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So what happens to iPhone 9?

drewdove said:
So Apple went from iPhone 8 to iPhone X or ten. So has iPhone 9 been put on the same shelf as Windows 9, a numerical idea that won't be seen? Just wondering.
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No, Apple went from 7 to 8 in following with their yearly update names, and the X is for the tenth anniversary edition.

It's confusing - I mean, I get how it will work: iPhone 7, iPhone 8, iPhone 9 next year (maybe), and the iPhone X..but in the past Apple has used roman numerals to indicates generations, as in Macintosh OS X, pronounced "ten" not "eks"...the confusion is that with many Apple users, and some members of the general public accustomed to using pronouncing roman numerals as numbers, then Apple has made some confusion here. In two years, iPhone Ten means....iPhone X or iPhone 10? The premium model or the regular update model? Will Apple eventually merge the two after iPhone 9? After iPhone 8? Unless they plan on merging the iPhone line thus, they're in for some really hectic product name confusion, which is completely unlike modern day Apple to do.

If they don't do the iPhone 9 and just go straight from 8 to 10, what happened to 9? That's awfully confusing, a la Windows. Will Apple fans eat their humble pie when they remember how they snickered up their sleeve at Microsoft for doing the same thing, with the same numbers?

I don't see any non-confusing way they can work this out. Either they'll skip 9 (which is stupid, and at complete odds with Apple's simplicity and consistency) or they'll keep the two lines separate and have not one, not two, but three iPhone lines: cheap, like the SE, medium, like what used to be top-shelf like the 7 or 8, and the "Such fancy, very feature, wow" version we now know as iPhone X/Edition/Premium/Professional Home Standard Premium.

Or, they'll simply call the iPhone X the iPhone X forever, and not change or update the name at all even though the phone will have regular updates. This option is certainly simpler for new buyers and serials upgraders, but what about the second-hand market? Will you buy an iPhone X 1st gen, iPhone X 2nd gen, or what? This is what the iPhone should have been from the beginning: One name and the product gets updated every year with the latest stuff. You want the latest, you buy the current year. Simple. Easy. Well, until they roll out iPhone 10 alongside iPhone X - which is major confusion, unless they begin naming iPhone X stuff like iPhone X Series 2 like they do with the Watch...which is just plain dumb. The longer the product name the dumber and less fancy it sounds (microsoft still hasn't caught on to this)

Or, the iPhone X is a one-off and won't be upgraded or repeated. In this case, it'll be a blow to adopters who pay a hefty premium now but next year their phone is obsolete when Apple doesn't release an updated model and users realize they've paid a premium to put a date on their phones.

Or, another way they handle it is by making the regular iPhone the bottom-feeder, a la iPad Air when the iPad Pro came along. But, for the people who buy phones for status and who've just shelled out enormous dollars for the top-tier 7+, overnight now discover they paid a premium for the peasant version.

Any way you cut it, new buyers are in for a fair amount of confusion. The iPhone is always a better phone than Android - there's now ay you can refute that in stability, security, and usability - but the lineup just got holla frustrating, and very anti-Apple.
 
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Melrose said:
No, Apple went from 7 to 8 in following with their yearly update names, and the X is for the tenth anniversary edition.

It's confusing - I mean, I get how it will work: iPhone 7, iPhone 8, iPhone 9 next year (maybe), and the iPhone X..but in the past Apple has used roman numerals to indicates generations, as in Macintosh OS X, pronounced "ten" not "eks"...the confusion is that with many Apple users, and some members of the general public accustomed to using pronouncing roman numerals as numbers, then Apple has made some confusion here. In two years, iPhone Ten means....iPhone X or iPhone 10? The premium model or the regular update model? Will Apple eventually merge the two after iPhone 9? After iPhone 8? Unless they plan on merging the iPhone line thus, they're in for some really hectic product name confusion, which is completely unlike modern day Apple to do.

If they don't do the iPhone 9 and just go straight from 8 to 10, what happened to 9? That's awfully confusing, a la Windows.

I don't see any non-confusing way they can work this out. Either they'll skip 9 (which is stupid, and at complete odds with Apple's simplicity and consistency) or they'll keep the two lines separate and have not one, not two, but three iPhone lines: cheap, like the SE, medium, like what used to be top-shelf like the 7 or 8, and the "Such fancy, very feature, wow" version we now know as iPhone X/Edition/Premium/Professional Home Standard Premium.

Or, they'll simply call the iPhone X the iPhone X forever, and not change or update the name at all even though the phone will have regular updates. This option is certainly simpler for new buyers and serials upgraders, but what about the second-hand market? Will you buy an iPhone X 1st gen, iPhone X 2nd gen, or what? This is what the iPhone should have been from the beginning: One name and the product gets updated every year with the latest stuff. You want the latest, you buy the current year. Simple. Easy.

Or, the iPhone X is a one-off and won't be upgraded or repeated. In this case, it'll be a blow to adopters who pay a hefty premium now but next year their phone is obsolete when Apple doesn't release an updated model and users realize they've paid a premium to put a date on their phones.

Or, another way they handle it is by making the regular iPhone the bottom-feeder, a la iPad Air when the iPad Pro came along. But, for the people who buy phones for status and who've just shelled out enormous dollars for the top-tier 7+, overnight now discover they paid a premium for the peasant version.

Any way you cut it, new buyers are in for a fair amount of confusion. The iPhone is always a better phone than Android - there's now ay you can refute that in stability, security, and usability - but the lineup just got holla frustrating, and very anti-Apple.
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Apple is providing choice across a wide range of price points. It’s not confusing- pick the most expensive iphone you can afford. Or the amount of money which you feel is appropriate to spend on a phone.

I wish they offered iPad at more price ranges, but the volume doesn’t support it.
 
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BigAppleNYC123 said:
Apple is providing choice across a wide range of price points. It’s not confusing- pick the most expensive iphone you can afford. Or the amount of money which you feel is appropriate to spend on a phone.

I wish they offered iPad at more price ranges, but the volume doesn’t support it.
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You and I know the difference. But imagine being a new adopter. Can you imagine trying to explain to your typical non-savvy John Q. Public the difference the iPhone 8 and iPhone X when you're procuring it "ten"?

Adding multiple products just muddies the waters. You want the latest, buy the latest. You can't afford the latest, buy last year's model. 'Nuff said. Having three different model ranges is just needlessly dumb.

The real problem is that the way Apple is pronouncing "iPhone X" (i.e., "iPhone Ten") the iPhone 8 is already obsolete to casual buyers. The iPhone 8, usually Apple's premium product, entered the market as a second-rate device.

I love my Mac and my iPhone, but it's stupid. But, coming from a company that now won't even show you the length of a song in the Music app it's not surprising.
 
Melrose said:
You and I know the difference. Imagine being a new adopter. Can you imagine trying to explain to your typical non-savvy John Q. Public the difference the iPhone 8 and iPhone X when you're procuring it "ten"?

Adding multiple products just muddies the waters. You want the latest, buy the latest. You can't afford the latest, buy last year's model. 'Nuff said. Having three different model ranges is just needlessly dumb.
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I wouldn’t attempt to explain the changes. I would link them to a comparison table for their reference, and tell them to buy the most expensive they can afford or feel is appropriate..
 
BigAppleNYC123 said:
I wouldn’t attempt to explain the changes. I would link them to a comparison table for their reference, and tell them to buy the most expensive they can afford or feel is appropriate..
Click to expand...

You don't have much experience in sales, apparently. Not to be snarky, but honestly. A customer comes in and asks what the difference is, because given the naming convention the current model already sounds TWO YEARS OLD, and the sales guy goes "Here's a pamphlet, go figure it out yourself" is a PR and conversions nightmare.

Instead of being simple & easy to understand, which are hallmarks Apple has lived on since 1999 or so, believe you me plenty of people will absolutely think the iPhone 8 is two years old...and wonder why they can't buy a comparatively low-tier iPhone 9.

The hurdle of "I don't want the iPhone Ten but I'm not buying a phone that's two version old" is a big one for a lot of people.
 
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Okay.. Fair enough.

I would say the iphone 8 is a redesigned iphone 7. It is not a flagship, but it is still high-end. Iphone 9 comes out in a year, and it will be an improved iphone 8.
 
Italianblend said:
most likely they will continue with the roman numerals. iphone Xi next year.
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This may be true, but makes no sense
Considering that the X signifies the 10th anniversary of the iPhone, and not the 10th successive iPhone
Unless they plan on dropping the number line entirely and starting fresh with the X, it's going to be confusing doing an 11 and a 9, a 12 and (another) 10, and so on...
 
BasicGreatGuy said:
Asking members if they are buying a phone that doesn't exist is rather pointless.
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These discussions come every year
Not really pointless, as there will be another iPhone next year
People speculate, and base their decisions on those speculations
 
iPhone 9 may be an SE refresh. For the stragglers who still want a Home button and LCD.

The mainstream models will probably be an iteration of the iPhone X, a smaller and a larger model.

The 2018 OLED iPhone should have at minimum, a refresh of the modem so it supports Gigabit LTE.
 
AssassuN said:
These discussions come every year
Not really pointless, as there will be another iPhone next year
People speculate, and base their decisions on those speculations
Click to expand...
It's pointless at this stage. Might as well asking who's buying iPhone 11, 12, 13 and so on.
 
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