As we enter September, we edge ever closer to Apple's latest press event; during which the company is expected to reveal the latest iPhone, or, more accurately, iPhones. Apple always draws a crowd, but this press event is sure to draw even more than the usual levels of attention.
Apple has, according to many, fallen a little short of expectations in recent years. Since the driving force of Steve Jobs shuffled off this mortal coil, the hardware releases have become a little safe and stale. Apple seems to have lost some of its ability to innovate, to gamble, to take risks on the new.
So, were the rumored upgrades (if they can be called upgrades) enough to persuade the MakeUseOf readership commit to making a purchase?
The Results
We asked you, Will You Be Buying Either A "Gold" iPhone Or "Cheap" iPhone? The gold iPhone is actually a champagne-colored iPhone rumored to be added to the mix. The cheap iPhone is a cut-price model featuring a plastic (rather than aluminium) case also rumored to be added to the mix.
http://youtu.be/XosHm_wjAhI
The responses ranged from "Neither" to "Both," with pretty much all variations between the two extremes. Overall, more people were interested in the gold iPhone than the cheap iPhone, but then I suspect they're all existing Apple fans who just want an excuse to hand more of their hard-earned cash over to Cupertino.
The big boss of MakeUseOf commented to link to a concept iPhone 6, and it has to be said it's a fantastic concept. Unfortunately the true iPhone 5S may be a little less dazzling. Still, the plasticky iPhone 5C looks set to gain some fans, with one particularly insightful commenter who would prefer a durable material asking, "Who ever thought putting glass on the back of a phone was a good idea in the first place?" It's a damn good question.
Comment Of The Week
We had great input from the likes of D. Reid, John O., and porkpie, to name just a few. Comment Of The Week goes to Vipul J, who, as well as the respect of myself and hopefully everybody reading this, receives a T-shirt for this comment:
Considering Apple’s pricing strategy in the past,
1 Gold iPhone = 4 Decent Android smartphones.
1 Budget iPhone = 2 Decent Android smartphones.
But I only need one phone.
So I’ll just buy 1 decent Android smartphone.. :D
This might seem very objective, but even after endless debate you cannot justify Apple’s pricing considering and comparing it with an Android smartphone with the same basic features.
We liked this comment because it's funny, mainly, but it also has more than a grain of truth to it. Apple's pricing strategy has gained the company plenty of fans; fans who like the fact that they're buying an expensive, premium product. But there are more people out there who reject spending so much money on something for which similar alternatives exist. Namely the best Android and Windows Phone handsets.
We will be asking a new question tomorrow, so please join us then. We Ask You is a weekly column dedicated to finding out the opinions of MakeUseOf readers. We ask you a question and you tell us what you think. The question is open-ended and is usually open to debate. Some questions will be purely opinion-based, while others will see you sharing tips and advice, or advocating tools and apps to the MakeUseOf readership. This column is nothing without your input, all of which is valued.
Image Credit: Yutaka Tsutano