy young (mostly women- please don't flame) all seem to have iPhones. Even major tech real life tech friend I know has an Android phone (and would chide me about my iPhone) except for one or two guys that are 100% Apple.

The iPhone is THE phone for the older than 30 crowd it seems. Works great for Apple right now- as they are the people that can best afford the iLife of an iPhone+iPad+iMac+Macbook (I just described my mother-in-law).

What I wonder is- will the embrace by this demographic harm the "hip" image Apple has tried to cultivate for years? Or is this just a sign of Apple's maturation as a brand, and an understanding that playing the same songs to an older crowd that can pay is more profitable than squeezing high-school and college kids out of all of their summer job money (a philosophy I call "Bruce Springsteenism")?

I think it's simply because the cost of Android phones have gone down significantly, and an Android phone that is in between an iPhone 3GS and an iPhone 4 literally costs about the same as an iPhone 3G...

Take, for instance, the original Galaxy S. Its internal hardware is at least comparable to or better than the iPhone 4, but it sells for around $200 and $250 now, whereas you'd have to be extremely lucky to see an iPhone 4 get below $350. In fact, in terms of market value, you can literally trade an iPhone 4 for a Galaxy S2...

As the economy gets worse, people will have to settle for cheaper alternatives. That doesn't mean they won't spring for an iPhone should the economy allows it.

 

[finbarqs]

don't forget, iPhone is also THE phone for hot girls...

 

[lothar]

If that's what they are banking on for the wow factor, the iPhone has jumped the shark. There is no way to not look like a dork talking to your phone/computer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyLqUf4cdwc

Damn, that video's a keeper.
You made my day today.

 

[poofyhairguy]

I think it's simply because the cost of Android phones have gone down significantly, and an Android phone that is in between an iPhone 3GS and an iPhone 4 literally costs about the same as an iPhone 3G...

Take, for instance, the original Galaxy S. Its internal hardware is at least comparable to or better than the iPhone 4, but it sells for around $200 and $250 now, whereas you'd have to be extremely lucky to see an iPhone 4 get below $350. In fact, in terms of market value, you can literally trade an iPhone 4 for a Galaxy S2...

As the economy gets worse, people will have to settle for cheaper alternatives. That doesn't mean they won't spring for an iPhone should the economy allows it.

I don't think it is all cost. Some of it sure- I see plenty of older Android phones. But I also see plenty of newer phones- Evo 3Ds, a Bionic, MANY Thunderbolts, etc. I have been asking my classmates why they are buying the android phones when I get a chance to small talk them and the reason I keep hearing is "I love the large screen!"

 

[Dulanic]

Damn, that video's a keeper.
You made my day today.

I have to agree and damn do I remember trying that... oh what the hell was it... dragon something back in the late 90s? Oh god was it so bad.

 

[Dulanic]

I don't think it is all cost. Some of it sure- I see plenty of older Android phones. But I also see plenty of newer phones- Evo 3Ds, a Bionic, MANY Thunderbolts, etc. I have been asking my classmates why they are buying the android phones when I get a chance to small talk them and the reason I keep hearing is "I love the large screen!"

I have seen the same thing quite a bit lately also. Sure there are some buying the cheap ones, but the SGSII is selling like crazy worldwide.

 

[runawayprisoner]

I don't think it is all cost. Some of it sure- I see plenty of older Android phones. But I also see plenty of newer phones- Evo 3Ds, a Bionic, MANY Thunderbolts, etc. I have been asking my classmates why they are buying the android phones when I get a chance to small talk them and the reason I keep hearing is "I love the large screen!"

Evo 3D, Bionic, and Thunderbolts are all actually about the same cost as an iPhone 4 now on the market... so there's still a part about cost there.

If I were to have no knowledge whatsoever about smartphone, and I hear... that the iPhone 4 has a single-core processor, last year hardwares, no 4G, etc... and it costs the same as the other guys who have dual-core processor, current bleeding edge hardware, and they all have 4G, then I'd go for the Android phones as well.

The pitch for an Android phone right now is really juicy, especially considering that the cost is about the same as a last-generation iPhone 4....

If the screen was a factor, I'd think the Dell Streak or the Galaxy S of last year wouldn't have done so poorly. And I don't doubt you have seen some Android devices around with smaller screens, so obviously that doesn't apply to everyone.

Cost is a big part in a student's life right now. I'm a student myself so I know how that feels like. If I wasn't gifted the iPhone 4 that I have now, I'd be having an Android phone myself.

Of course, that's not to say there aren't other benefits to having an Android phone, but the most immediate one that I can see right now is... they are cheap.

 

[poofyhairguy]

If the screen was a factor, I'd think the Dell Streak or the Galaxy S of last year wouldn't have done so poorly.

I never saw a Streak in a store (where real people buy them) and the SGS1 only had a 4 inch screen. The first Evo was HUGELY popular- 4.3 inch screen.

And I don't doubt you have seen some Android devices around with smaller screens, so obviously that doesn't apply to everyone.

Mostly they are the cheaper or older models though.

 

[Puddle Jumper]

If I were to have no knowledge whatsoever about smartphone, and I hear... that the iPhone 4 has a single-core processor, last year hardwares, no 4G, etc... and it costs the same as the other guys who have dual-core processor, current bleeding edge hardware, and they all have 4G, then I'd go for the Android phones as well.

Except the people who are tech savvy are the ones buying Android phones. Case in point the EE class I am taking is dominated by Android phones while my Communications elective has a higher percentage of iPhones.

 

[Dulanic]

Except the people who are tech savvy are the ones buying Android phones. Case in point the EE class I am taking is dominated by Android phones while my Communications elective has a higher percentage of iPhones.

60% of people are tech savvy? I highly doubt that. I wouldn't doubt a tech savvy person is more likely to buy android, but I wouldn't say a majority of people buying android are.

 

[Puddle Jumper]

60% of people are tech savvy? I highly doubt that. I wouldn't doubt a tech savvy person is more likely to buy android, but I wouldn't say a majority of people buying android are.

I didn't mean to imply that all Android owners are tech savvy, rather people who are tech savvy are more likely to be android users.

 

[Dulanic]

I didn't mean to imply that all Android owners are tech savvy, rather people who are tech savvy are more likely to be android users.

Ah OK. I would agree. Thought I don't like stereotyping users... even if it is what I did with this thread But I was just reporting the reporters.

 

[Munky]

I would buy an iPhone over any Android phone. Why? Because of carrier subsidy, it costs about the same as top of the line Android phone. I could then sell the iPhone and buy any Android I wanted and still come out with a profit. The game is rigged so that the only way you can win is to buy the iPhone first.

Or.. you can just use an unlocked phone and not be chained to a contract.

 

[runawayprisoner]

I never saw a Streak in a store (where real people buy them) and the SGS1 only had a 4 inch screen. The first Evo was HUGELY popular- 4.3 inch screen.

Mostly they are the cheaper or older models though.

But wouldn't you agree that the SGS2 at $499 and the iPhone 4 at $599 makes it a no-brainer comparison? Off-contract, the iPhone 4 is still more expensive than the top-end Android phones. I think someone already mentioned that.

Except the people who are tech savvy are the ones buying Android phones. Case in point the EE class I am taking is dominated by Android phones while my Communications elective has a higher percentage of iPhones.

I don't suppose EE constitute "tech-savvy"... in fact, in the Engineering classes I have taken, out of 150 students (3 classes total), only 2 understood the difference between a dual-core CPU and two separate CPUs.

Now, try the same thing in a computer science class and you'll get more response.

And just a case in point, the heads of the Physics, Computer Science, and Engineering departments here all use iPhones, and may have more than one iOS device.

 

[poofyhairguy]

But wouldn't you agree that the SGS2 at $499 and the iPhone 4 at $599 makes it a no-brainer comparison?

Yes, but I am a SGS2 owner....