Beoz

http://mobile.news.com.au/technology...-1226716497446

A fingerprint scanner to make it is for the blind fan boys to part with cash.

sonlymewalter

Apple have had their day. Rip off prices for their phoness and now fantastic competition from their competitors means they need to lift their game.

Making "pretty" coloured phones at rip off prices with crappy no big deal add ons aint gonna lift market share

GarryP

"Honest the iphone 5C was never about 5-cheap, it's 5-colourful...."

Pretty pathetic really. A fingerprint scanner, right out the 1990s, a 64bit move that has no purpose, and some plastic cases that they always whined at Samsung about. Oh, and an 8Mpix camera. The smartphone I'm looking to replace has a 8Mpix camera.

Not forgetting the rainbow puke UI theme.

Honestly, I think they've given up. The cheap was supposed to be an attempt at getting their pricing relevant again to where they play - mid tier. However they couldn't give up those sweet profit margins - and instead they give up market share. Wait for the headlines where apple's smartphone market share fall below 10% - exactly where apple usually ends up.

Beoz

If I were Apple I'd have gone for a larger screen. My personal phone is a Samsung and work phone is i-phone and I just can't handle the screen size after using the Samsung.

sonlymewalter

spot on they've got too greedyand taking the piss out of the very consumers they need right now

always been an Iphone junky myself mainly cos their stuff intercommunicates but the prices are a rip off compared to competitors and given their R & D is slow you'd have thunk the prices wouldda come down over the years. And like you say, the new spec is not exactly rocket science and no way evens out the ridiculous prices

And don't mention the cost of spare parts, another rip off

Naa.....they don't deserve loyal consumers

GarryP

The interesting question will be when the Nexus 5 drops.

We've already had the new OS name/number revealed, suggesting that the reveal of the OS itself can't be too far away. Suggestion is that this will be with the Nexus 5 reveal. If true, that would put their new OS and phone within a short amount of time, possibly by the end of this month, maybe by the end of next.

We know that this is supposed to be even more lightweight memory OS, with the aim of killing the fragmentation issue. As such, we might get a demonstration of just how low you can go in price. Or maybe we get a another superphone. Hell, they could deliver a $99, $199 AND a $299 phone, on different hardware underpinnings. Either way, they are going to put apple to shame, since a full HD phone screen is likely, and the sizes already start above where apple leave off. Prices are already massively below those of apple too.

Comparisons will be made, and they won't be flattering. If Google wanted to stick the knife in, they'd launch tomorrow....

We are expecting the maxi ipad 5 & mini ipad 2 some point soon too. Apple kind of have to go retina for the mini ipad 2, which puts a further and final nail in the coffin of the fatty ipad as the main product. And another kicking to the profit margin. The Nexus 7 is already at Full HD, and we should expect a Nexus 11 to round things out. Who knows, maybe they make that a 4K jobbie? Or maybe super cheap?

The problem apple have is none of their products are category leaders anymore, and the innovation is coming from Google with their chromecast; Google with their Glass,; and Google & SE Asian manufacturers with their Watches. All the apple 'innovation' on the new product front is vapourwear - they just aren't shipping. Combined with the margin and volumes haircuts they are taking - and that doesn't help their share price. They HAVE to get something 'wow' out there soon or the common refrain will be 'how did apple screw it up'?

sonlymewalter

Sky reported today that shares for Apple have dropped.

When will these plonkers listen to their customers

Beoz

They lost their leadership. That was a starting point.

One the bright side. They screwed up once before and came back. That's the beauty of tech. The race never finishes.

sonlymewalter

The race finishes the minute they stop listening to their customers. Apple have got too big for their boots and customers are walking. Unless they understand their market and realise they're not that special any more then they are on a self destruct path

Beoz

I wouldn't call it arrogance. It's more down to their business model and how they innovated with simplicity. Unfortunately simplicity can only get you so far.

There's no point getting angry. Tech companies don't fail because of arrogance. They fail when their competitors out do them. A bit like stocks you invested and the company didn't perform for lots of reasons. Tech moves on.

commonwealth

iPhone 5Cheap
iPhone 5Socialite

GarryP

iphone 5Sowe'verunoutofideas
iphone 5Coolookattheshinyplastic

Honestly, I'm waiting for the iphone nano - with a 3" screen and a low, low price of $300

sonlymewalter

It is arrogance when your business model doesn't fit with your clients requirements. That's how markets work.

Beoz

Not it tech mate. Would you call Nokia?

Amazulu

Apple is a prime example of a big company treating their customers (aka sheep) with contempt. They give their customers what the company wants, not what the buyer wants

Never fear, the isheeple will be queuing round the block come release day - and that's why Apple gets away with their shite