Did Apple fail with the iPhone 4S?
So, I guess I’ll jump in with the rest of the bloggers covering this news and give my opinion about what some may think as a failure on Apple’s part. If you haven’t already heard that Apple has announced the iPhone 4S, then you’re definitely living under a rock. Let me first say that I am a consumer of Apple products, and some may call me a fanboy. Call me what you want, I’ve got tough skin.
Just in case you may think I’m biased…well this post is my opinion, but let me make a full disclosure here. I’m typing this on my iMac in my home office. I have a mac mini server to the left of me, an iPad on my desk within arm’s reach, and a 13″ macbook pro upstairs. My wife also has the same 13″ macbook pro. Oh, and we have three iPods. So what iPhone model am I sporting at this time? You might assume I’ve had one since the 2g version launched in 2007. That would be a pretty safe assumption considering the “collection” of Apple products that I own, but you’d quickly be wrong.
I don’t own an iPhone. Never have. I’m an Android user.
Seems silly considering the array of Apple products that I rely on everyday. I’ve also only been an Apple consumer for about three years now, and this was even after the first iPhone was launched. These handsets are considered the gateway to Apple computers, so how did I get here? Well, for the same reason that Apple announced the iPhone 4S instead of the iPhone 5…user experience. I’ll go out on a limb here and say that if you’re a true Apple user, then you know what I mean. All due respect to all of you who just have the iPhone and no Mac, or fanboys/girls that think I’m reasonable nuts to wait until I feel the iPhone can offer me what I want. I’m not bashing here, but just mentioning the great experience I have with Mac OS.
Is everyone upset that Apple announced the iPhone 4S a subpar handset as opposed to announcing the…wait for it!…iPhone 5? Quick answer for quite a few of you out there, yes! Look, you can easily do the comparison on the 4S vs the current 4G version and you’ll notice a few upgrades. New 8 mega-pixel camera, upgraded radio=world phone, larger storage capacity, and a dual-core 1GHz A5 processor with dual-core graphics, and iOS5 to start. Just head over to Apple if you’re looking for the full specs.
So, it seems that it comes down to psychology…mostly that is. I mean the iPhone 5 was rumored to sport more upgrades, but we’ve been coerced into believing that the iPhone 5 was the “it” handset for Apple this year, while the 4S was something that was just going to be pawned off to consumers that just wanted an iPhone just to have an iPhone, or for those smaller carriers that would do anything to get their mitts on an iPhone–Finally! Not entirely the truth, but I think it has some weight here. If Apple didn’t announce the iPhone 5 and instead the only announcement was the 4S=Fail?! Are you kidding me? We’ve had “the 5” burned into our brains and hearts, yearning for this thing ever since the rumors started last year. Looking at some of the rumored specs for the iPhone 5, it looks like the 4S met quite a few of the rumored specs. What, no LTE/WiMax? Nope.
User experience people. The infrastructure is still being built, and haven’t you heard about all of those early adopters of Sprint’s HTC EVO when it first came out complaining of the lack of 4G availability? “You mean I have to pay extra for 4G service even if I don’t have it in my city?”
Again, user experience.
This is one of the reasons why I use Apple products. The experience is second to none. It works when I need it to, I don’t have to over think it (the operating system is just intuitive), and of course security is a priority. These are just a few reasons, but they ultimately save me time, and as I like to often say, “Time is money.” These are tools in my business, so I expect a good return on my investment. For me, these tools do what they’re supposed to do and more.
This isn’t the first time Apple seemed to be a let down.When the new (at the time) macbook pros were announced about 1.5 years ago, everyone was expecting Intel’s new core i3 and core i5 processors to be in them. Well, the announcement came, and Apple bumped up a few specs on the 13″ MBP, but the Core 2 Duos were still being used . Why? Well, it seems that Apple felt that they weren’t ready to offer these chips at the time. For some reason, and they’re entitled to it, they believed it was going to fall short of what they wanted for the user experience. Just to name off a couple of reasons, the chips were going to run hotter and use more battery power. Also, I believe there were some legal issues with Intel and Nvidia. Whatever the reasons, Apple didn’t move in that direction until they felt it would just work to their expectations.
Maybe if I were a current iPhone 4 user I might have been disappointed today. I would have been salivating over this iPhone 5 that I just had to have. “It’s time to move away from this “4” business and take it to the next level, a “5.” What is this, Spinal Tap?
I wouldn’t be disappointed. I have several Apple products that have since been refreshed, and my current line up does the job. If I always waited around for the next big thing to be launched, and felt disappointed that the refresh isn’t earth shattering and decided to be stubborn and wait for that next one, then I’d always be waiting. For current iPhone users, you have to make the decision whether it’s worth the upgrade, but embrace the fact that you have a pretty slick phone that every other manufacturer attempts to trump. For those considering it for the first time, and ultimately want an iPhone, don’t keep waiting for that something better. Just get it. Personally, I may just take the leap.