Weak demand leads Apple to halve iPhone 5 component orders

[shine]

Ha ha, yes, declining from over 50% of one of the largest markets on Earth to just over a third... the fact that is declining isn't a factor - the fact that so many of them jailbreak is.

They sold 2m iPhone 5 in the first weekend they went on sale in China. Imagine how many more they'd have sold since, to those who won't upgrade because they can't jailbreak.

It is a factor if you understand why people were jailbreaking. The need to jailbreak has been removed therefore less people are worried about it.

Those who still want to jailbreak won't upgrade, that applies to every market where the iPhone is sold and yet it the IP5 still selling well and most analysts expect the sales figures to be positive.

 

[SteveOBHave]

Granted - Google have been a bunch of ass hats (again) and they could've allowed for their TBT application to have access but that's dialing into semantics.

The point I'm trying to make is that when there is something wrong with a product, when a company promise the world and deliver a minor update or a poorly implemented change (although I'd still call it a retrograde) you should tell them. Don't keep waving the flag if it makes no sense. Demand the 'world' from them if that's what they promise to deliver. It's not a personal attack on you when someone says "sorry but there are better products out there" it's an observation and the correct answer is "yeah, you're right but I've invested all my money and technology purchases into a specific ecosystem so I have to eat humble pie till they get it right!"

Apple have built up this 'aura' about them and their products that essentially means that they can do no wrong even when they get it horribly wrong. Your job as a consumer is to give them a smack on the back of the head and tell them that they need to pull finger and get up with the game. Fortunately it seems to be happening with the youth markets migrating away from Apple and heading toward Microsoft (I guess different is cool and when you're parents have the same phone as you... well go figure).

Don't just drink the Kool Aid, actually spend your money on what is best - this is exactly why I don't invest in any particular ecosystem - I buy what happens to be the best device at the time and right now that seems to be the Android devices. I love being able to do pretty much anything with my devices, plug anything into them, change them how I like and not have to hand over my credit card details every time I want to use the app store even for free stuff!(that used to drive me up the wall with Apple).

 

[Raymond Lin]

Narh, he is right, he knows the hearts and minds of every Chinese person who didn't get an iP5. He knows of their circumstances, their financial situations, their opinion on IP5's design, their opinion of the actual upgrade you get.

He knows it all, all 60 million Chinese.

 

[kitkat9933]

Narh, he is right, he knows the hearts and minds of every Chinese person who didn't get an iP5. He knows of their circumstances, their financial situations, their opinion on IP5's design, their opinion of the actual upgrade you get.

He knows it all, all 60 million Chinese.

I didn't read much in this thread, but 60 million Chinese people? Pretty sure last time I heard there was a lot more than that lurking about

 

[SteveOBHave]

Have you actually used Apple maps? I've had no problems with it's routing in the UK. They made a POI error in Austrailia, which led to a routing error. Routing errors have never happened to google though.

Seems like me you've jumped on the anti apple bandwagon for the sake of it. It's not your beloved Google maps, nothing could ever possibly be as good in your eyes, so you're going to bitch and moan about it.

You haven't actually read what I've been writing have you? I love a great many things about Apple devices and have repeatedly said as much. But where I see a lackluster product I call it that rather than skirting around the issue and making excuses for it. I've never suggested that Google has never had its problems - again - I'm calling it as I see it. It's not a 'bandwagon' call - it's just an observation. If it's proven wrong then I'll hold my hands up and gracefully accept it.

 

[JonB]

You haven't actually read what I've been writing have you? I love a great many things about Apple devices and have repeatedly said as much

Whats that got to do with anything? I'm an android developer*...

I never said apple maps was perfect, I certainly haven't made excuses for it, i've just pointed out that under 99% of conditions it works very well. That in my eyes is a far from misguided or lackluster product.

*But this has absolutely nothing to do with this conversation.

It's not a 'bandwagon' call - it's just an observation.

So what PERSONAL problems have you had with the routing Apple maps. Don't quote a story that has hit headlines worldwide (and the problem was corrected within 24 hours), give us your own first hand experience of problems. Have you actually even used it for more than five minutes before dismissing it?

 

[Robbo]

Apple have built up this 'aura' about them and their products that essentially means that they can do no wrong even when they get it horribly wrong.

This is fairly true in my experience.

Don't just drink the Kool Aid, actually spend your money on what is best - this is exactly why I don't invest in any particular ecosystem - I buy what happens to be the best device at the time and right now that seems to be the Android devices. I love being able to do pretty much anything with my devices, plug anything into them, change them how I like and not have to hand over my credit card details every time I want to use the app store even for free stuff!(that used to drive me up the wall with Apple).

The whole 'kool aid' thing is pretty patronising, really. The blind Apple fanboys don't tend to frequent this forum, you'll find them elsewhere. The very basis for this entire forum is built around Windows anyway, I imagine most people use it.

I decided that for the time being, the iOS ecosystem suits me better (might not be for long ), but you're essentially implying that nobody considers these things. I even buy many of the devices to properly test them out and compare, and iOS/Apple keeps narrowly coming out on top, mainly due to the uniformity, stability and the superior app quality. I'd say those are 3 pretty important things. The same way that, say, removable storage, may be a pretty important thing for yourself.

 

[Raymond Lin]

I didn't read much in this thread, but 60 million Chinese people? Pretty sure last time I heard there was a lot more than that lurking about

60m iPhone users, 1/3 jailbreak according to google.

 

[inogen]

It is a factor if you understand why people were jailbreaking. The need to jailbreak has been removed therefore less people are worried about it.

Those who still want to jailbreak won't upgrade, that applies to every market where the iPhone is sold and yet it the IP5 still selling well and most analysts expect the sales figures to be positive.

The need to jailbreak has been removed? What are you going on about?

Less people are "worried about it"?

Honestly, if you can't grasp what I'm saying, either you misunderstand why people jailbreak in the first place, misunderstand how that is a mainstream thing in China, not the preserve of enthusiasts (carriers even sell new jailbroken devices there) OR, you misunderstand the magnitude of the Chinese market and the effect that even a tiny proportion of it would have on aggregate global sales.

Fair enough, Apple have decided that it's better they take a short term hit on device sales than a long run the App Store, which is why they persevere in making jailbreaks more difficult with each iteration, but I doubt they predicted how long it would be before the iPhone 5 was broken. Especially considering a tethered jailbreak was available the day after launch.

 

[inogen]

Narh, he is right, he knows the hearts and minds of every Chinese person who didn't get an iP5. He knows of their circumstances, their financial situations, their opinion on IP5's design, their opinion of the actual upgrade you get.

He knows it all, all 60 million Chinese.

facile.

 

[JonB]

So someone with a differing opinion, one that doesn't ascribe to the "Apple Kool Aid" is a troll? It's one thing that has always gotten me about this forum - the whole Apple separatist thing - like an iPhone is not a phone, an iPad is not a Tablet and that somehow Apple doesn't need to compete with the competition. I hate to tell you this but whilst you've been sitting there in your nice white and silver world with curved edges, the rest of the world has moved on with better, faster and more capable technology.

Where is this technology?! I want some!

How about including facts next time.

Their 50% cut in production is bad for one simple reason - when you're running a company and your number 1 product halves in demand, then that is bad. If you sell 1 billion devices normally and then suddenly only sell 500million then that is a halving of your primary income stream - that is bad.

No article never mentioned anything about production cuts. It was component order cuts. Even then the original article has been proven to be ********, quoting no numbers facts or figures.

The original WSJ article has already been completely torn apart for credibility. Multiple times.

This isn't a troll, this is merely pointing out that all is not rosey in the Apple world and that they need to pick up their game.

TL DR - Pointing out that all is not well in the Apple house does not equate to trolling - it's called reality.

What you've done is called jump on a bandwagon. There is absolutely no proof than it is anything other THAN rosey in the "apple" world. You've just wanted to plug the usual "Apple isn't innovative" or "apple is on it's decline" line that gets pushed around a lot.

 

[SteveOBHave]

The whole 'kool aid' thing is pretty patronising, really. The blind Apple fanboys don't tend to frequent this forum, you'll find them elsewhere. The very basis for this entire forum is built around Windows anyway, I imagine most people use it.

I decided that for the time being, the iOS ecosystem suits me better (might not be for long ), but you're essentially implying that nobody considers these things. I even buy many of the devices to properly test them out and compare, and iOS/Apple keeps narrowly coming out on top, mainly due to the uniformity, stability and the superior app quality. I'd say those are 3 pretty important things. The same way that, say, removable storage, may be a pretty important thing for yourself.

You may well be one of the few that takes the time to decide on actual performance and usability. Sure, if you're someone that doesn't discern between a good product and a bad product and knowingly buy stuff simply because it has a label on it. What I don't see a whole lot of here is critical commentary on Apple products. That's my point.

 

[JonB]

Apple is closed eco-system and has always tightly controlled their devices. I don't see it changing in the future so when buying an Apple device I have come to realise I either embrace this or go somewhere else.

I never understand when people complain about this because it is not secret and has been at the core of Apple strategy for over a decade.

I'd argue their strategy is more "well-controlled" than "closed".

iOS as an operating system has become more and more open with every iteration. First there were no custom apps. Then there was. Then there was multitasking solutions and access to users data (albeit with a few hiccups). Now there are now even pointers to real, SAFE, cross app communication/sharing coming in the next iteration or two of iOS..

They're building a safe and secure OS, solving problems in the right manner, not rushing it in a claim to be 'open'. Plenty of past experience tells us that taking your time to do things is the right approach.

 

[SteveOBHave]

Where is this technology?! I want some!

My apologies, this was a broadly speaking observation. The iPhone 5 is the fastest most processor powerful out there at the moment however this is a cat and mouse game and it seems that at the moment Apple are having to play catch up both in capability and in functionality although it seem that this a very subjective observation.

No article never mentioned anything about production cuts. It was component order cuts. Even then the original article has been proven to be ********, quoting no numbers facts or figures.

The original WSJ article has already been completely torn apart for credibility. Multiple times.

Then I shall retract any inference that this is actual fact. However it is still worth mentioning that IF there were a 50% cut in production then it would be a bad thing. The current and continuing trend of Apples market share being gradually but steadily reduced and taken up by Android (and potentially Microsoft if they can pull finger) should be cause for concern. Regarding those articles - they're opinion pieces - hardly to be classed as being 'torn apart' but I guess we shall see - I'll watch in interest but I have nothing to gain or lose either way.

What you've done is called jump on a bandwagon. There is absolutely no proof than it is anything other THAN rosey in the "apple" world. You've just wanted to plug the usual "Apple isn't innovative" or "apple is on it's decline" line that gets pushed around a lot.

I'd dispute that call - there is plenty of proof out there that things are not all rosey in the Apple world as can be seen by their declining market share and declining sales in both their mobile phones and their iPads. In fact their iOS devices have seen a 17.6% decrease in market share over the Q3 and Q4 period of 2012. That to me suggests that things are less THAN rosey.

 

[JonB]

You may well be one of the few that takes the time to decide on actual performance and usability. Sure, if you're someone that doesn't discern between a good product and a bad product and knowingly buy stuff simply because it has a label on it. What I don't see a whole lot of here is critical commentary on Apple products. That's my point.

We don't deal in critical, we deal in objective commentary here.

 

[SteveOBHave]

We don't deal in critical, we deal in objective commentary here.

Is there a difference?

 

[JonB]

Then I shall retract any inference that this is actual fact. However it is still worth mentioning that IF there were a 50% cut in production then it would be a bad thing. The current and continuing trend of Apples market share being gradually but steadily reduced and taken up by Android (and potentially Microsoft if they can pull finger) should be cause for concern. Regarding those articles - they're opinion pieces - hardly to be classed as being 'torn apart' but I guess we shall see - I'll watch in interest but I have nothing to gain or lose either way.

Opinion pieces, just like the WSJ article that caused all this nonsense in the first place. There were no hard facts or figures in it. Just he said-she said, My sources told me this and that.

Have you got any articles for this market share malarkey? I'd argue that profit is far more important in the long run, the stuff that actually keeps companies in the game.

I'd dispute that call - there is plenty of proof out there that things are not all rosey in the Apple world as can be seen by their declining market share and declining sales in both their mobile phones and their iPads. In fact their iOS devices have seen a 17.6% decrease over the Q3 and Q4 period of 2012. That to me suggests that things are less THAN rosey.

17.6% decline in what? Sales are up, profit is at 73% of the whole smart phone market, despite only having 8.8% share.

Is there a difference?

Yes. Like I said, be at bit objective, not just critical for the sake of it (or even worse just based on how you feel). If you're going to quote a 17.6% decline in something, give some sources that quote facts and figures (actual legally binding earnings calls, rather than opinion pieces).

I wonder how many "flame-war" or "fan-boy" threads, like this, get started in the mobile phones forum? I think people like bashing apple for the sake of it, rather than using fact.

 

[SteveOBHave]

This is the article where I got the 17.6% number from http://techcrunch.com/2012/10/25/ap...ll-declining-down-17-6-percent-to-14-million/

You know as well as I do that we can sit here picking statistics till the cows come home - Google "Smartphone market share" and you'll see the current trends and you're welcome to make what conclusions you like. My read is that Apple is currently losing market share to Android, youth markets appear to be shifting toward MS in terms of tablets and smart phones and Apple don't appear to have anything revolutionary on the horizon. I'd love to be proven wrong and I'd love to see Apple create something awesome again but I can't see it - what I do see is an Apple hierarchy pulling itself apart in an attempt to regain both consumer and shareholder confidence. Again, not particularly rosey stuff.

Being objective requires being critical where necessary - it's part of the process.

As an aside, when did OcUK start hotlinking keywords in posts? Edited to change words from hotlinkable.

 

[Skyboat]

What annoyed me was how all the Apple haters (Google/Android lovers?) berated the Flyover feature of iOS 6, when the same shortcomings were present in Google Earth. Just look at the Hoover Dam on each. Yes, Apple always over exaggerate new features that really aren't that innovative, but they have shareholders and a loyal customer base to please. The same goes for the increase in screen height from 3.5" to 4" for the iPhone 5, and all the memes cropping up everywhere previewing the iPhone 20 as big as a lightsaber

No other company gets the same amount of hate as Apple do, but then they do go against the grain more significantly/publicly than anyone else.

 

[Hamish]

If Android is more popular than iOS now does that mean that the Android users are the sheep who follow the crowd?

If Samsung releases 16 new Galaxy models in 2012 does that make them the ones releasing the new 'iShiney' to lure in the devoted fandroids?

If Samsung releases the Galaxy SIII with the only changes being a newer OS version, a bigger screen and a slightly faster processor does that mean they have stopped innovating?

If Android devices need 'rooting' to install the software you want does that make them locked down?

all the arguments used against apple work against Android too!

At the end of the day I would love to get a Galaxy SIII but after trying it out and speaking to friends with them the iPhone is the better choice. I don't have time to mess around with things and trying to maximise battery life. I just want a phone that does the job well, doesn't have viruses, has a decent music player, browser, apps, build quality and battery life. Some of the things which Andoid lacks.