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Apple’s Errors

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Re: Apple’s Errors

#21

Post by e1ven »

Reedx wrote: post #16
meritt wrote: post #3

> Apple seems to have underestimated iPhone SE demand to a significant degree I would love to purchase a new iPhone (or Android) if they were to make a new device with a comparable form factor to the SE. Instead, everything has progressed to these two-handed monstrosities that have resulted in fanny packs [1] becoming fashionable again simply to hold the damn things. [1] https://www.today.com/style/fanny-packs-are-so…

I used to think the same and didn't like the move to the larger phones. Harder to use with one hand, more bulky to carry around. But then I fired up my old iPhone 5 and quickly appreciated the larger screen of the iPhone 8. Although I still like holding the smaller one better.

I think a lot depends on your use-cases, what you spend time on your phone doing, where you're carrying it, etc.

I really like iOS, but one think I really envy about the Android ecosystem is that there are multiple vendors, so users aren't locked to just the most-popular size phone.

Re: Apple’s Errors

#22

Post by Despegar »

personlurking wrote: post #12
meritt wrote: post #3

> Apple seems to have underestimated iPhone SE demand to a significant degree I would love to purchase a new iPhone (or Android) if they were to make a new device with a comparable form factor to the SE. Instead, everything has progressed to these two-handed monstrosities that have resulted in fanny packs [1] becoming fashionable again simply to hold the damn things. [1] https://www.today.com/style/fanny-packs-are-so…

Last month, a Redditor explained why the SE form factor likely won't be returning. https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/a68a1v/we_get_it_you...

It's also much better for the platform that there isn't such a wide range between screen sizes. It's incredibly hard to make UIs scale from the SE to the XS Max and both be as functional and good looking on both.

Re: Apple’s Errors

#23

Post by protomyth »

Customers still prefer Apple’s flagship iPhones, no matter how expensive they are.

That sounds an awful lot like the wishful thinking that was around Apple in the early 90's when Apple was going bankrupt and almost got bought by Sun.

Re: Apple’s Errors

#24

Post by tptacek »

jseliger wrote: post #5

This is essentially a long way of saying, "Phones are now seeing marginal improvements, just like PCs. The market is saturated." Or nearing saturation. I wrote this in another thread, but when my iPhone 6 or 6s seemed to be failing a couple months ago, I just bought an iPhone 7 instead of the Xs or whatever the new hotness is. I can afford it but find it too expensive and the improvements marginal. Seemingly a lot of…

The piece explicitly rebuts that idea, most especially in its conclusion but also as the premise for why the market in China was poorly served by the schedule for the XR. You can disagree with it, but you can't reasonably claim that it's a long-winded way of saying the market is saturated.

Re: Apple’s Errors

#25

Post by lern_too_spel »

x0x0 wrote: post #11

I think the thing I realized (and obviously n=1) is there's no longer a single apple product I recommend to friends and family. A new iPhone xr with a storage bump and a good charger is over $1k with tax. A MacBook air is similarly $1600 plus with 256g and a warranty and tax. There are perfectly serviceable 500 Androids and $750 windows laptops. Apple's software isn't good enough to double the price.

In fact, I've found that Apple's software is significantly worse than the alternatives. People used to ignore the fact that app start up time was worse on iOS devices compared to Android devices released two generations earlier, despite costing way more and running on four generations better hardware. App start up time is the performance metric that affects the vast majority of users the most. They finally fixed this in iOS 12.

Some things iOS users still can't do:

1. Develop applications for their own phone without paying a yearly tax or re-building and re-installing weekly.

2. Have a driving mode that works well when used in a phone mount.

3. Automatically route phone calls and texts through Google Voice or a secure phone app.

4. Multi-user support for sharing a device with family or temporarily sharing it with a stranger.

These are not niche features like playing games in emulators or using offline maps by default for privacy (both of which are also not possible on iOS). These are software deficiencies that affect normal daily use cases. The Chinese market has even more features that users need that are simply not supported on iOS.

Re: Apple’s Errors

#26

Post by rudolph9 »

Reedx wrote: post #16
meritt wrote: post #3

> Apple seems to have underestimated iPhone SE demand to a significant degree I would love to purchase a new iPhone (or Android) if they were to make a new device with a comparable form factor to the SE. Instead, everything has progressed to these two-handed monstrosities that have resulted in fanny packs [1] becoming fashionable again simply to hold the damn things. [1] https://www.today.com/style/fanny-packs-are-so…

I used to think the same and didn't like the move to the larger phones. Harder to use with one hand, more bulky to carry around. But then I fired up my old iPhone 5 and quickly appreciated the larger screen of the iPhone 8. Although I still like holding the smaller one better.

Do you think this is because the larger screen is inherently better or perhaps it's because the iOS and the whole app eco-system is geared toward larger screen? Perhaps a little of both?

Re: Apple’s Errors

#27

Post by skellera »

iscrewyou wrote: post #8
meritt wrote: post #3

> Apple seems to have underestimated iPhone SE demand to a significant degree I would love to purchase a new iPhone (or Android) if they were to make a new device with a comparable form factor to the SE. Instead, everything has progressed to these two-handed monstrosities that have resulted in fanny packs [1] becoming fashionable again simply to hold the damn things. [1] https://www.today.com/style/fanny-packs-are-so…

I know two people who said they won’t buy another phone until the day their SE won’t turn on. I agree, SE form factor solves a great problem for some people. Not everyone wants a big screen! Apple either isn’t making enough money on the SE, not listening to their survey group, or an executive doesn’t care. They need to fix this.

Does anyone really think Apple hasn’t done market research to determine which size phone would be best for them to sell?

As mentioned in one of the other comments, SE was using the production lines of the 5/5s. It probably isn’t worth it to keep those going for an older phone and the R&D for a new smaller phone is a huge cost. I’m sure it’s been proven that most people want larger screens at this point.

I mean, even the newer cheaper phone they have, XR, is larger than their standard XS.

Re: Apple’s Errors

#28

Post by [deleted] »

jseliger wrote: post #5

This is essentially a long way of saying, "Phones are now seeing marginal improvements, just like PCs. The market is saturated." Or nearing saturation. I wrote this in another thread, but when my iPhone 6 or 6s seemed to be failing a couple months ago, I just bought an iPhone 7 instead of the Xs or whatever the new hotness is. I can afford it but find it too expensive and the improvements marginal. Seemingly a lot of…

[deleted]

Re: Apple’s Errors

#29

Post by sambroner »

I'm surprised that Apple made these forecasting mistakes despite having the foresight to release an extremely performant iOS 12.

This (performance focus) seemed like a capitulation to market saturation and longer device ownership cycles.

Either way, I think device makers are going to get hammered as tech plateaus. Focusing on longevity and usability will be huge differentiators. Apple's iOS12 seemed like a good move to prepare for this change.

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