The rumours swirl around Apple. Heavily anticipated is the iPhone 8, which if all goes as planned, or close to plan should be here in the early to late fall. With its arrival, the rumours that swirl around are so multi- varied I doubt anyone really exactly knows what Apple will be able to bring us. If they didn’t overshoot, potentially a very nice but incredibly expensive phone and thus a good seller for the company. If they’ve overshot, expect delays and bugs.
Personally, I expect the phone to be nice but expensive and buggy enough that it might make some sense to wait a touch and let others uncover the bugs, go through the pain and give Apple enough time to get it straightened out. This I would say would be an optimistic view all things being considered but the most important thing for Apple is what does this mean/imply for Apple. Most Apple consumers currently would not be able to deal with an Android. This is what keeps the iPhone so alive; it’s combination of status symbol and being easy to use but at what cost does this come at.
Apple’s Biggest New Change might not be Enough for the Consumer
OLED phones are most certainly nice to look at for a while however, really only short while. Today’s LED panels, which are in abundance are impressive just not quite as impressive as OLED.
Samsung uses OLED in their G8 and G8+ but for my tastes the colours are too poppy. The screen almost appears like it’s going to jump out at you. My preference currently is the type of high end LED’s that LG and HTC use in the u11 and G6 respectively. This WIKI article is as good as any to basically explain the fundamentals of OLED. In an OLED TV it is impressive. Smartphones with OLED also can be considered impressive but at what price? There’s a point that we have too question the value proposition to have an OLED phone and ultimately what we’re getting for the expected cost.
In this article “The iPhone 8’s biggest change will not be a ‘must have’ feature, analysts say.” People who are rich might not care and for the average person common sense might be put aside too obtain one but the rumoured price of the iPhone is anywhere from $1000 to $1500 USD. To put more to this number in Canadian dollars it is over $1500 CDN and in British Pounds it is 930.00 GBP. In Canada you would add 13 percent in taxes for a phone bringing the grand total to $1700 CDN.
Implications for Apple, the Consumer and the Economy are Far Ranging
This is but one rumour of the numerous that are out there. To buy the iPhone 8 if it comes in anywhere near or at this price point will certainly mean people will have to borrow the money in some fashion to obtain the phone. Debt, which already weighing many people and a household down, likely has a tipping point but the purchase of an iPhone or for that matter any Smartphone is often an emotional decision as opposed to that of a logical decision.
If the iPhone 8 sells well it will be positive for Apple, healthy for the tax man thus the economy but is it quite so healthy for the consumer. Can the average consumer of an iPhone expect that there will really be such a return on their Investment (ROI) to balance out the investment. I doubt it and secondly that is why this type of purchase is one that is emotional in nature and not logical.
If the iPhone 8 Doesn’t Sell Well
Apple’s wealth, stupidly for Apple, is likely as high as 70% from the iPhone alone. Healthy sales for Apple bode well but unhealthy sales bode terribly. Apple knows this and it is rumoured that the less expensive and what some view as the more affordable iPhone 7 will likely remain only as something such as the iPhone 7s with some increased functionality but nothing major. However, if the consumer wants an iPhone but really determines they can’t part with such an amount of money for the iPhone 8 they still have the option of buying today’s iPhone.
Interestingly, many question the expense of the top end iPhone 7. Some that have an Android have it due to the fact that dollar for dollar they get far more from the Android than from the iPhone or more importantly just as much for a lot less.
Smartphone Benefits
I am not questioning the benefits that come with having a Smartphone and I think that most people would agree that today, especially in the mature economies of the industrialized nations, a Smartphone is a must have device not a nice to have unit. However, this statement is conditional based on the cost of the unit. It is not a must have if it weighs you under so much debt you can’t move. It doesn’t guarantee you success in one of your endeavours but aids that success.
I clearly believe the Smartphone is essential to healthy function in the industrialized nations and is likely no less important in the developing nations. However, this statement has to be qualified with a “within reason” approach.
Emotional bankruptcy and/or financial bankruptcy do not justify the means that brought anything/one (society, individual, corporation etc) to that point. The means does not always justify the end and the end might not have been properly assessed as the iPhone, especially, is often an emotional decision not based on any logical factors.
Shortly we Should Know
The iPhone 8 is not that far from release now. It is wise to not purchase an Apple phone until it does hit the market and we know precisely what is being offered. Those in this hyped world of iPhone watching, waiting and buying can hardly wait. They might be quite disappointed though. This is new territory that Apple is entering and it is unclear if the company should have so many eggs tied to this one basket.
Apple has a relatively large portfolio of products. They recently have had to take stock of this portfolio as the Smartphone market has become saturated. Analysts are convinced Apple needs to leverage their broad portfolio otherwise their continued prosperity could be in jeopardy.
Apple seems to be doing just that. It is likely there will be a strong push on the release of Apple’s new lineup of Smartphones and most particularly the iPhone 8. However, they are also promoting their iPad of late and are paying needed attention to their computer line. In fact, some new, very nice computer upgrades were recently announced.
Concern and Promise Remains
Apple is an incredibly successful company. The trick of course is to maintain that success. To do so probably requires a great deal more diversity and showing the customer a lot of the other interesting opportunities rather than fixate solely on the iPhone.
For the customer though, you have to wonder when and if rationality will ever step. How much is it feasible to spend on a phone, a Smartphone at that but still a phone. There is no point in putting yourself in bankruptcy heaven especially if you already have a good phone. Better still to invest your money in Apple’s broader portfolio of products – something that you might not have but could really use.
As an example, Apple has finally released some very nice iPads and computers and their AppleTV just gets more interesting by the month. If you feel like writing, there is nothing finer than an Apple computer. The rich interface, the variety of software options and that keyboard.
Both the keyboard say on the MacBook Air and the iMac are pure delights. You can write for hours on these. The Air is what Apple refers to as their affordable mobile computer but I feel it has bar none the best keyboard on it that you could find. This is more important than speed in the case of writing than the horsepower of the machine.
The iMac you just can’t beat now for a very high performance, luxurious device. Plus, the iPad’s are seeing tremendous renewed vigour and for some can be your computer plus an extremely powerful but portable device.
Finally, there is the AppleTV. This has always seemed the more slow moving of the devices in the Apple lineup but it is a device that really could revolutionize the way we consume media. This is a device that doesn’t get the attention it deserves but every month there is exciting improvements. There are more channels, methods of obtaining content and creating your own content than we could have imagined when Apple used to call it a hobby box. They made a great mistake with the way the approached the units but the consumer and the developers gets it along, slowly, with Apple. iTunes is but many of a number of fascinating places to get your content and although it is by far the cheapest method it remains the best.