By SteveJack
Apple screwed up two things with iPhone 4S: Media management and paint.
As I just wrote over here:
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.
But, even without doing a thing to properly manage the hype, Apple could have better launched iPhone 4S – and sold many more units – with just a bit of paint.
Where is the silver iPhone 4S? Apple can clearly make them black. They can finally make them white, too. Silver couldn’t be that difficult. Apple forgot to make a silver one!
What, you don’t like silver? Then substitute “silver” with “unlike iPhone 4.”
Call me shallow. Call me elitist. But I want my iPhone 4S to proclaim its iPhone 4S-ness to everyone who sees it. And their mothers. Whether you admit it or not, you probably do, too. Certainly, you can admit that it might be possible that more people than not would like and want an iPhone 4S more if it wasn’t doomed to forever be confused with any random old iPhone 4.
I mean, seriously, if I’m going to make the effort to stand in line Day One, I want an iPhone that screams, “I’m new! I’m the best there is! Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah!”
iPhone 3GS suffered from the same problem. It looks exactly like an iPhone 3G. And, for that reason, to the general public, the 3GS just wasn’t anywhere near as compelling as was iPhone 3G or iPhone 4.
Like it or not, people judge a book by its cover. Back when everyone had a 3G or 3GS and you’d whip out your new iPhone 4, people looked. Some of them even stared. They asked you about it or they at least noticed. Now, you brandish your big, bad, nondescript iPhone 4S in public and you might as well have pulled a freaking Android out of your pocket. The collective meh will be deafening.
I’m telling you, had Apple introduced iPhone 4S in a choice of black, white, or silver, the silver model would have outsold the black and white models combined. With ease.
There’s still time to introduce a silver iPhone 4S, Apple. I won’t even charge you (much) for the idea.
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.
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.
The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.
Theodore Roosevelt
Beautiful and spot on!
” . . . those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat” but only copy the work of others.
Right, Samsung?
+10. I lol’d 🙂
Too true.
Thank you
Ridiculous. Most people bury their iPhones in a case, so you never see anything but the glass front anyway. I would like the silver color; that would be cool.
But to say that Apple won’t sell as many iPhone 4Ss as it would have iPhone 5s is silly. You’re forgetting how many people who have iPhone 4s are locked into their contracts, most with the new, higher $350 early termination fee (particularly on Verizon, where people haven’t even been on the contract for a year yet). So upgrading without paying a huge amount isn’t an option anyway, no matter what Apple released.
Want your iPhone to look different? Buy a new case.
“But to say that Apple won’t sell as many iPhone 4Ss as it would have iPhone 5s is silly. ”
That’s probably why SteveJack never said such a thing.
Ouch!
By the way, with iPhone 4S people will be free to go from Verizon to AT&T to Sprint when their contract expires or if they are buying unsubsidised phone (more actual for international markets).
There is no silver paint which would not contain metal particles, so it is not really possible for Apple to use it.
Apple could only use metal back in 2G phone since 2G signals are of lower frequency and have higher strength. 3G is faster requires either plastic or glass, and the paint obviously can not have metal particles.
Best antennas ever, wrapped around the edges, nice try.
In terms of shielding radio (cellular) signal by metal (metal-containing glass) back, the outer antenna does not improve anything much. Signal gets blocked in significant area of directions around the device. So if you situate the phone one way, the connection will be strong, but if you will situated it differently, your voice call (data connection) will be all of sudden much weaker/lost.
Of course, Apple (Jobs) would want to make metal/silver back as they did in original iPhone, but they can not.
“Nice try”.
This is utter BS, IMHO.
Totally BS. Written by a grade school student who only cares about image not tech. iPhone 4S is freaking awesome and worthy of an 18 month reign. Don’t expect a 4G LTE iPhone 5 before Spring 2013. The market doesn’t need nor want it before then.
only time will tell if Apple screwed up with the 4s. My money is on Apple.
No silver iPhone but we got a white iPod Touch. That’s an upgrade, right?
Agree 100% with this. Even more would have been sold with a larger form factor version housing an elite 4″ screen.
Lesseee…. if the iPhone had a 4 inch screen;
I wouldn’t have bought one
My wife wouldn’t have bought one
My sister wouldn’t have bought one and
My mom wouldn’t have bought one.
iPhone 4 (s) is already borderline “too large” to hold/carry comfortably and, unless a larger screen could be packed into the existing case, I don’t want one.
+1
The only good way to make 4″ screen is to only extend in length/height, without changing width of the phone. This means change of aspect ration from 1:1.5 to 16:9.
The additional space would be reserved for task switching and other OS-only functions, and used in wide-screen view of video. All the rest will be steel given a “canvas” consisting of the usual 960×640.
Why not make the phone slightly longer and wider? I see no reason why this would not be practical. It would easily fit in any pocket.
Enough with bigger screen already. The iPhone is big enough!
So many people that are downing the iPhone 4S now will still buy it an love it in the next few months.
Steve, I get your point. However, if you are like me, this is what’s really going on. You hype Apple to the world because you love their products – hardware and software. It’s not that they can’t screw up but their products are so much better it’s crazy. It’s crazy other people don’t see it as clearly as we do.
We are known as mavens. That is, whenever someone has a tech question – and especially and Apple question – they come to us. We’re smart. We’re sharp. We can defend almost anything about Apple because, well, they aren’t a hacked OS running on multiple manufacturers’ fragmented devices. They aren’t built cheaply to try and maintain razor sharp margins.
So we see Android increasing market share. That, my friend, isn’t a result of Android being better. It’s clearly not. It’s because Android manufacturers drive down each others’ margins. It’s because shortcuts are taken and they are cheap. There is a large section of people who just want cheap and are willing to accept crap. Look at the new Amazon Fire. It’s a freakin’ PlayBook. It sucks. But people will buy it because it costs $200 and comes from Amazon.
And so we find ourselves a little under fire just like the good ole days of PC versus Mac. We continue to hype up the iPhone 5.
And when Apple delivers an iPhone 5 in a 4S shell, people try to make fun of us and pummel us. Fact is, Apple did tell us.
Notice the “4” (date) in their media email? Just like the iPad 2 launch (which was on the 2nd), the 4 denotes that it would be a 4 device. As well, Apple now has a pattern of 3, 3gs, 4, 4s. So when the 5 has been out for a year, expect a 5s even when all the media calls for a 6. Especially if the media date is on the 5th.
Truth is, Apple released pretty much every thing that was hyped except a larger screen (which wasn’t coming because the iPhone 5 is going to have curved glass and Apple just started experimenting with it.) It didn’t have a new form factor. It didn’t have the “5” moniker.
When people come up to me and ask, I simply tell them the 4s is everything that was hyped. It’s an awesome device. If you want the 5, you’ll be waiting a year. Get the 4s now.
Time will tell but the 4s with Siri is a MASSIVE release. Anyone with sense could have predicted the 5 wasn’t coming out.
The only hard proof of the 5 was from case designers in China and likely Apple seeded that to cause them all to lose a bunch of money predesigning cases on false rumors.
Could Apple have issued a press release earlier saying they weren’t going to release a 5? The did through WSJ among others that there would be no iPhone 5.
Apple rocks. The iPhone 4s is unreal. Siri is something that won’t be copied in 2 years let alone 1. And it just works.
Add in iOS 5 and iCloud, TV mirroring, 1080p recording, 8mpx camera and wow.
Book ‘m, Danno.
I simply wrote all that just for your comment Ringgo. My day has been made.
Be there. Aloha!
I soooo want a silver iPhone 4S now!
SteveJack’s totally right: it would outsell the black and white 4S models combined.
I’m holding out for the Lil Wayne Gold Edition.
: )
…uuuhhh, well, no….never mind…
I want the Eddie Bauer Edition.
I hear that leather touchscreen kicks ass!!!
I never though the same brilliant Steve Jack that brought many od us over here with brilliance would loose his balance and perspective because he’s worried about his investment taking a hit.
Appe’s iPhone 4s will be more coveted than the 4 and will see record sales – I bet your ass on that Jack. You’ve lost it.
Stupidest crap I’ve seen today. ThAnk you for living up to the stereotype of apple users being “look at me” form over function snobs. I could care less what anyone thinks of my electronics choices, I do want the best, for ME, not for appearances. The 4s looks very compelling, I’m getting one.
You are grossly incorrect.
Stereotypical Apple users are nowhere near the stereotype you seem to bestow on them. However, vast majority of iPhone owners (current and future) are NOT stereotypical Apple owners; they are ordinary people. And ordinary people are exactly what Steve Jack describes: when they hear an announcement of something new, they want it to be really new, and not old.
Because world is populated with ordinary people (and not stereotypical Apple users), even a small, but conspicuous change in the 4GS appearance to set it apart from 4 would have definitely made a difference on the perception, and therefore the bottom line.
The typical users don’t care what design the iPhone is, they do care because of quality, service, and support. They care because it just works beyond expectation. The iPhone 4S will be the most successful release to date. Watch.
I’m a long, long time Apple user, as in Apple II. I wasn’t bestowing any stereotype on Apple users. I’ve had to listen to that crap for years.
From the ‘editorial’: “Call me shallow. Call me elitist. But I want my iPhone 4S to proclaim its iPhone 4S-ness to everyone who sees it. And their mothers. Whether you admit it or not, you probably do, too. Certainly, you can admit that it might be possible that more people than not would like and want an iPhone 4S more if it wasn’t doomed to forever be confused with any random old iPhone 4.”
THAT, THAT, is what I was railing against. That is the old stereotype I have battled for years, PERSONIFIED. I left out ELITE, which is the stereotype you seem to bestow on apple users since they are not ‘ordinary people’.
WTF..
The shallow lives of people clamoring for change just for the sake of change.
Wow, is it a phone or a fashion accessory? Seriously, this is just vapid.
It’s both. Always has been.
Function and design before fashion sheep always.
Silver? No, no, that don’t play in my yard. It’d be like all them silver cars out there ad infinitum. Besides, the sides are already a nice metal finish. How about some of the iPod colors on the antenna band?
I just wanted a bigger screen, and I liked the look of the “unibody” mockups. Other than that, it has everything I wanted…especially the 64GB. I’ll be camping out for mine.
SteveJack, We’ll get right on it. We’re painting the silver iPhones in the garage, and we’ll hold another special event soon to announce them.
This article is ridiculous. WTF is wrong with MDN as of late. Some spoiled rotten kid? Geez! The iPhone 4S is beyond EPIC! Get over your self-delusion of being special as a public status symbol of having a Silver iPhone. I wanna puke, seriously pathetic. That isn’t the Apple way? Have you totally lost perspective? Are you Paris Hilton?
“Are you Paris Hilton?”
In some respects definitely but without the sex appeal.
Did you actually READ Steve Jack’s article???
He is saying precisely that: iPhone 4S is epic. What he is saying is that ordinary (dumb) masses may not realise this, or may be annoyed that owning such an epic phone may be lost on their peers, who may think the person has an old, last-year-model iPhone 4. In other words, Steve Jack is arguing that the vast masses that buy iPhones tend to be dumb and associate the appearance change with substance change. For them, same look means same phone, and it will be an obstacle that Apple will need to overcome by investing (into advertising, probably). Even when they DO successfully educate the dumb public that the new 4S phone is so much better, people will still be confused (customer in an AT&T store: “So which one is this, the old one, or the new one? How can I tell?”).
The argument is valid.
Actually he’s mainly saying Apple should have tempered expectations by setting the expectations. Bull.
Can’t agree. The commercials highlighting the new killer features will educate the “dumb” public. If one thing sets Apple apart from most other marketers it’s that the product, once seen, sells itself. Listen—were customers all that confused about iPhone 3G vs. 3GS?
In the short time there will be disappointment and shock. But after the dust is settled in, people will appreciate how Apple think that this BIG improvement is not quite big for them to change the code name from 4 to 5. Consumer will appreciate how Apple don’t cheat their consumer with a silver lipstick or a new name tag. They name it as it is, iPhone 4S. Simply because they know what iPhone 5 is. Consumer can’t fool by silver lipstick and name tag anymore.
The only screw up is they should have just called it the 5.
it just goes to show how dumb group market mentality is.
Looks like Jack don’t know shit from shinola
You’ve got it. It’s the name that freaked people out. Apple was too humble- the upgrade merits a new whole number. People are now holding off because they expect iPhone 5 sooner rather than later. Worse- people think hardly anything’s changed. Now, the iPod Touch “upgrade” was better left unmentioned- insulting. Might as well get a Kindle. Best writing on this subject is by Ted Landau- “why the presentation was disappointing, but the phone isn’t.”
SnobJack
@ET – I agree with betting on Apple.
It has been my experience, over the years, that those who show the most outrage at something Apple does are the same ones who later prove to be very wrong.
yup, you nailed it, Stevejack. you’re shallow.
Paint would not resolve Apple’s less-than-stellar consumer response to the iPhone 4S unveiling.
While it is true that Apple may be unfairly criticized for adopting the same “tick-tock” development cycle that Intel has used successfully for many years — with complete consumer acceptance — it is also true that Apple did not address many issues:
1. inadequate explanation of Siri. For many users “Artificial Intelligence” is not a selling point, but a Catch-22-like Big Brother. And voice control simply has never worked as well as advertised before — it will take time to prove itself.
2. Apple endlessly continues promises of cloud services when ALL such services offered to consumers to date by Apple and others have sucked, big time. Even if Apple’s Mobile-Me rehash did work on their end as advertised, the “cloud” is useless for anyone who does not have 100% reliable internet access at all times. Wake up, Apple, cellular data communications are hobbled with caps or expensive surcharges. And Wi-Fi is a frustrating patchwork. Most consumers can’t even configure their home wi-fi for optimal performance, let alone find reliable network access wherever they travel.
3. And, yes, Apple’s anticipated internal improvements should have included some obvious change to the wrap-around antenna that lingers as a significant problem in some users’ minds.
4. The iPhone 4 form factor is less attractive and less comfortable than all prior iPhones in my humble opinion. I suspect i’m not alone.
0 for 4. Wanna take another at-bat there, Mike?
And why is it that everyone discounts the intelligence of the “consumer”? If they were as lemming-like as people on this message board seem to think, nobody would be buying any iPads, either. At some point you have to give credit to the consumers for recognizing that Apple IS creating products that are better than the schlop that is out there as alternatives. If consumers were not savvy, as many seem to think. Apple would be hurting right now as a company. Seems to me they are doing okay.
And lastly, anyone who think the 4S is going to be a flop is seriously underestimating the magnitude of Siri and where it is going to take people with their phones. That’s a mistake, IMO.
Right with you, Norrin.
Norrin, I did not suggest that the 4S would be a flop. I merely stated that lukewarm consumer/critic reaction could not have been avoided with a different color paint as suggested in this article; my 4 points are indeed being discussed by others as reasons that they won’t replace their phone immediately; they’ll get the 4S when their current phone is due for replacement.
Care to explain your reasoning why you think the points are invalid? You offer nothing in your rebuttal but a very fundamentally wrong logic, that Apple is “doing okay” “as a company” (financially?) and therefore the 4S will not be a flop. Of course the 4S won’t be a flop, but this is not because Apple’s financial success. It’s because the 4S has competitive hardware equal or better than the competition at an equivalent price, and its software and accessory infrastructure support are world-leading. No one but the occasional Android crackhead would dispute that.
What I bring up is the reality check that sales of the 4S might not take off quite as fast as prior iPhone models. I suggest you read other non-Apple-centric reports to see what others feel about the 4S, and you will find that all of my points are indeed valid reasons that won’t necessarily slow new iPhone sales, but certainly would have garnered new customer praise and prompted more immediate cell phone replacement demand if Apple had done them differently.
Only tiny portion of Apple customers ever heard/cared/wanted specifically “iPhone 5”.
Normal people are not like us, they do not browse computer technology sites every day, they do not hype themselves up, they do not really care.
So before seriously talking about any damage to Apple, you have take into account that this tornado in the glass is mostly irrelevant.
I see the same hype over the Apple branded TV set. I hope Apple doesn’t go there. Just mature the AppleTV and let people hang that iOS device on the back of the HDTV. Who cares about the low profit HDTV set. Just stick with the larger market and maybe even give us a Mac mini DVR with iCloud and iOS app features. Think bigger. Think different again.
You’re not thinking differently enough. The TV ecosystem is a mess and Apple can fix it. Think 4K TV with iOS, a fast processor, wireless connectivity with every other iDevice and the iTunes/iCloud glue, so to speak, and this is a product that will upset the current state of things in a very good way.
Follow that last bit of advice of yours. Think bigger. As in TV. As in really big, really powerful and really beautiful iPad on the wall- and the sum of all these devices functioning together will be far greater than they would by themselves.
The nascent iOS environment is far from complete.
Not to forget a red one. My wife would so love it and I would buy for Christmas. And a pink one for my daughters. No, I am NOT kidding. Color sells to different peer groups even I personally ever will buy a black one. However, I bought 150 Apple shares today since they got cheaper over the last days but will go up again.
I want the camouflage model!!! Damn it, why can’t Apple be like other retailers?
What is an iPhone 5?
What features does it have that the 4S doesn’t?
The ‘disappointment’ in the media is driven by the Android establishment and is an act of desperation. It says more about the lawsuits which are stymying Android sales before the Christmas season, than anything else.
iPhone 4S will sell well.
But I think the sleeper story is the iPhone 3GS. It’s free. Households with kids or strapped for cash will buy them up.
I usually agree with SteveJack. Not this time. I don’t think I agree with one thing in his whole post, actually.
And the entire lot of articles posted here in the last day about how “Apple screwed up” are all utter hogwash in my opinion. Time will tell, of course, but I don’t see how the 4S will be considered a failure by any measure over the coming months. I know I’ll be getting mine on day one.
We never said they won’t sell tens of millions of iPhone 4S units. We simply said that they could have easily set themselves up for a much more successful product reception.
You sure about that? 😉
You sure about that? 😉
http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/42417/iphone4s-preregistration-phones-4-u
Yes, we’re perfectly sure. We said: product reception. As in, by the media in general. Search “iPhone 4S disappointment” for thousands of examples.
What??? So it’s all about the Media’s perception??? Hate to burst the bubble but nobody who invests in Apple gives a hoot about the “media reception”. They care about how consumer reception. Those people who actually buy the phone. This importance placed on pleasing the Media is absurdly narcissistic. No one cares – but the media members themselves. The self reporting of their own disappointment is an indictment on Hirt failure to actually do any journalism and just sit back speculate and call that “reporting”. The media have no one to blame for their collective “disappointment” than themselves.
You have to stop believing everything you write just because you wrote it or heard it from “an inside source”.
Agreed, and since when does MDN take itself so seriously as to consider itself “the media”. Granted you have as many ads as one could find in a newspaper, but give me a break. I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to find out MDN was a 1 – 5 man operation. MDN, you used to be fun, remember your roots. I’ve been visiting since you went live.
iPhone 4 S kicks ass!
Norrin,
Hate to burst your bubble, but the market value of your investments is significantly driven by customer reception. Anyone who forgets this is clearly not a smart investor.
Moreover, have you ever considered that others’ opinions might not be wrong, merely different? Seems to me that you’re the one interpreting media opinionating as media factual reporting. Or did you not learn the difference?
@ Mike
Hey Mike – if you had actually read what I wrote you would see that your first paragraph is precisely the point I was making.
And your second paragraph does not even relate to anything I wrote. Although – in the media, if you want to give your opinion you are supposed to “editorialize” – you know, make it clear that what you are writing is your opinion and not an actual piece of journalism. I haven’t seen anything qualifying as either a properly characterized editorial or as an actual piece of journalism regarding the “iPhone 5” hype learning up to the announcement. The media, not journalists, created that hype machine and ended up being “disappointed”. Yeah – by their own doing. LIke little kids do when they build up for a pony at Christmas time with no basis in reality and wind up with new socks under the tree. JMO.
Actually, I don’t think you could improve on the iPhone 4S form factor except to make it thinner. It is very elegant. I am glad that I can upgrade and not lose that.
I understand. MDN has to come up with some rationale for its totally ridiculous “sky is falling” reactions to the very fine product announcement yesterday by Apple of the iPhone 4S. Apple has no responsibility to be all over the place correcting erroneous speculation by internet fools. For those, including MDN, who are fixated on fancy new hardware (like old Wintel PC bigots) you need to understand the issue is what does the new product do that makes it unique and different and worth buying. I saw at least three reasons to do that based on iPhone 4S demo. SIRI by itself will drive a ton of new sales. But for MDN and SteveJack, maybe you should get an Android or Blueberry or whatever.
I think this story is spot on – apple should have better managed the hype. Who can realistically say that apple was using the best possible judgement when they let the iPhone 5 frenzy make it to the mainstream press.
Apple doesn’t manage the hype—it bends over backwards to keep mum, for crying out loud!
I love the design of my 4 and I was worried there might only be a 5 in a new case design when I come to upgrade. I know I’m not everyone, but I for one am MORE likely to upgrade than if they’d changed the design. You can’t improve on perfection 🙂 (especially not by painting it silver).
They don’t need to paint them silver. They need some good commercials explaining what the phone, and Siri, can do. Then- stand back!…
I enjoy Jack’s commentary and I also (along with Wall Street) agree to these claims. Jack’s not particularly stating that Apple should present a silver iPhone 4S. Jack’s looking at form factor. Differentiating your iPhone 4 with an iPhone 4S. As of now, they look the same except under the hood is different.
Different cases? Come on now… you’re missing the point.
Apple failed on many fronts here, especially at a time when they needed Tim Cook to shine.
Those who do not agree with this post are (a) not stockholders and (b) have blinders up and cannot see the big picture.
Sure, Apple’s business model still works and the product cycle for iPhone still has life with many dynamic growth areas. Long lines will develop, long lead-times to control supply vs. demand will still be the same cards Apple plays, and Apple will still profit tremendously from 4S. But again, they failed on form factor. Under the hood is awesome, but I’m still wearing/driving/presenting last years outer model with 4S.
I can say this at a 95% level of confidence that iPhone 5 will definitely be a revolutionary design (LTE, NFC, etc) and Apple will learn from this. Perhaps Apple felt it was best to save their design(s) for future models? And as Jack said, they necessarily didn’t have to introduce a new form, just change the color so that your phone stands out. Apple’s lack of media control that spiraled into the abyss yesterday proves that others reflect our sediments.
I’m curious as to why Apple leaked fake form factor parts, which then led to OEMs making cases? Those cases came from SOME other design, and it’s too bad they’re not for 4S.
Yes, bad media play on there part.
I’m still LONG on AAPL.
“Q”
I understand that the writer is trying to be clever and possibly provocative, but this article is stupid and pointless and he’s failed on both points.
To posit that a silver paint job would have resulted in many more sales is ignorant, when *no* iPhone 4s’s have been sold yet.
To say “you might as well have pulled a freaking Android out of your pocket” is insulting.
Go buy an android, SteveJack. We won’t miss you.
Since when does being a smarmy fanatic qualify one to be a pundit on a site like this?
jumped.the.shark.
Also, I’m betting they will sell iPhone 4s’s as fast as they can make them.
All over the WORLD. One model.
Additional color options would have been nice. I remember how incredible the iPod mini and early iMacs were with there assortment of color options. I’m still going to order the new iPhone on the 7th regardless, but I would have liked to have seen a bit more variety.
As to shallowness? Pssh. All of us here are at least somewhat interested in design and aesthetics, otherwise we wouldn’t be Apple customers. As if wanting to buy a car that is neither black nor white also makes you shallow.
One word. Quality. Apple only intends to put out quality and not desiring to force something out that is not standard of quality. Customer appreciation of a mature hardware phone is a good strategy. The bloggers are all squirming that they predicted wrong and now blame apple for not delivering what they predicted. How dare apple? Lol
Agreed. Spot on.
I have iPhone 4. I wanted to buy iPhone 5 at any price. Will not buy 4S, will wait to version 5.
I have iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3Gs, iPhone 4 and WILL buy the iPhone 4s as well as the 5 when that comes out next year.
Rumors are rumors and you need to grow up and understand that just because someone writes about a rumor doesn’t mean its true. The 4S is a significant upgrade from the 4. More processing power, faster 3G networking equal to all the competitors who claim 4G but are really not, better graphics, better camera, SIRI, IOS 5 software, wireless sync, the iCloud and bigger capacity. I see no disappointment here at all except the name isn’t 5. If that’s all that’s wrong then I would call this whining.
I’m excited by the 4S, I’ll be ordering mine on Friday to replace my 2 year old 3GS. Most of us are patient. We don’t upgrade every year. I replaced my original iPhone with the 3GS, not the 3G. For the last 15 months I’ve accepted that I didn’t have the latest iPhone on the market.
iSteve: I’m doing the same thing. I’m operating by the principle that I don’t have to trade in my car just because it’s a new model year. You’re upgrading your iPhone just when AppleCare runs out, and without any penalties from the carrier. Perfect timing.
I AGREE !!!!!!!
Apple said that the iPhone 4S looks the same as the iPhone 4, but everything inside is different. They could have called it iPhone 5. They didn’t, and that caused a tempest in the critics’ teapot.
I’d rather have a computer called a Macintosh than an iMac, and I don’t understand why there is a MacBook Pro when there is no MacBook Amateur. I don’t care for the product names, but that’s just me. It is too trivial to factor into my purchase decision. I think the rest of the public is the same. An iPhone by any other name will sell just as sweet.
Bloggers are under pressure to write, and sometimes they have to make up things to write about. They’ve been watching Sesame Street too much. This “controversy” is brought to us by the letter S.
Well said, Ken.
Who cares if people know that I have an iPhone 4 or 4S? If I wanted a status symbol, I’d buy a better car!
What crap… if you need a new phone why would you not buy a 4S phone from Apple? If your disappointed that there is not a new model, just wait till next time around.
I remember when the 3S came out, exact same bullshit… and Apple went on to sell millions and millions, just like they will with this new model that has greatly expanded capabilities… FUD by the same folks who always look for reasons to do so…. imagine what the FUD would have been with a new model…. same old, same old….
They are STILL selling the 3GS, as a matter of fact, it’s what I’ll be upgrading from. With them being FREE (fully subsidized) now, I bet there will be lots of kids, budget restricted individuals jumping into the ecosystem, there is no NO BARRIER to entry into the iPhone world.
this is a very stupid article. Anyone whose motive for whipping out their device is just to be noticed is just Vain. And they are missing the point. I don’t give a damn who looks when i use my iPhone. That’s not why i have it. I use it because it “just works,” no hassles, on everything i need to do. It is the perfect balance of form and function. I’m glad Apple didn’t needlessly change the exterior. They’ll make the change when it is necessary.
Get over yourself!
If anyone thought that Apple would continue without visible change once Mr. Jobs step down then this should be a wake up call. Apple will now operate differently given the new shape of it’s management. I’m not saying this will be a bad thing…just a different thing. Maybe Steve would have played this differently if he’d been at full capacity and running the show. You’ve got a new leader who’s gonna impose his will and we’ll see that more and more and the year goes on….
Again, not saying it’ll be bad…but the good ole days are gone and we can’t bring ’em back.
Apple without Steve will be its biggest challenge…
the iPhone 4 is the best looking phone ever and the iPhone 4s will still be the best looking phone ever.
MDN: your commentary on the 4S release is stupid beyond belief. Please get a clue. Stop spreading the FUD. This is almost as annoying as the libertarian political crap you post. Sorry you freaked when AAPL swooned yesterday, but please stop blathering on in a vapid panic. I’ve never been so close to writing you off entirely.
As always, ney sayers will be proven wrong by the next Apple quarterly meet.
On a side note:
I remember years ago SteveJack going on and on and on about how using a cell phone camera was stupid “IF YOU WANNA TAKE PICTURES USE A REAL PHONE!!” He also stated that no cell phone camera would EVER compete with a good point-and-shoot. (Or words to that effect. Haven’t heard them in a long time which brings me to my point)
Now that the iPhone camera is 8MP (save the MP discussion, I know already) I would like to read his retraction or rebuttal. Or at least an opinion.
Thank you.
Listen to all you people. All these excuses. This is the same fuxking phone! After almost 1.5 years on the same design, we’re supposed to suffer through this crap design for another year? So 2.5 years on the same design? Are you kidding me? The only people who will be sucked into this are Apple fanboys who don’t know any better.
Well, I personally still like my iPhone 4 16 months later.
I don’t feel a need to get a new phone every 6 months to be “cool”. Anyone who would think someone is “cool” because they have the latest phone (or whatever other gadget), is pretty uncool themselves and just a victim.
I guess that’s why I didn’t rush out to buy an iPad 2 – I still like my iPad. I may lose cool points when I use it at the airport, but I’m not keeping score anyway. 😐
@asfddfs:
“…suffer through this crap design …” Really?
My iPhone 4 is just as awesome today as it was yesterday. And the iPhone 4S is even more awesome. God forbid Apple should make you suffer, so go out and find that nice Windows 7 phone you so richly deserve.
BTW, my Mac Pro has the same case design that the Mac Pro line has had since 2006. Apple understands it’s not worth messing up perfection just because you can.
“fanboys”? Excuse me?
Apple doesn’t rehash the design of a device just for the sake of it, unlike other manufacturers. Especially when that design is damn near perfect. It’s what’s under the hood that counts, be it the iPhone 4S, Macbook Pro, Mac mini, iMac…
Besides, a look at previous releases would have given a clear indication of future releases – iPhone 3, 3G, 3GS – identical in physical appearance. This could be extrapolated on the release of iPhone 4 that the new model (which we now know as 4S) and quite likely the one after that will all have the same outward appearance. We might get a new colour or two… or not.
I’m sure all those manufacturers of cases breathed a sigh of relief that they don’t have to go back to the drawing board and rejig everything.
I just read that the AT&T web site has ground to a halt because of the volume of preorders for the iPhone 4S. Imagine what would have happened if the iPhone 4S had been a success!
Lo and behold! Yet another click-bait article – on MacDailyNews, of all places…