“There was clearly some disappointment after Apple’s iPhone 4S announcement Tuesday,” Nick Bilton reports for The New York Times. “Twitter was awash with despondent Apple fans who had expected an iPhone 5. Investors seemed just as crestfallen. Apple’s stock fell sharply during the speech. (It bounced back a bit by the close of trading.)”
“Many people had hoped the company would showcase a new phone, specifically called the iPhone 5, that would come with newly designed hardware,” Bilton reports. “It was like the child who convinces himself there will be a pony waiting for him under the Christmas tree even though no one promised one or even suggested such a gift existed.”
“Instead, Apple announced a device that on the outside, looks exactly like the iPhone 4,” Bilton reports. “Although it would have been nice to see some new iPhone design, just for the sake of metamorphosis, it’s what’s inside that counts.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: By SteveJack
Why Apple didn’t leak “there will be no iPhone 5″ – strongly enough to seriously dent the rumors – to The Journal or some other credible outlets last week is beyond us. Leaks to convey important information to trusted journalists is nothing unusual and Apple’s done it many times before. Tamping down overwrought expectations should be standard operating procedure for Apple Inc. And it’s so easy! Under-promise (this includes not only saying little, but also managing out-of-control expectations) and over-deliver. So simple.
And, it obviously doesn’t matter if Apple said anything about an iPhone 5 or not, it’s the perception that’s the problem. In general, too many people expected an “iPhone 5.” That is clearly a problem for iPhone 4S. That the overly-inflated expectations were not caused by Apple is meaningless. It’s Apple’s job to manage hyped up expectations that will negatively impact the reception of their products – especially with a new CEO trying to do the impossible and stand up there in Steve Jobs shoes. Why is Apple so tone deaf? Have they become too insular?
The same sort of media mismanagement happened with “AntennaGate,” too. Apple was maddeningly slow to react, lost control of the narrative early on, and then had to resort to trotting out no less than Steve Jobs – along with videos of competitors’ phones attenuating all over the place – for a way-late dog and pony show just to regain some vague semblance of the control they never should have relinquished in the first place! Apple seemingly manages everything well, except for the media sometimes. Ignoring the media and letting hype spiral out of control is not a valid strategy for managing your message, Apple; it’s incompetence.
All that said, even without properly managing the hype, Apple could have solved much of iPhone 4S’s problem if only they hadn’t forgotten to make a silver one!
SteveJack is a pen name used by a long-time Macintosh user, web designer, multimedia producer and, when he feels like it, a contributor to both MacDailyNews Takes and the Opinion section.
@MDN:
The WSJ DID come out and say no iPhone 5.
Plus, it’s amazing how many people are that hung up over the form factor, when they put their iPhones in a case and never see the body anyway. So buy yourself a new case with the iPhone 4S and a “5” sticker to go with it.
I can’t find the link, and maybe it wasn’t WSJ, but one of the major news organizations said no iPhone 5 the weekend prior to the event.
Most likely too little too late….
“Blue Horseshoe Hates the iPhone 5”
+1
Before you give the WSJ a gold star, remember a couple of days before the announcement, that rag declared Sprint was paying Apple $20B to have an exclusive on the iPh 5 for a few months.
WSJ never said about exclusivity, it was the usual tabloid nonsense yellow outlet called BGR.
Is MDN saying that Apple should have managed the hype better so the children would not have hissy-fits?
I was dissappointed, too, but upon further reflection Apple introduced the right product with the right name at the right time – exactly according to precedence.
Besides, SJ said it himself – the Mac OS should be milked and he did until OSX. So too with the iPhone 4. It’s still a great and elegant design with lots of life in it.
Apple has never tried to manage the hype. I remember the introduction of:
the first iPod: Everybody was wanting/expecting an Apple PDA/replacement for the Newton. We were all upset, but ended up buying and loving the iPod anyway.
the iPod Color: Everybody was wanting/expecting video, but we only got photos.
the first iPhone: Everyone was wanting/expecting 3G, but we only got EDGE.
Each time expectations run wild before the announcement. But Apple comes out with the best possible device for the time. Apple hasn’t changed how they handle the situation. We just have short memories. Even SteveJack points out that Apple has done this before.
Agreed. But something to distinguish the 4S from the 4 such as the silver mentioned in the story would have made all of the difference.
It seems that the most stridently obsessed critics of the iPhone 4S were expecting, in addition to everything else Apple announced, a new form factor and access to 4G networks. To the form factor fanatics, wait till 2012. Besides, the iPhone 4 and 4S are iconically Apple and beautiful. Also, Phil Schiller explained that data transfer speeds of iPhone 4S on 3G networks match that of other phones on 4G networks.
The jackasses at CNBC this morning epitomized the idiocy of the situation pretty succinctly, saying, “Did Apple over promise or under deliver?”
I don’t recall Apple saying a single word about their forthcoming phone. But the blathering idiot bloggers and analysts didn’t let that stop them from fabricating fantasy for the past six months. Then when Apple failed to “deliver” on their fantasies they threw a tantrum and everyone was crestfallen.
Staggering stupidity.
The idiot bloggers and analysts, of course, never take responsibility for whipping everyone into a frenzy over rumors anyway.
I’m actually pretty happy with the iPhone 4S announcement. I really don’t want a larger screen, because then it just doesn’t fit in a pocket as well. (A larger screen is what my iPad is for.) And since I’m still on my iPhone 3GS, I’ll be looking forward to the new-to-me form factor.
There are plenty of smartphones with 4 inch screens and bodies virtually unrecognizable from the hardware footprint of the iPhone 4. Adding a half-inch to the screen size will not turn the phone into some HTC Android behemoth.
And when Apple finally does jack the screen size up, probably next year, you’ll wonder why you ever worried about it when you put it in your pocket and fail to notice a difference.
Personally, I think that a 4″ retina display would either have been expensive to the point of requiring a price increase, or too much of a battery hog to make it worthwhile. Apple has a history of leaving tech out of products that it deems as ‘not ready.’ If they are going to make a compromise, it’s better to leave feature A as it is, so that features B and C (Battery and Cost) remain flat or improve slightly, rather than improve A at the expense of B and C.
+1
=:~)
BEAUTIFULLY put!!!!
And of course the vast majority of what the main stream media reports today is just rumors and opinion. Otherwise how could they fill 24 hours of news programing.
And than the stock drops so the shorts win again and keep on winning on bad mouth rumors….
You’re right, MDN.
Dammit, I can’t get six more months out of my iPhone 2 $399 Feb. 2008.
I’ve got to settle for a 4S.
I’m NOT being sarcastic. The 5 is going to put me right back in the past that Ive been living in. Ah, some things never change.
BTW, iPhones should never wear a case. You’re right, if you put it in a case, just get the 3GS.
There’s always the new thing that is better, faster, sleeker, sexier, etc. than what you’ve got. Get over it and get a 4GS. It will be SOOOOOO much better than your iPhone 2G that you’ll forget it’s not the mythical iPhone 5, that rare creature only seen in quiet, hidden-away Chinese factories and dimly lit San Francisco bars.
Thanks. You’re right.
I hoped for a 5 like I hope for a Cowboys win. Gotta move on.
One metric people aren’t counting is that most iPhone users, at least in the U.S., are on 2 year contracts. So a new form factor every year really puts pressure on the carriers to offer some sort of upgrade (as what happened to AT&T) when the consumers aren’t entitled to an upgrade.
Plus, all those new Verizon iPhone users might be a little upset that a new, glorious iPhone 5 was out there and they couldn’t get one without paying that new $350 early termination fee from VZ. This way they’re not as upset, and Apple didn’t have to spend the money developing and engineering a new case.
If all that counted was the inside, there would’ve been no iPhone 4 redesign. Apple would’ve put an A4 chip, 5mp camera and Retina Display in the frumpy iPhone 3GS body and called it a day, cause it’s what’s inside that counts right?
But that’s not the case (no pun intended).
The outside does count, especially when it comes to Apple products. Call us spoiled but we simply sniffed a new and potentially better design (both the case and larger screen) and fell in love with the idea. Premature, perhaps. But let’s not pretend that part of what makes Apple stand out from the crowd is a beautiful exoskeleton. We’ve been trained to expect new, fresh design changes at a whim.
Actually, Apple seems to be working to establish a two-year pattern to major external redesigns.
Your argument boils down to “Apple should make pointless superficial changes to the exterior just to satisfy the insane expectations of people who follow Apple rumors”, which I simply can’t accept.
I’ve said no such thing. The rumors are the egg, not the chicken. I’m explaining why people such as myself gave those rumors a high plausibility: because it seemed like the next big, evolutionary step in iPhone design and you can’t put it past a company like Apple to do an overhaul so soon.
Now you are correct that a pattern has been established, but at the time having a larger screen and new casing was not so far fetched.
Respectfully, if you look at ALL of Apple’s past history, about the only thing that gets upgraded in appearance that frequently is the iPod line. The laptops, desktops, and iPhones tend to run at LEAST 2 years between major appearance changes (and the Mac Pro is what, 7 years on the same case?). The iPhone 4 is barely a year old, and the ‘training’ based on the previous roll-outs (iPhone, 3G, 3Gs and 4) should have let everyone EXPECT that this would be an iPhone 4s.
And finally, it’s a phone. No point changing the shape every year just to make it look different, if the current form factor works. That’s why most of the smartphones now look like an iPhone.
But with all this attention to tech web blogs and media hype, I guess a year seems like an eternity these days.
But you must factor in the 4 month delay from the usual iPhone launch time. It’s been 16 months now. This is mainly what fed the idea of a new design. It didn’t seem far fetched that changes were afoot when it took so long. If the iPhone 4S was released in June as per the usual cycle then there wouldn’t have been such a frenzy of speculation followed by disappointment.
Last I checked, the iPhone 4 is the FIRST not to look like it’s predecessors. When did you get used to repetitively new designs? Yes, a new design would’ve been nice, but ONLY if it enclosed a truly redesigned device. The 4S is plenty enough of a change. And 2 versions isn’t much of a wait for a form change.
Really? We expect fresh new design changes at a whim? I dont know about you, but I was expecting no new case, just minor updates. Iphone 4 was only introduced a little over a year ago. Its design was completely different than the 3gs and its form factor is still fresh and viable. Your reasoning stinks. If Apple had dropped the IP4 features into the 3gs case, then the form factor would have to have lasted well over 3 years (2 years from introduction of iphone 3 to iPhone 4 + an extra year until Iphone 4s) Funny that you say a “potentially better design”. What are you talking about, an iphone that looks like the iPad2? I think that would be a step backwards.
Welcome to the Tim Cook era.
Operationally supremely competant. Less media-savvy.
Good at extracting as much profit as possible from a product. Less interested in new, better products. Those can wait.
Right, because we can make snap judgments like this based on next to no actual evidence.
Knee-jerk.
If you had brain you’d be dangerous.
Gonna have to differ with you on that opinion. Nothing that happened in this product release would have been any different if Steve Jobs had delivered the announcement. This has all been scripted by Jobs anyways – it would be silly to think otherwise. If the products are not meeting our hoped-for release dates, it’s only because they can’t get them ready any faster than this and maintain the build quality and user experience they’re known for.
And for what its worth, if you’ve followed Apple releases regularly, we’ve seen the same cycle of perceived ho-hum level releases for over a decade. Even Apple isn’t always blasting them out of the park.
You won’t see the effects of Tim Cook on Apple culture until next year at the earliest (and likely not even then – this ship’s too big to turn that fast).
It’s what’s inside people’s heads that really matters apple has never catered to media pressure nor does it respond to rumors. Apple delivers and puts it’s money where it’s products are – demand and sales speaks for themselves.
MDN jumped the gin on the antenna issue first with knee-jerk hysteria they later regreted. My 1st day iPhone 4 has yet to experience antenna issues which were all proven to be ATT issues instead…..
Since when does Apple defend themselves against idiot unfounded speculation MDN?… Apple is notorious for it’s secrecy and conservative guidance to anal- ists, if anyone wants to be wife the self sercing hype of anyone but Apple they do so at their own peril – surely MDN should know that and stick to fact only rather than fan popular indignant flames, which have lost thm many a credible reader and fan due to fanning political flames rather than diligent Apple newsworthy content.
1
I said it yesterday, and I’ll say it again. IPhone releases are like Star Trek movies: The even numbers are the best.
As opposed to seasons of 24, in which it’s the *odd* numbers that rock! The 4S will be my first iPhone, and I personally can’t wait – the camera and Siri are huge selling points for me, as I want to replace the old point-&-shoot and organise myself on the drive to work. Plus, as a teacher, I can see the Siri AI being a great aid for general knowledge in class.
Manual correction of auto correction:
It’s what’s inside people’s heads that really matters. Apple has never catered to media pressure nor does it respond to rumors. Apple delivers and puts it’s money where it’s products are – demand and sales speaks for themselves.
MDN jumped the gun on the antenna issue first and before with knee-jerk hysteria they later regreted. My 1st day iPhone 4 has yet to experience antenna issues which were all proven to be ATT issues instead…..
Since when does Apple defend themselves against idiot unfounded speculation MDN?… Apple is notorious for it’s secrecy and conservative guidance to anal- ists, if anyone wants to believe the self serving hype of anyone but Apple, they do so at their own peril – surely MDN should know that and stick to fact only rather than fan the popular indignant flames, which have lost them many a credible reader and fan due to their fanning political flames rather than publishing diligent Apple newsworthy content. Steve Jack- You are apparently just as given to human stupidity and populism as the masses.
I keep up with quite a few Apple rumor websites, and every one of them were betting on NO iPhone 5 – ONLY the 4s – based on several sources. Apple seems to have a good reason for nearly everything that they do (or don’t do). In this case, any publicity (and there’s a ton) may be good publicity.
There may be a bigger picture to loook at from Apple’s perspective. A new form factor would weaken their case against the copy cats.
Also, Apple delivered a lot of new stuff which makes me wonder what the “let down” is about. Sound to me like the unmet expectation was more about the number ( 4S vs 5 ) than about the features.
I strongly disagree with MDN’s critisism of Apples handling of the medias. Reacting too early, or at all, just gives the media bigger handles on the company. Their next insanity would only be worst than the previous one. Bottom line is that the iPhone 4 is still in great shape despite all the hater crap. Apple wins.
The headline is not exactly correct IMHO.
So MDN is coming out and blaming Apple for not being able to control the Apple rumors?
Anyone else see the absurdity to this logic?
MDN, you’ve lost it.
I’m there with you spade
“That the overly-inflated expectations were not caused by Apple is meaningless”. How childish can consumers (and article writers) really be? It’s not Apple’s job to tell you “we never announced or even insinuated such a device” (especially when this has ALWAYS been the case with Apple……like a 4G iPhone 4). As adults, it’s our responsibility to keep our imaginations in check. Grow up. Quit whining. iPhone 4S is awesome and will still outsell EVERY other smartphone out there.
calling for more rumors, calling for more rumors!
My take, after thinking about it a little after the media event was that I started out a bit disappointed, followed by satisfaction that the 4s hardware was a good business decision. Then I watched the video of the entire presentation and now I am all fired up! The guts of the hardware, 5, iCloud, and Siri more than make up for the lack of a new skin.
Even better, I don’t usually buy new hardware until it has been out for awhile to make sure all the kinks are worked out, but I don’t have that concern with the 4s. I am looking at the 4s as the perfected and supercharged 4.
As an investor I am very happy knowing that the production lines, already set up and producing the 4, should make a smooth transition to producing 10s of millions of the 4s model. We should not see the same problems with ramping up production to meet demand as with an entirely new design.
My sentiments exactly!
Wow! So, MDN is loading up its orders for the disappointing 4S while trashing Apple arrogance in believing the media hysteria raising expectations for redesigned iPhone 5 (which is basically ready to go and will as soon as they can make the battery last) could be ignored. To say nothing of Tim’s empty jeans. With their horde of cash, none of this matters to anyone except Steve Jobs who must be saddened that he lived long enough to see his change-the-world dream come to an end.
Ok, all this doesnt matter. The people that were going to buy iPhone still will, and those that wont, will not. Nothing changes. Why? Because the competition has done nothing that makes me want their phone more than the one I already wanted. And that goes for both iPhone and Android lovers. Its the same deal.
If anything, the major announcement was the 3GS going to zero dollars. People gonna snap those up just to say they have iPhone.
I can sum up everyone’s disappointment with one image, viewable here:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/05/iphone-4s-disappointed_n_995095.html?ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false
I still use an iPhone 3G that does perfectly what I expect from a phone: phone calls. For all the rest I use a MacBook Air and an iPad 2.
MDM, don’t blam apple, your, the one that believed that stuff, that your thing not there’s
This “disappointment” factor pumped up in the blogosphere (including dopey mainstream news vehicles) will not harm overall sales any more than “antennagate” did. Consumers will, again, respond far more positively to television commercials, hands-on experience at an Apple store, word of mouth, and better critical thinking skills than the goddamn pundits. So there!
First of all, Apple never comments on unreleased products — WE ALL KNOW THIS!!!
Second, Apple responded to antennagate because it was a shipping product!
See the pattern there?
“It’s THE perception that’s the problem.”
Uh no. It’s YOUR perception that is the problem.
What are you, 5 years old?
Future headline
“Apple stumbles, only reports 1.5 Trillion”