The AppAdvice Week In Review: A Tale Of Two iPhones And More On The iPad 5 Debut
October 13, 2013
We're still waiting for new iPads. While we wait, much of the discussion remains on the two new iPhones, for better or worse. Here are just a few of the stories we covered during the week that was.
Both the iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s will launch in additional countries in the coming weeks.
Beginning Friday, Oct. 25, both handsets will arrive in: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, French West Indies, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Reunion Island, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, and Thailand.
On Friday, Nov. 1, both will launch in Albania, Armenia, Bahrain, Colombia, El Salvador, Guam, Guatemala, India, Macedonia, Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and United Arab Emirates.
This news comes despite continued shortages for the iPhone 5s. As Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster noted, iPhone 5s inventories have worsened since the handset first launched on Sept. 20. Munster says that iPhone 5s supplies went from 27 percent availability two weeks ago, to 6 percent over the past week. This finding is based on checks at 60 Apple retail stores.
More worrisome, the number of stores that had at least one iPhone 5s SKU available has also dropped. Two weeks ago, 90 percent of stores reported having at least one model in stock. That number is just 40 percent now.
According to AllThingsD, Apple’s second media event in less than two months will happen on Tuesday, Oct. 22.
The report says the iPad will be the major focus:
Where do you stand on the iPhone 5c?
This week, I called the iPhone 5c a disaster. This opinion had little to do with the actual handset. Rather, I stressed that Apple did a poor job setting the handset's price, given its ho-hum list of features. I also complained about the color choices for the handset. Naturally, this caused much debate among our readers. Some agreed with my analysis, including Petterson, who said the following:Come on let's face it Apple screwed up royally on the 5c. I don't know many teen that would be caught with these colors. They look soooo cheap Apples quality has been slipping for 2 years now. Apple has lost the cool factor they once owned, sad really.Others weren't so kind. John called the article something I can't repeat here, while SarcasticJoe wondered whether I had been smoking something funny (I had not). Reader Shmoops offered this respectful opinion:
You guys aren't looking at this the right way. The 5c line is meant to replace the tradition of dropping the price on the previous years iPhone and keeping it on shelves. It's just a rebranding of old hardware that prob costs less to make. Given the fact that US carriers were reporting the 5c as their second highest selling phone, and the fact that previous iPhone models have never been second best sellers before, I'd say that Apple is achieving everything they want with the 5c.I'll add this to the debate: For months, the rumors suggested that Apple was working on a low-cost iPhone for emerging markets. That speculation spun into overdrive once the name “iPhone 5c” was leaked in late August. But the iPhone 5c isn't sitting in the bargain bin. Instead, Apple priced the handset just below that of the new iPhone 5s. The iPhone 5c is still cheap. However, Apple is the one saving money, not the consumer. The iPhone 5c uses internals from the iPhone 5. These parts are a year old in terms of technology. They are also less expensive for Apple to produce. Additionally, the one area where the iPhone 5c is different than the iPhone 5 was also made in such a way that it benefits Apple's bottom line. The handset comes in five color choices. Each of these is made of “beautifully, unapologetically plastic,” according to Apple’s Jony Ive. Again, I'm not saying that the iPhone 5c is a bad handset. Rather, it serves a purpose most consumers might not know about, and is worth pointing out. See also: Reliable Analyst Cuts Sales Forecast For The iPhone 5c, Some Very Bad News For Apple's iPhone 5c .
The iPhone 5s still rules and is sold out
Both the iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s will launch in additional countries in the coming weeks.
Beginning Friday, Oct. 25, both handsets will arrive in: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, French West Indies, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Reunion Island, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, and Thailand.
On Friday, Nov. 1, both will launch in Albania, Armenia, Bahrain, Colombia, El Salvador, Guam, Guatemala, India, Macedonia, Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and United Arab Emirates.
This news comes despite continued shortages for the iPhone 5s. As Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster noted, iPhone 5s inventories have worsened since the handset first launched on Sept. 20. Munster says that iPhone 5s supplies went from 27 percent availability two weeks ago, to 6 percent over the past week. This finding is based on checks at 60 Apple retail stores.
More worrisome, the number of stores that had at least one iPhone 5s SKU available has also dropped. Two weeks ago, 90 percent of stores reported having at least one model in stock. That number is just 40 percent now.
Oct. 22 is probably the day for new iPads
According to AllThingsD, Apple’s second media event in less than two months will happen on Tuesday, Oct. 22.
The report says the iPad will be the major focus:
People familiar with Apple’s plans tell AllThingsD that the company will hold its next invitation-only event on Tuesday October 22. The focal point of the gathering will be the latest updates to the company’s iPad line, but the new Mac Pro and OS X Mavericks will likely get some stage time as well, I’m told.As Brent Dirks reported, Apple is expected to unveil both the fifth-generation iPad and iPad mini 2 at the event. The full-sized tablet will apparently take a number of design cues from the iPad mini and feature thinner bezels. The new device should also have a significantly smaller surface area while maintaining the same 9.7-inch screen size. It’s currently unknown whether the next-generation iPad mini will sport a Retina display. A report last week said the iPad 5 and smaller tablet will feature improved cameras though. What does the iPad 5 look like? Perhaps like this.
Recommended Reading
- Google's Eric Schmidt Claims Android Is 'More Secure Than The iPhone’ by Joe White shows who could be the one smoking the crack.
- Apple's iOS 7 Does Well In A New User Experience Survey by yours truly offers some insight on Apple's new operating system.
- Apple To Expand iTunes Radio To Canada, UK, Australia And New Zealand In Early 2014 by Aldrin Calimlim has some good news for these countries.
- Apps Are More Likely To Crash On Apple's iPhone 5s Than The iPhone 5c by yours truly explains why another iOS 7 update is needed.
