41–50 of 339 posts
For Android there may be for those who enjoy that operating system, but I do not enjoy Android so it is not a solution for me.
This is why I continue to be bullish on Apple. Apple is the only company that has been able to turn a smartphone into 'Nike Jordans'. They had people waiting outside at midnight, they have people buying the phone for the logo, they have people buying the phone for the location of the cameras. In the short term, I only see Apple as the company that does well during this next bumpy economy. Everyone else is selling pho…
Obviously it was always the case to some extent that the latest Apple gadget or Nike trainers were seen as trendy, but GenZ specifically seem to have taken this to a whole new level where it's actively damaging to one's self image not to have an iPhone or a nice pair of white Nike trainers.
Given this, perhaps the interesting question to ask is what has caused that change. Is it a counter reaction to the individualism preached by my generation, or is it social media putting the youth under more pressure than ever to conform? If it's the latter then it seems companies viewed as fashionable are likely to continue to take market share from competitors which are not. But if it's the former then perhaps this current obsession with having the latest iPhone will soon be replaced by people just wanting something basic that does what they need, but doesn't make a statement.
I think to be bullish on Apple I think you need to have an opinion on that.
I know a number of people, myself included, who have been waiting for the return of decent mid-range phones before getting a new one. Right now, there are very few options for people who want a reasonably sized phone, offering reasonably good performance, at a reasonably low cost, with reasonably good durability, with reasonably long software support, from a reasonably trustworthy manufacturer.
Just buy a new iPhone with a carrier subsidy, and use it for 4-6 years probably replacing the battery once during that time.
I'm one of those individuals. My iPhone 12 Pro is working well. I can't see a reason to upgrade to the 15 Pro. My eyesight is going down the drain with age, so the only thing that might make me jump is getting a phone with a bigger screen.
I guess power users can look into foldables, but for the rest of us upgrading a phone that's less than 3 yo is only a marginal update. The prices are relatively high too, so it's hardly worth it.
This is why I continue to be bullish on Apple. Apple is the only company that has been able to turn a smartphone into 'Nike Jordans'. They had people waiting outside at midnight, they have people buying the phone for the logo, they have people buying the phone for the location of the cameras. In the short term, I only see Apple as the company that does well during this next bumpy economy. Everyone else is selling pho…
You have it backwards IMO, the only reason Apple is able to achieve this effect is because their phones are heads and shoulders above the rest in hardware quality and integration. Build it (well) and they will come
There are much better sounding headphones/earplugs, ie Sennheiser.
Apple does fine products (and their share of fails), but their secret sauce is a mix of PR, timing, brilliant leadership, and tons of luck with ie that timing to market. Hardware quality is good, but that's true for literally everybody in the field and is definitely not the differentiating factor these days.
That USB-C though would be nice so I’d finally have only one cable needed.
Phones are feature complete. No huge compelling reason to upgrade. If you work for a living then it makes no sense to spend money on upgrading if you already have a relatively newish phone