AAPL - Apple Inc.

[dwy000]

Pricing is also interesting this time around. XR going for $749, available in October. XS $999, available in 2-4 weeks. The S9 meanwhile goes for $959...

 

The Galaxy S9?  It's starting at $619.99 (S9+ for $739.99) with $100 off if you use a Verizon payment plan. 

[SmoothSailor]

Pricing is also interesting this time around. XR going for $749, available in October. XS $999, available in 2-4 weeks. The S9 meanwhile goes for $959...

 

The Galaxy S9?  It's starting at $619.99 (S9+ for $739.99) with $100 off if you use a Verizon payment plan.

 

My bad, I didn't realize Samsung auto-redirected me to their Canadian website.

[rkbabang]

With the flagship product shipping September 21st, and pre-orders in 2 days it seems like there will be a lot more selling days for the quarter for this Xs and Xs Max compared to the debut of the iPhone X.  I guess we'll see if they are nearly as supply constrained but it seems Apple is set up for a pretty big holiday quarter on sales.

 

Am I correct in remembering that it was early November when iPhone X started getting into people's hands or is that wrong?

 

You are correct. I ordered mine the first day it was possible and didn’t receive it until towards the end of November. 

 

This looks like a great line up, having had my X less than a year I will wait until next year then upgrade to the XI Max.

[Spekulatius]

With the flagship product shipping September 21st, and pre-orders in 2 days it seems like there will be a lot more selling days for the quarter for this Xs and Xs Max compared to the debut of the iPhone X.  I guess we'll see if they are nearly as supply constrained but it seems Apple is set up for a pretty big holiday quarter on sales.

 

Am I correct in remembering that it was early November when iPhone X started getting into people's hands or is that wrong?

 

You are correct. I ordered mine the first day it was possible and didn’t receive it until towards the end of November. 

 

This looks like a great line up, having had my X less than a year I will wait until next year then upgrade to the XI Max.

 

It’s great marketing, IMO. Now with all these expensive models in their lineup, the $750 XR  looks downright cheap.

[tombgrt]

Are you people serious? What "great" updates aside from Apple watch maybe. The biggest update is in prices and people are getting fucked. Get a OnePlus of something at nearly 1/3th the price of their flagship.

 

Price of their budget phone is now higher than their flagship just a few years ago.

[Spekulatius]

Are you people serious? What "great" updates aside from Apple watch maybe. The biggest update is in prices and people are getting fucked. Get a OnePlus of something at nearly 1/3th the price of their flagship.

 

Price of their budget phone is now higher than their flagship just a few years ago.

 

It is, that’s why I think their marketing is great. Compared to the other phones the  XR at $750 looks cheap now. I actually agree that The improvements look underwhelming.

[tombgrt]

Oh yeah, I agree on that Point and my comment wasn't aimed at yours. :) Here in Belgium you now pay 1660 euro for the most expensive iPhone. Nearly the median monthly wage after taxes. Chinese phone of nearly equal quality go for 550.

[gary17]

Oh yeah, I agree on that Point and my comment wasn't aimed at yours. :) Here in Belgium you now pay 1660 euro for the most expensive iPhone. Nearly the median monthly wage after taxes. Chinese phone of nearly equal quality go for 550.

 

Can it take nice videos and photos

and wait , all my old photos are already on iCloud... i have no choice but to cough up the money for the iPhones... 

 

i look at this like people buying LV bags... those plastic bags.. u can get the same thing anywhere, but people will just want to buy an LV bag ... it's crazy i know. 

[fareastwarriors]

A few dollars a day? A drop in the bucket for something so useful.

 

OnePlus? Pixel? Nah... I'm in the Apple ecosystem already.

[Viking]

I was most impressed with the Apple Watch 4 and all of the health functionality they are building in (not to mention all the fitness applications). The company continues to roll.

[Liberty]

https://stratechery.com/2018/the-iphone-franchise/

[tombgrt]

Oh yeah, I agree on that Point and my comment wasn't aimed at yours. :) Here in Belgium you now pay 1660 euro for the most expensive iPhone. Nearly the median monthly wage after taxes. Chinese phone of nearly equal quality go for 550.

 

Can it take nice videos and photos

and wait , all my old photos are already on iCloud... i have no choice but to cough up the money for the iPhones... 

 

i look at this like people buying LV bags... those plastic bags.. u can get the same thing anywhere, but people will just want to buy an LV bag ... it's crazy i know. 

 

You van easily transfer photos to Google photos for instance when you have them elsewhere. SO recently changed from iPhone after years and couldn't be happier with adjustability of android vs iOS. Only minor issues with apps that we're quickly resolved. Maybe 30+ year olds have a different mindset when it comes to this kind of change. Idk.

[KCLarkin]

I actually agree that The improvements look underwhelming.

 

The improvement between X and Xs is underwhelming. But the difference between the 8 and Xr is massive. Well worth the modest bump in price versus iPhone 8 launch pricing.

[villainx]

I actually agree that The improvements look underwhelming.

 

The improvement between X and Xs is underwhelming. But the difference between the 8 and Xr is massive. Well worth the modest bump in price versus iPhone 8 launch pricing.

 

Coming from 8, 7 and lower, the updates are pretty major.  Depends on how you cycle your smartphone. 

 

We do it based on necessity or overwhelming feature improvements ... that's usually a 2 -3 cycle. 

[rkbabang]

You van easily transfer photos to Google photos for instance when you have them elsewhere. SO recently changed from iPhone after years and couldn't be happier with adjustability of android vs iOS. Only minor issues with apps that we're quickly resolved. Maybe 30+ year olds have a different mindset when it comes to this kind of change. Idk.

 

There could be something to the age thing.  When I was younger I built all my own computers installed and maintained linux, made one dual boot just in case I needed a windows machine around.  I used to do all my own home improvements (including major renovations, electric, moving walls, etc).  Now in my mid-40s I paid a fortune for an i7 iMac.  I even hired someone to do some painting for me recently (I just didn't feel like doing it).  There are just some things I can't be bothered with anymore.  Switching to Android to save $300-400 every 2+ years just seems like more effort than it is worth.  I like my iPhone, I use it everyday, and I have a ton of apps that I've paid for that I'd loose.  Switching to save a few hundred dollars isn't very compelling.  It would take Samsung (or some other manufacturer) to come up with something far and away better than iphone and something that Apple isn't likely to have in the near future for me to switch.  If that happened I'd switch even if it cost me more.

 

[Jurgis]

I think AAPL fans should keep spending huge amounts of money on AAPL devices. This is the true way. No other devices can compare. Don't even think about switching to something else.

 

 

Disclosure: I have AAPL shares. They are cheaper than iStuff.

[SmoothSailor]

https://stratechery.com/2018/the-iphone-franchise/

 

That's an awesome graph, though I think having a "cheap" option would be good for AAPL to get exposure to emerging markets. The iPhone SE sold really well in India and I'm a bit disappointed we didn't get a "budget" SE 2. I think an all-screen phone of that size would get some niche buyers who want smaller phones as well.

[Liberty]

I actually agree that The improvements look underwhelming.

 

The improvement between X and Xs is underwhelming. But the difference between the 8 and Xr is massive. Well worth the modest bump in price versus iPhone 8 launch pricing.

 

Coming from 8, 7 and lower, the updates are pretty major.  Depends on how you cycle your smartphone. 

 

We do it based on necessity or overwhelming feature improvements ... that's usually a 2 -3 cycle.

 

Almost nobody upgrades every year, so the improvements should be looked at over 2-3-4 years.

 

Apple just heavily changed their smartphone format last year with the X, and people were expecting them to do it again this year?

 

What matters is that the things that people do constantly, all day long, are getting better pretty fast. Not some esoteric new "wow" feature in a presentation that people rarely use. The CPU/GPU were already way ahead of the competition in speed and power efficiency, got even better. Camera was great, got even better. Speakers got better. Battery life got better (and it was already great on the X, I usually go to bed with 50%+). Screen got better. FaceID got better. All stuff that people deal with all day long.

 

Also, laying groundwork for future things... Anyone paid attention to the increase in machine-learning performance on the new A12? Like 9x using less power than before. Crazy stuff, like a mini TPU in each phone.

 

And they didn't even mention iOS 12, but at WWDC last summer it was clear that they focused on speed, latency, battery life, etc. All stuff that will make all existing devices better.

 

All this makes for a better actual use experience, regardless of the fact that there's not a huge surprise there -- people get addicted to big reveals, but in the end, they aren't what drives customer satisfaction.

[Viking]

I recently upgraded my iPad air. I think it was 5 years old. It was a device I used every day for multiple hours. I always had the most recent Apple software. On my new purchase, iPad Air 6, I was able to get student pricing of CAN $399. I also got a $95 credit from Apple for my 5 year old device. Adding taxes and subtracting my credit my final price was CAN $350. This device also works seamlessly with my Mac, iPhone and Apple TV.

 

My experience with my iPad is not unique. We get many, many years of every day use out of all of our Apple devices. And the experience is always up-to-date with the most recent version of the operating system.

 

Way back when we were deciding whether to go with Apple or Android how the two platforms view privacy was an important part of our decision to go with Apple.

 

Apple customer service is the best out there.

 

Every year at black Friday, Costco in Canada sells $100 iTunes cards for $80. We buy a years supply. We subscribe to Apple music. CAN $15/month; 5 of us use it every day. We get this service for $12 (we useour Costco iTunes cards to pay). Our Netflix subscription costing $10/month is through out Apple TV. We only pay $8/month (we use our Costco iTunes cards to pay). So it costs us $20 per month for 5 people for music and Netflix.

 

Price is what you pay. Value is what you get. Bottom line is I am a happy Apple customer. And i completely understand that there are many happy Android users out there.

 

PS: i do prefer Google Maps to Apple Maps :-)

 

Asymco Lasts Longer Article: http://www.asymco.com/2018/09/13/lasts-longer/

 

(Lisa Jackson) said that to reach that goal Apple will have to do three things:

Sourcing recycled or renewable materials for all products.

Ensure that Apple products last as long as possible.

After a long life of use, ensure that they are recycled properly.

 

It’s this second point that I thought would bring the house down. To emphasize the second point she said Apple now strives to design and build durable products that last as long as possible. That means long-lasting hardware coupled with long-lasting software. She pointed out that iOS 12 runs even on iPhone 5S, now five years old. Because iPhones last longer, you can keep using them or pass them on to someone who will continue to use them after you upgrade.

[KCLarkin]

I actually agree that The improvements look underwhelming.

 

The improvement between X and Xs is underwhelming. But the difference between the 8 and Xr is massive. Well worth the modest bump in price versus iPhone 8 launch pricing.

 

Coming from 8, 7 and lower, the updates are pretty major.  Depends on how you cycle your smartphone. 

 

We do it based on necessity or overwhelming feature improvements ... that's usually a 2 -3 cycle.

 

My point was that the premium tier of normal sized iPhones is iPhone 6 -> iphone 7 -> iphone 8 -> iphone Xr. A 64GB iPhone 6 cost $749 at launch. A 64GB iPhone Xr will cost $749. The leap only seems underwhelming because Apple introduced a new line of ultra-premium devices that overshadowed the previous top-of-the-line phones. But if you stay within the old price tier, you are going to see a dramatic leap (regardless of your cycle).

 

 

[bennycx]

I actually agree that The improvements look underwhelming.

 

The improvement between X and Xs is underwhelming. But the difference between the 8 and Xr is massive. Well worth the modest bump in price versus iPhone 8 launch pricing.

 

 

 

Coming from 8, 7 and lower, the updates are pretty major.  Depends on how you cycle your smartphone. 

 

We do it based on necessity or overwhelming feature improvements ... that's usually a 2 -3 cycle.

 

My point was that the premium tier of normal sized iPhones is iPhone 6 -> iphone 7 -> iphone 8 -> iphone Xr. A 64GB iPhone 6 cost $749 at launch. A 64GB iPhone Xr will cost $749. The leap only seems underwhelming because Apple introduced a new line of ultra-premium devices that overshadowed the previous top-of-the-line phones. But if you stay within the old price tier, you are going to see a dramatic leap (regardless of your cycle).

 

 

Thats true, but people are willing to pay $250 for extra 1050p full HD ! And comparing the Xr to other brands available in the market you could get for cheaper but statistically better

[dwy000]

I actually agree that The improvements look underwhelming.

 

The improvement between X and Xs is underwhelming. But the difference between the 8 and Xr is massive. Well worth the modest bump in price versus iPhone 8 launch pricing.

 

 

 

Coming from 8, 7 and lower, the updates are pretty major.  Depends on how you cycle your smartphone. 

 

We do it based on necessity or overwhelming feature improvements ... that's usually a 2 -3 cycle.

 

My point was that the premium tier of normal sized iPhones is iPhone 6 -> iphone 7 -> iphone 8 -> iphone Xr. A 64GB iPhone 6 cost $749 at launch. A 64GB iPhone Xr will cost $749. The leap only seems underwhelming because Apple introduced a new line of ultra-premium devices that overshadowed the previous top-of-the-line phones. But if you stay within the old price tier, you are going to see a dramatic leap (regardless of your cycle).

 

 

Thats true, but people are willing to pay $250 for extra 1050p full HD ! And comparing the Xr to other brands available in the market you could get for cheaper but statistically better

 

I think Apple has shown time and again that they aren't out there to compete with other phone makers, they are competing against themselves.  If you're starting out and just looking for best tech and most features for best price, you'll never buy an iPhone.  But once you're in the Apple ecosystem and it has comparable features to the other phones (and you don't want to be the only one in your group of friend with the "other" phone) you'll probably just stay with Apple and now it's just a question of how much more they can charge for it without having you think about defecting to another brand.

[Liberty]

Others focus on creating the best list of specs on paper.

 

Apple focus on creating the best products in actual use.

[John Hjorth]

Great interchange of perceptions, product valuations, user experiences etc. among fellow CoBF board members with regard to Apple products etc. so far in this topic since the Apple new products presententation on September 12^th. Thank you a lot for sharing.

 

I'm sorry for disturbing the topic torrent here, but I actually have one question, that I simply have to ask here:

 

From what I have read recently in this topic, it appears to me to have been a serious mistake not to buy/switch to iPhone, from ie. Samsung phones a few years ago. So, my question here is for those you, who actually did choose to prodeed about a year ago with the then new iPhone X, what is now your general perception & experience with this product?

 

-Thank you in advance.

[gary17]

Others focus on creating the best list of specs on paper.

 

Apple focus on creating the best products in actual use.

 

I couldn't agree more

 

i laugh when i hear people talk about somebody else's phone has a higher megapixel camera...  as if people are printing them out ... people just share photos on FB and Instagram these days....  it's the dynamic range, richness of the colour, etc that makes a camera great.