“Is Apple losing its ‘appeal?'” John R. Quain asks for FoxNews.com. “With such stellar products as the iPhone and iPad, every Apple announcement is a potentially game-changing event. And yesterday’s debut of the new iPhone 4S could also change the marketplace — just not in the way you might think.”
“By failing to make any major changes to the phone that changed the mobile world — indeed, merely catching up in some areas — Apple has left open the window for Windows and the iPhone’s other competitors, from Samsung to Google to HTC,” Quain reports. “The biggest lunch-bag letdown was that Apple failed to introduce a true fourth-generation (4G) iPhone. With the increasing reliance on smartphones for video, websurfing, email and more, the best devices use the fastest, newest networks possible. New 4G phones even spur carriers like AT&T and Verizon to improve their networks. On that front Apple is lagging — badly.”
Quain reports, “To be fair — and awfully confusing — there will be a semi-4G iPhone 4S coming October 14: AT&T’s version of the iPhone will use its “HSPA+” higher speed data network (the Verizon and Sprint versions will use slower, older data networks). Technically speaking, HSPA+ is not a full-blown, 4G technology, like WiMax or LTE: It’s merely an enhancement to an earlier technology. But HSPA+ is pretty darn fast — fast enough that T-Mobile has been advertising it as ‘4G’ anyway. (Whether AT&T will start advertising that it has ‘the only 4G iPhone’ remains unclear –I asked. It certainly sounds better than, ‘We have the only HSPA+ iPhone!’) But AT&T itself plans to replace that network, meaning if you want to avoid obsolescence and get a fast 4G phone, you’ll have to buy an Android smartphone on Verizon or Sprint. No iPhone for you.”
Full piece – Think Before You Click™ – here.
MacDailyNews Take: Some people are just plain stupid. Others are so morbidly vacuous that you just have to stop and stare in horror. Quain is the latter category’s poster child.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Shawn” for the heads up.]
Fox News – an Apple Authority…yeah right!
Source of outrage and disappointment over the iPhone 4S? Ability to brag silently is missing. Just like the 3G and 3GS being identical, no one will know you have the newest one just by looking! They’ll have to ask you if it’s the 4 or 4S, or else check in Settings for the version.
Of course, the second you use Siri, people might figure it out, but otherwise, people are just mad because when there’s a new form factor everyone recognizes you as the top-o-the-line guy from afar, and that won’t be true for the latest model.
This *is* Fox News we’re talking about; part of the same shitty news group that happily indulged in phone-hacking to feed a morbidly celebrity-obsessed public. I wouldn’t trust them to give an unbiased report on the sinking of the Titanic.
Well I do not see your pals at CNN and MSNBC give any better reporting other than they are slanted to the left.
It’s so cute and delusional, when the “99%” comes to defend that ‘1%’ that they will never be a part of.
The door has been open for years. Still no one who can even step onto the porch. And hiccup? Really? It basically meets the specs predicted for the rumored iPhone 5. What’s the big problem?
I can already see the commercials from HTC now…..two guys watching the identical Football game..one guy with an iPhone the other with some HTC iPhone hack. Although the guy with the iPhone has a better product he is frustrated and shaking the damn phone because the video of the game keeps cutting out…while the the guy using the HTC hackPhone is calmly enjoying the game.
just my $0.02
In what imagainary world do you live? The HTC is exactly NO faster than the iPhone. Just because it’s on a 4G network (if you’re lucky enough to be in a market with more than the one tower they need to be able to say it’s a 4G market) doesnt mean shit if the phone can’t do any better than the 14.4mbps that the iPhone can do. And the majority of the latest 4G phones are limited to that speed.
Better to shut your face and be thought a fool then to open your mouth and confirm it.
I think the free iPhone 3GS is a bigger deal than a lot of other things. When consumers see they can finally get a free iPhone, there goes the only Android advantage (possibly the dumb-phone advantage, too). Of the non-techie Android owners I know, it’s always, “Wanted an iPhone, but the Android was free.”
Is it just me or, in addition to everything else flying around, is anyone else in favor of keeping Phil Schiller off the stage from now on. I thought his presentation style was lame even when compared to a bunch of other average Joe’s all trying to be up to the impossible assignment of following the master showman onto that Cupertino stage. And, after eliminating Phil, the next to get the hook is Tim. Pitiful.
He seemed aloof for sure! I was thinking during the presentation that he was trying very hard not to say iPhone 5.
Phil did not seem himself. His comment about Sprint coming on board seemed like an afterthought, like he forgot about them. He is usually better than that. That said, they definitely need a new main pitch-man. I think Tim is a good CEO, but he’s just not that exciting as a presenter.
I don’t get why he didn’t just say “One more thing” when he brought up Siri. Do you think Steve forbade anyone from using his catch phrase? Is Phil’s catch phrase going to be an awkward “we didn’t tell you everything”? That phrase actually comes off as dishonest at first blush.
Bullshit
Actually, since they did all that hacking, i’d say they know a bit about phones
I thought the article was fair. Anecdotally, I know of one Android user who was waiting for the iPhone 5 with hopes of an enlarged screen and when one didn’t materialize, is considering going to the HTC.
I doubt Apple will ever go to a 4″ screen because the phones becomes too big and bulky for telephone use. I bet they did all kinds of usability studies on that. For the overwhelming majority of the population, the 3.5″ screen is the perfect size for single hand operation and pocketability.
And for that matter, the iPhone 4 was still selling like hotcakes right up until the announcement so the 4S continues that momentum.
I don’t see anything that Windows or Android is offering, besides maybe some spec sheet love that would suddenly cause them to be a game changer.
Just watch, after people actually get to use the device and the reviews come in, you will hear people talking about how the new software and iCloud is a game changer.
THANK YOU!
iPhone is already to the point where it’s almost “too big to pocket”. There’s no way in Hades I’m buying anything larger to use a phone, and if I DO decide I want more screen real estate, a measly 4″ LCD ain’t gonna cut it.
Once I cross that threshold, I’m buying an iPad.
+1
I think of the Porsche 911 when I see the idiots say “change the shape” about the iPhone. Once something is almost perfect, why would you mess with it. The original iPhone wasn’t rushed to market needing improvements. It’s still a pretty good phone. There are later variants, as technology advanced, but the basic concepts are still very good. Ive got it right with the iPhone 4. Things will be just fine the way it is.
It’s well worth noting that the iPhone 4 and now 4s have a higher resolution then all those 4″ screens even though they only have a 3.5″ screen. The 3.5″ one is easier to read then the 4″ ones because it’s sharper.
“iPhone 4S sucks!” is the new Antenna-gate.
So, why exactly will the 4S be a failure when the 3GS was a smash hit?
*crickets*
That’s what I thought.
Love the name Herman…
When true 4G is available, you will find a 4G iPhone in the marketplace. What is annoying is that Apple never indicated that they would produce a 4G product, it was all speculation due to the “delayed” introduction date. Siri really seems like an advanced offering. That, along with the added speed and Software update is amazing to me.
It will also happen when the 4G cards don’t drain your battery so fast. I remember the same thing was true of the 2G iPhone vs the 3G one. The 3G cards at the time sucked ass so Apple didn’t put them in it’s phone till they got better.
Apple should do a Star Trek- themed commercial.
Regarding Fox- no credibility means “None- whatsoever.”
That’s “None.”
Though a lot of other people destroyed theirs yesterday.
@jack pulliam 3rd That’s why he is promoting Android, easier to hack
more Faux News tripe. move along, nothing intelligent to see here.
Sorry there is no better way to say this….
I am so scking sick of this. If it had a new case and 4 inch screen no one would be complaining.
The specs are good, and people are forgetting that iOS 5 is on these devices.
And Samsung with their Megahertz myth crap? Didn’t we get over it?
Before you complain about the device realize that it is much faster and addresses tons of issues.
Don’t base your opinion on the device based on a RUMOR that was put out by people who have nothing to do with Apple.
Apple never said that they were going to release an iPhone with all these mythical features.
So get over it.
The 4S with iOS 5 is a very solid phone based on a good design, and I don’t blame Apple for not wanting to release a totally different phone at the same time as a MAJOR software change.
#dbog$ sudo killall rant
No Apple could have put out the iP5 with 4-inch screen, 4G (which is not ready for primetime as a feature), 10 hour battery life, free apps, and free iTunes music, and given it out for $1 and the droid-ditto heads would have complained that Apple didnt pay them to get the iPhone 5.
There is no pleasing some people, and oddly the cheaper the person, the harder to deal with, and the more freebies they think they are entitled to.
That’s been my experience, and I am a multiple business owner for over 15 years.
I couldn’t agree more, Assassin. The more you give, the more they expect. No good deed goes unpunished!
Despite a great desire to join the Fox News bashing, I want to offer something more constructive: A history lesson where the puck is going:
1998: Apple introduces the iMac to a chorus of skeptics who think it is a toy computer in weird colors that – OMG – lacks a floppy disk drive. The iMac goes on to become the best selling single computer model in the world (and still is, on the desktop).
2001: Apple introduces the iPod, and the tech elite dismiss it as a me-too device in a crowded market. iPod, of course, goes on to completely reshape the entire music industry and become, by a huge margin, the best selling line of media players in the world.
2003: Apple introduces the iTunes Music Store. The press widely questions whether downloaders will actually pay for music. iTunes goes on to become the single largest seller of music on Planet Earth.
2007: Apple debuts iPhone, which is criticized as too expensive and limited in features. iPhone soon becomes the best selling (and by far most profitable) smartphone in the world, with user satisfaction numbers miles above the nearest “competition.”
2008: Apple introduces the MacBook Air, which is roundly derided as too expensive and – OMG – lacks both a replaceable battery and an optical drive. The Air goes on to become the gold standard for ultra-portable laptops; Apple currently sells every one it can build.
2010: Apple introduces the iPad, which is derisively called an “overgrown iPod touch” and is widely criticized for its lack of an array of external ports. iPad goes on to become the most rapidly adopted consumer electronic device in history and is currently selling all other tablet computers at least 3:1.
So, guys, when it comes to the morons saying that the iPhone 4S is a dud, do as MDN does – iCal it, and make sure you follow-up as the new phone breaks all previous sales records.
I don’t think I could have said it any better!
+1
+1
Exactly—nicely written, this is the trump card. Too bad it has to be thrown down repeatedly.
with iPhone taking 66% of world cell phone profits it’s clear android market share is in the low cost range.
top end android phones don’t sell in large numbers, even the 3GS still outsells them.
Now with iPhone from 0 to top end with the great iP4 at $99 apple is going to rake in the (android) bargain hunters.
with 89% retention rate not many iPhone users are going to desert to android. The 4S is a great phone.
it’s the android OEMs who are sweating now.
(why doesn’t the press understand Cooks strategy?)
Author is wrong. The 4S does not support AT&T’s HSPA network. It supports only HSDPA. VZ does have pretty broad LTE coverage. AT&T has it only in 5 cities (with more coming soon). And Sprint hasn’t rolled out any LTE service. Apple was trying to keep the carriers on the same footing as they are now until they CAN introduce an LTE model worthy of the Apple name
Sorry. I meant HSPA .
Damn plus sign won’t work on MDN.
…’Cause it’s Negativity Day here at MDN…
Only need one tower with 4G to claim that as another market.
Plus, iPhone is as fast on AT&T as the latest 4G phones.
They all said that the iPad would be a failure after Apple’s keynote on the iPad
What’s ridiculous is that these “analysts” forget that all these previous hit products were well received by CUSTOMERS not the “analysts”. They were mixed on the original iphone, downright negative on iPad, certainly not thrilled with the iPhone 4 (the best selling smartphone in the world,) and that was before “antennagate” was going to cause it to be recalled and immediately replaced.
I LOVE Apple sticking it to them. More 4!
I planned on skipping the “5” because I love my iphone 4’s size and feel so much. But I’m buying the 4s Friday.
FINANCIAL/BUSINESS analysts should have figured this out: Apple’s relationship is with their customers. They don’t care about analysts.
FOX always has an agenda. Murdoch is pissed with Apple ‘cuz he lost so much on The Daily (like it’s Jobs’ fault?!), and Murdoch is on record calling SJ a “loon.”
If FOX and Apple were still in bed they’d be calling it “The Patriot Phone” on the “The Constitution Phone” and you’d be unAmerican not to buy one.
It’s FOX— infotainment for the elderly and stupid.
Infotainment for the elderly and stupid?
We’ll have to take your word for it. You seem to know a lot about it. You must be one of the stupids, you don’t seem too mature.
Apple is a Huge company. Admit that. Others are just wannabes and buggy opportunists. MDN shutfafkup with nonsense. Since 2007 Apple spread love with a outstanding understanding of users needs. iPhone is a great product and a (tremendous) shifting point in the mobile world. Hate social freaks. You’ve never had the opportunity to live with a nokia smartphone as we did in Europe. Btw steve is out and the business will flow ‘biz as usual’. Tim like any other passionate CEO, will just do the job. Grow up.
Well said
IPhone4s – nice upgrade – too late.
Samsung offers more models and the pressure is on Apple.
Siri looks great – but its not new.
Stupid place to place a VOICE icon beside the space bar.
Copied exact placement as the competitor.
Quad core iPhone5 – we will just have to wait.
Really you think the Samsung is a better phone? Really? so the specs are better but in real world use the iPhone beats it easily as it just works.
Not a single phone out there is faster than iPhone 4S. The 4G phones are marketing hype at this point.
Siri is not new? Dude, the more I read your posts up here, the dumber you seem. What part of integration at the system level is not new for Siri?
“Some people are just plain stupid. Others are so morbidly vacuous that you just have to stop and stare in horror.”
And those unable to suck their own thumbs watch Fox News.
FoxNews. DEFINITIVELY MORBIDLY VACUOUS
I just sold my 16 month iPhone 4 on eBay instant sale for $325.50 ,ordering a iPhone 4s on Friday ,try to do that with any droid phone .
Agreed…Schiller may be a nice guy but he is a lame presenter.