Apple Confirms iPhone 5 Preorders Top 2 Million In 24 Hours

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Apple Confirms iPhone 5 Preorders Top 2 Million In 24 Hours

Posted by samzenpus on Monday September 17, 2012 @01:41AM from the got-to-have-one dept.

TheBoat writes "Apple announced on Monday that iPhone 5 preorders topped 2 million units in the smartphone's first 24 hours of pre-sale availability. That figure doubles Apple's first-day iPhone 4S sales last year, making the iPhone 5 Apple's fastest-selling smartphone ever. 'iPhone 5 pre-orders have shattered the previous record held by iPhone 4S and the customer response to iPhone 5 has been phenomenal,' Apple marketing boss Philip Schiller said."

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Wow. by Theophany · 2012-09-17 01:43 · Score: 2, Insightful

Not sure why they're bragging about it, they're way behind the Galaxy S3 on this particular metric.

Not a troll, just interesting to see the enormous difference in preorder sales between two companies that are constantly at each others' throats.
1. Re:Wow. by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-17 01:47 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  Right but, are we talking about units sold or units shipped. Apple consistently uses units sold to my knowledge, and then after that it's a crapshoot without additional information.
2. Re:Wow. by CharlyFoxtrot · 2012-09-17 01:49 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  We're talking about the first 24 hours here, US only and directly from consumers. Galaxy S3's 9 million pre-orders was over a longer period, worldwide and pre-orders by carriers. You're comparing apples and lemons.
  
  --
  If all else fails, immortality can always be assured by spectacular error.
3. Re:Wow. by the+computer+guy+nex · 2012-09-17 01:55 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  We're talking about the first 24 hours here, US only and directly from consumers. Galaxy S3's 9 million pre-orders was over a longer period, worldwide and pre-orders by carriers. You're comparing apples and lemons.
  Galaxy S3 did not have 9 million preorders. Samsung confirmed it took just under 2 months to sell 10 million.
  
  http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57477475-94/samsung-galaxy-s3-hits-10-million-sales-mark-early/
4. Re:Wow. by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-17 01:56 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  Right but, this article was written by the same guy who yesterday wrote this:
  "Well, the only thing even more predictable than response to the iPhone 5 was the fact that preorders would sell out quickly."
  Stop letting this asswipe use slashdot to drive hits on his stories.
5. Re:Wow. by somersault · 2012-09-17 01:59 · Score: 2
  
  After looking at the specs of the 4S and the 5, I don't understand why anyone would even care about upgrading beyond it being a fashion statement. Especially since it doesn't even fit directly into current iPhone "accessories", which are one of the few real benefits to having an iPod/iPhone.
  
  --
  which is totally what she said
6. Re:Wow. by Buchenskjoll · 2012-09-17 02:06 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  Yeah, and if christmas tree vendors could keep up sales all year it would be a hell of a business.
  
  --
  -- Make America hate again!
7. Re:Wow. by MBCook · 2012-09-17 02:08 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  Some people will, because they always want the latest and the best. But there are a lot of people like me (with an iPhone 4) or my little sister (who has a 3GS) who are eligible for the full subsidy and for whom it's a major upgrade. For me it's much faster, includes Siri, and a much better camera. For my little sister it's vastly faster, includes a retina display, Siri, a vastly better camera, it's thinner, etc.
  Not everyone ordering is coming off a 4S. I'd imagine most are coming from the 4 or below.
  
  --
  Comment forecast: Bits of genius surrounded by a sea of mediocrity.
8. Re:Wow. by serviscope_minor · 2012-09-17 02:09 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  You're comparing apples and lemons.
  Actually, I believe he was comparing apples and samsungs.
  
  --
  SJW n. One who posts facts.
9. Re:Wow. by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-17 02:20 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  Ja. "Phones shipped" is a crap metric because a lot of those phones sold just sit on store shelves and don't get sold. "Phones sold" tell you how many are actually being bought an used by consumers.
  Ex., the Samsung Galaxy Tab. Before the recent court case, Samsung was reporting Galaxy Tab *shipment in the millions* (or was it tens of millions? I forget). Then the court forced them to report actual sales and it turned out that Samsung had only sold 1.4 million tablets total over 18 months. Apple sold ~30 million iPads over the same period.
  If a company says, "we shipped X" but won't report "we sold X," it's probably because most of their gear is gathering dust down at the Best Buy.
10. Re:Wow. by crmarvin42 · 2012-09-17 02:21 · Score: 2
  
  Do you have a source? I could find no data on 24-hr pre-sale rate for the Galaxy SIII.
  
  I did find the wikipedia page for the Samsung Galaxy S III, which lists 9 million pre-orders from Carriers in the first 2 weeks based on an anonymous Samsung Official. They then compare this to the 4 million pre-sales of the iPhone 4S. I found no citation for the pre-sale rates for iPhone, but the wikipedia page for the iPhone 4S claims 4 million sold (to customers?) in the first 3 days of availability.
  
  Compare that to 2 million in 24-hr for the 5, and I doubt that the iPhone 5 is "way behind the Galaxy S3" as you put it. I think the iPhone 5 is probably doing on par with, or better than the S3. The daily rate of sale will need to drop to something below ((9 million S3 - 2 million 1st day iPhone 5's)/13 days remaining in the 1st two weeks for comparison = 0.538 million/day for the next 13 days to end up below the S3. Now, I don't have any data on how effective first day pre-order sales are at predicting the ultimate sale rate of a device, but suspect that the daily rate of sale is not going to drop by a factor of 4 in such a short period of time.
  
  --
  Bureaucracy expands to meet the needs of the expanding bureaucracy.-Oscar Wilde
11. Re:Wow. by beelsebob · 2012-09-17 02:22 · Score: 2
  
  Uhh no, Samsung quoted "hundreds of thousands" of preorders within the first 24 hours. 9 million in total before it launched.
12. Re:Wow. by beelsebob · 2012-09-17 02:23 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Probably no one would upgrade from the 4S, even though it does have twice as much RAM, a CPU that's twice as fast, a GPU that's twice as fast, a bigger screen, ...
  But upgrades from the 4 or the 3GS... Almost certainly tons of people.
13. Re:Wow. by alen · 2012-09-17 02:27 · Score: 2
  
  retail release is this friday. they always sell more at retail than online.
14. Re:Wow. by jest3r · 2012-09-17 02:45 · Score: 2
  
  Yes I too still have the 3G (was stuck in a 3-year contract) and just pre-ordered the iPhone 5 which compared to the 3G is going to be a night and day kind of upgrade !!!
  I would imagine any legacy customers will using the 3G / 3GS will take the opportunity to upgrade for sure.
15. Re:Wow. by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-17 02:50 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  Exactly.
16. Re:Wow. by KingMotley · 2012-09-17 02:59 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  when you have 2 kids things like this matter. not rooting and tooting and staying up all night getting excited...
  That is how you got the 2 kids if I am not mistaken.
17. Re:Wow. by Cinder6 · 2012-09-17 03:10 · Score: 2
  
  I'm buying it. After taxes it's $252. I can (and will) sell an iPhone 4 for $170, so it's only $82 for the upgrade. For $82, I get a much better phone than the one I have now. Combine this with the fact that my iPhone 4's home button is starting to stick, and it's a no-brainer.
  
  --
  If you can't convince them, convict them.
18. Re:Wow. by somersault · 2012-09-17 03:22 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  Yes, unless the user was for example a gamer, 3D artist or video editor..
  Most iPhone games are like console games though, they're designed to work with a very limited set of hardware, and as such should already be running fast enough. Considering not everyone has a 4S, they're probably designed to work well even on an iPhone 4 at least.
  I did recently buy a new Android tablet simply for the better screen and faster processor - but that was to go from something like 1200x800 to 1920x1200, which is quite a significant difference for watching videos and reading. Funnily enough, my old tablet still feels nicer to use because my new one doesn't have Jelly Bean and its "Project Butter" yet. Despite the hardware being faster, the UI actually feels less responsive!
  
  --
  which is totally what she said
19. Re:Wow. by Electricity+Likes+Me · 2012-09-17 03:23 · Score: 2
  
  I was talking from the point of view of people who already have an iPhone. They already have "a nice bit of kit that works extremely well at what it does". There is very little reason to upgrade to the new version. The best reason someone has given so far is for a better camera.
  For people who actually care about picture quality though, I think even the cheapest point and shoot cameras do things better, from my own experience..
  Wrong metric: the point of phone cameras has always been that you always have them with you. Obviously given prep time I can always get a better quality camera somewhere, but it's (a) potentially very expensive and (b) I need to know in advance what I'm doing.
  Whereas I always have my cellphone, and it has internet connectivity as much as possible. Making that cellphone camera as good as possible is important purely because when something important does happen, chances are it's all I'll have on me.
20. Re:Wow. by calzones · 2012-09-17 03:24 · Score: 2
  
  The problem is that iPhones have historically sold out and then remain hard to get for a few weeks after. So if you want a newly released iPhone, you have to either get in really early, stand in line all day at a store, or wait about a month or more.
  For me, leaving AT&T is a huge deal. I was still on AT&T when I bought the 4 two years ago and I simply cannot take another day with these idiot fraudsters. So I wanted to jump on the new phone ASAP and not have to deal with standing in line.
  Plus, my dad is excited to get my iPhone 4 as a hand-me-down. So I'd like to get that to him before this winter.
  It all adds up to not possibly waiting any longer than the first day. I'm sure plenty of other folk have similar motives.
  
  --
  Asking people to think is like asking them to buy you a new car
21. Re:Wow. by calzones · 2012-09-17 03:31 · Score: 2
  
  There's a fix for sticking and non-responsive home buttons involving force-quitting a core app (resets something somehow) and shutting down your phone and depressing and then wiping the whole button area thoroughly with alcohol and a q-tip (esp around the edges)... let dry, boot back up. I did both of these with mine last July and it's been like new ever since.
  The first step sounds like voodoo, but I did it and immediately the button was working again. I only did the second step as well because it seemed like a logical and good thing to do anyway.
  http://osxdaily.com/2011/12/22/iphone-home-button-not-working-or-unresponsive-fix/
  
  --
  Asking people to think is like asking them to buy you a new car
22. Re:Wow. by Americano · 2012-09-17 04:08 · Score: 2
  
  Funny you mention that. I have two friends who both have older iPhones (a 3GS and a 4) and who preordered. One (with an iPhone 4) because he's on AT&T, and his contract recently expired, and now that he's off contract, wants to switch to Verizon. The other (with the 3GS) is simply looking for a faster-and-better model, and has been grousing for months about the slow performance of his old 3GS, but was holding out for the iPhone 5 to be released to upgrade, figuring he'd move to the "latest & greatest" when he upgraded, instead of upgrading to a 4S only to see a new model released months after he upgraded. They both preordered on the first day, and felt they "had" to because they wanted the upgrade.
  Are you really so daft that you can't think of numerous reasons somebody may have delayed on buying a 4 or 4S, and then decided to upgrade to a 5 when preorders were available? Or are you just pretending to be oblivious?
23. Re:Wow. by CharlyFoxtrot · 2012-09-17 04:14 · Score: 2
  
  Lighten up, it's a joke.
  
  --
  If all else fails, immortality can always be assured by spectacular error.
24. Re:Wow. by Americano · 2012-09-17 04:16 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  They are a luxury brand selling positional goods.
  Actually for me, they're a computer manufacturer selling well-built, well-integrated Unix desktops and laptops, and phones and tablets that are largely zero-hassle to operate. Don't imagine that your logic applies to all, or even most, cases.
  I think the sorriest traits I see in my fellow humans are:
  1) their obsession with what other people do with the money they earn;
  2) their lack of appreciation for tools which save time, which is often more valuable to the owner of the tool than any extra cost incurred in purchasing the tool itself;
  But you know, that's just me.
25. Re:Wow. by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-17 04:24 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  Wow. Someone who gets it.
  Platform isn't about some magical choice between closed and open source. Its not some walled garden vs free for all marketplaces.
  People buy a phone that works for them. Once they buy into a platform, once you start factoring in software (apps) and the cost of that, people are reluctant to change.
  iOS and Andriod both have their strengths and weaknesses. Blind rabid fanatacism towards either is stupid. Oooh, my device had 20 billion preorders in 60 days, yours only has 1 billion in 3 days, look how awesome mine is, blah blah blah.
  Fuck you. You're all a bunch of hypocritical assholes with blind devotion to your platform of choice. Blah blah fucking blah.
  I USE my smartphone. I don't give a fuck what OS it runs.
  Its the fucking sports world of the geeks. The Cupertino iPhonies against the Mountain View Androdgynies. Going to the game, wearing your jersey & screaming in orgasmic delight every time your team scores just makes you a corporate stooge.
  It doesn't matter who wins...just that they keep playing. At least then consumers win.
26. Re:Wow. by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-17 04:56 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  Stop letting this asswipe use slashdot to drive hits on his stories.
  No kidding. If you look at his profile: https://slashdot.org/~TheBoat/, you'll note that it has no posts, just submissions, and they're all to the articles on the same site.
  
  He's not a member of the Slashdot community, he's a parasite looking to make money from it.
27. Re:Wow. by CharlyFoxtrot · 2012-09-17 05:03 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  Because it's an indicator of how likely support is going to continue in the future. All these companies selling crappy Android based phones for next to no profit are never going to support them. Apple will provided support and updates, etc.
  
  --
  If all else fails, immortality can always be assured by spectacular error.
28. Re:Wow. by Americano · 2012-09-17 05:15 · Score: 2
  
  Bullshit. This is after-the-fact rationalizing.
  Well that's an awful convenient canned response. Please demonstrate that my statement is after the fact rationalization? Then proceed to show me a Unix laptop that's built to the same quality as a Macbook Pro, and runs a Unix distribution that will be reliable, stable, and won't require me to dick with settings constantly to keep it running. Every Linux system I've ever tried has failed those 3 tests - either it's cheap plasticky garbage that breaks down within a year, requires immense amounts of time dicking with settings and configuration to keep running properly, or requires me to build it all myself, thus costing me more in time than the extra monetary cost of just buying the Macbook Pro is worth to me.
  
  Also, what people do with their money matters
  By which you mean, "I'm smarter than anybody else, and should be able to to tell people what to do with their own property." You have yet to establish that the purchase of a Mac, or an iPhone, constitutes a "conspicuous good," or that it has no intrinsic value. You have furthermore neglected to even discuss the nature of the standard of value by which you're proclaiming its lack of value. I said, "For me it has value, and here's why," and your response was, "YOU'RE DUMB."
  From this, we may conclude that you're a self-impressed techno hipster who simply enjoys bagging on things that other people appreciate simply because they don't like the same thing you do.
29. Re:Wow. by ColdWetDog · 2012-09-17 05:41 · Score: 2
  
  The problem is that iPhones have historically sold out and then remain hard to get for a few weeks after. So if you want a newly released iPhone, you have to either get in really early, stand in line all day at a store, or wait about a month or more.
  And the rest of us really have to give you beta testers a hand. Thanks for all the hard work!
  
  --
  Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
30. Re:Wow. by amiga3D · 2012-09-17 05:59 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  I don't get this kind of hatred for the iPhone. It's as unreasoning as the fanboys' slavish gushing praise. The iPhone is a well made, well designed piece of electronic gear. It functions superbly. Is it overpriced? Maybe. But then any object is worth only what you can get people to pay for it. I think maybe for some it's the status, for some the sleek design and for others the slick OS that functions superbly. Regardless it keeps on succeeding time after time despite all the ranting from so many apple haters. I've seen a lot of Droid users opt for an iPhone after playing with a 4S and I've seen a lot of Droid users give it a pass 'cause they are happy with what they've got. It's great to have the choice though, really.
31. Re:Wow. by fredprado · 2012-09-17 06:27 · Score: 2
  
  Samsung alone sells more high end smartphones than Apple, in the World market. Apple only has a lead in US market.
32. Re:Wow. by denmarkw00t · 2012-09-17 07:09 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  Honestly, I don't mind the hardware not being "top notch" on my crusty ol' iPhone 4 - having to develop web sites for both Android (various devices from phones to tablets to phablets) and iOS, I can say that almost every Android device is terrible. Not for a lack of good specs or power, but because the OS as a whole is flimsy, unpredictable (I have phones that are fairly new and only have 2.3.1 wtf; the tablet is running HONEY COMB; another phone is running 4.0), and usually seems to at least respond with a noticeable lag. Just rotating the display when in the browser seems to cause a jump, a wait, and finally the catch up to the display being set - it's cute that they do the little "whoa there I'm being rotated lol it tickles!" animation, but in the end I just want the damn thing to be landscape and quickly.
  Android seems like a great OS, but by-and-large it seems the best Android ROMs are those that aren't officially distributed by phone manufacturers, where the community has time and again improved stability and performance in the kernel that would be awesome to see on the general consumer side. What good are 5,000,000 cores if your OS experience is bogged down by "well, it works" mentality to drivers and "ooooohhh shiny" on the UI side?
  Apple tends to win out here when the hardware on the phone is tightly woven to the internals of the OS - they can balance shiny and functional. After two years, my 4 is still kicking, still performing great, and all on crap specs by today's standards. I find it more responsive than my bosses new HTC whatevermajig with ICS.
33. Re:Wow. by pixr99 · 2012-09-17 07:25 · Score: 2
  
  No offense but I would never buy my kids an iPhone 5, if I had kids.
  The original comment was likely a commentary on how useful a decent in-phone camera can be to parents photographing their children. Since the phone is almost ever-present, it is used regularly for photos of the kids.
34. Re:Wow. by nabsltd · 2012-09-17 07:40 · Score: 2
  
  You're comparing apples and lemons.
  No, we're comparing Apple fantics to lemmings.
35. Re:Wow. by nabsltd · 2012-09-17 07:59 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  The iPhone is a well made, well designed piece of electronic gear. It functions superbly. Is it overpriced?
  Yes, yes, it is overpriced, since the vast majority of Android phones in the $200 with contract price range are also well-made, well-designed pieces of electronic gear, yet offer more bang for the buck.
  Until the iPhone 5, pretty much every Android "smartphone" had a bigger screen, most had close to or as many pixels on that screen, all had better cameras, almost all had more storage for the same price (and all could be expanded cheaply if necessary). In addition, for the normal usage pattern of phone, some Internet browsing/video streaming, music, social networking/staying in contact/texting (including taking and sharing pictures), games, and downloading/installing apps, both Android and iOS are pretty damn easy to use. For some edge cases, one or the other is easier, but this isn't most people.
36. Re:Wow. by bdenton42 · 2012-09-17 08:16 · Score: 2
  
  I had a RAZR 3G. When the original iPhone was announced I was all ready to pick it up... touch screen, games, music, what was not to love? Then I saw that it didn't have 3G, so I would drop from 3.6mbps max to 0.384 max on EDGE. Not happening... so disappointed.
  3G wouldn't show up on iPhone for a full 2 years after I already had it on the RAZR.
37. Re:Wow. by Solandri · 2012-09-17 08:23 · Score: 2
  
  Most manufacturers do not have direct access to the retail market. The manufacturer is in the business of making products, not the business of transporting them or estimating market demand. So they sell to (or contract with) a distributor, who sells to the retail stores. Consequently, they don't have access to units sold figures.
  
  The way they get around this is to track units shipped. If products sit on the shelf a certain time (or is returned as defective), the retailer then sends them back (or sometimes the manufacturer authorizes a price cut, as with the HP Touchpad). The units shipped figure is then modified to remove these returns. Now, if you think about it, I'm sure you can figure out what number you get when you take the number of units sent out, and subtract the number of units sent back. C'mon. You can do it. It's not that hard. That's right! Units sold! It's a miracle! Behold the power of math!
  
  Apple is different. They have their own retail stores, and they negotiate directly with retailers. Consequently, they have direct access to units sold figures. But the elementary-school level math used to convert units shipped to units sold means units shipped is just as good as units sold except for short-term sales figures.
38. Re:Wow. by Americano · 2012-09-17 08:29 · Score: 2
  
  Fact: The price of the iPhone is pretty much in line with any other "flagship" smart phone from other manufacturers. Go look, I can wait.
  Fact: All the rest of your whining is apparently rooted in your need to demonstrate that you're "smarter," or "more discerning," or "something" than other people. I'm sorry you were bullied as a child, but I doubt that anybody at Apple was the one to do it, so, get over it, okay?
  Fact: You've spent far too long out of your basement already. You should probably go back down there before you get a sunburn from those fluorescent lights.
  I wish I could say I found some of your ranting interesting or insightful, but really, you're just a sad, pathetic little man who obviously has some sort of chip on his shoulder due to the fact that... what - people choose apple products willingly, and because of their features? I notice you weren't able to point out an equally well constructed, cheaper, or easier to manage Unix laptop for me. I also notice you shy away from naming a model of phone you consider a better value - care to name one that trounces the iPhone's feature list, and is not priced in the same range?
39. Re:Wow. by MogNuts · 2012-09-17 08:57 · Score: 2
  
  They provide bug fixes. Not updates. 3GS and 4 won't get all the goodness of iOS 6. Let's not pretend they are still getting an update.
  Also don't forget Google didn't need to provide a lot of updates (notice i didn't say bugfixes) because it had features that iOS lacked for ages, like the newly touted turn-by-turns directions, Google-earth ripoff, poor man's version of cloud functionality as opposed to badass Google's implementation, etc.
How current iPhone users see the iPhone 5 by redback · 2012-09-17 01:48 · Score: 5, Funny

http://www.imgur.com/Pp7xC.jpeg
1. Re:How current iPhone users see the iPhone 5 by Missing.Matter · 2012-09-17 02:01 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  It's like that Jimmy Kimmel sketch where he gives people an "iPhone 5" (really a 4S) and they tell him how much faster and lighter it is compared to their current 4S.
A sucker born every minute? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-17 01:51 · Score: 4, Funny

By my calculations it's actually 1389 (rounded up) every minute.
Perspective by onyxruby · 2012-09-17 01:57 · Score: 2, Interesting

Let's keep some perspective here. They only sell one model at a time. All of the other vendors sell multiple models at the same time. The implication is that this is somehow the leading phone ecosystem or some such thing. In reality Apple doesn't even sell as many smart phones as Samsung alone, never mind all of the other vendors.
Android has 68% of the worldwide market compared to 17% for apple, which slipped from 19% a year before. Look I'm all for personal choice, I think apple has some pretty neat things that they do, but can we check the hype machine in Realityville please?
1. Re:Perspective by mgscheue · 2012-09-17 02:01 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  They sell three models at any given time. It was the 3GS, 4, and 4S and now it's the 4, 4S, and 5. I just ordered a "free" 4 for my wife to replace her 3GS.
2. Re:Perspective by the+computer+guy+nex · 2012-09-17 02:06 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  Probably because 31% of North Americans are likely to purchase the iPhone 5.
  
  http://www.marketnews.ca/content/index/page?pid=11889
  
  Most of Android marketshare comes from prepaid and free-after-subsidy low end phones with no margin. This is why every Android manufacturer combined times 4 doesn't equal only Apple's profit.
3. Re:Perspective by Missing.Matter · 2012-09-17 02:08 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  Isn't this pretty much a repeat of the PC wars all over again?
4. Re:Perspective by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-17 02:24 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  I like it how fanbois point out Apple's huge margin on iPhone as something to be proud of. "Hey, check it out how they overpriced it and still we buy it in bunches! Ain't it amazing?"
5. Re:Perspective by onyxruby · 2012-09-17 02:32 · Score: 2
  
  I assure you that I have been anti-hype and anti-marketing for decades. Sorry to burst your bubble.
6. Re:Perspective by JustNiz · 2012-09-17 02:57 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Apple 5 will be $199? I think not.
  $199 might be the subsidised price a phone company will sell you a branded, locked down version as long as you sign up for a 2 year plan. Actually for that deal I would even call $199 overpriced.
  Now try and just buy the phone without all of that. It'll be like $600.
7. Re:Perspective by JustNiz · 2012-09-17 02:59 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  Actually I just checked.
  Unlocked iPhone 5 Price: $649 (16GB), $749 (32GB) and $849 (64GB).
  With a two-year contract, iphone 5 Price: $199 (16GB), $299 (32GB) and $399 (64GB).
  $849 for a phone? hell yeah its overpriced.
8. Re:Perspective by Paradise+Pete · 2012-09-17 05:20 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  The Samsung Galaxy S 3 costs as much as an iPhone 5. Premium phones have premium prices. But *most* of the phones Samsung sells are not premium phones.
  The hateboi mantra of "overpriced" seems like a pretty weak way to argue against something. Nice things cost money, and usually in a non-linear way. That's how the world is.
9. Re:Perspective by jo_ham · 2012-09-17 05:30 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  Same price as an unlocked Galaxy SIII.
  It's weird - it's like really small electronic devices with miniature computers inside and a large touch screen are expensive to make or something.
  Who knew?!
  Or maybe Samsung is copying the iPhone's price? *ducks*
10. Re:Perspective by RightSaidFred99 · 2012-09-17 05:31 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  You are making ridiculous points. You can get a T-mobile prepaid plan with 5 gigs of 3G+/4G- data and 100 minutes of talk time for $30 a month, out the door. No FCC fees etc... For most nerds, this is plenty. For the cell phone blatherer, you can get Straight Talk unlimited talk/text and 2 gigs of data for $45. For $70 a month you can get T-Mobile prepaid with unlimited/5 gigs of data. Compare to $100+ for AT&T/Verizon plans that are similar.
  So all plans are not the same, subsidized phone plans are a rip off unless you have a bunch of people on a shared plan. But for people buying 1/2 lines and on the 2-year treadmill, they are paying anywhere from $700-$1400 for their "$199" iPhone.
  And yes, this applies to any subsidized phone, but especially the iPhone which would sell far less if people had to pay the $600-$700 for the phone outright then got much cheaper cell plans.
11. Re:Perspective by Solandri · 2012-09-17 07:59 · Score: 2
  
  Most of Android marketshare comes from prepaid and free-after-subsidy low end phones with no margin.
  
  This argument is undercut by the post above. Apple sells older versions of its phones at lower price points. Currently iPhones range from top tier (5) to free with plan (formerly 3GS, now will be 4). Same as Android phones. So no you can't argue that Android's greater market share is because they're giving the phones away for free. They give iPhones away for free too.
  
  Both types of phones now compete across the entire price spectrum. If iPhones are disproportionately newer model phones, that tells you that iPhone buyers disproportionately are the type of people who must have the latest and greatest, instead of trying to get the most bang for their buck.
  
  This is why every Android manufacturer combined times 4 doesn't equal only Apple's profit.
  Which is what all the Android fans have been trying to tell you all this time - the iPhone is ridiculously overpriced. Apple demands substantially more money for it from carriers than Android phones. So much that the carriers either make no money or lose money on it. In essence, iPhone buyers are being subsidized by Android phone buyers. If Apple got its wish and Android were banned from the market, the iPhone and phone plans would be considerably more expensive.
  
  Or another way to put it - iPhone sales are inflated because carriers are letting you have a $900 phone (their cost) for $600 (your cost without subsidies). If market prices actually reflected reality (i.e. the industry scrapped this stupid subsidy model and went to a standard loan/financing model), iPhone sales would be considerably worse than they currently are. The current market shares and profit margins you see for the iPhone are inflated due to a masterful marketing machine and inefficient industry practices (your monthly plan costs the same regardless of the cost of your "subsidized" phone).
  
  (This isn't a dig at iPhone users. They are doing the smart thing getting an $900 phone for $600, even if the price differential is simply cachet and pure profit for Apple. I'm just pointing out that the market share and profit figures are distorted in Apple's favor due to inefficient industry practices. The "subsidy" model worked for fleecing customers because carriers could charge you $480 in "subsidies" for a $200 phone because you never got to see the math behind the subsidy. But as always happens when you deliberately create a market inefficiency, someone else figured out a way to leverage that inefficiency to fleece the carriers.)
And the electronic garbage pile expands by StripedCow · 2012-09-17 02:01 · Score: 3, Insightful

Let's stop putting money into these closed systems.
Only open systems can help reduce e-waste (just look at Linux, which can actually breathe new life into an old i386).

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If Pandora's box is destined to be opened, *I* want to be the one to open it.
1. Re:And the electronic garbage pile expands by Sique · 2012-09-17 02:31 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  I'm not convinced that keeping an old i386 alive is such a good idea from an environmental point of view. If you get a $25 Raspberry Pi, the added waste to the landfill is not more than a single ISA card from the i386 (e.g. to add network capabilities), but it runs on 3.5 Watts instead of 120. So yes, it is possible to keep old i386 alive with Linux, and no, there is not much point in doing so except the smug "because I can".
  
  --
  .sig: Sique *sigh*
2. Re:And the electronic garbage pile expands by EGSonikku · 2012-09-17 02:38 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Yeah, that's worked well for Android handsets, most of which can't be upgraded, or if lucky maybe once! Versus "evil closed Apple!" who on the 19th will be releasing iOS 6, including for the 3+ year old iPhone 3GS. And Apple actually has done a fair amount of open source (including WebKit and the OS X kernel): http://opensource.apple.com/
  
  --
  - "Scientia non habet inimicum nisp ignorantem"
3. Re:And the electronic garbage pile expands by Erikderzweite · 2012-09-17 03:16 · Score: 2
  
  So? The open ecosystem has helped creating custom roms, I have upgraded my Wildfire with CyanogenMod beyond HTC's stock firmware to the latest Gingerbread version, ICS version is also in the works. True, not an ideal solution as I've needed to unlock my phone, but it is better than Apple choicewise.
Re:Apple Fanboys worry me... by serviscope_minor · 2012-09-17 02:11 · Score: 5, Funny

I couldn't live in a world where Apple dominates everything.
Well, you're not very good at thinking different than are you?

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SJW n. One who posts facts.
Re:Total number by UngodAus · 2012-09-17 02:12 · Score: 2

Number of phones Nokia shipped in 2011: 417 million Just sayin'...
Re:Apple Fanboys worry me... by tooyoung · 2012-09-17 02:14 · Score: 5, Insightful

Comments above point out that the Galaxy S3 had 9 million preorders vs the iPhone 5's 2 million. If I apply your logic to those numbers, am I to believe that Android 'fanboys' are a much worse flock? Or maybe people are just buying products that they want and we can stop associating one brand or the other with our egos.
Re:Think Different by ddd0004 · 2012-09-17 02:15 · Score: 2

They are all thinking different together
Re:Ball's in Sammy's court now... by the+computer+guy+nex · 2012-09-17 02:24 · Score: 3, Informative

Actually 22% of Android users, 38% of Blackberry users, and 32% of users with dumbphones are expected to buy the iPhone 5.

There is much less cannibalism here than you lead on.

http://cdn1.techbargains.com/static/images/iphonepredictions/iPhone-infographic_noFooter.png
So you're saying pre-orders are a bad thing? by kiriath · 2012-09-17 02:30 · Score: 5, Insightful

ALL those people that pre-ordered the samsung devices 'Sight unseen' were ok though... right?
People who pre-order anything are idiots... people who buy tickets in advance for a movie are stupid too right? They are sheep blindly following some silly trailer and thinking they might enjoy a movie. People who pre-order video games, music albums... dvds... all sheep. Right?
I hate when people use the term 'sheeple'... I am fully in charge of my technological wants and desires... I have several android devices, but I really enjoy my apple devices. I have the resources to upgrade when they come out with something new and I do. How does this make me a sheep? I'm not blindly purchasing some mythical happy box because someone said so... if I didn't want it, I wouldn't buy it. Simple as that.
Re:Sheep by EGSonikku · 2012-09-17 02:34 · Score: 2

Yeah, if you're going to base purchases on how workers get treated, you'll never buy anyone's products, Samsung included.
http://news.yahoo.com/samsung-accused-worker-abuse-eight-more-factories-215557712.html

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- "Scientia non habet inimicum nisp ignorantem"
Re:Apple Fanboys worry me... by dejanc · 2012-09-17 02:38 · Score: 2

The power of marketing seems so vast that we are willing to buy products which don't even exist yet. Even if there were a good financial incentive (20% off or something) for pre-ordering, I would still be baffled by people who would buy a cell phone without reading reviews first. It's not even only about the money - cell phone is something you have to use every day, and if the size, or ergonomics or the user interface isn't right for you, it will make you miserable.

I can see how Apple users (and I am one) trust Apple to make generally good laptops or phones, but there is still a difference between favoring one manufacturer and buying their products blindly.

Mandatory viewing: Czech Dream, a documentary about a couple of guys who get thousands of people to show up for a grand opening of a supermarket which doesn't exist.
yeah, it is popular by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-17 03:46 · Score: 2, Insightful

But popularity doesn't coincide with quality. Take Windows for example. Or Java. Popular, but they all suck ass.
The iPhone 5 also costs $200. by Brannon · 2012-09-17 09:32 · Score: 2

How is it overpriced when it costs the same as the other phones?
The overpriced myth is possibly the most hilarious anti-Apple meme because it is so provably untrue. The meme is also indefensible when compared to the price spectrum on lots of other products. Plenty of people don't buy the cheapest car they can find; and in fact they routinely pay 30-100% more than the cheapest for largely aesthetic reasons, and those people are not subject to the same kind reductive criticism which Slashdotters heap on iPhone users for paying the same or maybe 10-20% more for the phone they want.
OSX is a complete UNIX system. by Brannon · 2012-09-17 09:45 · Score: 2

You kinda make yourself look like an idiot for implying that Linux is somehow more UNIX than an actual UNIX system. OSX can do anything that any other UNIX system can do.