Design Improvement or money making scam
 

Rather annoying for all the iphone fans - so have they done this to improve the product or to force sales on accesories?

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/13/te...sers.html?_r=0

Re: Design Improvement or money making scam
 

The disappointing thing is that Apple seem to have stopped innovating and making step-out changes. Now they just keep on regurgitating existing products with minor upgrades, which only just keep them technically on par with the competition. Or they re-invent the wheel i.e. this new map thingy, why bother when Google maps is already out there.

Re: Design Improvement or money making scam
 

Spot on. They are even copying the competion now. It's also a pity that their patent wars will simply create two suboptimal product lines, rather than doing anything useful... still it will product their falling market share.

As for the plug, this is a typical Apple move of locking you in and changing the rules to extort more money out of you. How they are the most valuable company on Earth is beyond me.

Re: Design Improvement or money making scam
 

At the risk of making a betamax judgment call, I have a Samsung - the screen is fabulous and the size is great for reading the interweb.

Re: Design Improvement or money making scam
 

The thing is, the iPhone isn't new anymore. In fact, it's nearly seven years old.

The hardware is of little consequence. It never was for Apple. All it had to do was look good and do its job very well, which it always has done. Since the original iPhone in 2006, the updates have always been incremental.

Sure, some increments have always been bigger than others (3G, Retina etc), but even so the software has stayed the same because it hasn't needed to change.

And the patent wars (at least from Apple's side) aren't as petty as you'd think. Anyone who says Apple's patent lawsuits against a product that blatantly copied the iPhone's design as preventing innovation is taking an oxymoron stance.

Innovation isn't copying what's out there.

If you want an example of a product that has innovated in a different way to the iPhone (and in some areas delivers a better experience), just take a look at Nokia and Windows Phone 7/8.

On the subject of patents, almost every single one that has been thrown against Apple is one that they were willing to pay for, but not at the prices they were being charged.

There are two different types of patent classification that matter here. Your standard patent, which companies can licence for as much as they want. These are were the real differentiation happens (such as Apple's design), and aren't necessary for other people to make smartphones (see Nokia's Lumina designs).

The other are what are known as FRAND patents. All of these are patents that are crucial to enabling smartphones to work – these govern things like 3G, LTE, usability patents etc. These are charged at a much lower rate than standard patents, because of their vital nature.

95 per cent of the patents that Apple have been sued for using without permission are FRAND patents. And as Apple has demonstrated on several occasions, they have offered to pay the market rate for them, but their holders often ask for two/three times the price its rivals are paying.

Hence why so many lawsuits against Apple get thrown out, and why Apple won that big one in the US.

Oh, and on the issue of changing iOS' design... why? It's as close to perfect as it can be. You don't hear people asking to change the shape of a wheel because it's boring.

Besides, think about how many people moan when Facebook changes its design. You'd get a similar amount moaning if Apple changed the design of iOS.

Re: Design Improvement or money making scam
 

Also, on the original topic. Yes, it's a pain in the arse, but manufacturers have known for a long time this was coming.

Remember, the old 16-pin design was a relic from the original iPod, which was released back in 2001.

I also think it has something to do with the recent ruling in the EU about universal phone chargers.

Re: Design Improvement or money making scam
 

But you'll get the charger with the new iphone, so what's the problem?

Re: Design Improvement or money making scam
 

all the hardware that people buy to connect their iphones directly - e.g. radio alarm clocks, car aux jacks, bose sounddocks etc

Re: Design Improvement or money making scam
 

It's the extras....because the battery is shit, a lot of people have a charger at the office, in the car, etc, etc...plus all those speaker docks and what not that won't work anymore.

The patent war is daft and a waste of money, but the thing is, a lot of the Apple patents shouldn't have been granted in the first place because of previous products showing off the tech, but the US patent office is tiny compared to what it used to be and just doesn't have the time to properly check every patent application so loads get granted when they shouldn't, which leads to law suits to get them removed.

Re: Design Improvement or money making scam
 

I am probably the only person in the world who has Never owned a smart phone.

Re: Design Improvement or money making scam
 

Oh shit I forgot about all the docks, yeah I have one which I use for my iPod touch (have never had an iphone despite being an apple freak) so that will be a pain.

New iPod touch's look lovely mind, one of the best things I've ever bought.

Re: Design Improvement or money making scam
 

I'm on a PAYG and my phone is anything but smart...it can barely make calls :lol:

Re: Design Improvement or money making scam
 

The iPod Touch is about the only thing that sounded like it good a decent, worthwhile upgrade, everything else all sound a bit meh and the kind of stuff you'd only bother getting if you dropped your phone in the bog by accident kind of thing.

Yet folks seem to be pre-ordering like crazy, having only recently gotten the 4S.

Re: Design Improvement or money making scam
 

I'll be sticking with my trusty iPhone 4 until it dies mesel - not radical enough a departure for me to part with hard earned just yet

Re: Design Improvement or money making scam
 

couple of things

apple are a business as such they have a legal obligation to make a profit for their shareholders, selling a new set of connectors should be a highly successful way of doing this

secondly the old connecter is ****ing massive compared to micro usb so its long past time when it should have been replaced allowing for smaller accessories, chargers etc and freeing up space within devices themselves.

my only grumble is they didnt go down the micro usb route but then see point 1