Apple's iPhone launches no longer excite(bbc.co.uk)
bbc.co.uk
Apple's iPhone launches no longer excite
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-19557497
59 comments
Did you see the bold disclaimer at the top of the article?
It points out that this is a requested op-ed piece and not a normal BBC article. The author of this piece is the guy who writes the fake Steve Jobs blog "The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs". I wouldn't start condemning the BBC just yet.
It points out that this is a requested op-ed piece and not a normal BBC article. The author of this piece is the guy who writes the fake Steve Jobs blog "The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs". I wouldn't start condemning the BBC just yet.
I wasn't condemning the BBC, I was criticising the guy.
Wait, it's been a whole year already? Wow, time flies.
This entire "article" gave me a bad taste in my mouth. The LEAST this guy could do is actually wait for Apple to do their Keynote. Now he's responding to rumors and leaks. I suppose it's no fun to write an article based on things like facts.
I think the Passbook alone could create a surge in new Apps. Here's an article about just that: http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2012/09/04/apples-ios-6-passbo...
I think the Passbook alone could create a surge in new Apps. Here's an article about just that: http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2012/09/04/apples-ios-6-passbo...
The article does not only rely on rumors and leaks, but on previous iPhone versions. When you think about it, Apple has copied a lot of features (Notification Drawer, Interactive Lockscreen, Social Network integration, etc.) from Android, and it is true that the UI has not changed since 2007.
The latter point is the reason why I switched from iOS to Android a while ago, it becomes boring to use an iPhone, no novelty, no surprise. It works, is probably more reliable and stable than Android, but it is damn boring, and surprise/excitement are what matter for me.
The latter point is the reason why I switched from iOS to Android a while ago, it becomes boring to use an iPhone, no novelty, no surprise. It works, is probably more reliable and stable than Android, but it is damn boring, and surprise/excitement are what matter for me.
You have a point. Me, I like things that don't get in the way of the tasks I'm trying to perform. I like it if complex things are presented on a simple and predictable way. Whenever I use my friends Android I'm always looking for how to do something. Swipe up? Down? Left or right to find some functionality. Not much consistency around the OS and Apps. I do think this will change for Android and it'll be more like Apple now that android has the new User Interface Guidelines http://developer.android.com/guide/practices/ui_guidelines/i...
I think your point was valid before the release of Android 4.0 (ICS). It brought proper design guidelines and a common UI pattern for applications, and the experience now looks polished compared to 2.3 and below. What I love about it is that they don't enforce the rules as does Apple, they consider that if users don't like your UI or the user experience you propose, they will simply uninstall your app and you will be the loser, not the platform.
What you could blame ICS for was that the user interface was not always as smooth as it should have been, but JB has fixed the issue with Triple Buffering, and VSYNC (the famous project butter) and now Android just looks and feels great. Give it a try if you have the occasion.
What you could blame ICS for was that the user interface was not always as smooth as it should have been, but JB has fixed the issue with Triple Buffering, and VSYNC (the famous project butter) and now Android just looks and feels great. Give it a try if you have the occasion.
Yes it was before ICS (4.0). The entire experience was horrible and I was asked to help out the person using it because even the easiest things proved difficult. Her phone can't update even though it's about a year old now. Sigh... I've just seen the Xtreamer Mobile (Android) teaser. Looks good. Standard Root Access, dual sim and more.
Point of order: notifications owe far more to Palm than they do to Android. The engineer who developed them was hired away from Palm.
> it becomes boring to use an iPhone, no novelty, no surprise
Apple will always face this sort of criticism because:
1. Geeks do want novelty/surprises/the ability to tinker. 2. Geeks are a minority of customers in the real world. 3. Geeks are a majority in those who are vocal online.
A lot of people I know won't use an iPhone because it's "closed" or, back before the 4, because it didn't have a dual core processor. Meanwhile, millions of people who for years craved stability, reliability and simple UX design continue to buy, use and love iPhones every year.
Lyons is a troll. We should be above feeding trolls on HN.
> it becomes boring to use an iPhone, no novelty, no surprise
Apple will always face this sort of criticism because:
1. Geeks do want novelty/surprises/the ability to tinker. 2. Geeks are a minority of customers in the real world. 3. Geeks are a majority in those who are vocal online.
A lot of people I know won't use an iPhone because it's "closed" or, back before the 4, because it didn't have a dual core processor. Meanwhile, millions of people who for years craved stability, reliability and simple UX design continue to buy, use and love iPhones every year.
Lyons is a troll. We should be above feeding trolls on HN.
Can you provide some more detail on how Apple "copied a lot of features (Notification Drawer, Interactive Lockscreen, Social Network integration, etc.)"? None of these features seem to appear, at least explicitly, on my iPhone 4 with iOS 5.
Assuming you're current on OS updates, swipe down from above the top of the screen to view the Notification Center. You can configure what shows up there via Settings:Notifications. Apple's original UI for presenting notifications was kind of terrible, the new way is better, and the new way was probably inspired by the android way to do it.
Interactive Lockscreen: seems like a miss. People with jailbroken iPhones or who have installed certain hacky third-party apps (eg, an app called "Lock Screen Weather") get an interactive lockscreen - otherwise the only thing from Apple that seems vaguely related is the "swipe up for photos" shortcut.
Social Network: Apple added "twitter integration" with iOS5, but you wouldn't notice that unless you use twitter. If you do, the main thing that changed was that you no longer have to log into twitter explicitly all the time, and there is a "tweet" option added to various app panels. It's not a particularly significant feature and it's questionable whether "copied from Android" is a fair characterization.
Interactive Lockscreen: seems like a miss. People with jailbroken iPhones or who have installed certain hacky third-party apps (eg, an app called "Lock Screen Weather") get an interactive lockscreen - otherwise the only thing from Apple that seems vaguely related is the "swipe up for photos" shortcut.
Social Network: Apple added "twitter integration" with iOS5, but you wouldn't notice that unless you use twitter. If you do, the main thing that changed was that you no longer have to log into twitter explicitly all the time, and there is a "tweet" option added to various app panels. It's not a particularly significant feature and it's questionable whether "copied from Android" is a fair characterization.
It's not a particularly significant feature and it's questionable whether "copied from Android" is a fair characterization.
Of course, one could say the same thing about many of the things Apple is suing over.
Of course, one could say the same thing about many of the things Apple is suing over.
I think you're missing some context. In the case of that one feature if Apple HAD "copied from Android" it would probably have been better than what they actually did. What Apple did (in iOS 5) was integrate with ONE specific social network, Twitter, working directly with that company to accomplish this. What Android did if I understand correctly was make a general service available for sharing to things like social networks generally. I don't think Apple has (yet) copied that feature at all. (I could be wrong, because the parent poster's comment was vague, made in passing, and not since elaborated.)
I don't think it's questionable at all that Samsung copied its "trade dress" from Apple, just as it had earlier copied from Blackberry. Or that they explicitly copied lots of specific features from Apple.
(Though I agree that we might be better off with less protection against that sort of copying. The world would not be a better place if McDonald's had been able to patent the idea of a drive-through window (or buy the patent for it from someone else) and then charge all other fast-food restaurants an arbitrary fee to license the patent portfolio.)
I don't think it's questionable at all that Samsung copied its "trade dress" from Apple, just as it had earlier copied from Blackberry. Or that they explicitly copied lots of specific features from Apple.
(Though I agree that we might be better off with less protection against that sort of copying. The world would not be a better place if McDonald's had been able to patent the idea of a drive-through window (or buy the patent for it from someone else) and then charge all other fast-food restaurants an arbitrary fee to license the patent portfolio.)
I agree with most of these points. Good design is iteration though - you want it to be familiar to the last. However, iOS was good design from 'nothing.' 5 years on, it's boring design now - it should have had some serious reiterations.
Going from 0 to iPhone 1 was a huge advancement. It would be nice to see half of that again. Each new iPhone comes out with one or two gimmicks, and an iOS update that'll run on the last version anyway.
Saying that; I'll still be replacing my 4 with a 5 at this event. And I'll still continue buying Apple products. Not trying to suggest we boycott them, but I am feeling like they're not showing their innovation qualities.
I do disagree with the Samsung point. I think their case was beyond fair.
Going from 0 to iPhone 1 was a huge advancement. It would be nice to see half of that again. Each new iPhone comes out with one or two gimmicks, and an iOS update that'll run on the last version anyway.
Saying that; I'll still be replacing my 4 with a 5 at this event. And I'll still continue buying Apple products. Not trying to suggest we boycott them, but I am feeling like they're not showing their innovation qualities.
I do disagree with the Samsung point. I think their case was beyond fair.
The thing that confuses me about this kind of article, and I've seen a good few in the months since Jobs died, is the misconception people have on the lead times of product development.
Whether the new iPhone sucks or rocks will have been mostly under Jobs leadership. He's not been dead a year yet. Lead time for product development is a tad longer than that.
We've not seen the post-Jobs Apple yet.
Whether the new iPhone sucks or rocks will have been mostly under Jobs leadership. He's not been dead a year yet. Lead time for product development is a tad longer than that.
We've not seen the post-Jobs Apple yet.
I agree, Apple has gone a bit lazy and a bit boring. As they have become more and more popular it's as if they have stopped trying. I haven't bothered upgrading to the latest OS X I switched to Ubuntu. I am not going to switch my iPhone 4s for the iPhone 5, but I am tempted by some of the new Android phones.
Tell me, how more exciting will the new version of Ubuntu be compared to the next version of OS X?
Mature products are just that—mature products.
Mature products are just that—mature products.
I cannot really speak for OSX because I do not use it, but Ubuntu just keeps getting better and better on the SAME hardware. On every update it seems to be getting more optimized, less buggy, and introduces new features (sometimes interesting) that make you want to give it a go. The only time when I felt that Ubuntu was going backward is when they introduced Unity for the first time (it was slow as hell) but after that step they just kept getting better in every iteration. That's exciting.
It really depends on the hardware, I guess. For me, Ubuntu peaked around 8.10 or 9.04. It ran great on my tablet (yeah, those existed before the iPad, though it was a lot heaver, and that was perfectly fine), sound worked, etc. Every version since then has broken something, and according to benchmarks, Unity is the slowest desktop environment available for Linux.
But, if Ubuntu works for you, don't let the opinion of one random guy on HN change your mind. Just consider yourself fortunate to find something you like and can use.
But, if Ubuntu works for you, don't let the opinion of one random guy on HN change your mind. Just consider yourself fortunate to find something you like and can use.
Well, I have different distros on my home computers, and I switch between Mint, OpenSuse and Ubuntu on a daily basis. But Ubuntu is really nicely put together, and while I realize Unity is definitely slower than the rest, on the hardware I run it it is still fast enough for most of what I do, so I do not mind it so much. Sorry to hear you have a hard time to get Ubuntu working well...
OSX used to be that too. I was amazed that 10.4(IIRC) could run on first gen imac with only a ram upgrade.
Many people thought Ubuntu was a mature product until Unity came along. The blowback from that also explains why Apple seeks to refine, rather than reinvent. OSX has looked pretty much the same for 10 years, compared to MS' constant reinvention of Windows. The MacBook Pro hasn't really changed since the unibody update, although the Retina might be a sign of things to come. Hell, the Mac Pro hasn't changed its appearance in forever.
Apple's MO seems to be to iterate over prototypes until they get something they're happy with, then release it and give it minor updates as it matures. The only two products I can think of that buck this trend are the iPod and iPhone, and the rapid changes in the former were simply the result of massive miniaturization of the requisite technologies, and the emergence of capacitive touch screens.
Apple's MO seems to be to iterate over prototypes until they get something they're happy with, then release it and give it minor updates as it matures. The only two products I can think of that buck this trend are the iPod and iPhone, and the rapid changes in the former were simply the result of massive miniaturization of the requisite technologies, and the emergence of capacitive touch screens.
Mature products are just that—mature products.
This is a problem for a company that, like Apple, has used its own marketing to predicate its worth on being hip, new, exciting, and "innovative."
This is a problem for a company that, like Apple, has used its own marketing to predicate its worth on being hip, new, exciting, and "innovative."
Yes, the only jump-started or taken from zero to hero SIX markets in the last 10 years, with the last one 3 years ago (desktop OS, portable mp3 players, online music distribution, touch smartphones, online app distribution, tablets).
I don't mean they "invented" those (there were tablets / mp3 players / app stores, etc before). I mean they made them _matter_ (as in, going from nearly bankrupt to largest company on earth matter).
Meanwhile all of their rivals did, absolutely squat. At best, they introduced me-too products in the same space (myriads of iPod "killers", iPad like tablets, app stores, etc).
Maybe Amazon is an exception, they did introduce the Kindle, which is a category of its own, and it got its own copycats (Barnes and Noble, etc). Still, rather small compared.
I don't mean they "invented" those (there were tablets / mp3 players / app stores, etc before). I mean they made them _matter_ (as in, going from nearly bankrupt to largest company on earth matter).
Meanwhile all of their rivals did, absolutely squat. At best, they introduced me-too products in the same space (myriads of iPod "killers", iPad like tablets, app stores, etc).
Maybe Amazon is an exception, they did introduce the Kindle, which is a category of its own, and it got its own copycats (Barnes and Noble, etc). Still, rather small compared.
There's no doubt Apple changed a lot of markets and made a killing in the process. It greatly disappoints me that being the biggest public company on the planet isn't enough for them, and they have to start suing everyone.
Meanwhile all of their rivals did, absolutely squat.
It's not that their rivals weren't trying (Maemo and Openmoko were definitely interesting), Apple just beat them at what they did best -- making it all fit together, and convincing people they needed it.
Meanwhile all of their rivals did, absolutely squat.
It's not that their rivals weren't trying (Maemo and Openmoko were definitely interesting), Apple just beat them at what they did best -- making it all fit together, and convincing people they needed it.
>It greatly disappoints me that being the biggest public company on the planet isn't enough for them, and they have to start suing everyone.
True, they could have played the "we're getting copied verbatim" card better, and only sue for relevant very technical patents.
I also had a hope that some policies will change for the better under Cook, but I'm not so sure.
True, they could have played the "we're getting copied verbatim" card better, and only sue for relevant very technical patents.
I also had a hope that some policies will change for the better under Cook, but I'm not so sure.
True, they could have played the "we're getting copied verbatim" card better, and only sue for relevant very technical patents.
They could also just not sue. They could win their case in the court of public opinion. After all, they are the marketing experts.
They could also just not sue. They could win their case in the court of public opinion. After all, they are the marketing experts.
People keep saying that, but no, Apple are not "marketing experts".
They just make cool stuff people want to buy. Most of the "marketing" is grassroots.
What exactly is the "brilliant marketing" they do? Make some good tv ads and being secretive before launch? It would hardly be a benefit to be secretive if people don't care about the end product in the first place. In fact, being secretive is the anti-marketing.
In my country we didn't even have any of their TV or billboard ads (and we still don't), and yet everybody knows the brand and lusted over/buyed the products.
MS, on the other hand, spends tons for advertising, promotion, special events and the like.
They just make cool stuff people want to buy. Most of the "marketing" is grassroots.
What exactly is the "brilliant marketing" they do? Make some good tv ads and being secretive before launch? It would hardly be a benefit to be secretive if people don't care about the end product in the first place. In fact, being secretive is the anti-marketing.
In my country we didn't even have any of their TV or billboard ads (and we still don't), and yet everybody knows the brand and lusted over/buyed the products.
MS, on the other hand, spends tons for advertising, promotion, special events and the like.
I'd call the unique ability to inspire a religiously devoted cult of personality expert marketing. A quality product alone won't do that, and Apple certainly didn't have as much of a following before Steve Jobs returned as it does now.
Just curious, which Apple Machine are you running Ubuntu on? I have a late-2010 MacBook Air and also have skipped the last two OS X upgrades since they seemed to degrade quality. I'm definitely tempted to run Ubuntu instead but I assume there will be issues, like lower batterie life.
Depends on the model, but yes, the battery life will suffer. Also, you may encounter problems with minor features (color profile, brightness&sound keys, remote, etc.), however you can research all that info beforehand.
I am using Ubuntu 11.10 on a 5 yrs. old Macbook Pro and after some tweaking it runs just fine (I use it primarily as a desktop replacement, so battery life is not all that important to me)
On the latest Macbook Air, battery life is about the same. Perhaps slightly worse on Linux.
Ubuntu seems to perform better than OSX though:
http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=macos...
Ubuntu seems to perform better than OSX though:
http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=macos...
Are the new form factors boring? A little.
Would people be going on about how boring they were if Steve Jobs were around? I doubt it.
The biggest problem Apple faces right now is that people expect them to lose their magic now that Steve Jobs is gone. Then as they watch Apple confirmation bias sets in and articles like this are written.
Apple is pretty well equipped to continue leading the tech sector, but this perception people have is going to be a major problem.
Would people be going on about how boring they were if Steve Jobs were around? I doubt it.
The biggest problem Apple faces right now is that people expect them to lose their magic now that Steve Jobs is gone. Then as they watch Apple confirmation bias sets in and articles like this are written.
Apple is pretty well equipped to continue leading the tech sector, but this perception people have is going to be a major problem.
I agree, but people have been saying it about the iPhone for a while. The 4S was touted as a huge disappointment in the tech press.
In related news, Dan Lyons no longer amuses.
This is probably why Cook said that they will "double down on secrecy".
The event is really boring if you have seen all of the parts on the internet prior to the event (might be different for people not following the rumor mills).
Blaming it on the others again (copy cats, spies, and so on...)? I think Apple benefited a lot from all the rumor buildup before their presentations. What if there were no rumors at all - would people even still notice that there is a new Apple launch event?
If the rumors were exciting, people wouldn't be able to contain themselves with excitement for the actual launch.
I wonder if Apple should introduce an abo model, that automatically sends their new products to their fans (charging their credit cards).
If the rumors were exciting, people wouldn't be able to contain themselves with excitement for the actual launch.
I wonder if Apple should introduce an abo model, that automatically sends their new products to their fans (charging their credit cards).
> If the rumors were exciting, people wouldn't be able to contain themselves with excitement for the actual launch.
Why would people be excited for the announcement of something they already know. And if you're talking about the release date of the product, people still line up outside apple stores for days ahead of time when new devices come out.
> Blaming it on the others again (copy cats, spies, and so on...)?
How is saying that you're "doubling down on security" blaming others? Note that Tim Cook said this in response to the question "What have you changed? What's different?"
Why would people be excited for the announcement of something they already know. And if you're talking about the release date of the product, people still line up outside apple stores for days ahead of time when new devices come out.
> Blaming it on the others again (copy cats, spies, and so on...)?
How is saying that you're "doubling down on security" blaming others? Note that Tim Cook said this in response to the question "What have you changed? What's different?"
I am not blaming it on the others.
The launch of the iPhone 5 is obviously not as interesting as the launch of the first iPhone, since they are just introducing more features, not a new device family.
It's a suspense thing - if you know what they are going to show the presentation gets boring. "Back in the days" it was exciting when there was one more thing. Now you already know what it is.
But again - I am not blaming anybody for this. I could just stay away from all rumor sites if I wanted to have that feeling again ;)
It's a suspense thing - if you know what they are going to show the presentation gets boring. "Back in the days" it was exciting when there was one more thing. Now you already know what it is.
But again - I am not blaming anybody for this. I could just stay away from all rumor sites if I wanted to have that feeling again ;)
Are there any studies or opinion polls about how consumers are seeing the iPhone? The fact that experts and early adopters are bored with the iPhone doesn't mean that the normal customer isn't still excited about the product. The customers didn't read or hear iPhone stories on an almost daily basis. For them all the Apple products might still be those exciting, desirable gadgets that they must have. Not to mention the Apple fanboys and girls who buy every new product that Apple offers and wouldn't touch any other.
I dont know about studies, but I have observed - if tech goes gaga (original iPhone) it does not sell very well, if tech calls it absolute failure (iPhone 4S) it will sell like crazy.
Tech press often gets it wrong. The Galaxy Note "phablet" was another example. The original reviews called it ridiculous, but they actually sold well. And I've seen a lot of seemingly happy users with them.
http://www.theverge.com/2012/8/16/3246378/samsung-galaxy-not...
10 million is of course not iPhone-big, but then again, this is just one phone in Samsung's lineup. And it is more than Nokia has sold all their Lumias, for instance.
http://www.theverge.com/2012/8/16/3246378/samsung-galaxy-not...
10 million is of course not iPhone-big, but then again, this is just one phone in Samsung's lineup. And it is more than Nokia has sold all their Lumias, for instance.
Not sure if you are asking about how non-users view iPhone.
As for users: http://www.jdpower.com/content/press-release/upO8vjP/2012-u-...
Yes. It's called Market Share.
Dan Lyons' writings on Apple no longer excite.
FSJ was completely hilarious. This isn't.
Is this part of a buildup for a huge surprise? Make people expect something boring, then come up with something entirely new?
If the rumors are true, though, the iP5 will definitely be too tiny.
If the rumors are true, though, the iP5 will definitely be too tiny.
> "This is what happens when a company is too cheap to invest in research and development. Did you know that Apple spends far less on R&D than any of its rivals - a paltry 2% of revenues, versus 14% for Google and Microsoft?"
Funny he should mention that. Little known fact: at microsoft R&D expenditures are really technical evangelism expenditures. Whenever you legitimately complain online that vista sucks / metro sucks and someone else calls you an idiot, that's microsoft's "R&D" money hard at work.
Funny he should mention that. Little known fact: at microsoft R&D expenditures are really technical evangelism expenditures. Whenever you legitimately complain online that vista sucks / metro sucks and someone else calls you an idiot, that's microsoft's "R&D" money hard at work.
Putting R&D as a percentage of revenue is a bit of a dodge. Apple has significantly higher revenue than Google. Apple in the quarter ending Dec 2011 brought in $46.3 billion in revenue, while Google brought in $10.6 billion.
So plugging in the numbers for Apple you get $928 million in R&D for the quarter, while Google spent $1.4 billion.
Less spent in R&D? Yes, but spending almost $1 billion per quarter in R&D is hardly paltry.
So plugging in the numbers for Apple you get $928 million in R&D for the quarter, while Google spent $1.4 billion.
Less spent in R&D? Yes, but spending almost $1 billion per quarter in R&D is hardly paltry.
And everything Apple spends R&D money on is something that may one day end up in customers hands; whereas MS R&D often never sees the light of day, or gets canned, and Google spend a lot of their R&D making custom hardware for data centers.
Its amazing that the BBC article has 11 links to 'share it', but nothing to actually comment on it.
That's a good thing. I've seen BBC articles with the comments turned on, and the 'discussion' makes me despair in humanity. Throw in some fanboys from both sides, and the resulting flamewar would likely burn down Broadcasting House.
This is just garbage. Some people should stop complaining so much - the same qualities they praised Apple for yesterday they slam them for the next.