Brian X. Chen, New York Times:
The iPhone is now in a precarious position. Gone is the thrill of downloading yet another app. It isn’t as exciting anymore if the screens of the gadget get bigger or the device becomes thinner. And the middle age of the iPhone is reflected in its sales, which dipped for the first time last year. It doesn’t help that Apple also faces fierce competition, especially in markets like China and India where people are flocking to cheaper smartphones that are increasingly capable and attractive.
Doomed! Why does the New York Times lead their Apple coverage in such a negative way?
But I digress.
Chief among the changes for the new iPhones: refreshed versions, including a premium model priced at around $999, according to people briefed on the product, who asked to remain anonymous because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
John Gruber’s take:
If true, I would wager that means starting at $999, with a higher storage capacity model at $1099 and maybe another at $1199.
Makes sense.
An aside, the price mention is just part of a larger article, quite positive in tone, calling out the elements that keep people buying iPhones, year after year. Weird that it starts with such a negative slant.
Wow, I can’t believe this. Steve would have never done this. He would have demanded it be sold at a huge loss with AirPods and 8 dongles included in every box.
On a more serious note, I do wonder how the public will react. Obviously there will be a huge reaction once the non-dweeb class that doesn’t follow this stuff learns of it. On a surface level, this will look like an iPhone that has technology/design that other Android phones have had (tiny bezels, wireless charging, facial recognition) that aren’t charging $1000+. Obviously on paper these will be BETTER than the Android versions, but wireless charging and thin bezels aren’t something that will be a quantum leap above the competition.
Brian’s just miffed that he couldn’t find a new prototype of this phone left behind in a bar.
it starts this way because Brian Chen is a professional apple troll. this is the same hack who claimed Japan “hated” the iphone in his Wired article, to which the editors later updated to put in an apology for his BS.
the non-dweeb class doesn’t know that android devices have those things either, since by definition they don’t follow this stuff.
it will likely be labeled the Pro, and consumers will simply decide which tier is right for them based on the usual value considerations consumers have weighed for centuries.
Speaking of non-dweebs, I have to wonder if carrier-affiliate phone stores are still pushing “it’s-just-like-an-iPhone” crap.
I think the Plus already demonstrated this. People that wanted the bigger screen and could afford it got it. People who didn’t want it got the smaller screen. People who couldn’t afford it got the small screen and lusted after the big screen, and for the most part didn’t rage out over it.
Exactly what you’d expect.
Also, don’t forget New York Times. Even without Brian Chen they’ve got hate.
I know these people are saying smartphone ownership doesn’t have the excitement it used to, however, the smartphone zombies I see are totally locked into their smartphones. It doesn’t have to be excitement but maybe could be considered an addiction. There will always be those who go for cheaper products, but sometimes a company needs to do better marketing. Consumers go into car dealers with some set price in mind, but after they see all the various options, bells and whistles and listen to the salesperson throw them a line of fast-talking BS, they end up spending more than what they planned on. Just spread out the payments over a longer period of time, says the salesperson. I think if Apple tried to sell their products like the auto industry does, Apple will have plenty of buyers of new, expensive iPhones. I have no problem paying over $1000 for an iPhone I intend to keep for three years but that’s just me.
Everyone has their own spending limits. I honestly don’t understand these analysts and their sales predictions about a product that no consumer has even seen. I realize the declining iPhone sales trends of the Chinese consumer and consumers in places like India, but at least wait until an actual product appears before saying it won’t sell all that well. I don’t quite understand the negativity of these writers. I feel they should at least give these new iPhones a chance to prove they may still have selling power. The carriers think reduced price iPhone offers are still a draw to their services.
The 256GB 7Plus is already “around” $999, at $969.
Shocker!
Written like someone who’s ‘been there, done that’ already. Perhaps, the iPhone 8 could be the beginning of a new 10-year, record-breaking growth curve for Apple, but fortunately for us, Chen’s sage keeps us from the brink and we can happily “flock” to a “cheaper”, “capable” and “attractive” Indian or Chinese “smartphone”.
Wow, maybe Chen should have gone into the smartphone business to show us all how its really done.
“Support at Apple Stores” is not my first reason why I buy an iPhone.
Having to write this last paragraph must have really stuck in Chen’s craw:
They’ll likely have co-workers, friends, or family members that own the phones.