Apple is losing...it's magical touch?

[GreatNeal]

The iPhone 5 Suggests That Without Steve Jobs, Apple Is Becoming A Normal Tech Company - Forbes

I don?t think it?s a coincidence that the iPhone 5, the first iPhone to be largely developed after Steve Jobs?s passing, seems to lack a comparable sales pitch. Jobs instinctively understood that most customers don?t care about technical specs, they care about what you can do with a device?s raw hardware. Sometimes, if a new product had a particularly impressive technical improvement?as with the Retina Display?he?d come up with a whimsical brand name for the new feature and make that the focus of the presentation. But more often, his presentations would focus on small number of applications or characteristics, like Siri, that weren?t directly tied to any specific hardware upgrade but made the product dramatically more useful for ordinary consumers.

In contrast, Tim Cook is an operations guy. He?s reportedly very good at packing ever-more-powerful hardware into Apple?s products at ever-lower prices, and that capability was on full display in today?s announcement. But as far as I can see, he doesn?t have any larger story to tell about why the iPhone 5 is dramatically better than an iPhone 4S, or why you should buy an iPhone 5 rather than the latest feature-packed phone from Samsung or Motorola.

Apple has a lot of smart engineers, so I?m sure the iPhone 5 will prove to be a solid product and will be snapped up by the millions by Apple?s existing base of devoted customers. But today?s announcement suggests that Apple is gradually becoming an ordinary technology company. It will continue pumping out faster, smaller, cheaper hardware. But without a product visionary at the top of the Apple hierarchy, the firm is unlikely to continue setting the agenda for the industry the way it did over the last decade.


Your thoughts?
Look at the poll results -> http://forums.imore.com/iphone-5-forum/239605-what-do-you-think-new-iphone-unveiled-today.html

A large percentage of us recognized it as Meh~
If Steve Jobs was here. I'll bet 100% that he will zoom into one distinguishing feature from all the other smartphones in the market. Even though it may not be extraordinary. It's all about telling a story and highlighting what's so awesome about it. Right now. Everyone is like. Meh, not great.
But my guess would be Steve Job's zooming into Panorama or the flyover.
See what I mean? Now we don't know what's SO GOOD about iPhone5.

 

[TheMaccaUK]

The issue is that the new iPhones are becoming such big media business that everyone is scouring everywhere for leaks, resulting in us all knowing what the new iPhone will be before it is announced. If we knew very little about the iPhone 5 then when the 4" display and LTE were announced yesterday, whilst still being small, lighter and thinner, we would have cried MAGIC!

They do miss Jobs presentation style though

 

[GreatNeal]

The issue is that the new iPhones are becoming such big media business that everyone is scouring everywhere for leaks, resulting in us all knowing what the new iPhone will be before it is announced. If we knew very little about the iPhone 5 then when the 4" display and LTE were announced yesterday, whilst still being small, lighter and thinner, we would have cried MAGIC!

They do miss Jobs presentation style though

Well you may be right.
But the day before the announcement. I watched Steve Jobs unveil the iPhone 4 again. And omg I was once again amazed at the phone.
Then just a few hours ago I watched yesterday's keynote. Damn it's like they are just throwing specs at us. Especially the guy that unveiled the iPhone. He compared everything to the iPhone4S with no reference at all to other competitors. Throwing words like. awesome. gorgeous yeah those catchy phrase. But they don't have that impact Steve has anymore.. what happened!

 

[soll82]

apple is losing...it's customers. Look at this statistic on iPhone sales

 

[Daniel.Jones]

Hey greatneal
You have done a nice research on the way new iPhone is presented and you are right, yesterday's presentation was not nice, actually it was not interesting or we can say it was not impressive. The thing is that we were knowing almost all the features of the device. If we look at iPhone 5 as a smartphone only, not the company it is from and not how it was presented, just looking at iPhone 5 I finds it a pretty nice smart phone having a few good features like
4G LTE support
Quad core processor
Fast processing (twice of 4S)
Improved battery life
4 inches ratina display
Thinner and lighter
8 MP camera
16:9 aspect ratio

These features sounds good for a smart phone, if we compare other devices in the market having these features. We will find only a few of this class.

 

[GreatNeal]

Hey greatneal
You have done a nice research on the way new iPhone is presented and you are right, yesterday's presentation was not nice, actually it was not interesting or we can say it was not impressive. The thing is that we were knowing almost all the features of the device. If we look at iPhone 5 as a smartphone only, not the company it is from and not how it was presented, just looking at iPhone 5 I finds it a pretty nice smart phone having a few good features like
4G LTE support
Quad core processor
Fast processing (twice of 4S)
Improved battery life
4 inches ratina display
Thinner and lighter
8 MP camera
16:9 aspect ratio

These features sounds good for a smart phone, if we compare other devices in the market having these features. We will find only a few of this class.

Yes I know what you mean and I agree with you. And yeah I'm getting it.
What I'm saying here is not how great the phone is.
It's about the presentation of the phone. Selling it to consumers in a way that would make us go " OMG I WANT IT NOW! SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!"
What Steve Jobs usually did was tell us how it would affect our life. Rather than telling us how much better it is than iPhone 4S.
Yesterday was just " Here are the specs of the phone and how great we think it is. Now decipher on your own. If you don't know what it does. now go research on your own on how it would affect your life. "

 

[Truth3000]

I've had EVERY iPhone since the first. Got them all on launch day, one way or another. They were phones that I had to have. This one...not at all. After studying and weighing my options I can honestly say that it's not te best choice anymore. Apple is beginning to look like RIM to me. After introducing something that completely changed the game they are not changing fast enough. With the options that android and the lumia ate offering they still have the 2007 home screen except for folders of course. But compare that to live tiles and widgets that provide information that I don't have to pull down a notification bar to see. And speaking of notification bars where the hell are my actionable notifications? If you're gonna copy then get it right. Isn't that what we've always told android users? Don't get it twisted..I'm what most people would call a fanboy. I have an iMac, a MacBook Pro, the New iPad, and the 4S. I love Apple. I just know when there is something better out there. The design of the iPhone 5 is hideous to me. It is long and skinny and it looks more like a touchscreen remote control. I can't even talk myself into liking that and I've really been trying. It's time to see what else is out there. I feel like I'm looking for a new girlfriend right now. Tim Cook will never be able to captivate an audience or make you WANT something like Steve could. But Steve couldn't have made me want that phone either. It just isn't a magical device. They aren't going up against the Blackberry Bold anymore. Now they have to box with Darth Nexus, the Galaxy guys, and the Lumia brothers! They're gonna need more magic! Somebody get Yoda on the phone!

 

[anon(4698833)]

The only "magical touch" that is missing now is the element of surprise with the new iPhone. Had there been no details on the new phone on the net before release, as soon as that bigger model was shown with a 4" screen and the new exterior design, people would have had this "excitement" factor that so many are talking about that is "missing".

We live in an electronic world where everything is just about available instantaneously by clicking a button online. Case in point, my niece the other day was getting ready to write down a list of things she wanted for her birthday, now me (growing up in the 80's) remember part of the pleasure of birthdays was getting to actually GO to the toy store and picking out my birthday present/s...part of the magic was getting to actually surround myself with toys, and figure out which one i wanted most. My niece pulled up the computer, looked at website for the toy she wanted and pointed at the version she wanted then went back to whatever she was doing...that "magic" seemed completely absent, and you could certainly tell that her interest was minimal at best...i remember doing cartwheels to the car getting ready to go pick out the toy, she just pointed, clicked and authorized.

Now how does that apply you ask? Simple, the first iPhone came out when cell phones were still in a state of necessity vs. desire, the idea of buying a phone that had EVERYTHING you could want was still pretty much unheard of, and then the phone world was revolutionized. Now days you can look in pretty much any direction and find a phone that does exactly what you want it to do in every way, and at the price range you want, you can go online, see all the specs, and click "Buy", that's it...no muss, no fuss. We're 6 generations into the iPhone now, with an army of phones in the same category that compete with it, and all of it available online with every last single detail for us to devour.

The magic is gone, not because Apple lost anything, but because we as consumers simply don't allow ourselves to be surprised anymore.

 

[ernbrdn]

Personally I think that Steve Jobs has some how gained Demi God status since his passing. Give it a rest. I was not disappointed by the announcement, it wasn't exciting since reading all the leaks before the fact but that is a chance I took reading the blog sites. I compare it to listening to movie podcasts before you actually see the movie, of course it's going to spoil the movie for you but you know this going in.
As for Steve Jobs, he may have revolutionized the smartphone industry, I'm not disputing the fact but now it is time for the smartphone industry to revolutionize the technology industry. During the Samsung Apple trial I hear that you can't really make a smartphone with a touch screen that's not rectangle. Every phone on the market is a rectangle shaped slab, no surprises there. Look what apple did though, they made that slab beautiful, it's seriously a work of art. Up next to any Android phone which one is going to draw your attention.
That being said it doesn't seem to me that technology is there to make an "Oh WOW" phone any longer. Battery technology isn't there, screen technology isn't quiet there yet. I mean the screen on the new iphone is a new process, thinner, supposedly less glare, etc. etc. but because it's not something out of a science fiction movie it's not "Oh WOW" it's just a smartphone screen.
Siri was released on the 4s half baked, and that was supposed to be "OH WOW" and look what that turned into, a year of complaining and frustration followed by not even using it.
I don't know I'm ranting on and on so I'll stop but I will say I think Apple did an amazing job with what they have to work with, Would I buy it? Probably not, but then again I'm not eligible for an upgrade yet. If the iPhone 5s is similar with more minor tweaks of course I would buy it. Your not buying just a phone, like you do on android, your buying the ecosystem. I don't want 3D cameras, 3D screens, hell I don't even want NFC for payments until it is "perfect". I love what my iPhone 4s has done for making life easier, and have never even been tempted by another Android other than the "Oh Shiney" factor, a few minutes with one reminds me why I never bought another one.

 

[GreatNeal]

The only "magical touch" that is missing now is the element of surprise with the new iPhone. Had there been no details on the new phone on the net before release, as soon as that bigger model was shown with a 4" screen and the new exterior design, people would have had this "excitement" factor that so many are talking about that is "missing".

We live in an electronic world where everything is just about available instantaneously by clicking a button online. Case in point, my niece the other day was getting ready to write down a list of things she wanted for her birthday, now me (growing up in the 80's) remember part of the pleasure of birthdays was getting to actually GO to the toy store and picking

The magic is gone, not because Apple lost anything, but because we as consumers simply don't allow ourselves to be surprised anymore.

Yeah I absolutely agree with you. Before the iPhone 5 about 2 months ago I was engrossed in the rumours and amazed and disappointed. When they introduced it. I was like. Yeah I know everything already.
Gosh now I'm thinking if lumia or iphone5 will be better oh well.

 

[Fausty82]

Ironically, MG Siegler at TechCrunch takes the opposite view - that Apple and the iPhone 5 ARE magic...

agree or disagree, I think he makes some great points...

Apple’s Magic Is In The Turn, Not The Prestige | TechCrunch

Apple?s Magic Is In The Turn, Not The Prestige
MG SIEGLERposted 5 hours ago Comments

The opening dialogue of Christopher Nolan?s 2006 film, The Prestige:

Every great magic trick consists of three parts or acts. The first part is called ?The Pledge?. The magician shows you something ordinary: a deck of cards, a bird or a man. He shows you this object. Perhaps he asks you to inspect it to see if it is indeed real, unaltered, normal. But of course?it probably isn?t. The second act is called ?The Turn?. The magician takes the ordinary something and makes it do something extraordinary. Now you?re looking for the secret? but you won?t find it, because of course you?re not really looking. You don?t really want to know. You want to be fooled. But you wouldn?t clap yet. Because making something disappear isn?t enough; you have to bring it back. That?s why every magic trick has a third act, the hardest part, the part we call ?The Prestige?.

This is what was on my mind following today?s Apple event. It?s essentially the story of the iPhone.

Apple took something ordinary, a phone, did some extraordinary things to it, and then made it re-appear in grandiose fashion. It?s a great trick. It?s so good, in fact, that I think it?s fair to call it true magic.

The problem, if you want to call it that, is that Apple has now been doing this trick since 2007. Granted, they have other solid tricks too (they are far from the one-trick pony claims that several of their competitors face). But the iPhone is the best trick in their bag. And in the last few years, some people have gotten sick of seeing it.

But it?s important to remember that just because you?ve seen a show before, it doesn?t make actually make it any less magical. It?s a perception issue.

Yes, that?s also Apple?s problem ? if they wish to entertain. But the reality is that the entertainment value of these events is just icing on the cake. It also probably doesn?t help the current Apple regime that Steve Jobs was especially good at pulling off ?The Prestige? part. But the true core of the company with regard to the iPhone has always been about ?The Turn?. And I think that was more clear than ever today.

Look at the main video being displayed on Apple?s homepage. It?s several Apple executives talking about just what went into pulling off turning the ordinary smartphone into something extraordinary. Yes, again.

To some, this repetition is now boring. But I think Apple looks at it the opposite way: they?re perfecting their trick.

Look at the mobile landscape right now. There are two companies that are making any money in smartphones: Apple and Samsung. Or, put another way: Apple and the company Apple just won a billion dollar-plus judgement against for copying their smartphone designs. So while some may find Apple?s trick old hat now, no one else has figured out how to pull it off ? except for the company doing a mediocre copy of the trick. I?d argue it?s because everyone is focusing on The Pledge and The Prestige, but Apple is the only one focusing on The Turn.

They?re the only ones photographing their assembly process with 29 megapixel cameras to ensure that a machine picks the exact inlet from 725 unique cuts. They?re the only ones who spend three years working on earphones. They?re the only ones who would go out of their way to try to re-design a device to look and act similar even though the bulk of it has largely changed.

That?s the thing ? when people say they?re disappointed about the new iPhone, what they?re really saying is that they?re disappointed it doesn?t look that much different from previous version(s). But again, not only is that true, Apple went out of their way to make sure that was the case. Just listen to Jony Ive in the very beginning of the video:

When you think about your iPhone, it?s probably the object that you use most in your life. It?s the product that you have with you all the time. With this unique relationship that people have with their iPhone. We take changing it really seriously. We don?t just want to make a new phone. We want to make a much better phone.

Apple is not and will not make changes just for the sake of change. And while some may now be clamoring for this change, the paradox is that if Apple did make some big changes, many of the same people would ***** and moan about them. Apple is smart enough to know that in this case, most people don?t really want change, they just think that they do because that?s the easiest way to perceive value: visual newness.

Apple?s focus remains on The Turn, the process by which they make the ordinary extraordinary. But even with a masterful Prestige, it?s hard to convey that commitment. That is until you walk into an Apple Store and pick up the product.

While it lacks the pomp and circumstance of a Prestige on stage at some big event, this interaction is much more intimate, and as such, much more powerful. You may not perceive it directly, but the care and craft of The Turn percolates through your hands and eyes. Within minutes or even seconds, you just know this is something different. Something far beyond what others are doing with their false magic. You want this. You need this.

That?s why Apple is now the most valuable company in the world. And that?s why you will buy an iPhone 5. And an iPhone 6. And beyond. You?re upset about The Prestige, or the lack-thereof. But it?s all about The Turn.

 

[cardfan]

The only thing I will say is that Apple didn't quite tell the story on why they needed to change to 4" 16:9. Yes we know apps can be done in better ways with more real estate and they hit on that. We know video will look better.

But they really needed to go more in depth on why this is THE killer size. Or rather, why they couldn't go even bigger. The whole purpose of the event is to convince the media, not us. They mentioned how it was designed for the hand and thumb but needed to explain further. Tell the story. Have one of the big phones in someone's hand vs an iphone.

And the same with the "lightning" dock. Tell the story. What does this dock really do for me? Is the only benefit to me that i can plug it in either way? Really? And that adapter look silly big. Why is it called Lightning? Will it sync faster? The adapter can't even be used for video out or whatever ipod out is. Sorry hdmi digital adapter. If you want to plug your iphone to tv, you can't use the iphone 5. Stick with the 4S?

 

[iEd]

apple is losing...it's customers. Look at this statistic on iPhone sales

The Q2 2012 drop in sales is in anticipation to the iPhone 5 release. People knew the 5 was coming and stopped buying the 4s. More 4s's will sell now that they are 99 bucks

 

[GreatNeal]

Lol guys!
Yes. I'm talking about The Prestige. They are losing that Prestige.
I have no doubt with Apple regarding The Turn. And I'll be disappointed if they screw up The Turn. Because that's what's the most important thing is!

It's the way they present the iPhone. that distortion in field Steve creates. It's... gone.. that's what I'm talking about!

 

[Tapit_Zac]

I think Apple as a company might simply be getting too comfortable (as with all successful entities e.g. Empires, sports teams, musicians)... It seems as if they have simply come to expect success.

I would even venture to say that the marketing team approached the introduction as:

"It's the iPhone 5.... it doesn't even need an intro."

leading this type of presentation: "It's the iPhone 5...buy it."

Quite "baller" of them to do so. However, as with all successful entities, their domination in the market for years has driven competitors to perfect and work very hard on their own products.

I think competition is incredibly fierce now in the market of smart phones and Apple is not acknowledging it.

That being said, I personally love Apple. I think the iPhone 5 is brilliant and the people that developed it did a great job. But this thread was simply about its presentation and yes I must say it was lacking.

 

[kch50428]

Lol guys!
Yes. I'm talking about The Prestige. They are losing that Prestige.
I have no doubt with Apple regarding The Turn. And I'll be disappointed if they screw up The Turn. Because that's what's the most important thing is!

It's the way they present the iPhone. that distortion in field Steve creates. It's... gone.. that's what I'm talking about!

You need to read this: Inevitable | iMore.com

 

[moneymike47]

I dont think it has anything to do with Steve Jobs not being there anymore, because Steve Jobs helped to start making the iPhone 5 before he died. Also, I feel that the magical 'buzz' and 'hype' that wasn't there this time that made people not impressed about the new iPhone is because, like others had said, most of it's features have been leaked or speculated so if you looked at all the blogs and websites, there really isn't any surprise about what the new iPhone will have, the only surprise is what it won't have. Also. the last few iPhones revolutionized mobile technology because they did things that other phones haven't and was brand new to the industry. At this stage of the game, with all the other companies trying to catch up and 1-up Apple's iPhone, it's hard to do something impressive anymore, and i think the iPhone 5 didn't have anything mind-blowingly impressive, but at this point until technology as a whole improves drastically, the new iPhones will just have what seems like minor changes.

 

[iEd]

I'll be honest I was not a fan the original iPhone 4 design. I was more a fan of the rounded 3Gs. But I desired the iOS experience again after BB and Android. So I grew to really like the 4 design. There is one simple thing that sets the 5 off to me and that it's offered in all black or slate it's super sexy to me.

Also the thinner design is attractive. The iPhone is the best one handed phone out there this remains because the didn't go with a wider design. Those coming from a 4 to 5 will feel like their home got some nice renovations not major reconstruction.

In 2007 Apple did revolutionize mobile phone. Now they are improving on that revolution. Who knows what they have cooking in the lab for 5 years from now something that they cant make possible right now just like they couldn't make Purple possible in 2007.

It's still magical to me because works.

 

[kch50428]

What matters is THIS.

 

[RichardC300]

I don't understand you. You make an argument that Apple is losing their touch, but then you agree with every piece of counterargument that people provide you.