Caught in the Apple hype machine (iPhone 6s)

[FFR]

Don't feel bad, I paid for mine upfront...and I bought a 128GB 6S+, w/ Applecare.

I'm fortunate enough to be able to afford it and if the phone isn't passed down to another family member when I upgrade, I sell it, usually for a pretty nice return. The installment plans offered by the carriers and Apple, which are basically 0% financing, are good deals--I just prefer not to be beholden to anyone for my phone.

I do the same.
I buy all my phones unlocked without a contract, been doing it since the mid 90's and everyone I know does the same.

 

[MRU]

Yea you're not helping me feel like less of a crazy person for planning to drop $800 on a phone.

I have to keep mentally justifying that it is really a computer and a phone, so in a way it is a good value

I dropped $1150 on my 6S Plus.. By comparison $800 is a proverbial bargain. Does that help ?

 

[Qbnkelt]

Where did you get $750 for a Note 4? You can get an unlocked Note 5 for $600

I think he meant at launch. I paid around 800 for my Note 4 on release day.

 

[Toltepeceno]

I don't care for tweaking, so that aspect of Android doesn't really appeal to me. When they are released, flagship Samsungs cost about the same if not more than iPhones, so it's not like iPhones are starkly overpriced. Still, if a Moto X Style (though I'd prefer smaller than the Style) could integrate smoothly with my Air and rMBP, I would have bought it. I do have a visceral reaction to paying almost $800 for a 64GB 6s.

The samsung flagships are overpriced also and so are iphones. 800.00 for a 64gb without a sd slot, they have lost me. The pure for 450.00 with an sdslot and that's about as high as I would go on any phone.

Since I have had the iphone I lost interrest in it except to make calls and a dumb phone would do it. The sgs2 I had I had it in hand constantly. To me it's a boring os, to others that just want a vehicle for apps and calling it's not.

IOS is too closed down. No file system at all and my pure will integrate just fine with my ipad and mac. In fact I will be able to access the files MUCH easier on this mac. I cannot stand itunes. There are apps to sync icloud contacts and of cloud storage services icloud is the most expensive and worse. I use others anyway. I am also used to the kids having androids and have no problem sharing with them.

Apple's "Walled garden" is overrated and they keep pushing that less is more (especially in price). I don 't plan on moving from ipad but in the next couple years or so when I need a computer it will not be mac.

People should do whatever suits them, apple is headed n the wrong direction for me.

People that say nobody buys off contract need to get out more, there's a whole world out there and the on contract prices apple quotes are mostly for the us. The us is not the only country in the world.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

The samsung flagships are overpriced also and so are iphones. 800.00 for a 64gb without a sd slot, they have lost me. The pure for 450.00 with an sdslot and that's about as high as I would go on any phone.

Since I have had the iphone I lost interrest in it except to make calls and a dumb phone would do it. The sgs2 I had I had it in hand constantly. To me it's a boring os, to others that just want a vehicle for apps and calling it's not.

IOS is too closed down. No file system at all and my pure will integrate just fine with my ipad and mac. In fact I will be able to access the files MUCH easier on this mac. I cannot stand itunes. There are apps to sync icloud contacts and of cloud storage services icloud is the most expensive and worse. I use others anyway.

Apple's "Walled garden" is overrated and they keep pushing that less is more (especially in price). I don 't plan on moving from ipad but in the next couple years or so when I need a computer it will not be mac.

People should do whatever suits them, apple is headed n the wrong direction for me.

People that say nobody buys off contract need to get out more, there's a whole world out there and the on contract prices apple quotes are mostly for the us. The us is not the only country in the world.

You are certainly not the target consumer for the iPhone and clearly dislike it to the point I doubt you'll buy it in future. That is fair enough. Some of us like the iPhone experience and the way it is regulated makes it appealing I must admit. I use my phone in a pretty basic way so it's never been the hinderance that others may complain about.

Buying off contract is not so popular in the uk either so not just the us.

 

[ItHurtsWhenIP]

You are certainly not the target consumer for the iPhone and clearly dislike it to the point I doubt you'll buy it in future. That is fair enough. Some of us like the iPhone experience and the way it is regulated makes it appealing I must admit.

This might come off a little awkwardly, but some people in this world really rely on being told how to do this or when to do that. Some people like things on their terms.

So how I see it...some people prefer a monarchy, some prefer a republic.

Apple rules its land with bitter attention to profitability for shareholders and complete control of the laws of said land and people like (love? need?) the order it creates. A lack of chaos is appealing in a crazy world.

Android gives its user a chance to at least feel like they have a sense of control and, while they do have more freedom sometimes than those in the Apple kingdom, that pseudo-freedom creates its own sense of control. More user-control than in Apple land, but still a sense of control nonetheless. (And I know Google is a business and it focuses on profits too, but as far as Android goes, it's not exactly their bread-winner like Apple's hardware platforms are for them.)

As for the topic of this thread? Hype. No hype. People are people. Some like things one way, some like things another. When it comes to tech, it's sad how intense the emotions can get about trivial things like who made it or why. Just pick your red or blue pill and enjoy the ride! (aka if you didn't like the iPhone experience, hop back on the Android train or maybe get a little crazy and see where the Windows phone train goes)

 

[Truefan31]

This might come off a little awkwardly, but some people in this world really rely on being told how to do this or when to do that. Some people like things on their terms.

So how I see it...some people prefer a monarchy, some prefer a republic.

Apple rules its land with bitter attention to profitability for shareholders and complete control of the laws of said land and people like (love? need?) the order it creates. A lack of chaos is appealing in a crazy world.

Android gives its user a chance to at least feel like they have a sense of control and, while they do have more freedom sometimes than those in the Apple kingdom, that pseudo-freedom creates its own sense of control. More user-control than in Apple land, but still a sense of control nonetheless. (And I know Google is a business and it focuses on profits too, but as far as Android goes, it's not exactly their bread-winner like Apple's hardware platforms are for them.)

As for the topic of this thread? Hype. No hype. People are people. Some like things one way, some like things another. When it comes to tech, it's sad how intense the emotions can get about trivial things like who made it or why. Just pick your red or blue pill and enjoy the ride! (aka if you didn't like the iPhone experience, hop back on the Android train or maybe get a little crazy and see where the Windows phone train goes)

Well that escalated quickly. It's a phone. The hardware is nice, app ecosystem is overall the best, and what many forget is that their customer support overall is the best in the business imo.

It's funny you mention control because while Apple can be a walled ecosystem, Google isn't exactly your friend. Tracking where you go and what you do for ad tracking and whatever else they track you for can be disconcerting.

I like things on my terms too. I buy iPhones, full price because I can and want to.

 

[ItHurtsWhenIP]

Well that escalated quickly. It's a phone. The hardware is nice, app ecosystem is overall the best, and what many forget is that their customer support overall is the best in the business imo.

It's funny you mention control because while Apple can be a walled ecosystem, Google isn't exactly your friend. Tracking where you go and what you do for ad tracking and whatever else they track you for can be disconcerting.

I like things on my terms too. I buy iPhones, full price because I can and want to.

Well you misinterpreted it a little, but that last line was the gist of my entire post. I said Google offers a sense of pseudo-control (aka they allow the users to feel like they're in control even when they aren't)..while Apple takes over and asserts control through tight maintenance and somewhat of a stranglehold of their entire eco-system. Same effect (the sense of control for the end-user), just different methods. That's all I was trying to say, there was no escalating involved or intended.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

This might come off a little awkwardly, but some people in this world really rely on being told how to do this or when to do that. Some people like things on their terms.

So how I see it...some people prefer a monarchy, some prefer a republic.

Apple rules its land with bitter attention to profitability for shareholders and complete control of the laws of said land and people like (love? need?) the order it creates. A lack of chaos is appealing in a crazy world.

Android gives its user a chance to at least feel like they have a sense of control and, while they do have more freedom sometimes than those in the Apple kingdom, that pseudo-freedom creates its own sense of control. More user-control than in Apple land, but still a sense of control nonetheless. (And I know Google is a business and it focuses on profits too, but as far as Android goes, it's not exactly their bread-winner like Apple's hardware platforms are for them.)

As for the topic of this thread? Hype. No hype. People are people. Some like things one way, some like things another. When it comes to tech, it's sad how intense the emotions can get about trivial things like who made it or why. Just pick your red or blue pill and enjoy the ride! (aka if you didn't like the iPhone experience, hop back on the Android train or maybe get a little crazy and see where the Windows phone train goes)

That's pretty correct I would say. I switched from Android myself so have tried out both sides of the coin. I like the order Apple brings because it makes for a very stable smartphone experience for me. I'm not interested in file systems or tweaking customisation and enjoy the fact the iPhone does all the basic tasks very well. It syncs well with my iPad and I love photo stream for sharing pics with family in a private but also social media type way. It doesn't bother me that there are some more innovation features available on Android because the core tasks I enjoy doing are all fulfilled with the iPhone.

As you say everybody has different tastes and should pick their poison.

 

[Savor]

Now I don't believe Apple will sustain their run at being #1 (in US) forever and ever, I do believe their gravy train on biscuit wheels will continue to endure.

All empires fall. All companies in business decline at some point. Even the New York Yankees (most successful American professional sports team) have their lean years. Same with the LA Lakers. But I believe Apple has reached that nearly forever relevant status that companies like Disney, Nintendo, and McDonald's have reached. They can decline in sales and still be relevant. Disney went through some bad years with their movies but still had the funds to buy Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm. Nintendo was born in the late-19th century. Still quite relevant even if they aren't #1 in console sales anymore. And almost everyone knows and will eat at McDonald's in a year. Apple being on the youngest among those brands will be the same way. They will never reach that low point in 1996-1997 ever again. So I guess this hype machine will continue on until the day we all die...

Immortal brands. Apple is one of them now next to Disney. Companie$ that may NEVER die.

 

[Qbnkelt]

Apple being on the youngest among those brands will be the same way. They will never reach that low point in 1996-1997 ever again. So I guess this hype machine will continue on until the day we all die...

Immortal brands. Apple is one of them now next to Disney. Companie$ that may NEVER die.

I love Apple products and I love my iPhone. But no company is immune to a downturn. Sure Apple has billions. It is a giant in the market. They made a colossal profit on the last quarter of 2014. But a miscalculation on the iPhone which is arguably their anchor product right now can have a very serious effect. Their stock has gone from $132 to $108 this year.

I'm not saying it will happen tomorrow and I'm not saying it will or won't happen at all. I'm just cautioning against the use of the word "never."

Iconic, yes. Immortal.....well....

 

[I7guy]

I love Apple products and I love my iPhone. But no company is immune to a downturn. Sure Apple has billions. It is a giant in the market. They made a colossal profit on the last quarter of 2014. But a miscalculation on the iPhone which is arguably their anchor product right now can have a very serious effect. Their stock has gone from $132 to $108 this year.

I'm not saying it will happen tomorrow and I'm not saying it will or won't happen at all. I'm just cautioning against the use of the word "never."

Iconic, yes. Immortal.....well....

Good points. I like that last sentence. San Francisco also hasn't been leveled by the big one yet. Berkshire Hathaway hasn't yet collapsed in what goes up must come down. Google hasn't collapsed and they offer nothing tangible. The market is also challenged at this point as well.

Nothing is immortal, but the mgmt team at Apple has a tough job.

 

[Toltepeceno]

You are certainly not the target consumer for the iPhone and clearly dislike it to the point I doubt you'll buy it in future. That is fair enough. Some of us like the iPhone experience and the way it is regulated makes it appealing I must admit. I use my phone in a pretty basic way so it's never been the hinderance that others may complain about.

Buying off contract is not so popular in the uk either so not just the us.

Exactly, people have different needs and more power to them. I will stay with ipad, but you are right. I do not see myself going back to iphone.

Fair enough on contract phones in more than the us, but here only about 15% buy on contract and the same is true in many countries. A lot more people buy off contract than is evident from the perspective of someone in the us.

Choice is good and people should go with what fits them best, period. More power to you my friend.

 

[Toltepeceno]

I love Apple products and I love my iPhone. But no company is immune to a downturn. Sure Apple has billions. It is a giant in the market. They made a colossal profit on the last quarter of 2014. But a miscalculation on the iPhone which is arguably their anchor product right now can have a very serious effect. Their stock has gone from $132 to $108 this year.

I'm not saying it will happen tomorrow and I'm not saying it will or won't happen at all. I'm just cautioning against the use of the word "never."

Iconic, yes. Immortal.....well....

Great post and I agree completely. Not much I can even add to that.

 

[epicrayban]

Don't know where else to post this, so doing it here. Interesting article:

Opinion: Is Apple getting too greedy, and could that again backfire on the company?

http://9to5mac.com/2015/10/19/opinion-aapl-greedy-steve-jobs/

 

[nickchallis92]

Note 3 in 2013 was peak premium Android to me: 1080p OLED, amazing SD800 SoC, 3GB RAM, 100MB/s internal storage, microSD + removable battery. It was the Intel 2500K of Android.

The next 2 years was filled with too many compromises: Lollipop bugs, still no industry push to fix the fundamentally broken Android updating system, underwhelming SD801/805, overheating SD810, 1440p screens is almost indistinguishable from 1080p in reality, and finally a great performing 64 bit Exynos SoC came out in 2015 but can only on be found on iSamsungs without microSD or removable battery.

Small wonder the premium Android segment is doing worse and worse YoY, it's getting harder and harder to justify the prices.

I share your sentiments with the Note 3. I sold mine a month ago for the Edge plus but even the day I parted with my beloved Note 3, it was still superfast and could hold open more apps than my current edge plus can with an extra gig of RAM.

 

[eyeseeyou]

I've been on Android for 6+ years, and decided to see what all the fuss was about with the iPhone so I pre-ordered the 6s 64GB. The phone is designed beautifully and feels great in hand. The display, while small, is fantastic.

My issues are with the OS itself and just some oddities in general.

• App navigation is horribly inconsistent. I find myself having to swipe down to go back to the previous page, then swipe left to go to the menu. I'm always swiping in different directions as each app seems to have their own preference which way to get back to where you were. Snapchat and Google Play Music are two that I use a lot which cause lots of confusion.
• Duplicate notifications! When people like my Instagram photos or Snapchat me, my lockscreen and notification shade are filling up with tons of individual notifications like "such and such liked your photo", or "bob is typing". Do I really need to see a notification for when someone was typing to me in snapchat and when they sent it? Instagram is the worst where it lists them all out individually. Android is far better in this regard where it will say for example "Bob liked your photo" with a 25 in the corner letting you know how many people liked it, basically it combines all similar notifications together so you don't have to scroll through them all.
• Notifications don't go away on their own. If I get a notification, why does it remain if I open the app manually and check it? If I get an email, read/delete it, then open my notification shade it's still there.
• The camera won't remember my settings. I want HDR to be on all the time, why do I need to enable it manually every single time I open it up? And why can't I set photos to use 16:9 instead of 4:3?
• You can't save a simple photo. I'm used to Android where you can have a photo in Dropbox, Email, a website, anywhere and just long press and save/download it. On iOS the only way I found to get a photo from a computer to my phone without plugging in is to upload it to the iCloud website and then connect to WiFi so it will sync.
• No back button kills me. I hate having to figure out which way to swipe to go back, or hit the top left of the screen. So much easier especially when one handed to hit the back button next to home.
• I can't change Mail to change from archive to delete. I just want to delete emails I don't need dammit!
• The homescreen layout is so cluttered with useless apps that Apple even has an "extra" folder by default. Either let us hide/disable apps we don't need, or change the way apps are displayed. Also, why can't I simply organize apps on all other pages alphabetically? I hate how it puts them in by default in order of when they were installed, it's so much easier to find apps on Android when everything can be sorted.

Aside from inconsistent app navigation and no back button all of your concerns are settings that can be changed

 

[eyeseeyou]

I wanted to get a photo I took on my DSLR to my 6s to upload to Instagram. I put it in Dropbox but there was no way to save it to my phone, and the only share options where sharing the link. I them emailed it to my gmail but the mail app only let me view it, I couldn't save it share it. I have windows computers so no airdrop or imessage, so I had to upload it to icloud.com, connect to WiFi and sync.

I have 3 email accounts, my exchange is delete buy gmail and outlook only had archive.

Whenever I enable HDR, if I close out of the camera and back in its always back on auto. I was taking photos at night and the flash kept coming on, which is not possible in HDR mode.

 

[geoff5093]

.

AirDrop works great on my Windows laptop

 

[MasterRyu2011]

Did you have to pay the restocking fee? I'm always curious if people who return phones care about that fee. I haven't returned a phone I've bought yet.

 

[Macwick]

UPDATE: Just read the post a few above mine and see I'm duplicating some of what he said. His directions into the 'Move Discarded Message Info' setting is spot on.

View attachment 589084 View attachment 589085

Uh. Holy crap. I had no idea you could configure swipe left to move a message. For years I've moved all my read messages to folders, which takes about 3-4 separate gestures. THANK YOU

 

[tbayrgs]

AirDrop works great on my Windows laptop

That's not the part of the share sheet he's showing you. Look two rows below that...button that says 'Save Image.'

 

[tbayrgs]

Uh. Holy crap. I had no idea you could configure swipe left to move a message. For years I've moved all my read messages to folders, which takes about 3-4 separate gestures. THANK YOU

Glad to help. To be honest, I don't think it was always an option because I've used the swipe gestures for a while now and earlier, I don't recall seeing 'Move' as a choice. I also use Outlook (great email app---best available, IMO) and it's an option there. When I went back in to the settings recently, discovered the native Mail app now also had it.

 

[eyeseeyou]

AirDrop works great on my Windows laptop

"Save image"

 

[ackmondual]

To be fair, something as big and popular as Apple is very much a hype machine. Look at the frenzy before every release without any real reviews yet. Look at the amount of press they get. Everyone and their grandma has one preordered. Makes those not using it curious what they are missing.

Indeed. Apple's gotten very good at steering market attention to their products, and making it look far better than it is.
http://bgr.com/2014/08/29/apple-public-relations-strategies/
http://9to5mac.com/2014/08/29/seeing-through-the-illusion-understanding-apples-mastery-of-the-media/
Their phones are nice, but definitely not nice enough to have even THAT many people lining up outside Apple stores 2 days to 2 weeks in advance. The fact that they make $400 per iPhone says a lot.


Reminds me of 2 other companies.... Coca Cola and DeBeers.
For the former, when you visit the Coca Cola Museum in Atlanta, Georgia, what they pretty much say is "Here's some sugar water that they marketed the hell out of. It's worked out real well for us. Here, have a sample!"
For the latter, they came up with their "how else can 2 months salary last forever" campaign (it used to be 1 years salary!) to create demand for their diamond rings. Despite what some people grew up to believe, buying a diamond ring for marriage started with them, not some ancient Roman or medieval custom.
http://www.theatlantic.com/internat...-invented-the-diamond-engagement-ring/385376/