I mean yea, I have no interest in getting an iPhone XS Max Ultra Hyper Edition, my current iPhone is fast enough and they aren't adding any actual new features to wow me.
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Apple succumbs to the smartphone malaise
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There just isn't an obvious new upcoming hot trend that Apple can jump onto currently and make it cool.
Making the iPod was pretty obvious after digital music started taking of. Everyone saw the iPhone coming once it became clear the tech to combine phones and PDAs into smartphones was becoming available.
Now what they are going to do?
My iPhone 7 that I bought at launch still says 84% battery condition, and I am 100% satisfied with it. Instead of upgrading my phone last year, I decided to upgrade my Apple Watch from a series 0 to the new Series 4. That was a massive upgrade for me as I use the watch so much every day. This year's iPhone will have to blow me away to get me to upgrade.
Same here. I've used an X and I still don't feel any pressure to upgrade. My next phone is probably going to be an Android though.
For the majority of people the camera is perfectly fine. No one is saying that Chinese phones are cutting edge. Just that they get the same jobs done without problems, which is sufficient for 99% of the people out there.
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I've been holding on my current *Android* smartphone for close to three years now. And it's not even one with a plain OS, but heavily customised.
The thing is, most people don't give a fart about mobile VR or playing demanding games. I can do banking stuff, shop, navigate, play YouTube vidjeos, use WhatsApp and what not just fine. Chances are that the day I have to retire it will be because the battery is rather ho-hum at 3000mAh or so, but that's it.
I'll probably just ride this thing into the sunset like I did with my Lumia 920, which I only stopped using after taking some severe damage to the display that happened to be way too expensive to repair.
Apple? At the current prices it's even a more daunting proposition.
The thing is, most people don't give a fart about mobile VR or playing demanding games. I can do banking stuff, shop, navigate, play YouTube vidjeos, use WhatsApp and what not just fine. Chances are that the day I have to retire it will be because the battery is rather ho-hum at 3000mAh or so, but that's it.
I'll probably just ride this thing into the sunset like I did with my Lumia 920, which I only stopped using after taking some severe damage to the display that happened to be way too expensive to repair.
Apple? At the current prices it's even a more daunting proposition.
While I love my XS Max for the size and camera, I think Apple's decision to prioritize optimization with iOS12 is part of this slump. It was obviously a nice, pro-consumer decision to optimize the OS for older devices and extend their life, but it had to contribute to people not upgrading. I really hope Apple doesn't go back to their old ways of not caring about optimization for older phones.
The price of the new phones don't really bother me that much. It's a premium product made with premium materials with basically second-to-none internal specs. And considering I use my phone A LOT for a lot of different things, paying the same price each month that I pay for internet access to have the best phone that's right for me is a no-brainer.
Eh, looks incredibly gimmicky to me. Unless Google starts improving the Android tablet experience, I can't see it doing well. Who wants a bulky phone with a plastic screen that also happens to come with a mediocre tablet? Maybe in ten years when the tech is better, but I guess they have to start somewhere.
The price of the new phones don't really bother me that much. It's a premium product made with premium materials with basically second-to-none internal specs. And considering I use my phone A LOT for a lot of different things, paying the same price each month that I pay for internet access to have the best phone that's right for me is a no-brainer.
Eh, looks incredibly gimmicky to me. Unless Google starts improving the Android tablet experience, I can't see it doing well. Who wants a bulky phone with a plastic screen that also happens to come with a mediocre tablet? Maybe in ten years when the tech is better, but I guess they have to start somewhere.
The real crime is the death of the iPhone SE.
Manufacturers no longer give a shit about small phones, and Sony is not cutting it with the Mini line.
I wouldn't consider an iPhone (even as an iPad fan), but the SE was such a brilliant product.
Manufacturers no longer give a shit about small phones, and Sony is not cutting it with the Mini line.
I wouldn't consider an iPhone (even as an iPad fan), but the SE was such a brilliant product.
I have some serious buyers remorse from getting my XS Max last September. I just keep getting bitten by the bug to upgrade every year and I really REALLY don't need to.
I kept my mid-range Android phone and I still use it now and then and i can honestly say it wasn't worth the money for the XS Max. Yes it's nice to have more games available and with a gorgeous screen and fast processor, but 90% or more of the games I play on mobile come out on both platforms and don't require the newest phone to run well.
At the very least if I should have just waited for the cheaper XR, which when I played with at an Apple Store I was impressed with how light it felt compared to my XS Max and how decent the screen still looked even though it was lower res.
And to save even more money I really should have just gone with an 8 or 8 Plus since I'm really not a fan of Face ID. Going back to my Android phone really makes me realize how much I prefer having a fingerprint sensor.
Still can't decide if I want to just sell my XS Max or stick with it for as long as possible before selling it. Either way I'd be losing at least a few hundred $'s.
I kept my mid-range Android phone and I still use it now and then and i can honestly say it wasn't worth the money for the XS Max. Yes it's nice to have more games available and with a gorgeous screen and fast processor, but 90% or more of the games I play on mobile come out on both platforms and don't require the newest phone to run well.
At the very least if I should have just waited for the cheaper XR, which when I played with at an Apple Store I was impressed with how light it felt compared to my XS Max and how decent the screen still looked even though it was lower res.
And to save even more money I really should have just gone with an 8 or 8 Plus since I'm really not a fan of Face ID. Going back to my Android phone really makes me realize how much I prefer having a fingerprint sensor.
Still can't decide if I want to just sell my XS Max or stick with it for as long as possible before selling it. Either way I'd be losing at least a few hundred $'s.
The first brand to release a large (and I mean large) phone with a 5000 mAh battery AND stock Android at a fair price is going to kill it.
Xiaomi has a few decent contenders there, but MIUI kind of sucks.
Xiaomi has a few decent contenders there, but MIUI kind of sucks.
This isn't at all true, three years ago I paid €260 for an Android phone with a Snapdragon 820, Adreno 530, 6GB LPDDR4, 128GB UFS2.0, 1440P screen, 21MP 4K camera, etc. It laughs at any game I care to throw at it.
The xs is the lowest sold unit. Most people don't care about a small phone anymore. Sorry.
Rising prices wouldn't be so bad if we had a major leap in performance and capabilities with each new iteration. People are finally starting to realize that each upgrade is merely a small increment. It's best to hold on to your smartphone a couple of generations to make the investment seem worth it.
I'm hanging on to my 8 plus as long as I can and will switch to Android if Apple keeps up with the bullshit trend. It will be an inconvenience, sure. But I am willing to put up with it if it means I won't have to spend more money for less product.
I'm hanging on to my 8 plus as long as I can and will switch to Android if Apple keeps up with the bullshit trend. It will be an inconvenience, sure. But I am willing to put up with it if it means I won't have to spend more money for less product.
still on iphone 6, will replace battery soon, and i will be using it as long as will be alive, performance is still great.
It's the fact that phones have gotten good enough that paying apple tax doesn't seem worth it for a lot of people. I used to by nothing but apple. Every 2 years I'd get a new iPhone when the old one started slowing down. But apple kept raising the prices higher and higher while removing features from the phone. Eventually I didn't want to pay what they were asking for their phones. Now I'm using a $200 Android phone and the only thing I miss from iOS is the camera quality. But even this phone is good enough.
Flagships are not worth it in the age of amazing $300 "budget" phones. No one needs to spend $1,000+ on a phone when one at a third of the price can basically do everything the flagship can.
It's a huge waste. The average person will never see the benefits of owing an iPhone XS because all they do is make calls, texts, and go on social media apps. Sure, the cameras are great, but those pictures get downgraded when you upload them to Facebook or Instagram. So the cameras only really matter if you're an enthusiast (or photographer who uses the phone for work).
Apple ran into this problem with the new iPad. All its power seems like a waste when it's confined to iOS. We're in the age of power for the sake of power.
Jumping off the flagship train was one of the best things I've ever done. It's all marketing BS. I only upgrade when I know the feature will improve my day-to-day use.
For example: Touch ID was a major gamecl changer because it made interacting with my device easier. Being able to open an app a couple seconds faster doesn't really improve anything. It's something you only notice when you hold two devices next to each other.
But once you used Touch ID it was hard to go back to anything else. Those are the kind of features that I need.
It's a huge waste. The average person will never see the benefits of owing an iPhone XS because all they do is make calls, texts, and go on social media apps. Sure, the cameras are great, but those pictures get downgraded when you upload them to Facebook or Instagram. So the cameras only really matter if you're an enthusiast (or photographer who uses the phone for work).
Apple ran into this problem with the new iPad. All its power seems like a waste when it's confined to iOS. We're in the age of power for the sake of power.
Jumping off the flagship train was one of the best things I've ever done. It's all marketing BS. I only upgrade when I know the feature will improve my day-to-day use.
For example: Touch ID was a major gamecl changer because it made interacting with my device easier. Being able to open an app a couple seconds faster doesn't really improve anything. It's something you only notice when you hold two devices next to each other.
But once you used Touch ID it was hard to go back to anything else. Those are the kind of features that I need.
Apple's still posting insane shipment numbers and great revenue and net profit numbers.
I think they over-reached on price with the new iPhones. Bring it down by $200 for the X line and I think a lot of the griping will settle down.
They should release a budget iPhone for India too, something that's still sleek/cool looking but doesn't need to be super expensive.
I think they over-reached on price with the new iPhones. Bring it down by $200 for the X line and I think a lot of the griping will settle down.
They should release a budget iPhone for India too, something that's still sleek/cool looking but doesn't need to be super expensive.
Honestly, the screens are another gimmick to get people to upgrade. They started adding FHD & QHD screens now everyone thinks anything less is awful. But the XR's screen actually looks pretty good.
It's really only noticeable when compared directly to a higher resolution one side-by-side.
Still, you're doing the right thing. Wait as long as you can.
The camera quality and photo/video features matters most to me when considering a upgrade. The iPhone 8 Plus can do 4K 60FPS with no time limits (and I think EIS too) and image quality is really sharp. I can't imagine how much better phones can get, unless they make the insane leap to 4K 120FPS, or even 8K recording.
Edit: iPhone 8 Plus has OIS for all video resolutions, but 4K doesn't have EIS.
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My jet black iPhone 7 Plus is the sleekest phone Apple has ever released.
No way am I trading up anytime soon. 5 years, baby. That's how long I intend to make it last, barring any unforeseen circumstances.
No way am I trading up anytime soon. 5 years, baby. That's how long I intend to make it last, barring any unforeseen circumstances.
I can understand that. I think that'll be good enough for a while.
These things are so powerful now they need to release a dock that hooks up to mouse, monitor and keyboard, maybe provides extra cooling. I imagine this would get a lot of users back on the update train and probably grow market share of a largely saturated market.
Didn't even know you could do that. Thx!
My 7plus that I bought in Feb 2017 is still at 90%. Good to know.
I'm also 100% content with the current state of my phone.
Don't even know what feature Apple could show "to blow me away" and make me upgrade.
Have seen 8s, Xs and XRs out in the wild and wasn't impressed at all.
If anything these new IPhones look less sturdy. Like they can't take a fall as well as a 6/7.
That said, if my 7plus starts giving me problems, I will probably go for a discounted X refurb off ebay.
This is a market wide shift, not exclusive to Apple. Mobile yechnology has reached a point where a 300 or even a 200$/€ device is more than enough for the general consumer to keep for more than 2 years. The faster companies start treating the devices and market more like a long term affair not too dissimilar to tradition console cycles and even television hardware, the easier and smoother the transition and understanding from investors will go. With the current market and reliance on short term gains, the stock market will tank and fast if its not addressed.
wow what a different narrative from last year when everybody was saying that smartphones are now as important as cars in terms of everyday use so people would pay more gladly.
the reality is that apple overpriced this year and gets punished for it. they will get out a new product this year adjust and probably have 5 G support and people will buy the phones again. plus apple has a decent diversification. they have their macbooks and imacs that seem to gain marketshare in an overall shrinking pc market and they now dominate the tablet market. also they have established a very good new line with airpods and apple watches.
on top of that they swim in money. i think they will do fine. people should really check out how much money they make turnover and profitwise per quarter its unreal
the reality is that apple overpriced this year and gets punished for it. they will get out a new product this year adjust and probably have 5 G support and people will buy the phones again. plus apple has a decent diversification. they have their macbooks and imacs that seem to gain marketshare in an overall shrinking pc market and they now dominate the tablet market. also they have established a very good new line with airpods and apple watches.
on top of that they swim in money. i think they will do fine. people should really check out how much money they make turnover and profitwise per quarter its unreal
I still have my SE and I don't plan on upgrading anytime soon unless they bring back Touch ID or offer a successor to the SE. I neither want nor need a huge phone.
Having led the way with the iPhone, Apple has had a head start on other manufacturers, and with a premium product to boot. Now however the other manufacturers are pretty much all caught up and Apple doesn't really have anything they can do to justify the extra cost of their phone over a competitor's.
I've been sticking with iPhone due to iOS but if these prices don't come down it's only a matter of time until people like me go elsewhere. I had to do this with their laptops as eventually I just couldn't justify the price point anymore (admittedly, I was using my macbook pro as a windows machine, but still).
I've been sticking with iPhone due to iOS but if these prices don't come down it's only a matter of time until people like me go elsewhere. I had to do this with their laptops as eventually I just couldn't justify the price point anymore (admittedly, I was using my macbook pro as a windows machine, but still).
I think 5G will be the next shift. The leap in speed sounds incredible
5G will be more beneficial in things being connected everywhere than it it will be about data speeds, in my opinion. It's all short wavelengths so they're going to have to dump money into pumping relays everywhere. We'll get faster than LTE speeds for sure, but I don't think it'll be the jump people expect.
The only real problem i have with iPhone is that Apple priced them out of my budget, i could justify the ~600€ they asked a few years ago, i could *somehow* justify the ~700€ the asked up until recently but when you start asking +850€ for the chump model that has none of the good features than the ~1000€ models has then you are out for me.
I now have an iPhone 8 that i bought a couple of months after release for 200€ less than msrp in a grey area market because i could not justify the initial asking price but i swore that this was going to be my last iPhone.
It doesn't have the bokeh effect that i really like and in general after this trip i took i noticed that the camera is very shabby in many many occasions.
Next time if i'm going to spend a big sum of money it's going to be on an Android device that is at least full fledged.
I now have an iPhone 8 that i bought a couple of months after release for 200€ less than msrp in a grey area market because i could not justify the initial asking price but i swore that this was going to be my last iPhone.
It doesn't have the bokeh effect that i really like and in general after this trip i took i noticed that the camera is very shabby in many many occasions.
Next time if i'm going to spend a big sum of money it's going to be on an Android device that is at least full fledged.
My next phone will be a Note 9, but I'm going to wait until it's successor releases to get it.
Until that point, I'm sticking with my Note 8.
By then the 9 will have dropped in price and it has two features I want, Band 71 for T-Mobile and the better battery.
Until that point, I'm sticking with my Note 8.
By then the 9 will have dropped in price and it has two features I want, Band 71 for T-Mobile and the better battery.
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Honestly speaking if the battery hadn't gotten bad, I'd still be using my late 2013 Sony Xperia Z1. Phones got "good enough" for me years ago.
I will never again spend more then £300 for a phone, unless there's a gamechanging new feature. And there isn't any such thing on the horizon as far as I can see.
I will never again spend more then £300 for a phone, unless there's a gamechanging new feature. And there isn't any such thing on the horizon as far as I can see.
OP
OP
I found the z5 compact experience terrible in 2018. Couldn't imagine a Z1 lol.
I used it up till jan 2018 with zero lag, though I never used it for gaming. Depends on your use case I guess.
Price fixing is when a company colloudes with other companies to set supply or set prices of the product on the market.
Cutting production is not price fixing.