by eggbrain on 12/14/12, 7:45 PM
This entire article is garbage.
- It talks about "investors starting to panic" about Apple's future. The linked article has no such wording, nor does the USA Today articles that I saw.
- The title makes it seem like the iPhone 5 sales have been outperformed by iPhone 4S sales... No where in the article does it claim that, unless you mean the analyst that says "'Some of our Chinese sources do not expect the iPhone 5 to do as well as the iPhone 4S,' Millunovich wrote."
by jpdoctor on 12/14/12, 7:53 PM
The maps fiasco makes it clear that Apple is at a crossroads: They can
1. Open up the platform, or
2. Go down the same road that they went down in the 80s/90s, handing the bulk of the business over to an open platform.
I know which way I'm betting this turns out.
by josephlord on 12/14/12, 7:57 PM
Not very long ago stock of the iPhone 5 wasn't always available. My wife would have waited a couple of weeks for her replacement work phone if she waited for the 5. Other people may have changed their choice based on availability.
The iPhone 5 is a better phone and in my view better value because it might have a longer useful (kept up to date with the latest OS) life. Having said that the 4S is still a very good phone and I have no intention of replacing mine anytime soon.
by ignostic on 12/14/12, 8:10 PM
I love how these articles totally ignore dates. A June 5s launch would mean the 5 has about 80% of the time to sell as the top iPhone compared to the 4s. I wouldn't be surprised if they don't sell as many of the 5.
There may be something to be said for the new iPhone having no new must-have features, but that's not unique to Apple.
by zyb09 on 12/14/12, 8:02 PM
oh damn I hope smartphones aren't reaching a peak already in general. Because to be honest every new generation now suffers from diminished returns, and for someone who likes to keeps his money together and still has an iPhone 4 for instance, there's really no good reason to buy a new phone yet. And after we've all been all profiting from the exploding market in the last years. But then again there's so much potentially crazy stuff coming, like good 3D displays and tactile feedback touchscreen. Should keep the boat afloat for a while.
by dasil003 on 12/14/12, 8:18 PM
Ugh, I made the mistake of scrolling into the comments. As much as I love my tech, it's horrifying to see the ignorant vitriol which people spew out of personal allegiance to brands.
by mtgx on 12/14/12, 7:48 PM
When faced with 3 pricing choices, it seems consumers will choose the one in the middle. And it could also be a case of "overshooting" most consumers - i.e. most Apple customers are starting to think iPhone 4S level of hardware is "good enough".
This could mean that if Apple continues the current strategy, of making the "best" smartphones, they risk being relegated to under 10% market share again, as the smartphone market grows. Actually, they already are only at under 15% globally, and they've never really passed 18%.
by programminggeek on 12/14/12, 8:51 PM
4S was basically the best phone on the market until the 5 came out. 5 comes out and is the best phone on the market and now the 4S is cheaper and the 4 is "free" on many carriers.
For many people the 4S and 4 are beyond "good enough" and would save $100 by buying the 4S instead of the 5.
That being said, cheaper products tend to sell in higher volumes. How is this news?
by sinnerswing on 12/14/12, 7:49 PM
My opinion, Apple's stock is being manipulated by traders and hedge funds. Spread bad news about a company, buy the stock at a lower price, wait for the Quarterly earnings, watch the stock price sky rocket.