

Pre-sales of ‘disappointing’ iPhone 4S fail to disappoint - gadgetsrule
http://www.bgr.com/2011/10/08/pre-sales-of-disappointing-iphone-4s-fail-to-disappoint/

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kposehn
Good article post, thanks for linking it.

I think that overall, what many in the press missed, is that this upgrade
isn't about the iPhone 4 - it is about the 3GS.

While I have a 4 and was lucky enough to get a full discount on my upgrade,
there's a massive number of 3GS users that weren't eligible for an upgrade
until now. They've all seen the 4 and wanted it but not been willing to drop
the extra cash on it and now they have a chance with the full subsidy.

Furthermore, Apple opened the doors to iPhone use a bit wider with Sprint and
also the free 3GS and lower priced 4. A great move that has increased their
appeal without actually cheapening the image of the product.

It is important to remember that Apple doesn't play for tech press. They play
for the people that you see every day. Android phones are made for carriers,
not for consumers; the iPhone is made for people.

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mitchty
Bingo, I'm a 3GS owner myself. I know lots of geeks with Android phones, but
to be honest, I just can't given an arse about "rooting" my phone or all this
other stuff which reeks too much like the windows days of removing crapware on
a Compaq or something. I've seen the amount of work my friends have invested
in getting their phones working, and I have to be blunt here: I don't give a
rats. I just want to use a phone that works and has good battery life. I don't
need to run Apache on my phone or any of that nonsense.

Every 3GS owner, and a few 4 owners as well, that I know is upgrading to a 4s
and not an android phone. Anecdotal I know but the 4 didn't thrill me much to
upgrade to and most Android phones don't have the battery life of the iPhones.
I spend enough time twiddling things on computers at work, I don't need to do
that with my phone too.

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dereg
Same here. I feel that to get the most out of an Android phone, I'd have to
spend time on forums reading posts on how to modify X or Y. Furthermore, I
want to be on the same platform as my girlfriend and family (for the obvious
synergies). I could never recommend them an Android phone.

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j_baker
You know, the only place where I've seen the iPhone 4S called "disappointing"
is in the mainstream press, and mostly because it looks the same as the iPhone
4. I suppose that should say something about how out of touch with technology
the mainstream media is.

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masklinn
> You know, the only place where I've seen the iPhone 4S called
> "disappointing" is in the mainstream press

The tech press (and many tech forums, especially centered around Apple and
Android) were full of that crap, as they are after pretty much any actual
Apple release.

~~~
j_baker
The word "disappointing" implies that one _had_ expectations that the iPhone
4S would be good, which I think the mainstream press did. I think they were a
bit disappointed that there wasn't any visual redesign.

The garbage you see in the tech press is by people who never liked Apple
products and probably never will like Apple products.

EDIT: I think this article from the same source has the point nailed:
<http://www.bgr.com/2011/10/05/apples-fall-from-grace/>

~~~
DerekL
So many critics don't understand that leaving the case unchanged from the
previous model is a feature, not a bug. All of the accessories that attach to
the phone, cases, tripod mounts, battery packs, etc., don't have to be
redesigned. They will all be ready when the 4S is released. They'll take up
less shelf space in stores.

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stellar678
In the lead-up to this iPhone release, I noticed an odd thing: many people
around me who had stayed out of the smartphone game until now were making
solid plans to buy into this release of the iPhone.

I've checked in with friends - even friends from abroad - and the story is the
same. Lots of people seem to be trading in their 4+-year-old flip phone for an
iPhone. I'm not sure why.

~~~
kposehn
Interesting - I wonder if that's a trend at large. Cook did make a point of
noting the market for Apple as mobile phones _as a whole_ instead of just
smart phones. This may be something they clearly had in mind.

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ak217
Probably because all the 3GS people coming off their AT&T contracts want a
shiny new iPhone 4. And for good reason - it's still by far the best-looking
smartphone out there...

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bsphil
Marginal upgrades to the camera and processor, with a new app for voice
commands, and they can't even make them fast enough.

Seriously, I'm just at a loss. I honestly don't get Apple. I've used their
products and just don't see what others do. What am I missing?

~~~
czhiddy
2x the CPU speed and 7x the GPU speed, all with equal or better battery life =
marginal? I'm curious what what your idea of a "substantial" upgrade would be.

~~~
viscanti
I wondered the same thing when the iPad 2 was labeled as a "marginal" upgrade.
Any time you more than double the performance of something, that's hardly a
marginal upgrade. No one would consider doubling the horsepower in their car a
marginal upgrade. I'm not sure why we see it applied to iOS devices.

Maybe it's because the performance numbers are abstracted away so much more
for mobile devices. Most mobile phone buyers probably view their phone as a
black box. It does what it's supposed to do (hopefully) and that's about it.
They don't know or care about the internals, so the outside gets so much more
attention. If the outside isn't updated then it seems like it's a marginal
update.

~~~
wiredfool
I find the ipad2 to be a marginal upgrade. I've got both, and really, the
biggest difference is that the 2 is white. Safari is a bit snappier, but it's
not 2x faster. It's got a camera, but, eh, I can't say I get much use out of
it.

(I wasn't planning on getting the 2, but I won a coding contest. So, not
looking a prize in the mouth and all that)

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eslaught
This article says essentially nothing. The third sentence, about Apple's
preorder numbers, is the only new information it provides. Everything else we
already knew: last year's preorder numbers, specs for the 4S, and commentary
on sentiment about the 4S. This would have provided more value to the reader
as a one-sentence statement.

