Apple Jan. 27 launch event... what will it be?

[hostile]

Again, there are other reasons for buying an iPhone than price, specs, or because it's cool. My life has been much better since I went all Mac all the time. I'm happy to pay the premium for the hardware/software as it makes my life much easier.

I'll be pre-ordering mine on 9/12 at the premium price.

[Uncle Ted]

I just don't understand why people keep buying a phone with lagging specs simply because it is Apple.

Matthew Lynn (Bloomberg) back in 2007 didn't understand it either... He recommended to hold onto your Nokia stock:

Apple iPhone Will Fail in a Late, Defensive Move: Matthew Lynn

Few products have been launched with such a blizzard of publicity as Apple Inc.'s iPhone.


To its many fans, Apple is more of a religious cult than a company. An iToaster that downloads music while toasting bread would probably get the same kind of worldwide attention.


Don't let that fool you into thinking that it matters. The big competitors in the mobile-phone industry such as Nokia Oyj and Motorola Inc. won't be whispering nervously into their clamshells over a new threat to their business.


The iPhone is nothing more than a luxury bauble that will appeal to a few gadget freaks. In terms of its impact on the industry, the iPhone is less relevant.

[...]

Not everyone is sold on the idea.


``The iPhone will not substantially alter the fundamental structure and challenges of the mobile industry,'' Charles Golvin, an analyst at Forrester Research Inc., said in a report this month.


There are three reasons that Apple is unlikely to make much of an impact on this market -- and why it is too early to start dumping your Nokia shares.


First, Apple is late to this party. The company didn't invent the personal computer or MP3 player, but it was among the pioneers of both products. Yet there is no shortage of phones out there. There are already big companies that dominate the space, all of whom will defend their turf. That means Apple will have to fight hard for every sale.
[...]

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...Av0&refer=home

LOL. Is Nokia still selling phones? And doesn't some Chinese company own Motorola now?

[HuskyFreeNorthwest]

Has Surfah told us how bad the maps are yet? I've been out if service all day.

[creekster]

when i was i high school my mom owned a 2 year old corvette that she occasionally let me drive. A kid at high school, Scott, used to tell me and anyone who listened that his car, some sort of jalopy that he had rebuilt from the frame up and had a dual carb or whatever, was faster than the 'vette and would eat its lunch in a race. He was probably right. But I didn't care because the young women didn't care. I didn't have to race and beat Scott's car. The 'vette was plenty fast, was a lot of fun to drive and, more importantly perhaps, its intangibles with other guys and especially young women made it the clear choice. But I am sure Scott was very satisfied with his, whatever it is (and, really, no one remembers what it was).

FUnk in this thread reminds me of Scott. Yes, his phone is faster and it does stuff and blah, blah, blah. So what? When it counts the iPhone delivers more than adequate performance and its intangibles make it a clear choice for most people.

[Surfah]

Has Surfah told us how bad the maps are yet? I've been out if service all day.

They're the worst!

[Northwestcoug]

when i was i high school my mom owned a 2 year old corvette that she occasionally let me drive. A kid at high school, Scott, used to tell me and anyone who listened that his car, some sort of jalopy that he had rebuilt from the frame up and had a dual carb or whatever, was faster than the 'vette and would eat its lunch in a race. He was probably right. But I didn't care because the young women didn't care. I didn't have to race and beat Scott's car. The 'vette was plenty fast, was a lot of fun to drive and, more importantly perhaps, its intangibles with other guys and especially young women made it the clear choice. But I am sure Scott was very satisfied with his, whatever it is (and, really, no one remembers what it was).

FUnk in this thread reminds me of Scott. Yes, his phone is faster and it does stuff and blah, blah, blah. So what? When it counts the iPhone delivers more than adequate performance and its intangibles make it a clear choice for most people.

Count me among the sheep. My brother is like MPF. He goes out of his way to not use apple products (he even bought an HP touchpad!). I don't know how many times I've heard that his phone is better than mine. And in some instances, he's right. But there is a reason why the iPhone carries a premium price.

I just wish it was my turn to upgrade! My wife will be paying the premium price this time.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Young creekster in a Vette? That's badass.

[Pelado]

Young creekster in a Vette? That's badass.

Didn't know they made Vettes back then.

[creekster]

Young creekster in a Vette? That's badass.

It was pretty sweet. My normal car was a Fiat 128 sport coupe with duct-taped rear windows and a penchant for broken clutch cables making me pop the clutch to start it and having to run stop signs and lights to go anywhere (although I did learn how to shift it all the way to third gear without a clutch). It also had a bent wheel and was way out of alignment because, in a fit of teenaged stupidity, I tried to do donuts in a parking lot covered in fresh snow IN REVERSE. My reasoning being that since it was front wheel drive maybe I could do a donut in reverse. Stooooopid. Lost control, into a curb at high speed. Oops.

So once in a while my mom would have pity and let me take the vette on a date or some such.

[falafel]

when i was i high school my mom owned a 2 year old corvette that she occasionally let me drive. A kid at high school, Scott, used to tell me and anyone who listened that his car, some sort of jalopy that he had rebuilt from the frame up and had a dual carb or whatever, was faster than the 'vette and would eat its lunch in a race. He was probably right. But I didn't care because the young women didn't care. I didn't have to race and beat Scott's car. The 'vette was plenty fast, was a lot of fun to drive and, more importantly perhaps, its intangibles with other guys and especially young women made it the clear choice. But I am sure Scott was very satisfied with his, whatever it is (and, really, no one remembers what it was).

FUnk in this thread reminds me of Scott. Yes, his phone is faster and it does stuff and blah, blah, blah. So what? When it counts the iPhone delivers more than adequate performance and its intangibles make it a clear choice for most people.

You're using your iPhone to pick up women?

[MartyFunkhouser]

Count me among the sheep. My brother is like MPF. He goes out of his way to not use apple products (he even bought an HP touchpad!). I don't know how many times I've heard that his phone is better than mine. And in some instances, he's right. But there is a reason why the iPhone carries a premium price.

I just wish it was my turn to upgrade! My wife will be paying the premium price this time.

I don't go out of my way to use Apple products. I bought a Macbook and really liked it. Vista was awful and the OS difference justified the extreme markup. Then Windows 7 came out and there was no longer enough value to justify the obscene price.

[creekster]

You're using your iPhone to pick up women?

Yes. That's precisely what I meant.

[Donuthole]

I love how android users like mpfunk are all so satisfied that they bounce from phone to phone and brand to brand. Samsung users are suddenly interested in trying out LG, HTC, or other android phones, but it's because they are completely happy with their phone.

[Color Me Badd Fan]

I, for one, am glad that people continue to buy an inferior phone, especially celebrities.

In all seriousness, despite the denial in this thread, the biggest advantage that the Android phones had were the larger screens. The fact that Apple's essentially putting an end to the small-screened iPhone when production of the 5s is finished speaks volumes -- everyone wants larger screen phones and Apple wasn't providing it. Honestly, I am a little surprised they're making that jump to phablets with that 5.5 inch phone, especially in light of how many of you on here just couldn't get enough of that awesome 3 inch screen that had been around since 2007. You should voice your opinion to Apple and let them know how displeased you are that they're taking away that highly functional screen that was right at home during the Blackberry era. Maybe they'll file it away along with the complaints from the dozens of other people that prefer Apple's marvel of 2007 engineering.

Apple should have come out with the larger screen at least two years ago -- when they came out with the iPhone 5. In the meantime, Android is, IMO, now the superior OS. The bugginess is now largely gone, while the better layout and flexibility remains. Additionally, Google's apps like gmail, maps and Google Drive are substantially better than comparable Apple apps (if they exist at all), and they work a lot better on Android. Gmail and Google Drive are fundamental personal and business applications and chances are a substantial if not a majority of one's use of the phone (other than browsing the web and talking) will deal with these two functions -- emailing and retrieving, saving and reviewing docs. A year ago, I might have perhaps had a different opinion on this, but I don't now.

With that said, I still strongly support Apple, especially iCloud. And I sincerely hope that celebrities like Alison Brie continue to use it.

[Northwestcoug]

I love how android users like mpfunk are all so satisfied that they bounce from phone to phone and brand to brand. Samsung users are suddenly interested in trying out LG, HTC, or other android phones, but it's because they are completely happy with their phone.

Yep. My brother loved his LG. And his Nokia. And whatever phone he's onto now.