Is this the iPhone 4S?

[redbeard]

You realize all of us here are a minority right? The normal consumer doesn't care. They just know it's the newest and best from Apple. Apple is well aware of this. The 4S will be the best selling phone for the unforeseeable future. Name one iPhone that hasn't been. Can't do it...

Exactly, the normal consumer doesn't care about dual core chips and gigs of ram, nor do they know what it is, all they see is the external shell of the phone. So to me I think they'd sell more by changing the design to the masses than anything else.

When Apple advertises it, all the normal consumer will think is that "it looks the same".

Again, big sales don't benefit me, they don't give me the features I want, all I see is a big giant DUD. And I'm not happy at all about it, I wanted Apple to lay waste to the competition, if all they release is this 4S on Tuesday, Samsung and HTC will be throwing a party.

Just look at the reaction across the web, even the most die hard Apple fanboys are pissed, when the iPhone 4 was announced it was the opposite. The fanboys are mad, and Sally soccer mom can't tell the iPhone 4 and 4S apart, sounds like a pretty bad business decision. I could care less about brand loyalty, I want the best product for my money, since 07 Apple has had it, I'm afraid this spec bump after 16 months with the insane competition now means my money is going elsewhere. I just may wait until the the first phone comes out with the Kal El processor and whoever matches that up with a big HD screen.

 

[redbeard]

But if it looks different and has the same internal changes you'd think it's better? I really don't understand that way of thinking.

No, I don't really care that much about looks, it's that a bigger screen would have necessitated a different design, to me, hardware is screen plus guts. I think the guts needed to improve, and that screen size did too. And moving away from the iPhone 4's faulty antenna design would be wise too. So instead they keep the same screen size, and the same exact design so nobody knows it's new, and and the same antenna design? They could have come out with this when the Verizon phone came out to give it a boost, this is pathetic after 16 months, actually it's worse than pathetic, I just can't think of a better word right now.

 

[redbeard]

So what does it take for you (not "you" personally, but the average iPhone user) to swap platforms? I'm serious when I ask that. I understand the frustration, but lots of people are voicing their anger/frustration with what they perceive to be lack of innovation - but they keep buying iPhones.

So, again, I ask, what would make you leave the iOS platform for Android, or Windows Phone?

Well will they keep buying iPhones year after year if Apple doesn't change them? Wasn't Blackberry in that boat once?

I know exactly what would make me go to Android, screen size plus retina quality resolution on their top devices. After owning an iPhone 4, everytime I check out an Android phone with their pixelated screens I realize I could never own one until they match Apple's pixel density. And that day is coming soon as many Android phones are getting 1280x720 screens.

There's other small things I need/want like a notification light and louder speakers, since Apple won't give me what I need I'll go to whomever does, and keep my iP4 for all my music and apps, and see if Apple can bring me back with the iPhone 6. I still plan on getting an iPad 3 if it has the retina screen, and an Apple TV in a couple weeks.

 

[BLiNK]

So what does it take for you (not "you" personally, but the average iPhone user) to swap platforms? I'm serious when I ask that. I understand the frustration, but lots of people are voicing their anger/frustration with what they perceive to be lack of innovation - but they keep buying iPhones.

So, again, I ask, what would make you leave the iOS platform for Android, or Windows Phone?

you bring up some very valid points. this reminds me of what was happening on the eve of the iP4 release. hopefully after Tuesday things will go back to normal, not only here but other places as well

people "say" they will move onto another platform but i highly doubt they will. if they do great, don't let the door hit you on the way out

 

[Edharv1]

It doesn't run voice assistant, and I imagine the new camera will also make people want to upgrade. My sister for example swore she wouldn't upgrade last year, but she ended up upgrading because of the camera.

I have the Siri app on my iPhone, i'm interested to see how it will be that much different.

 

[phreddyl]

So what does it take for you (not "you" personally, but the average iPhone user) to swap platforms? I'm serious when I ask that. I understand the frustration, but lots of people are voicing their anger/frustration with what they perceive to be lack of innovation - but they keep buying iPhones.

So, again, I ask, what would make you leave the iOS platform for Android, or Windows Phone?

I won't leave. In the last 7 years I have from windows to blackberry to android and now iOS. I love the iPhone for it's operating system more then anything. No battery pulls, no freezing, no crazy battery drain. It just works. Would I like them to change the design up a bit. Sure but again the new iOS will make it feel and act like a new phone.

 

[DrewBear]

The big question now is, will Apple become the next RIM? "Just good enough" doesn't cut it in this market.

Where do the lines start for the Nexus Prime?

A year from today Apple will be weeks away from reporting over $150 billion in revenue. RIM will be lucky to hold steady at $20 billion.

Any lines for the Prime will be short and short lived. It's expected to be announced Oct. 11th, right? Will it hit the shelves right away? The next iPhone is expected to hit the shelves sometime between Oct. 14-25. Do you seriously believe the lines for the Prime will come anywhere close to lines for the 5th gen iPhone?

Let's come back to this post in 3 weeks.

Or it could be less because not nearly as many people want a another iPhone 4 when the competition has left Apple in the dust. People need to also realize that whatever Apple puts out this month will have to compete until at least this time next year, and there are phones coming out that are going to be absolute beasts, and will make this "4S" look like a toy...

There are a number of Android "beasts" that have been available the past few months, yet average consumers continue to buy many millions of the old iPhone 4. You can argue that the SGS2 has left the iP4 in the dust, but it's clear that consumers don't agree with you. As far as actual build quality goes, hand someone who's never seen either phone a SGS2 and a iPhone 4 and ask them which feels like a toy.

Apple has other things to fall back on, my bringing up RIM had nothing to do with revenue, and everything to do with phones. Nobody wants a new Blackberry because they got complacent, stopped innovating, and let Apple take over. I hope Apple doesn't make that same mistake. And eventually, that will eat into profits.

I think we're mostly saying the same thing. RIM got complacent and severely underestimated the significance of the iPhone. (search "RIM CEO iPhone and read all the stupid things they said in 2007) But that didn't translate into them selling fewer phones. They continued to sell more and more BBs, but they just got cheaper. That's what slowed down their revenue ($ sales) growth.

That is not what is happening with Apple's iPhone. Every year Apple sells twice as many iPhones as the previous year. But the average price of the iPhone is holding steady at ~$600. That is nothing like what happened with RIM & Blackberries.

Nor will their be lines for the Next Ferrari supercar, yet I'll take that over a Toyota Corolla.

You're saying that the SGS2 and Nexus Prime are Ferraris while the next iPhone is a Corolla? I disagree. I think 99 of 100 people would disagree with your characterization.

Apple could sell 50 billion 4S's, what does that do for you or me? I don't own Apple stock, all I care about is a new and improved phone.

You're right. Consumers don't care what iPhone sales does for Apple or their shareholders. They care about the same thing you do: a great product. The point is that many millions of people will consider the new iPhone a huge improvement that is worth buying.

I keep repeating that Apple continues to sell old iPhone 4 & 3GS at the rate of 6-7 million each month. I'm not trying to point out how well Apple is doing as a business. I'm pointing out that consumers TODAY still consider the iPhone a great product that is worth buying in numbers that the top 10 Android phones can't even match cumulatively.

Clearly what you demand from the next iPhone is not what the average consumer demands. You've already labeled the A5, RAM & camera upgrades as "incremental". In your opinion iOS "is still the same as it was in 2007". The only thing that might possibly make you happy is if the next iPhone comes with a larger screen, better antenna & new design.

I personally would be very happy to see all of those come true. But I and millions of others will also be happy to buy the next iPhone if it came packaged with the same screen, antenna and design. It will be the best iPhone yet. You and your friends will buy something else. There's nothing wrong with that.

 

[DannyMichel]

There are a number of Android "beasts" that have been available the past few months, yet average consumers continue to buy many millions of the old iPhone 4. You can argue that the SGS2 has left the iP4 in the dust, but it's clear that consumers don't agree with you. As far as actual build quality goes, hand someone who's never seen either phone a SGS2 and a iPhone 4 and ask them which feels like a toy.

I TOTALLY agree. I Bring up the same point every now and then. While I prefer iOS, if someone never heard of either phone and tried a few of these android phones up against an iPhone, they'd think the iPhone was laughable in comparison


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Jellotime91]

I TOTALLY agree. I Bring up the same point every now and then. While I prefer iOS, if someone never heard of either phone and tried a few of these android phones up against an iPhone, they'd think the iPhone was laughable in comparison


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I think it's safe to say he was trying to make the opposite point... Saying that the android phones mostly feel cheap and plasticky, while the iPhone 4 has a very high build quality and a good weight to it.

 

[DrewBear]

I TOTALLY agree. I Bring up the same point every now and then. While I prefer iOS, if someone never heard of either phone and tried a few of these android phones up against an iPhone, they'd think the iPhone was laughable in comparison.

LOL. Touch?. I left myself wide open for that one.

But we were talking specifically about the SGS2. Engadget is not a pro-Apple site and here's what they said about the S2. Of course they didn't even mention the glass and metal iPhone 4.

...in spite of the generally reassuring build quality, the Galaxy S II is still made out of plastic rather than something more robust like HTC or Nokia's all-aluminum cases.

Design-wise, no one tops Apple. The Nokia N9 looks brilliant and the latest Blackberries are excellent in build quality. Still, I wouldn't bet against the next iPhone's design or build quality.

 

[melwan]

I TOTALLY agree. I Bring up the same point every now and then. While I prefer iOS, if someone never heard of either phone and tried a few of these android phones up against an iPhone, they'd think the iPhone was laughable in comparison


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Define "someone".

If it's a tech junkie who loves to tinker with the phone all day long, then yes. But from experience (as a person who interacts directly with consumers in the mobile industry), the average person out there is intimidated by Android.

Heck, even the black screen with all the settings looks scary enough to some. They usually come asking for the free navigation Google offers (they usually heard it from a geeky friend), but once they try to "operate" that free navigation, they ask to see something else. The majority ends up picking an iPhone and spending $60 on Navigon. Again, this is my personal observation for a little over 1 year now.

Yes, it's free navigation, but something is not "fulfilling" their needs.

 

[Jellotime91]

Define "someone".

If it's a tech junkie who loves to tinker with the phone all day long, then yes. But from experience (as a person who interacts directly with consumers in the mobile industry), the average person out there is intimidated by Android.

Heck, even the black screen with all the settings looks scary enough to some. They usually come asking for the free navigation Google offers (they usually heard it from a geeky friend), but once they try to "operate" that free navigation, they ask to see something else. The majority ends up picking an iPhone and spending $60 on Navigon. Again, this is my personal observation for a little over 1 year now.

Yes, it's free navigation, but something is not "fulfilling" their needs.

+1..

The greatest thing about iOS as a consumer product is that it provides a layered experience. I know several people who have iPhones that had no idea they had the multitasking tray, and I'm sure the same thing will happen with the notification center. It can be a super-simple experience for those who want it, and a more advanced one for those in-the-know.

 

[Jeremy]

Exactly, the normal consumer doesn't care about dual core chips and gigs of ram, nor do they know what it is, all they see is the external shell of the phone. So to me I think they'd sell more by changing the design to the masses than anything else.

When Apple advertises it, all the normal consumer will think is that "it looks the same".

Again, big sales don't benefit me, they don't give me the features I want, all I see is a big giant DUD. And I'm not happy at all about it, I wanted Apple to lay waste to the competition, if all they release is this 4S on Tuesday, Samsung and HTC will be throwing a party.

Just look at the reaction across the web, even the most die hard Apple fanboys are pissed, when the iPhone 4 was announced it was the opposite. The fanboys are mad, and Sally soccer mom can't tell the iPhone 4 and 4S apart, sounds like a pretty bad business decision. I could care less about brand loyalty, I want the best product for my money, since 07 Apple has had it, I'm afraid this spec bump after 16 months with the insane competition now means my money is going elsewhere. I just may wait until the the first phone comes out with the Kal El processor and whoever matches that up with a big HD screen.

It does not matter... Those same "fanboys" still bought the 3GS after they already had no? All there is to say. And if you think HTC and Samsung will be throwing a party regardless of what Apple puts out, you are insane. (no offense)

 

[hoosieriphone]

2 iPhones will be announced. 4s and 5. They are not going to put Tim Cook up on stage just to announce an upgraded iPhone 4. Unless... they bring Steve onto the stage and let him do his " one last thing " and pull out the iPhone 5. The place would go crazy.

 

[DrewBear]

While I prefer iOS, if someone never heard of either phone and tried a few of these android phones up against an iPhone, they'd think the iPhone was laughable in comparison.

Define "someone".

If it's a tech junkie who loves to tinker with the phone all day long, then yes. But from experience (as a person who interacts directly with consumers in the mobile industry), the average person out there is intimidated by Android.

Heck, even the black screen with all the settings looks scary enough to some. They usually come asking for the free navigation Google offers (they usually heard it from a geeky friend), but once they try to "operate" that free navigation, they ask to see something else. The majority ends up picking an iPhone and spending $60 on Navigon. Again, this is my personal observation for a little over 1 year now.

Yes, it's free navigation, but something is not "fulfilling" their needs.

The greatest thing about iOS as a consumer product is that it provides a layered experience. I know several people who have iPhones that had no idea they had the multitasking tray, and I'm sure the same thing will happen with the notification center. It can be a super-simple experience for those who want it, and a more advanced one for those in-the-know.

Good points, melwan & Jello.

RE: GPS. I've heard good things about the MotionX app. You can pay $3 for 30 days of access or $20/year. Sounds like a great deal for folks who only sporadically have need for turn-by-turn GPS access.

 

[redbeard]

It does not matter... Those same "fanboys" still bought the 3GS after they already had no? All there is to say. And if you think HTC and Samsung will be throwing a party regardless of what Apple puts out, you are insane. (no offense)

Yea I just wonder how long the general public will continue to do so if Apple keeps re-hashing the iPhone 4 as something new, they'll catch on eventually, I hope Apple doesn't think incremental upgrades will carry them forever. I'm still pissed they didn't give us widgets! And yes, Apple has made me insane!

 

[redbeard]

Good points, melwan & Jello.

RE: GPS. I've heard good things about the MotionX app. You can pay $3 for 30 days of access or $20/year. Sounds like a great deal for folks who only sporadically have need for turn-by-turn GPS access.

Or you can download Waze, it's free and it's better.

 

[Jellotime91]

Yea I just wonder how long the general public will continue to do so if Apple keeps re-hashing the iPhone 4 as something new, they'll catch on eventually, I hope Apple doesn't think incremental upgrades will carry them forever. I'm still pissed they didn't give us widgets! And yes, Apple has made me insane!

Gretchen, stop trying to make 'widgets' happen. It's not going to happen.

 

[Edharv1]

Yea I just wonder how long the general public will continue to do so if Apple keeps re-hashing the iPhone 4 as something new, they'll catch on eventually, I hope Apple doesn't think incremental upgrades will carry them forever. I'm still pissed they didn't give us widgets! And yes, Apple has made me insane!

My thing is the iPhone 4 body style is already dated. Kudos to the new iOS but the fact of the matter is in three months after you've upgraded to the 4s and played with the new iOS which really won't be new for those of us who jailbreak you will be tired of the 4s, and we will be back in this forum discussing the next iPhone rumor!

If apple gets to cocky the competition will catch up!

 

[DrewBear]

Or you can download Waze, it's free and it's better.

Thanks for the tip. I'll give it a try when I get the iPhone.