Official Apple Thread - 9/12 - GDT iPhone & friends Release

[Hunter Gathers]

Since we are just about at 2018, we may as well just get rid of the old thread and begin again for the next year.

The HomePod should be out sooner or later. Maybe. Missing out on the holiday sales had to hurt.

Click to read more...

 

[Bjorn Le]

Sure.

Following up a comment in the last thread, this is the second year in a row Apple has reportedly failed to meat their targets for iPhone sales. Stock is down, and that’s decently worrying. The X is actually a big leap forward for them too, so it must be frustrating for them. Logicallly, it makes sense the 7 failed to meet expectations in hindsight given the lukewarm reception and controversial features, but the X was positively received and it’s an über luxury product from a brand with unyielding brand loyalty (throttlegate notwithstanding). It’s been a trend in phones that the big kid on the block gets knocked off his pedestal, and while Apple hasn’t fallen like BlackBerry and almost certainly will not, two straight years of failing to meet targets cannot be good. This combined with slumping Mac sales (they’re rapidly loosing their reputation as the best computer for arts and design professionals), I wouldn’t be surprised to see Cook outsted sometime in the next couple years.

 

[M.C.G. 31]

I just don’t think people are really clamouring for a $1000 phone. Some people aren’t huge tech geeks and want the latest and greatest, a lot would be perfectly content with the 8 or 8+.

Personally I’ll be getting the newest X next year, or 11, whatever it is, because I want the larger screen in the smaller body, but not a lot of people care for it that much to spend so much more money than getting an 8 or 8+.

 

[Supermassive]

With the release of the (CDN) $85/10GB + subsidized iPhone plans, non-junkies are going to stick with the 7/8/9 series.
The X gives the junkies an enthusiast device that they've been missing since the 6 was new.
I should really learn to do battery replacements - millions of older iPhones that just need a new battery to keep on ticking. Would keep people from feeding the Apple machine too.

 

[Supermassive]

Is it just me, or is the HomePod severely overpriced, even by Apple standards? $350 US, when Google Home and Amazon Echo are, what? $100 CDN? I can see Apple getting left behind on this one.

 

[AtlantaWhaler]

Is it just me, or is the HomePod severely overpriced, even by Apple standards? $350 US, when Google Home and Amazon Echo are, what? $100 CDN? I can see Apple getting left behind on this one.

Agreed. We have Apple everything in our household, and we gave/received Google Home Minis. We now have 2 in our house. Why? Because they were $30 each. I don't see $350 speakers outselling any of the competitors. That's a HUGE price tag.

 

[awesomo]

apple issues apology....29$ replacement for batteries

 

[Supermassive]

'iPhone slow': The truth about iOS updates

I find this hilarious. Rene Ritchie wrote an article mocking the people who were saying that their phones were being slowed down by firmware updates. Called the story the “dumbest of the dumb”.

He then goes back to edit and replace parts of the article, explaining why Apple did the things he said they didn’t do.

This is what I hate about the Apple community. Smug, fart-sniffing pretentious morons who will gladly talk down to anyone. I like the products, I like the services, but I loathe the butt-kissing bloggers.

 

[chicagoskycam]

apple issues apology....29$ replacement for batteries

Sure.

Nice!

Following up a comment in the last thread, this is the second year in a row Apple has reportedly failed to meat their targets for iPhone sales. Stock is down, and that’s decently worrying. The X is actually a big leap forward for them too, so it must be frustrating for them. Logicallly, it makes sense the 7 failed to meet expectations in hindsight given the lukewarm reception and controversial features, but the X was positively received and it’s an über luxury product from a brand with unyielding brand loyalty (throttlegate notwithstanding). It’s been a trend in phones that the big kid on the block gets knocked off his pedestal, and while Apple hasn’t fallen like BlackBerry and almost certainly will not, two straight years of failing to meet targets cannot be good. This combined with slumping Mac sales (they’re rapidly loosing their reputation as the best computer for arts and design professionals), I wouldn’t be surprised to see Cook outsted sometime in the next couple years.

Not meeting some analyst expectation and ending up like Blackberry are two different things. I realize you are trying to compare them to something Apple just has the most revenue in Q4 ever and at the most profit per device, Q1 projections are off They have the largest cash reserve of any company and thanks to the new tax plan will bring back billions to U.S soil which will be invested in stock buy backs.

What do you mean their stock is down or are you looking at inventory? Have you looked at the 1 and 2 year charts? Started the year around 116 and now in the 170's. Currently the largest company in the U.S. closing in on a trillion $$. I really think some of the headline grabbing articles are filling people with nonsense. Cook is already grooming his replacement, he's not being ousted, most likely Angela... I forget her name. When a company gets this big they are typically not as nimble or reactive to the market. I'm surprised they have not had a massive set back yet but thinking this company or Cook are in trouble is silly.

Is the $29 replacement on any battery?

 

[Bjorn Le]

Not meeting some analyst expectation and ending up like Blackberry are two different things. I realize you are trying to compare them to something Apple just has the most revenue in Q4 ever and at the most profit per device, Q1 projections are off They have the largest cash reserve of any company and thanks to the new tax plan will bring back billions to U.S soil which will be invested in stock buy backs.

What do you mean their stock is down or are you looking at inventory? Have you looked at the 1 and 2 year charts? Started the year around 116 and now in the 170's. Currently the largest company in the U.S. closing in on a trillion $$. I really think some of the headline grabbing articles are filling people with nonsense. Cook is already grooming his replacement, he's not being ousted, most likely Angela... I forget her name. When a company gets this big they are typically not as nimble or reactive to the market. I'm surprised they have not had a massive set back yet but thinking this company or Cook are in trouble is silly.

Is the $29 replacement on any battery?

It's not "some analyst", Reuters reported that it was Apple's own projections that were slashed (to 30 million units from 50 million). Both Apple and their suppliers stock fell with the story, I'd wager because Reuters is a reputable source and it's entirely believable. I literally said they're not Blackberry, just that have followed the pattern of the dominant phone producer eventually falling (a trend that began long before Blackberry).

Their stock fell from $175/share to $170/share after the news broke. This was after the throttling was reported (shareholders evidently didn't see it to be a threat, so that makes the slash even more important). It was the second biggest one day drop for Apple this year, and it signals a repeat of last year, which until this point was the first time Apple slashed projections. Reuters doesn't headline grab, they're strictly facts which is why they're far and way the most important agency to provide stories for other outlets. What is silly is dismissing two years of Apple significantly slashing sales targets for their flagship product. It matters, and if history teaches any lesson is these trends are not flukes. It's easy to get complacent at the top.

 

[chicagoskycam]

It's not "some analyst", Reuters reported that it was Apple's own projections that were slashed (to 30 million units from 50 million). Both Apple and their suppliers stock fell with the story, I'd wager because Reuters is a reputable source and it's entirely believable. I literally said they're not Blackberry, just that have followed the pattern of the dominant phone producer eventually falling (a trend that began long before Blackberry).

Their stock fell from $175/share to $170/share after the news broke. This was after the throttling was reported (shareholders evidently didn't see it to be a threat, so that makes the slash even more important). It was the second biggest one day drop for Apple this year, and it signals a repeat of last year, which until this point was the first time Apple slashed projections. Reuters doesn't headline grab, they're strictly facts which is why they're far and way the most important agency to provide stories for other outlets. What is silly is dismissing two years of Apple significantly slashing sales targets for their flagship product. It matters, and if history teaches any lesson is these trends are not flukes. It's easy to get complacent at the top.

I'm sorry but that stock movement is not an indication of anything. $5.... really, that's a 2.5% drop and has moved more under general market fluctuations. The stock is up nearly 44% this year and will likely continue once the buy back starts. Apple has over 300 billion overseas. The thing is when I look at the P/E for this stock it's no where near would it could be at 18 today. It would take a disaster for Apple to fall right now with all that cash coming home. They are just not going to sell a billion phones with every new phone launch. If you don't think Reuters uses headlines as click bait you are mistaken. People love to tie news stories to stock volume but it's only half the story. I think China is the problem with the X and it's a hard market to predict. They did very well with the 6 there.

That being said there always seem one place to go from #1 and that's down eventually. As much as anyone wants to headline grab from an earnings/revenue stand point they are sitting pretty. Apple needs to invest it's cash in production, in particular OLED screen makers. They are setting up some manufacturing in Texas which is nice to have domestic plants.

Somebody in here was pointing to slow 7 sales as a sign of Apple's demise early in 17'. Not happening.

 

[M.C.G. 31]

Oooooh, I went from eyeing a complete upgrade on their next release to now just waiting until September to pay $30 to replace my battery and last me another year. I can dig that. I'll let the next iOS be released in September before getting it done.

 

[KingBran]

Very rare to see Apple apologize for anything really.

I would still rather have an option to lower my CPU speeds to save batter than be forced to do it. Granted this really doesn't affect me as I always get the latest and greatest phone.

But one of my biggest issues with Apple is how locked down things are.

 

[Supermassive]

Is the $29 replacement on any battery?

Sounds like it's just the 6/6s/7 and their Plus variants?

My family will be doing 3 battery replacements in 2018. I will admit that the slowness affecting my 6+ pushed me over the edge to purchase the X. But, what's done is done. I absolutely murdered the battery on that 6+. I amazed it lasted as long as it did.

 

[chicagoskycam]

Oooooh, I went from eyeing a complete upgrade on their next release to now just waiting until September to pay $30 to replace my battery and last me another year. I can dig that. I'll let the next iOS be released in September before getting it done.

It seeks line this $29 deal might be a one time deal. I would do it on my X in Spring just for the hell of it. As the poster mentioned above I murder my battery as well

 

[Bjorn Le]

I'm sorry but that stock movement is not an indication of anything. $5.... really, that's a 2.5% drop and has moved more under general market fluctuations. The stock is up nearly 44% this year and will likely continue once the buy back starts. Apple has over 300 billion overseas. The thing is when I look at the P/E for this stock it's no where near would it could be at 18 today. It would take a disaster for Apple to fall right now with all that cash coming home. They are just not going to sell a billion phones with every new phone launch. If you don't think Reuters uses headlines as click bait you are mistaken. People love to tie news stories to stock volume but it's only half the story. I think China is the problem with the X and it's a hard market to predict. They did very well with the 6 there.

That being said there always seem one place to go from #1 and that's down eventually. As much as anyone wants to headline grab from an earnings/revenue stand point they are sitting pretty. Apple needs to invest it's cash in production, in particular OLED screen makers. They are setting up some manufacturing in Texas which is nice to have domestic plants.

Somebody in here was pointing to slow 7 sales as a sign of Apple's demise early in 17'. Not happening.

It is lol. When your shareholders barely fidget to your announcement that you've been throttling older model phones, but respond when it's reported you've slashed iPhone X targets by 40%, it matters. Investors have historically been bullish on Apple's prospects, and it's not the magnitude of the drop that matters but the fact it happened.

I'm not kidding anyone, Reuters is not that kind of media outlet. Their revenue doesn't come from getting clicks on their website via advertising, it comes from other outlets picking up their stories, pictures, and videos. They are explicitly value neutral and for the most part, people picking up their stories are going to change the titles and edit the wording. When Reuters says, "Apple slashes sales targets for iPhone X according to sources", there is nothing clickbait about it, the title is the story and there's nothing else to it. Clickbait is when you say something interesting but don't elaborate (in order to encourage people to click on the link, or in the past, buy the newspaper), or when you twist the truth to make something sound more sensational than it actually is. Neither is true in this case.

The problem isn't China, the problem is Apple isn't selling as many phones as they think they ought to be. The market in China is part of the problem, but it's not as if the problem is contained to emerging markets. The Chinese luxury goods market really isn't all that different from North America and Europe. You have inward pressure in China to buy domestically designed phones, but even stronger pressure to have the product that will convey the most prestige. This levies the same impact that wanting the latest gadgets/technology does in NA/Europe, they just conceive of it differently. Again, Apple's issue isn't demise, the issue is stagnation. If I'm an Apple board member, and I've experienced significant gains for essentially the past 15 years, I am disappointed and frustrated by two straight years of slashed targets for my most important product.

 

[chicagoskycam]

It is lol. When your shareholders barely fidget to your announcement that you've been throttling older model phones, but respond when it's reported you've slashed iPhone X targets by 40%, it matters. Investors have historically been bullish on Apple's prospects, and it's not the magnitude of the drop that matters but the fact it happened.

I'm not kidding anyone, Reuters is not that kind of media outlet. Their revenue doesn't come from getting clicks on their website via advertising, it comes from other outlets picking up their stories, pictures, and videos. They are explicitly value neutral and for the most part, people picking up their stories are going to change the titles and edit the wording. When Reuters says, "Apple slashes sales targets for iPhone X according to sources", there is nothing clickbait about it, the title is the story and there's nothing else to it. Clickbait is when you say something interesting but don't elaborate (in order to encourage people to click on the link, or in the past, buy the newspaper), or when you twist the truth to make something sound more sensational than it actually is. Neither is true in this case.

The problem isn't China, the problem is Apple isn't selling as many phones as they think they ought to be. The market in China is part of the problem, but it's not as if the problem is contained to emerging markets. The Chinese luxury goods market really isn't all that different from North America and Europe. You have inward pressure in China to buy domestically designed phones, but even stronger pressure to have the product that will convey the most prestige. This levies the same impact that wanting the latest gadgets/technology does in NA/Europe, they just conceive of it differently. Again, Apple's issue isn't demise, the issue is stagnation. If I'm an Apple board member, and I've experienced significant gains for essentially the past 15 years, I am disappointed and frustrated by two straight years of slashed targets for my most important product.

No board members don't give a shit about sales targets. They care about making earnings and the stock going up. That's it!! This silly article you keep referring does not mean squat until Apple actually misses earnings big and the stock takes a huge hit. Not a one day dip...lol. They just paid Cook out a huge bonus based on 17'

Q4 Apple crushed earnings. They blew it out of the water. That is all that matters, not phone orders!

'Firing on all cylinders': Apple crushes earnings, beating its own expectations

You do realize with the price of the X and current models they can sell less phones and make more money. Now can they disappoint in Q1, it all depends how they set their target for the quarter. I'm laughing of how Cook is getting ousted still after this type of year. It's silly. The only way that happens is if he touches the wrong person's leg. Your assumptions based on a Reuters article are wrong, sales projections are not the same as earnings targets. In addition iPhone sales are one portion of their business. If you're so bullish on the company short it then. Make some money off of it.

Is Apple stagnant at times or is it the Smartphone market. You can only expect to sell so many IMO, their devices seem to draw the most buzz.

 

[M.C.G. 31]

It seeks line this $29 deal might be a one time deal. I would do it on my X in Spring just for the hell of it. As the poster mentioned above I murder my battery as well

Yeah it’s one time which is why I’ll be waiting until the next big iOS update if I can hold on that long.

 

[KapG]

So I finally updated to iOS 11 and what a clusterf*** :/

Now my 5ghz wifi connections won’t appear and I’m stuck connecting to the 2.4ghz connection.

This is extremely frustrating

 

[M.C.G. 31]

Is it just me, or is the HomePod severely overpriced, even by Apple standards? $350 US, when Google Home and Amazon Echo are, what? $100 CDN? I can see Apple getting left behind on this one.

yes, especially considering how far behind Siri is from Google and Amazon assistants.

Google is also open to more third-party apps.

 

[Hunter Gathers]

So I finally updated to iOS 11 and what a cluster**** :/

Now my 5ghz wifi connections won’t appear and I’m stuck connecting to the 2.4ghz connection.

This is extremely frustrating

That's one I haven't heard yet.

 

[sa cyred]

So... got the X. Other than the MESS that is transfering music from my ipod to iphone (it only does purchased through itunes music. The 250 or so songs that were not through itunes would not transfer at all) I am LOVING my X. Is it 1k worthy? Hell no, but going from a 6s to X was a huge jump. The overall screen quality and how everything transitions so smoothly is awesome. I thought I would have a tough time with no fingerprint since I was a big supporter for it, but I already see how easy and convenient the face ID is.

 

[chicagoskycam]

So... got the X. Other than the MESS that is transfering music from my ipod to iphone (it only does purchased through itunes music. The 250 or so songs that were not through itunes would not transfer at all) I am LOVING my X. Is it 1k worthy? Hell no, but going from a 6s to X was a huge jump. The overall screen quality and how everything transitions so smoothly is awesome. I thought I would have a tough time with no fingerprint since I was a big supporter for it, but I already see how easy and convenient the face ID is.

Honestly I would never want to go back to the fingerprint after using the X. If it was underneath the screen anywhere than maybe when I'm not looking at my phone but otherwise I prefer the swipe up and done.

So... .interesting that you mention music and I have a huge beef with Apple going back and forth with their customer service. Some of my music is gone and I cannot even retrieve it from the iTunes store because it's not offered anymore, we are talking about a couple albums. The response I got was to make sure I back up my music always to a HD... but wait I already pay Apple to store my back up daily in the cloud. So my digital purchases are just gone if Apple no longer has them in the store?? Really. It happened when I converted to my X. Even if i had this on my HD and somehow added it to my phone I'm sure Apple would remove it again as they do with most offline stuff on there. There has to be a fix for this but I'm getting no where. Also provided them with receipt #'s..

 

[AtlantaWhaler]

Some recent moves with money have many speculating that Apple is trying to buy Netflix.

 

[SpookyTsuki]

Some recent moves with money have many speculating that Apple is trying to buy Netflix.

Yeah I’m beginning to hate Apple.