Apple falling from the tree already? iPhone 5 sales not as predicted.

Overmind One

GateFans Gatemaster
Staff member
Lower cost iPhone? Why? :McKayrolleyes:

I saw this coming with the passing of Steve Jobs. But this article is giving us hints about the direction Apple is going in the near future:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/15/t...sales-spurs-talk-of-cheaper-iphones.html?_r=0

Excerpt:

Worries about low-cost competition weighed on Apple’s stock on Monday after reports that the company had reduced orders of screens for the iPhone 5, suggesting that demand for the phone could be weaker than expected. The company’s shares dropped 3.6 percent for the day to close at $501.75; they have slid 29 percent from their high in September.

The latest Android phones make the iPhone 5 look like a toy, and unfortunately they cannot boast any features that Androids do not have (or implemented as well) other than Siri. But is Siri a good reason to buy the phone? Most I have asked say no. But I also know some very satisfied and loyal Apple fanboys and gurls. Invariably, they have never owned or worked with an Android device so they have no idea how far behind the curve Apple is.

Beyond the loyalty wars is the real driving factor: price.

For between $500 and $600, you can have the iPhone 5 which comes out of the box two or more years behind in technology and power and hardware as compared to its cheaper Android competition. The iPhone has become a status symbol in China, but the price remains the same there as it is here in the US. And also Android is there. But the social reasons that the Chinese buy the phone for are similar to the French jeans craze in the 1970s in the US. It did not matter that the materials used in French jeans were more cheaply made than US Levis, they were status symbols. And they cost money.

If Apple follows up its Apple Maps disaster with yet another step back with a cheaper iPhone, we will have witnessed the death of Apple-ism. A gasp for air.
 
B

Backstep

Guest
I just bought an Iphone 5, first (time Apple buyer) 199.00 with 16gb solely because the iphone integrates better into my car. Other than that I see no difference between this and the Android.
 

Overmind One

GateFans Gatemaster
Staff member
I just bought an Iphone 5, first (time Apple buyer) 199.00 with 16gb solely because the iphone integrates better into my car. Other than that I see no difference between this and the Android.

Despite my vitriol against Apple products on this forum, I actually find myself recommending Apple for certain employees in our enterprise and in my personal dealings. Why? Because they are very very reliable. They may not be the best or the latest and greatest, but they are stable and the customer service is outstanding. But you are paying for that by buying into the Apple kingdom. Be forewarned, your purchase is not yet complete nor will it ever really be complete because now you need apps. MOST apps on Apple devides is not free. The good ones are free like Netflix and some others like Kindle. But the cool stuff costs money. The auto companies have a relationship with Apple, as do accessories manufacturers. The form factors for Apple are more uniform than they are for Android which comes from so many manufacturers.

This post was more commenting on the trajectory of Apple which was seemingly forever skyward when Jobs was at the helm. Now, they are on autopilot, coasing with the devices they already have. Going for a lower cost iPhone rather than starting a new line or doing some brilliant marketing to increase the appeal of the cheaper phone by calling it something else is very un-Apple in style. Jobs would never do it. Besides that, it will cheapen the iPhone 5 and probably cannibalize sales of the iPhone like the iPad mini has done to the iPad.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57559159-37/ipad-mini-set-to-eclipse-retina-ipad/
 
B

Backstep

Guest
Despite my vitriol against Apple products on this forum, I actually find myself recommending Apple for certain employees in our enterprise and in my personal dealings. Why? Because they are very very reliable. They may not be the best or the latest and greatest, but they are stable and the customer service is outstanding. But you are paying for that by buying into the Apple kingdom. Be forewarned, your purchase is not yet complete nor will it ever really be complete because now you need apps. MOST apps on Apple devides is not free. The good ones are free like Netflix and some others like Kindle. But the cool stuff costs money. The auto companies have a relationship with Apple, as do accessories manufacturers. The form factors for Apple are more uniform than they are for Android which comes from so many manufacturers.

This post was more commenting on the trajectory of Apple which was seemingly forever skyward when Jobs was at the helm. Now, they are on autopilot, coasing with the devices they already have. Going for a lower cost iPhone rather than starting a new line or doing some brilliant marketing to increase the appeal of the cheaper phone by calling it something else is very un-Apple in style. Jobs would never do it. Besides that, it will cheapen the iPhone 5 and probably cannibalize sales of the iPhone like the iPad mini has done to the iPad.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57559159-37/ipad-mini-set-to-eclipse-retina-ipad/


I could have bought an adapter from VW with a mini usb for an Android, but i couldn't find out if that would let me access my music and video. It's more of a curiosity now with me and friends and family, if it turns out i don't like the iphone i will reset, sell and buy an Android
 

Overmind One

GateFans Gatemaster
Staff member
I could have bought an adapter from VW with a mini usb for an Android, but i couldn't find out if that would let me access my music and video. It's more of a curiosity now with me and friends and family, if it turns out i don't like the iphone i will reset, sell and buy an Android

This one is easy. If you get any high end Android like a Samsung or HTC or LG, you will get the awesome Bluetooth connection. To use it in your VW, just buy the HTC Bluetooth receiver here:

http://www.expansys-usa.com/htc-car..._productfeed&gclid=CO6_z8za6bQCFal7QgodYkcAeA

htc-car-stereoclip.jpg


I got that one because my Sony stereo does not have Bluetooth, but it does have an Aux in on the front. :) I plug this unit into it which is made by HTC, but it pairs fine with any Bluetooth device and mine is a Samsung Galaxy II (Epic 4G Touch). When connected, you can stream from the internet, play music stored on the phone, etc. but the coolest part is that when a call comes in, Android automatically mutes the music and allows you to take your call. You hear the audio in your car speakers. After you hang up, the music comes back on. :). IIRC, your VW (all models from 2000 on) has an Aux input for the factory stereo. Am I right?
 
Top