Why Apple are struggling to sell new iPhones

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Mad Scientist
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#2167039 24-Jan-2019 17:22

KiwiSurfer:
Batman:

my main issue with older mobile phone, is that while they are perfectly functional, they do not provide optimal coverage for my needs as every time these telcos upgrade their towers you need a new mobile phone with the correct "band".

This is another area where Apple has an advantage. To access all LTE bands in use in NZ you just need a iPhone made in the last few years or so.

I believe all models since the iPhone 6 supports all the bands in use by 2deg/Spark/Vodafone (but happy to stand corrected on that statement).

At least for 2degrees, you just need bands 3, 8 and 28 which is all fully supported by the iPhone 6 which was first released in September 2014 (over four years ago).

With Android phones, it's all over the place—especially when it comes to the low end and parallel imported models. For some it could be worth paying the Apple premium just to ensure you get access to a wide range of LTE bands so you don't get stuck on 2G/3G.

In disappointed to inform you that my iphone SE doesn't appear to provide the same reception as my wife's iPhone 8 plus in a non rural area! Spark /skinny. From no Internet to YouTube video with my new huawei mate 20.

dafman

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#2167081 24-Jan-2019 18:27

matisyahu:

The new features are the least of my concerns (new versions of Android are always nice in terms of performance improvements etc not they're not critical IMHO for me to enjoy using a device) - it is the slow security updates that trouble me. Your device is 4 months behind in terms of security updates and that is considered 'normal' or 'acceptable'? Google want me to dump more of my personal information on something that the hardware vendors cannot promptly provide updates for? The whole 'project treble' was meant to address the issue of slow updates and upgrades (but my focus is updates not upgrades) but they're just as slow as the pre-treble days.

In theory, I agree with you. But, in reality, I have yet to hear of any Samsung users phones ever being compromised (for users who have not rooted or downloaded apps outside of the Play store). So the risk is perceived, not a practical concern.

Yabanize

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#2167428 25-Jan-2019 13:40

zyo:

Screen protector protects sratches not drop damage.
I have been plenty of broken iPhone screens on buses/trains.
Also doesn't help when iPhones are needlessly thin and made of fragile materials.

If they're tempered glass they could

nathan:

The battery replacement program has probably made people more aware that phone manufacturers can purposely degrade the experience of your phone to encourage you to buy a new one. Built in obsolescence.

As someone who owned an older Samsung phone with a degraded battery, and getting on a flight thinking you're fine with 50% battery and then it would turn off, I can understand why they did this. It is not planned obsolescence, batteries are consumables and they tried to improve user experience (id rather have a slower phone than one that turned off at 50% and could be sped up again by replacing the battery).

In less than a month the Samsung S9 will not be Samsungs current device, that's why its cheap, and then it will only have 1 more year of software support.

where as the iPhone is not even half way through its cycle (although Apple don't reduce price until after the new product is released)

dafman

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#2167568 25-Jan-2019 18:53

Yabanize:

... I can understand why they did this. It is not planned obsolescence, batteries are consumables and they tried to improve user experience (id rather have a slower phone than one that turned off at 50% and could be sped up again by replacing the battery).

Do you seriously believe Apple slowed the phones down to improve the user experience?

The battery replacement offer improved the user experience, not the purposely degraded performance Apple introduced by stealth and in secret.

And the battery replacement only came into being after Apple were publicly outed.

Dratsab

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#2167681 26-Jan-2019 05:31

dafman:

Yabanize: ... I can understand why they did this. It is not planned obsolescence, batteries are consumables and they tried to improve user experience (id rather have a slower phone than one that turned off at 50% and could be sped up again by replacing the battery).

Do you seriously believe Apple slowed the phones down to improve the user experience?

The battery replacement offer improved the user experience, not the purposely degraded performance Apple introduced by stealth and in secret.

And the battery replacement only came into being after Apple were publicly outed.

Yep, here's a reasonably good summary of it complete with a heap of links for those that aren't fully aware and might be interested.

Back on topic: I don't think Apple are struggling to sell iPhones, they're just not selling as many this time round as they have in previous years. This is to be expected with a premium priced product which has a long life and is also currently squarely in the middle of an escalating trade war.

Edit: Doh, added link.

tdgeek

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#2167693 26-Jan-2019 07:49

3Q18 Apple did well https://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS44425818

Cannot locate anything newer

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zyo

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#2168025 26-Jan-2019 16:16

Yabanize:

If they're tempered glass they could

Actually they don't as tempered glass is hard and brittle and it adds no protection to impact damage.

That's why crumple zones are not made of high-strength steel as they are designed to deform and absorb kinetic energy. It's simple physics.

Andib

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#2168061 26-Jan-2019 16:28

dafman:

the battery replacement only came into being after Apple were publicly outed.

Even as an avid Samsung fanboy I know you're incorrect. Apple have offered out of warranty battery replacement for a number of years. The 'battery replacement program' you're referring to was the Apple discounting the cost of their existing out of warranty battery replacement service.

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zyo

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#2168063 26-Jan-2019 16:32

Andib:

dafman:

the battery replacement only came into being after Apple were publicly outed.

Even as an avid Samsung fanboy I know you're incorrect. Apple have offered out of warranty battery replacement for a number of years. The 'battery replacement program' you're referring to was the Apple discounting the cost of their existing out of warranty battery replacement service.

To be precise they reduced the price from 79USD to 29USD after the slowdown saga came to light.

Props to Apple for doing that (and obviously it does hurt their bottom line), because if you can provide 6 years of software support to your (already expensive) phones, why not offer a reasonable "maintenance plan" (battery is the only thing that requires replacements nowadays) to support the hardware too.

nyquist

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#2168257 27-Jan-2019 09:30

dafman:

In theory, I agree with you. But, in reality, I have yet to hear of any Samsung users phones ever being compromised (for users who have not rooted or downloaded apps outside of the Play store). So the risk is perceived, not a practical concern.

Just because there are no anecdotal evidence in your local network or big stories picked up by the media doesn't mean it's not happening, and is not a practical concern.

There's always a risk of being compromised - that's the reality of having a mini computer in your pocket - but having the latest security fixes/patches minimises that risk. Regardless of big OS updates, the lack of ongoing support for security increases the risk of being compromised significantly, especially if you're doing more than texting or calling like banking for instance.

Would also suggest googling Samsung security flaws - I haven't been a Samsung user for two years now (I still remember my S2 and my S5 fondly, and my work A3 less fondly), but there have definitely been a few cases.

zyo:

There are companies with Windows PCs that haven't received Windows Updates for 6+ months due to their "IT policy".

I don't think we can compare companies who hold off on Windows Updates to avoid breaking current systems for their employees and have tight security and firewalls with a normal retail consumer who won't have the same resources (or an IT team) to mitigate the risk of being compromised.

I would also recommend friends and family to update as soon as possible, just as I would suggest they always have a firewall or antivirus. This is why I find it puzzling when others perceive lack of security updates as not being a risk, considering how we're pretty much using our smartphones like a PC/Desktop.

ETA: To keep this from being too off topic, just to add that ongoing security updates and iOS upgrades is one of the main factors of moving to an iPhone after having a couple of Galaxy phones and I'll probably upgrade from an iPhone 7+ to either iPhone 8+ or iPhone XR. I was replacing my Galaxy phones every 18 - 24 months anyway because it became unbearable to use. Where as I think I'll probably get something like 4 - 5 years out of my iPhone.

alexx

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#2168862 28-Jan-2019 12:36

I'm not paying $1400+ for a phone, especially when I'd probably need to purchase a bunch of USB-Lightning cables and probably a lightning based DAC/Headphone amp that won't be usable on other devices.

The price of phones is increasing and the improvements are small (true for others too, not just apple).

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Yabanize

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#2168917 28-Jan-2019 13:23

zyo:

Yabanize:

If they're tempered glass they could

Actually they don't as tempered glass is hard and brittle and it adds no protection to impact damage.

That's why crumple zones are not made of high-strength steel as they are designed to deform and absorb kinetic energy. It's simple physics.

The idea is that the protector will smash and take the impact rather than the screen glass itself. also they are just much nicer than the plastic ones.

Yabanize

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#2168918 28-Jan-2019 13:28

alexx:

I'm not paying $1400+ for a phone, especially when I'd probably need to purchase a bunch of USB-Lightning cables and probably a lightning based DAC/Headphone amp that won't be usable on other devices.

The price of phones is increasing and the improvements are small (true for others too, not just apple).

Chances are that will change this year to USB-C. Apple have just been holding off because they didn't want to piss everyone off again so soon after changing to Lightning in 2012. I think a common misconception is that Lightning is just a money maker for Apple, they made that connector because they needed something smaller nothing else at the time was good enough. Micro USB at the time couldn't provide enough power to charge an iPad, and just wasn't a very good connector.

sir1963

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#2175971 10-Feb-2019 16:19

RunningMan:

I prefer using iOS over Android, I just do. But I'm not going to spend $1500 ish on a phone of any variant - it's just too much money, and not enough actual beneficial functions over an older cheaper model.

I love my SE.

I do NOT care if anything is thinner

I do NOT want it bigger, the don't fit in my pocket

I DO want a headphone socket, mine gets used daily

I am NOT going to pay megabucks for apples wireless headphones.

I started with a 3GS, then a 4S, a 5S now the SE and I think I will stop here, nothing Apple makes works for me anymore.

alexx

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#2204362 24-Mar-2019 18:02

Yabanize: Chances are that will change this year to USB-C. Apple have just been holding off because they didn't want to piss everyone off again so soon after changing to Lightning in 2012. I think a common misconception is that Lightning is just a money maker for Apple, they made that connector because they needed something smaller nothing else at the time was good enough. Micro USB at the time couldn't provide enough power to charge an iPad, and just wasn't a very good connector.

My macbook pro from early 2012 has USB-2, TB1, FW-800, wired-ethernet and magsafe (not to mention a SD Card reader and optical drive). They upgraded to USB-3 and TB-2 that same year and none of those interfaces are compatible with current Apple notebooks, so I'm a little bit sceptical when you say they are holding off on replacing Lightning because don't want to piss off customers.

I noticed that the new 2019 iPad mini didn't get USB-C.

Does this mean Lightning for the peasants and USB-C for notebooks and the iOS pro range?

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