How can Apple become "sexy" again?

[mammador]

Shouldn't Apple meet Samsung on its own terms, and make phones for different market segments? Samsung is in part the sexy phone maker because different groups of consumers can buy its phones. Apple still is going for the high-end market exclusively.


Moved from Mobile Devices & Gadgets to All Things Apple
Moderator PM

 

[Red Storm]

Here in the US most people get contract deals, and so they can get an iPhone at every price point including "free."

 

[mikeymikec]

Here in the US most people get contract deals, and so they can get an iPhone at every price point including "free."

In the UK, the last time I checked, if I wanted a "free" iPhone I'd have to pay triple what I'm paying for my current contract.

I think that Apple had to maintain an almost-impossible situation of producing each generation's most-highly-regarded smartphone, which means significantly improving their product in ways that are easy to market.

People generally are quite fickle and a lot of them are sheep-like. If a company brings out a smart phone which is quite reasonable on paper as well as being the right colour (or some other aesthetic point) for a given year it might end up being that year's most-highly-regarded phone.

The only smart phone manufacturer which could really do with a wake-up slap is HTC IMO. There's about six zillion models of HTC smart phone and there just isn't any good reason for it. That doesn't help the average person engage in sheep-like behaviour.

Having said that, I'm mostly happy with my el cheapo HTC Desire C.

 

[mammador]

Here in the US most people get contract deals, and so they can get an iPhone at every price point including "free."

But the SIII, Note II, Note, SII, etc. are all contract phones also. This is coupled with the Y, Ace, etc. that Samsung make.

Either way, Apple has lost its way since Jobs died and is not the premier phone maker out now.

 

[Red Storm]

They're going to mirror the PC market. Low market share, high profit margins. I don't think Apple has a problem with that.

 

[zsdersw]

Low market share, high profit margins. I don't think Apple has a problem with that.

That's the only thing going for them. Otherwise they're just like everyone else.

"Think Different" has become "Think Like Everyone Else"... and it must go back to "Think Different" in order for Apple to survive long-term.

 

[Ravynmagi]

It would be nice if Apple made one 4 inch and one larger 4.8 to 5 inch iPhone. I don't think it would be a good idea to be too much like Samsung and make 50 different models of an iPhone. But perhaps one additional size option would be nice.

I think Apple's bigger problem though is the OS is so stale. It's not changed much in years. While Android has evolved significantly. iOS 6 on my iPad is feeling archaic now, I keep wanting to perform different swipe gestures to get home or swipe back or swipe up a menu or something. Instead all it has are these goofy multi-finger swipes that are awkward and I never use.

If Apple wants to be sexy again, the iOS needs a major overhaul.

 

[swanysto]

Apple likes to keep their product lines thin. This allows for much easier customer service. It also allows them keep higher margins like Red Storm mentioned. If they flood the market with products, they will sell more, but they won't have that best product mystique. It is just like any high end product. For instance, Armani. They COULD make more affordable clothes, but then they would just be another Guess or Ralph Lauren.

 

[waggy]

Apple likes to keep their product lines thin. This allows for much easier customer service. It also allows them keep higher margins like Red Storm mentioned. If they flood the market with products, they will sell more, but they won't have that best product mystique. It is just like any high end product. For instance, Armani. They COULD make more affordable clothes, but then they would just be another Guess or Ralph Lauren.

to bad they are planning to introduce a cheaper Iphone.


http://www.cultofmac.com/209247/wsj-apple-to-introduce-cheaper-iphone-later-this-year/

 

[swanysto]

to bad they are planning to introduce a cheaper Iphone.


http://www.cultofmac.com/209247/wsj-apple-to-introduce-cheaper-iphone-later-this-year/

I agree with the article, it would likely help them in other countries, but I don't see how this helps in the US. Right now the iPhone is no more expensive than other phones on plan(which is how the majority of consumers buy them).

 

[Dumac]

It would be nice if Apple made one 4 inch and one larger 4.8 to 5 inch iPhone. I don't think it would be a good idea to be too much like Samsung and make 50 different models of an iPhone. But perhaps one additional size option would be nice.

I think Apple's bigger problem though is the OS is so stale. It's not changed much in years. While Android has evolved significantly. iOS 6 on my iPad is feeling archaic now, I keep wanting to perform different swipe gestures to get home or swipe back or swipe up a menu or something. Instead all it has are these goofy multi-finger swipes that are awkward and I never use.

If Apple wants to be sexy again, the iOS needs a major overhaul.

You heard how iPhone devs bitched and moaned about the iPhone 5 because now their static pixel-specific UI placements don't work anymore.

Imagine if they released a phone that was bother wider AND taller! So much work would have to be done to fix Stardom Free with $2Mil in in-app purchases available

 

[TuxDave]

to bad they are planning to introduce a cheaper Iphone.


http://www.cultofmac.com/209247/wsj-apple-to-introduce-cheaper-iphone-later-this-year/

Put that under "I'll believe it when I see it" for me.

 

[Midwayman]

Apple is gong to have to make another leap in interface to make the iphone sexy again. They apparently aren't willing to compete on features. Maybe something along the lines of google glass project? Make wearable computing a real thing. I have more faith that apple can pull off that project than google.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

to bad they are planning to introduce a cheaper Iphone.


http://www.cultofmac.com/209247/wsj-apple-to-introduce-cheaper-iphone-later-this-year/

too bad we've heard this rumor since 2008. how's that iphone mini?

 

[pm]

Moving to All Things Apple
Moderator PM

 

[Aikouka]

I've never really understood why people care that iOS is "stale." I think of it like my desktop in Windows, I rarely see my desktop or the iOS home screen, so why do I care what's on it? What's the wallpaper on all of my computers? It's either an opaque black or the Windows 7 default. I just couldn't care less when it comes to changing it to anything fancy.

The other day, I had a friend complain that the iPhone "felt stale", and it just boggled my mind. Of course, he's the type with a revolving wallpaper and useless crap like that.

 

[Red Storm]

I've never really understood why people care that iOS is "stale." I think of it like my desktop in Windows, I rarely see my desktop or the iOS home screen, so why do I care what's on it? What's the wallpaper on all of my computers? It's either an opaque black or the Windows 7 default. I just couldn't care less when it comes to changing it to anything fancy.

The other day, I had a friend complain that the iPhone "felt stale", and it just boggled my mind. Of course, he's the type with a revolving wallpaper and useless crap like that.

A revolving wallpaper I can understand, but widgets are anything but "useless crap". I can totally get the stale comments, iOS hasn't fundamentally changed in UI since the original phone, and people love to customize/accessorize.

 

[Kaido]

I've never really understood why people care that iOS is "stale." I think of it like my desktop in Windows, I rarely see my desktop or the iOS home screen, so why do I care what's on it? What's the wallpaper on all of my computers? It's either an opaque black or the Windows 7 default. I just couldn't care less when it comes to changing it to anything fancy.

The other day, I had a friend complain that the iPhone "felt stale", and it just boggled my mind. Of course, he's the type with a revolving wallpaper and useless crap like that.

People just like new stuff, that's all. One of the things I value about iOS is its simplicity...unlock, tap the app you want, use.

What I *am* curious about is what the next big thing from Apple is...I love getting excited about all the cool new stuff they release, but I have no idea what's next...I can see the AppleTV getting more love in the apps department, and maybe a venture into Home Automation, especially with how close the Airplay system is to crushing Sonos (I would be equally happy if Sonos integrated Airplay into their systems). Beyond that, I dunno. I don't think I'd want a computer much thinner than a Macbook Air, you know?

 

[dighn]

I've never really understood why people care that iOS is "stale." I think of it like my desktop in Windows, I rarely see my desktop or the iOS home screen, so why do I care what's on it? What's the wallpaper on all of my computers? It's either an opaque black or the Windows 7 default. I just couldn't care less when it comes to changing it to anything fancy.

The other day, I had a friend complain that the iPhone "felt stale", and it just boggled my mind. Of course, he's the type with a revolving wallpaper and useless crap like that.

Have you tried the latest android stuff? I just got my Nexus 10 last night and I was thoroughly impressed by how feature rich the UI is and how well apps interoperate.

Some examples of non-useless features:

- Calendar and mail on your lock screen
- Install a file browser app and a media player app, and play files right from a file server. Pretty rudimentary right? Can't do that with stock iOS
- Being able to see and browse your library right on the desktop
- Switching between apps and closing apps is far easier
- More accessible shortcut for changing things like screen brightness, orientation lock etc.

note: I do have a iphone 5 and a ipad

 

[Ashenor]

Size is the biggest thing for me, i switched to a iPhone 5 to a Note 2 for something different and bigger. If apple does something bigger and a bit different i will switch back for the 6. Until then i will stay android for awhile.

 

[zokudu]

I don't think it's so much specs or size but as far as demographics go the iPhone is becoming "your moms phone" at least around my campus. It just got too big and young people innately wanting to be "rebels" are starting to look elsewhere. Lots of Samsung around here now, lots of high end windows notebooks (Asus, Acer never Dell of HP they aren't "edgy enough") as opposed to classrooms full of Macs from 2 years ago. It's an interesting trend to watch.

 

[smackababy]

Some examples of non-useless features:

- Calendar and mail on your lock screen
- Install a file browser app and a media player app, and play files right from a file server. Pretty rudimentary right? Can't do that with stock iOS
- Being able to see and browse your library right on the desktop
- Switching between apps and closing apps is far easier
- More accessible shortcut for changing things like screen brightness, orientation lock etc.

note: I do have a iphone 5 and a ipad

-Anyone can now read my email while my phone is locked. Great. Also, I get quite a few emails a day and I don't need to see all of them on my lock screen.
-Apple doesn't use the typical file system people are used to and the majority of phone users don't care about playing media from some file server.
-the iOS remote lets me do that? I am confused on what you mean here. I can browse my phone's library through iTunes and I can control iTunes through my phone.
-Easier? Double click your home button and switch or close. Easy.
-Brightness needs to be adjusted that often? Well, it doesn't effect my battery life on my iPhone enough to warrant that. Orientation lock? Double click the home button and swipe left. Boom done.

Most of these widgets came about because of the shortcomings of Android phones. Turn off things like WIFI and Blue Tooth? I don't have to worry about that because I don't need to find "features" to shut off to extend battery life.

Maybe I am in the minority that doesn't see all these extra features as useful.

 

[ChAoTiCpInOy]

-Brightness needs to be adjusted that often? Well, it doesn't effect my battery life on my iPhone enough to warrant that. Orientation lock? Double click the home button and swipe left. Boom done.

Most of these widgets came about because of the shortcomings of Android phones. Turn off things like WIFI and Blue Tooth? I don't have to worry about that because I don't need to find "features" to shut off to extend battery life.

Actually SBSettings and the newer NCSettings gives quicker access to Bluetooth, Wifi, 3G/4G/LTE, Brightness, Volume, and Orientation. Yeah some of those have been included in the double tap and then swipe, but as an iOS user I would like quicker access to Bluetooth, Wifi, 3G/4G/LTE, and Brightness since currently the only way to do that is by going through settings.

 

[crab0]

I've never really understood why people care that iOS is "stale." I think of it like my desktop in Windows, I rarely see my desktop or the iOS home screen, so why do I care what's on it? What's the wallpaper on all of my computers? It's either an opaque black or the Windows 7 default. I just couldn't care less when it comes to changing it to anything fancy.

The other day, I had a friend complain that the iPhone "felt stale", and it just boggled my mind. Of course, he's the type with a revolving wallpaper and useless crap like that.

Being able to change default app (I like Safari but Mail, Maps and Clock are awful)
Not having to wait for an OS wide update or "email it to myself" to share between apps (which also gets annoying when same PDF has to be copied over to multiple apps).

And for a "petty" personal reason, I hate having icons on top of my pretty wallpaper, I rather press an app drawer button to get icons (on blank black background!). I may only see it a minority of the time but it bugs me (I had similar thing with Windows as I used the show desktop button in 7 like crazy but now on OS X I like never see my desktop so I haven't even changed the picture).

 

[Tegeril]

Being able to change default app (I like Safari but Mail, Maps and Clock are awful)
Not having to wait for an OS wide update or "email it to myself" to share between apps (which also gets annoying when same PDF has to be copied over to multiple apps).

And for a "petty" personal reason, I hate having icons on top of my pretty wallpaper, I rather press an app drawer button to get icons (on blank black background!). I may only see it a minority of the time but it bugs me (I had similar thing with Windows as I used the show desktop button in 7 like crazy but now on OS X I like never see my desktop so I haven't even changed the picture).

Re: petty reason...

Just start all your apps on page 2?