Musing on Apple September 2013 - Page 4

holymadness · 09-10-2013, 03:50 PM

Overall conclusion: so much for the rumours of a cheap iPhone.

jswinden · 09-10-2013, 03:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by holymadness

Overall conclusion: so much for the rumours of a cheap iPhone.

Actually, the rumors I heard most often were spot on. They predicted a $99 down payment with a two-year contract for the 5C and a $199 down payment with a two-year contract for the 5S. Cheap is a relative term that means something different for everyone. I knew there would be no inexpensive iPhones released because Apple doesn't do business that way. The 5C is $100 less expensive than the 5S, but certainly not cheap.

holymadness · 09-10-2013, 04:00 PM

All true, but the 5C is the same price as the 5 would have been if it had been kept in the product lineup. So Apple hasn't introduced a new price point, which was the crux of the rumour.

EDIT: There's actually been steady price creep on the iPhones outside of the US. In Canada, the iPhone 4 was $650, the iPhone 5 was $699, and the iPhone 5S is $719 (unlocked, off contract). It's always been $650 in the US.

Meanwhile, the exchange rate is 1 Canadian Dollar = 0.97 US Dollar and has been more or less stable for the past 3 years.

jswinden · 09-10-2013, 04:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by holymadness

All true, but the 5C is the same price as the 5 would have been if it had been kept in the product lineup. So Apple hasn't introduced a new price point, which was the crux of the rumour.

I think a few uninformed people might have hoped for a "cheap" iPhone 5C, but certainly anyone who knows anything about Apple knew that was NEVER going to happen.

holymadness · 09-10-2013, 04:58 PM

An answer to Josie's question from the Apple website: "And because Touch ID lets you enroll multiple fingerprints, it knows the people you trust, too." http://www.apple.com/iphone-5s/features/

SeaKing · 09-10-2013, 04:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by holymadness

Feels like Christmas.

I think for a lot of Apple people it is going to be like that Christmas they didn't get that Bicycle they had prayed for every night, all year.

It happened to me 3 years straight.

kyteflyer · 09-10-2013, 05:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jswinden

I think a few uninformed people might have hoped for a "cheap" iPhone 5C, but certainly anyone who knows anything about Apple knew that was NEVER going to happen.

Indeed. but, one was hopeful. Looks like I'll be 4S until its no longer supported. Oh well, I did that with my 2G but not with my 3GS (both of which I still have, cant part with them). I have no plans to upgrade to iOS7 so no big deal. Maybe iOS8 will appeal more, and I'll upgrade then.

Pricing sucks in Australia. Starts at $739 for the 5C and $869 for the 5S.

jswinden · 09-10-2013, 05:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kyteflyer

Indeed. but, one was hopeful. Looks like I'll be 4S until its no longer supported. Oh well, I did that with my 2G but not with my 3GS (both of which I still have, cant part with them). I have no plans to upgrade to iOS7 so no big deal. Maybe iOS8 will appeal more, and I'll upgrade then.

I don't blame you. The 4S is still a great phone.

Since I've only had my iPhone 5 for about 4 or 5 months I wouldn't have upgraded anyway, but it is nice not to be tempted.

When I got the 5 I assumed there would be an incremental 5S. Apple has been really predictable in that area! I'm not really in the market for an iPad Mini with higher resolution, but I sure hope they bring one out next month. If not there will be a lot of sad Apple fans. With rumors on new iPads virtually non-existent, I have to wonder what Apple has been doing all year?!?

holymadness · 09-10-2013, 06:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kyteflyer

Indeed. but, one was hopeful. Looks like I'll be 4S until its no longer supported. Oh well, I did that with my 2G but not with my 3GS (both of which I still have, cant part with them). I have no plans to upgrade to iOS7 so no big deal. Maybe iOS8 will appeal more, and I'll upgrade then.

This is silly, and of course your current phone won't support iOS 8, which will only be an incremental upgrade anyway.

Quote:

Pricing sucks in Australia. Starts at $739 for the 5C and $869 for the 5S.

I'm getting annoyed by this nickel-and-diming. UK and EU customers are also getting the shaft on price. On top of that, the cost of replacement devices from AppleCare+ has gone up from $49 to $79.

Penforhire · 09-10-2013, 06:44 PM

Color-balancing dual flash is very cool. We don't see that on much more serious camera hardware. I still have to slip filters over expensive Nikon SB-series speedlights to match scene lighting.

I need to hear more review before I commit to buying an unlocked 5S (ouch!) but it seems likely unless the upcoming Nexus 5 or something else blows me away. The 5C did not impress me as much because pricing is only $100 discount. Maybe it'll appeal more to subsidized buyers who are more sensitive to the upfront cash outlay.

ilovejedd · 09-10-2013, 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Penforhire

I need to hear more review before I commit to buying an unlocked 5S (ouch!) but it seems likely unless the upcoming Nexus 5 or something else blows me away. The 5C did not impress me as much because pricing is only $100 discount. Maybe it'll appeal more to subsidized buyers who are more sensitive to the upfront cash outlay.

I'm getting the iPhone 5s because I'm already due for an upgrade and since the phone subsidy is already an unavoidable part of the plan's cost (and since I'm forced to stick to Verizon or AT&T due to coverage), might as well get my carrier to pay the subsidy. If not for that, I probably wouldn't bother upgrading. One nice thing so far is iPhones tend to hold their value so the upfront cost can usually be fully covered by selling the old model. That said, my dad dislikes his Android phone and has an easier time using the iPhone so this time, my old iPhone's going to him.

Seriously though, $550 for the unlocked iPhone 5c? Does the chassis really cost Apple that much that they couldn't just bump the iPhone 5 to mid-range? Heck, an unlocked iPhone 4S costs more than a brand-new Nexus. That said, personally waiting for the Google Play Edition of either the Sony Xperia Z or Samsung Galaxy S4 Active for my next unlocked phone.

simplyparticular · 09-10-2013, 08:27 PM

Hmmm, I was hoping the unsubsidized price of the 5c was going to be a little lower, but I'm not particularly surprised. I don't think the c in cheap is for our price, I think it's for the cheaper production cost for Apple, since metal is getting harder and harder to source.

I'm still using a 3G on T-Mobile that has been having reception issues after I dropped it on the patio while moving last year (that and the volume rocker is completely detached and only held in place by the case I use). I was hoping the 5c had rounder edges - I really like the curves of the older phones - the squared off edges of the 4/4s/5 series don't interest me. The 5c looks pretty much the same, just plastic, in photos.

So I may just spring for the unlocked 5s to get the better camera and processor, since I hang on to my phones so long.

Decisions, decisions. What I really want to know is if the unlocked phones will have the CDMA antenna, too. That way I can pick my carrier.

Penforhire · 09-10-2013, 08:46 PM

ilovejedd, some of the MVNO's (mobile virtual network operators) have exactly the coverage you require. I switched from AT&T to Straight Talk. They use AT&T's network. Whatever USA-wide coverage (voice and 3G data) I got with AT&T I still have with ST. There are some claims that my signal is a 'second class citizen' on the AT&T cell towers but my experience is no degradation of service quality after I switched and I've traveled cross-country several times since I switched.

Why did I switch? For the past year or so, I've paid just $43 and change every month (pre-paying one month at a time, auto-pay gives a small discount to the $45 rate). I have no contract and get unlimited calls, texting, and 3G data. There are reports of throttling and warnings at high data consumption but for my 1 GB-or-less monthly consumption rate I had no issues at all.

AT&T (or Verizon) wants something around $80 a month for a worse plan. That is just non-competitive, even if I have to pay full retail for my next iPhone. Now it is also true that AT&T could shut off the entire ST virtual network some day. I'll have to make a switch if that happens. AT&T's customer service is also much easier with AT&T having a solid retail presence in my area, not that I've needed it.

Anyway, don't feel locked into your cellular service provider just because of coverage.

holymadness · 09-10-2013, 09:23 PM

Haha, wow the iPhone 5C cases are even uglier than I first thought. And look at this:

"non"

Terrible design, just terrible.

tubemonkey · 09-10-2013, 09:25 PM

The iPhone 5 didn't disappear; it's still around. They just wrapped it in a thicker, heavier plastic case and renamed it the 5C.

09-10-2013, 04:00 PM	#48
holymadness Guru Posts: 722 Karma: 2084955 Join Date: Dec 2010 Device: iPhone	All true, but the 5C is the same price as the 5 would have been if it had been kept in the product lineup. So Apple hasn't introduced a new price point, which was the crux of the rumour. EDIT: There's actually been steady price creep on the iPhones outside of the US. In Canada, the iPhone 4 was $650, the iPhone 5 was $699, and the iPhone 5S is $719 (unlocked, off contract). It's always been $650 in the US. Meanwhile, the exchange rate is 1 Canadian Dollar = 0.97 US Dollar and has been more or less stable for the past 3 years. Last edited by holymadness; 09-10-2013 at 04:16 PM.

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09-10-2013, 03:50 PM	#46
holymadness Guru Posts: 722 Karma: 2084955 Join Date: Dec 2010 Device: iPhone	Overall conclusion: so much for the rumours of a cheap iPhone.

09-10-2013, 04:58 PM	#50
holymadness Guru Posts: 722 Karma: 2084955 Join Date: Dec 2010 Device: iPhone	An answer to Josie's question from the Apple website: "And because Touch ID lets you enroll multiple fingerprints, it knows the people you trust, too." http://www.apple.com/iphone-5s/features/

09-10-2013, 06:44 PM	#55
Penforhire Wizard Posts: 2,230 Karma: 7145404 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Southern California Device: Kindle Voyage & iPhone 7+	Color-balancing dual flash is very cool. We don't see that on much more serious camera hardware. I still have to slip filters over expensive Nikon SB-series speedlights to match scene lighting. I need to hear more review before I commit to buying an unlocked 5S (ouch!) but it seems likely unless the upcoming Nexus 5 or something else blows me away. The 5C did not impress me as much because pricing is only $100 discount. Maybe it'll appeal more to subsidized buyers who are more sensitive to the upfront cash outlay.

09-10-2013, 08:27 PM	#57
simplyparticular Guru Posts: 610 Karma: 1395952 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: New York Device: Oasis 3 & GlowLight 4	Hmmm, I was hoping the unsubsidized price of the 5c was going to be a little lower, but I'm not particularly surprised. I don't think the c in cheap is for our price, I think it's for the cheaper production cost for Apple, since metal is getting harder and harder to source. I'm still using a 3G on T-Mobile that has been having reception issues after I dropped it on the patio while moving last year (that and the volume rocker is completely detached and only held in place by the case I use). I was hoping the 5c had rounder edges - I really like the curves of the older phones - the squared off edges of the 4/4s/5 series don't interest me. The 5c looks pretty much the same, just plastic, in photos. So I may just spring for the unlocked 5s to get the better camera and processor, since I hang on to my phones so long. Decisions, decisions. What I really want to know is if the unlocked phones will have the CDMA antenna, too. That way I can pick my carrier.

09-10-2013, 08:46 PM	#58
Penforhire Wizard Posts: 2,230 Karma: 7145404 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Southern California Device: Kindle Voyage & iPhone 7+	ilovejedd, some of the MVNO's (mobile virtual network operators) have exactly the coverage you require. I switched from AT&T to Straight Talk. They use AT&T's network. Whatever USA-wide coverage (voice and 3G data) I got with AT&T I still have with ST. There are some claims that my signal is a 'second class citizen' on the AT&T cell towers but my experience is no degradation of service quality after I switched and I've traveled cross-country several times since I switched. Why did I switch? For the past year or so, I've paid just $43 and change every month (pre-paying one month at a time, auto-pay gives a small discount to the $45 rate). I have no contract and get unlimited calls, texting, and 3G data. There are reports of throttling and warnings at high data consumption but for my 1 GB-or-less monthly consumption rate I had no issues at all. AT&T (or Verizon) wants something around $80 a month for a worse plan. That is just non-competitive, even if I have to pay full retail for my next iPhone. Now it is also true that AT&T could shut off the entire ST virtual network some day. I'll have to make a switch if that happens. AT&T's customer service is also much easier with AT&T having a solid retail presence in my area, not that I've needed it. Anyway, don't feel locked into your cellular service provider just because of coverage.

09-10-2013, 09:23 PM	#59
holymadness Guru Posts: 722 Karma: 2084955 Join Date: Dec 2010 Device: iPhone	Haha, wow the iPhone 5C cases are even uglier than I first thought. And look at this: "non" Terrible design, just terrible.

09-10-2013, 09:25 PM	#60
tubemonkey monkey on the fringe Posts: 45,858 Karma: 158733736 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Seattle Metro Device: Moto E6, Echo Show	The iPhone 5 didn't disappear; it's still around. They just wrapped it in a thicker, heavier plastic case and renamed it the 5C.