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iPhone unit sales have been declining steadily for 5 years

zdnet.com

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Re: iPhone unit sales have been declining steadily for 5 years

#51

Post by toast0 »

smabie wrote: post #32
m0zg wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why? I think 4G LTE is more than fast enough, if available.

It doesn't really matter, people want 5G. There's also the standard argument that when 5G becomes standard, new applications will arise. I can't think of any off the top of my head, but that's also kind of the point. People in the 90s probably couldn't imagine graphics cards enabling a deep learning either.

Do people want 5G? Will carriers build it?

The only deployment that actually makes a lot of sense is better coverage at sporting events, but why buy a phone for that this year when nobody is going to sporting events.

Re: iPhone unit sales have been declining steadily for 5 years

#52

Post by oarsinsync »

ineedasername wrote: post #14
kvn_95 wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And also the opting for the nuclear option when faced with defending their 30% app store commissions. I love Apple devices, but at some point no one can afford them anymore. Strangely, I noticed that this has happened before when Steve Jobs left Apple for the first time. At that point, Apple's product lineup keep getting more complex and more expensive, until Jobs came back and cut both the product count and pricing…

Yes, it used to be a single phone a year, pricier options were just for storage. Maybe that was too far in one direction, I don't know. But now it seems like too many, and I couldn't even tell you the real difference between the options, much less why I should spend $1500 on one of them when I can a 1.5 year old android flagship for $400 with CPU & GPU benchmarks only a little less that theirs, which is all I really…

> I can a 1.5 year old android flagship for $400 with CPU & GPU benchmarks only a little less that theirs, which is all I really care about: snappy response for page loads, video streaming, gaming, reasonably good camera & video quality.

How many more months of security updates do you anticipate receiving on that device. Are security updates a priority for you?

(Written on my $450, in 2016, 4 year old iPhone SE, which I am considering upgrading for the new $450 iPhone SE in 2020)

Re: iPhone unit sales have been declining steadily for 5 years

#53

Post by oarsinsync »

kvn_95 wrote: post #31
Polylactic_acid wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The SE and even the 11 seem fairly affordable. The pro versions seem fairly pointless imo. You also have the option of buying a second a second hand older model. Even the iphone X is faster than current year androids.

At the rate of their price increase, buying 2nd hand will soon be the only option left to get Apple devices. You know something is not right when their own website start to list trade-in prices. I mean, this is a phone, not a car.

> I mean, this is a phone, not a car.

And yet my car’s entertainment system is massively enhanced by my phone.

Meanwhile I can still buy an iPhone new for $450 with 128GB storage, and an expectation to receive security updates for at least 4 years.

The annual insurance on my car is higher, and I use my phone for many more hours per day, and these days, need it a lot more than I do my car.

Re: iPhone unit sales have been declining steadily for 5 years

#54

Post by bad_user »

m0zg wrote: post #42
bad_user wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

5G is primarily targeted at IoT. New applications yes, but those applications won't necessarily be for phones. Unless bandwidth prices for 5G get dramatically lower than 4G (unlikely, because I don't see mobile operators discriminating subscriptions like that), then 5G won't have much of an impact on phone owners.

What _is_ IoT in the first place?

Traditionally dumb devices that are streaming telemetry / sensor data to, and possibly receving commands from, a central server.

5G is supposedly better for the use-case because it should support more connections, it should have less latency, and the devices should use less power for staying connected.

Re: iPhone unit sales have been declining steadily for 5 years

#55

Post by pjmlp »

smabie wrote: post #32
m0zg wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why? I think 4G LTE is more than fast enough, if available.

It doesn't really matter, people want 5G. There's also the standard argument that when 5G becomes standard, new applications will arise. I can't think of any off the top of my head, but that's also kind of the point. People in the 90s probably couldn't imagine graphics cards enabling a deep learning either.

What people?

Here in Germany, we would already be happy if actually HSCSD worked everywhere, let alone LTE.

Re: iPhone unit sales have been declining steadily for 5 years

#56

Post by votepaunchy »

toast0 wrote: post #51
smabie wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It doesn't really matter, people want 5G. There's also the standard argument that when 5G becomes standard, new applications will arise. I can't think of any off the top of my head, but that's also kind of the point. People in the 90s probably couldn't imagine graphics cards enabling a deep learning either.

Do people want 5G? Will carriers build it? The only deployment that actually makes a lot of sense is better coverage at sporting events, but why buy a phone for that this year when nobody is going to sporting events.

And we can use existing WiFi standards in stadiums.

https://www.mobilesportsreport.com/2019/10/ohio-state-breaks...

Re: iPhone unit sales have been declining steadily for 5 years

#57

Post by read_if_gay_ »

chance_bear wrote: post #29
read_if_gay_ wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It does not follow that you have huge personal issues if you mistake a 59.99 price tag for 50 dollars and make a purchase, when you would’ve reconsidered it at $60. If that didn’t happen often enough, it wouldn’t be common practice.

Whether a price is $59.99 or $60.00 conveys a notable degree of information to the consumer. I wouldn’t be quick to assume it’s taking advantage of people’s innumeracy.

If you look closely enough, that is. It’s happened to me that I saw a useful product, only remembered its rounded down price when later discussing a potential purchase with my girlfriend, decided to buy, then realized I fell victim to this sales tactic. I imagine that happens a lot more often than someone getting useful information out of the price tag (not) ending in 99. It’s not a big deal either way, just a bit dishonest IMO.

Re: iPhone unit sales have been declining steadily for 5 years

#58

Post by pjmlp »

bad_user wrote: post #44

This is natural. iPhones have a really long life, and the improvements are marginal. I actually wanted to get off the iOS train, as I hate its restrictions, yet I just bought a new iPad, because my other 5 year old iPad Pro and my iPhone 8 are still being updated, and still running fine with no performance issues. Apple's devices age well. And it's why I became their customer, despite not liking their philosophy for…

What upgrade treadmill? Most people use pre-paid phones until they either break down or get stolen.

Most non-techies that I know don't even have updates enabled, because they don't want UI to change under their feet (typical users where E icon == Internet).

Re: iPhone unit sales have been declining steadily for 5 years

#59

Post by bad_user »

pjmlp wrote: post #58
bad_user wrote: post #44

This is natural. iPhones have a really long life, and the improvements are marginal. I actually wanted to get off the iOS train, as I hate its restrictions, yet I just bought a new iPad, because my other 5 year old iPad Pro and my iPhone 8 are still being updated, and still running fine with no performance issues. Apple's devices age well. And it's why I became their customer, despite not liking their philosophy for…

What upgrade treadmill? Most people use pre-paid phones until they either break down or get stolen. Most non-techies that I know don't even have updates enabled, because they don't want UI to change under their feet (typical users where E icon == Internet).

> "Most people use pre-paid phones until they either break down or get stolen."

Reference please. My personal impression is that most people buy subsidized phones, as part of the contract, every 2 years when the renewal is up.

If you have better data than my anecdote, I'm all ears.

The Android devices that I've had, and that my family has had, stopped receiving major updates, and even security patches, after only 1 year.

So first of all, I don't care what other people do, I can't use devices that are no longer upgraded with security patches. Meanwhile iPhone 6s is getting upgraded to iOS 14.

Also, low end Androids stop being usable after about 2 years, either because apps become too slow, or because the battery is affected. And even the high end phones have hardware issues much faster than my iPhones. I've had two Galaxy S phones in my household, after 2 years one had a damaged motherboard and the other had a battery dying on us.

These devices are designed for obsolescence. And many people are actually spending more money on those lower end Androids than if they got a higher end iPhone and keep it for 6 years.

My 3 year old iPhone 8 still has a battery that's in top shape BTW, with no performance issues.

Re: iPhone unit sales have been declining steadily for 5 years

#60

Post by ineedasername »

oarsinsync wrote: post #52
ineedasername wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, it used to be a single phone a year, pricier options were just for storage. Maybe that was too far in one direction, I don't know. But now it seems like too many, and I couldn't even tell you the real difference between the options, much less why I should spend $1500 on one of them when I can a 1.5 year old android flagship for $400 with CPU & GPU benchmarks only a little less that theirs, which is all I really…

> I can a 1.5 year old android flagship for $400 with CPU & GPU benchmarks only a little less that theirs, which is all I really care about: snappy response for page loads, video streaming, gaming, reasonably good camera & video quality. How many more months of security updates do you anticipate receiving on that device. Are security updates a priority for you? (Written on my $450, in 2016, 4 year old iPhone SE, whic…

I am less concerned about security updates on Android phones these days because a great deal of the relevant updates take place in the Google services that are now updated through their normal app store updates. For example, a recent s curity bulletin I came across said the latest security update would fix it, but it would also be caught by Google Play Protect as well, so even if my phone no longer received official updates I'd still be protected from the major source of vulnerabilities: installed apps.
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