Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Why the iPhone 5 never arrived

blog.deg.io

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

91–100 of 125 posts

Re: Why the iPhone 5 never arrived

#91

Post by robgough »

mikeash wrote: post #87
robgough wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

my apologies, seem to have missed that in my initial read. I still think there were no breakout features this time round though. Siri being '4S' only is a bit of a cheek - and everything else felt firmly incremental. Even iOS 5 doesn't excite me much except for the notification system (though that is much appreciated). Apple are experts in taking a feature their competitors technically have, but few customers use - a…

I don't think breakout features are really that necessary, though. There's tremendous value in incremental improvements. The 3GS was "only" an incremental improvement over the 3G, but the net result was a vastly better device. The iPhone 4's only breakout features were the screen (which is pretty impressive, but not ultimately all that consequential) and the new look. I don't think there's anything wrong with taking…

The iPhone 4 brought FaceTime/Mobile Video Calling to "the masses" too. Granted, the iPad 2 (and eventually the Mac) got that as well - but the forward facing camera was new (though entirely expected, granted).

I now FaceTime with my Family quite regularly.

I agree though, I love my iPhone 4 and am sure the 4S with it's incremental updates will simply be more-awesome. But for better or worse, I think version number bumps are now associated with big upgrades on iPhones.

Expectations are set high, but then Apple will quite happily just ignore everyone's expectations and do what they want.

Re: Why the iPhone 5 never arrived

#92

Post by InclinedPlane »

Florin_Andrei wrote: post #79
InclinedPlane wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Microsoft does the same thing with Windows. Tick: Windows 95, Tock: Windows 98 Tick: Windows 2000, Tock: Windows XP Tick: Windows Vista, Tock: Windows 7

Except this "tick" (iPhone 4) was actually pretty good, whereas in your example all the "ticks" were abysmal failures.

Windows 95 was one of the most successful product launches of all time. And Windows 2000 was a very solid product though not generally a good choice for casual users.

Re: Why the iPhone 5 never arrived

#93

Post by jsz0 »

raldi wrote: post #50

The real reason Apple called it an "iPhone 4S" is that they want to start selling the 4 to the large segment of the market shy of the cutting edge. Plenty of people will buy something called a "4" when the state of the art is a "4S" -- there's no embarrassment there: "Oh, my discount phone is almost as good; it's just missing an S. And it's not like my friends will be able to tell that I'm using last year's model. It…

Interesting theory but personally I don't see that most normal people care about that type of stuff at all. The 2+ year old 3GS was the #2 best selling SmartPhone last month even though it's using a 3+ year old design. If anyone was really that insecure about themselves they would probably just spend the extra $100 to get the latest & greatest.

Re: Why the iPhone 5 never arrived

#94

Post by kenjackson »

randomdata wrote: post #70
prawn wrote: post #12

Saw the common reaction to the iPhone 5 disappointment summarised loosely as: "If this new product looks like the last one, how will people tell that I'm superior to them?"

I think you are right. Apple delivered on every single other feature people were expecting/asking for, save NFC; and I don't hear anyone talking about the lack of NFC now. It seems like a pretty nice upgrade to me.

I don't think so. The biggest feature that people wanted, that they didn't deliver on was a bigger screen -- and screens on smartphones are pretty important.

The iPhone4s is a great device. The expectation though of a lighter, thinner, larger screen iPhone5 with crazy deep Facebook integration throughout made the announcement rather blah.

This is probably the first time I felt like Apple did a poor job controlling the messaging.

In contrast, recall when the iPad was coming out. There was a rumor a bit before launch that it would cost $999. The rumor lasted until Steve was on stage and showed $499. Their ability to prime the market for an upscale pricey device and slam home at less than $500 was beautifully executed.

This release was poorly done -- despite the fact that I agree -- the 4s is a solid product. And one that I think will sell well.

Re: Why the iPhone 5 never arrived

#95

Post by mikeash »

robgough wrote: post #91
mikeash wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think breakout features are really that necessary, though. There's tremendous value in incremental improvements. The 3GS was "only" an incremental improvement over the 3G, but the net result was a vastly better device. The iPhone 4's only breakout features were the screen (which is pretty impressive, but not ultimately all that consequential) and the new look. I don't think there's anything wrong with taking…

The iPhone 4 brought FaceTime/Mobile Video Calling to "the masses" too. Granted, the iPad 2 (and eventually the Mac) got that as well - but the forward facing camera was new (though entirely expected, granted). I now FaceTime with my Family quite regularly. I agree though, I love my iPhone 4 and am sure the 4S with it's incremental updates will simply be more-awesome. But for better or worse, I think version number b…

Good point, I had completely forgotten about FaceTime. I still think people would have treated this as a major upgrade if it just had a different name and form factor, with everything else the same, but you're right that it is a bit less, in terms of completely new features, than previously.

Personally, I look at the specs for a 4S and have trouble coming up with anything new that I'd want to add. But of course that doesn't mean other people can't, I may just be unimaginable.

Re: Why the iPhone 5 never arrived

#96

Post by gamble »

cwp wrote: post #90
gamble wrote: post #72

The advantage of operating at Apple scale is the ability to buy components in vast quantities, giving Apple better deals and exclusivity that their competitors can't match. The downside is that they have to buy at those scales. Apple can't afford to ship anything that contains components they can't source by the million. If one HTC handset is delayed by six months thanks to part shortages, that's a problem for them.…

Actually, I think Apple could ride out a 6 month product delay quite easily. It would seem that the 4S was delayed 3 or 4 months (part shortage resulting from the earthquake in Japan?) from the normal summer release with no ill effects. Releasing it in December would have been bad, sure, but that has more to do with Christmas than the length of the delay.

I'm thinking more the kind of delay where the product is already on the market and a part shortage stops production, leaving Apple with nothing to sell.

Re: Why the iPhone 5 never arrived

#97

Post by jsz0 »

ChuckFrank wrote: post #51

It's called phased obsolescence. It is a terrible time to find a replacement for a lost ipod. I've been waiting until today's Apple event before getting anything. I was ready to be pleasantly surprised. Turns out Apple has just enough market share and momentum to waive their hands around for renewed sales. Why break ground when you can still make great profits off the old stuff? Nano is a software update. Touch has a…

It's called phased obsolescence.

Isn't it really the exact opposite? If you have the last-generation iPod or iPhone there's really no good reason to go upgrade. It extends the life of your current device indirectly. With the 3GS being free with contract you can bet it will be very popular which means developers will have to take some extra time to make sure their apps worth with a 2+ year old device. (which also means they will have to work well with older iPod Touches) Apple is upgrading all the iOS devices to iOS5 except for the original iPhone 2G, 3G and the first generation iPod Touch. So probably about 200 million or more users are getting some significant software updates in a week or so.

Re: Why the iPhone 5 never arrived

#98

Post by matwood »

kenjackson wrote: post #94
randomdata wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you are right. Apple delivered on every single other feature people were expecting/asking for, save NFC; and I don't hear anyone talking about the lack of NFC now. It seems like a pretty nice upgrade to me.

I don't think so. The biggest feature that people wanted, that they didn't deliver on was a bigger screen -- and screens on smartphones are pretty important. The iPhone4s is a great device. The expectation though of a lighter, thinner, larger screen iPhone5 with crazy deep Facebook integration throughout made the announcement rather blah. This is probably the first time I felt like Apple did a poor job controlling th…

The biggest feature that people wanted, that they didn't deliver on was a bigger screen

Do people really want this? If they can go edge to edge in the current dimensions, that's fine. But, if they have to make the dimensions bigger it doesn't excite me. I want a pocket sized device that I can easily text on with 1 hand.

I imagine women who have smaller hands would also prefer the current size phone over some of the giant gimmick ones I have seen around.

Re: Why the iPhone 5 never arrived

#99

Post by CamperBob »

achompas wrote: post #19

Is anyone really shocked? Here, I'll write out the tech media "design pattern" for a new Apple product. 1. Hype up killer pie-in-the-sky feature that makes zero economic sense for Apple (see: retina iPad, 4G iPhone with larger screen). Traffic spikes. 2. As launch approaches, use "inside sources" to mock up designs (Macrumors's "we think the 5 will look like this"). Report on supply chain behavior, leaked case design…

Why would Apple drop $n >> 0 per iPad when competitors' screens are relatively abysmal and the iPad would sell out?

Uh, because people will pay more for it?

I would cheerfully fork over $1000 for an iPad with the resolution of the iPhone 4's display.

Re: Why the iPhone 5 never arrived

#100

Post by mrtron »

CamperBob wrote: post #99
achompas wrote: post #19

Is anyone really shocked? Here, I'll write out the tech media "design pattern" for a new Apple product. 1. Hype up killer pie-in-the-sky feature that makes zero economic sense for Apple (see: retina iPad, 4G iPhone with larger screen). Traffic spikes. 2. As launch approaches, use "inside sources" to mock up designs (Macrumors's "we think the 5 will look like this"). Report on supply chain behavior, leaked case design…

Why would Apple drop $n >> 0 per iPad when competitors' screens are relatively abysmal and the iPad would sell out? Uh, because people will pay more for it? I would cheerfully fork over $1000 for an iPad with the resolution of the iPhone 4's display.

iPad is a new product line and need to reach mass appeal. Apple is betting a lot on a form factor that has repeatedly failed. They need to sell a high volume of units, not sell a few high end units.

Maybe in a few years there will be an 'iPad Pro' with a higher power processor, better screen, etc. But it seems unlikely in the short term.

Also a retina display on an iPad priced at 1000$ or so would probably have similar profit to the current iPads. So even less motivation.

Post reply on HN