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Apple Limits Lengthy iPhone X Testing for Most Reviewers (wsj.com)
Tripp Mickle, reporting for the Wall Street Journal: Apple departed from its traditional preview strategy for what it bills as its most important new iPhone in years, prioritizing early access to the iPhone X for YouTube personalities and celebrities over most technology columnists who traditionally review its new products. Apple provided the iPhone X to a small number of traditional testers for about a week, while limiting most others, The Wall Street Journal included, to a single day with the device before reviews could be published (alternative source). About a half-dozen personalities on Alphabet's YouTube video service were granted time with the device before its release. The change in strategy meant the iPhone X, which hits stores Friday, got less testing than most of its predecessors before reviews could be published. Crash reviewers largely echoed those sentiments, adding the caveat that they could discover issues after they spend more time with the device. Most pledged full reviews for later in the week. The review strategy is "unusual," said Jan Dawson, an analyst with Jackdaw Research. "It's possible Apple wanted some reviews out early and those would be the more enthusiastic ones." He said YouTube reviewers tend to be more positive when given early access to devices, and that most reviews aren't overly negative. "Unless Apple felt like there would be some bad elements in the reviews, why would you hold back?" Mr. Dawson asked. "Why would you be selective about who gets it first?"
While I'm happy, as a stockholder, that the iPhoneX is apparently selling stupidly well, I'm increasingly concerned about the lack of innovation and, worse, pushing animojis AS innovation.
It's not surprising to me at all that he'd fall to this level of controlling the outputs and impressions as he knows he's got a lackluster product on his hands.
LIVIN-A-LIE!
Timmah!
A quality review should be based on a period of real-world use of the product.
Basically sounds like they're using their position to limit the scope of reviews that might otherwise have been more detailed.
My suggestion would be that honest journalists would withhold their review until they got a decent amount of mileage out of the product;
Only problem is sometimes the public listens to the FIRST source to write an article to make their decision rather than the better-researched,
and a lot of people quite frankly don't even bother with reviews because it's Apple, they'll be in line the first day it's available....
Probably because after 24 hours people start wondering why they just paid $1,000 for a phone when models 2-3 years older do pretty much the exact same thing.
Never buy a brand new item like this: phones, cars, homes; any major purchase like that. They sucker you in and you pay top dollar for something that immediately begins to depreciate, all for the sake of marketing hype. Buying the latest and greatest does not demonstrate that you are a high roller; it demonstrates that you are financially irresponsible and easily duped.
Get a new iPhone 7 or even an iPhone 6 and it will be perfectly fine and a whole lot cheaper.
What's that you say? Spend $1000 on a phone based purely on a name with basically no real reviews to go on? Sure!!! -SMH
oh look it is shiny and expensive
It's a $1000 emoji machine.
I weep for the future of our society.
So you're complaining that you didn't get enough time to find anything wrong with the device. So...what I'm really hearing is, there's nothing wrong with the device. Mmm-k. Thx.
"Unless Apple felt like there would be some bad elements in the reviews, why would you hold back?" Mr. Dawson asked. "Why would you be selective about who gets it first?"
Because, they would be reviewing the device "incorrectly" or "wrong."
Remember when some late Senior Apple executive stated that some iPhone users were holding those devices wrong?
Then again, I have that with my 6s thanks to ios11.
I'm too busy watching Star Wars speeders in NYC to bother watching tech reviews. I've only seen it 30+ times so far today.
Maybe because they're not idiots and want to control their image / marketing.
If you're stupid enough to fork out a grand on a phone that's only been reviewed by ass-kissers because you just can't stand to wait a little while, you have zero right to complain if the phone isn't everything you wanted.
How long would it take reviewers with a track record you trust to give the device a good workout? That is the minimum time you should wait, unless you're a rich fanboi developing spending habits that will probably turn you into a poor fanboi sooner or later.
I've calculated my velocity with such exquisite precision that I have no idea where I am.
Usually when your proud of a product you want everyone to rave about it. But I guess maybe Apple has decided already the iPhone X is not so great. Or maybe only a small few Apple loyalist reviewers will toe the line and give it a good review. Typical Apple and nothing new for a company who relies on consumer impulse buying to advance their bottom line. I guess Apple will keep doing it as long as it works. I am beginning to wonder if the magic that Apple has had over consumers has waned significantly. Even with reviewers who are not so admired with Apple products these days.
Because Apple, like all companies, has no interest in real reviews. They want to catch some drooling fanboi's who have a large following in Youtube so that "ZOMG teh iPhone is teh awesome". This is entirely about hype and marketing, and definitely not about someone giving a real, honest, and critical review of the damned product.
If you insist on being a day-one consumer of a product, then you deserve to be the first one to discover all of the warts, shortcomings, and outright bad design decisions.
But in the same way that Hollywood are a bunch of whiny cunts about something like Rotten Tomatoes pointing out their latest movie is shit, Apple has no real desire in giving people too much access to the product lest they same something bad about it. I'll also point out video games have been doing this for years, precisely to ensure people don't say "this game is crap" before product launch.
I have no interest in being a beta tester. And these days, at product release, that's exactly what you are, and that is probably why Apple is making sure to limit longer access to the damned thing.
Dick Trickle's cousin?
said Jan Dawson, an analyst with Jackdaw Research. "It's possible Apple wanted some reviews out early and those would be the more enthusiastic ones."
No shit? I can't believe what people get paid for sometimes.
The illusion of them being innovative and having the best product. In actual reality, that has stopped a while ago or was never true in the first place, depending on the specific aspects. So they now lean heavily on the "cult" aspect of their marketing. It seems to work, this time again, because people are irrational and there are enough that will fall for the illusion. Of course, if Apple continues to not deliver anything but the illusion, eventually the whole house of cards will come crashing down.
Now, don't get me wrong. I have absolutely no problem with people that buy an iPhone in order to feel better about themselves. It is their money and if they do feel better about themselves as a result of how they spent that money, then that is money well spent. The problem I have is that the current strategy makes Apple less and less viable as an alternative and may even kill Apple as a company in the longer term. An Android mono-culture would be very bad for everybody though and that is why I think that Apple urgently needs to get back to making good technology and actually being innovative, instead of just doing excellent marketing.
Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
Funny. Google is an Advertising company. You'd think they could market their "superior" product better.
Apple has earned enough goodwill from a lot of people through the previous iterations of the iPhone, that for the most part they are willing to buy a $1000 phone and not really see it as a risk. They know generally it will work pretty well, and support will be good - just like for all Apple Products.
It's obviously true that any new product is going to have some unforeseen hiccups. I'm sure we'll be seeing some amusing stories about FaceID... but even from just the few videos out so far, it all seems to work fairly well and for the majority of people ordering will probably work as advertised.
Myself, I'm looking forward to being able to unlock and use a phone without taking off gloves. You could do it with a passcode of course but it kind of deflates theo whole reason you get a phone with a more advanced authentication mechanism.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Why, just look at the sleek elegance of the iPhone X! So thin, it'll probably bend if you accidentally have it in your pocket when you sit down. Apple continues the "courage" of not having a 3.5mm headphone jack, (but!) it can be replaced with a bulky adapter that creates a new aesthetic! And just look at that edge-to-edge display with the courageous notch left out for the speaker. It gives you most of the functionality of the iPhone 6, but at a reasonable $1000. You won't find this price tag at Samsung (yet)!
So thin, it'll probably bend if you accidentally have it in your pocket
Nope, thicker than the plus models, and the glass back means you won't be bending it any time soon.
(but!) it can be replaced with a bulky adapter
Or you can just use the included headphones or any wireless headphones with no adaptor... apparently it wasn't much of an issue for those hundreds of millions buying an iPhone 7, right?
And just look at that edge-to-edge display with the courageous notch left out for the speaker.
The speakers are not in the top bar, that is basically an entire Kinect, which no other phone has anything like... since it fits where the status bar goes on every other phone why the freakout? In fact I would think Slashdot of all place would welcome the notch, because it pushed out carrier branding from the status bar to eliminate subtle advertising you see every day...
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
You can HIRE a gigalo, or you can MARRY a whore (so often the way that works; apologies to the lucky ones)!
The iPhone X, will it blend ?
They did some good things once, like the uni-body idea, that really helped push all laptop manufacturers to improve their designs greatly... but now all we get is tacky market orientated design crap like destroying the keyboard with a slice of useless touchscreen. Maybe it's some other companies turn to do actual innovation now they are back in the soda drink phase.
Apple thinks people aren't going to like it.
If you trust their judgement, you should avoid buying this one. (But c'mon, you're probably not surprised. The chances that any one particular manufacturer model is a good fit for any particular person, is pretty damn small. Everyone has differing opinions of what makes a good phone, which is why there are probably hundreds of possible "best phones" and any two people almost never agree.)
OTOH if you think they don't have a clue what users want, then this particular product may still possibly be good for you. They are merely thinking it's a bad phone, but that's a matter of opinion.
Purely out of mischeviousness, I will now link to tvtropes' article on this subject.
Considering Android's monster market share, I don't really see the problem.
Just FYI, you actually wrote all that in a public forum. On the internet. Forever. Good job.
Uh, I believe that is a visual indicator of which network you're connected to or roaming on, not a rolling billboard for your carrier.
1) I have root access and can remove all the bloat / spyware that comes pre-installed from the carrier
2) I can move between carriers
3) It has a removable battery
4) The camera / microphone have dedicated hardware switches that enable / disable them
5) It is somewhat waterproof ( Don't need to dive with it, but some rain protection is nice )
6) It has a standardized connector ( USB-C ) and a GD headphone jack
7) The call quality / reliability is on par with a landline
8) It isn't so damn big that it comes with optional leather straps so you can use it as a shield
9) A fast and unthrottled data plan, similar to my standard home internet plan
10) Moving music, photos, video ( or any files ) does not require I-Tunes. Just plug in with USB cable and go.
*Extra bonus if it doesn't come saddled with a contract and / or ludicrous costs for their overpriced phone / data plans.
Meet this fairy tale list of requirements and I might consider one of your shiny gadgets.
Maybe
That's just how currency works.
on items blessed by the smug /. technorati. Didn't you know?
I'm going to go order my platinum neckbeard trimmer now.
How much does it cost in East German Marks?
And only pseudonymously in addition. Your point?
Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
The 8 is not selling and if you saw the picture gallery on CNET you know the camera would have to be described as unimpressive. There are other, better toys to spend the thousand dollars on this season.
That was my point. The argument you posit was so devoid of anything factual or original it could have been knocked out by a team of poorly trained monkeys. Yet you attached your actual name to it. Embarrassingly i'd guess it more likely a human who hasn't yet reached intellectual adolescence but counter intuitively somehow mastered the ability to document his or her 'opinions' with reasonable clarity.
You are funny, but obviously utterly disconnected from reality. A typical state for a cult-member, sadly. Well, have fun in your echo chamber while it last.
Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
It's hilarious to read all the comments on this story, and how they absolutely don't reflect what people that have used the device are saying.
Haters gonna hate hate hate hate hate.
Disclaimer: I have not preordered, nor will I be buying an iPhone X. I do prefer actual evidence before making conclusions though, unlike so many around here.
Not a reasonable assessment? I'm not in any cult i'm aware of.
The illusion of them being innovative and having the best product. In actual reality, that has stopped a while ago or was never true in the first place, depending on the specific aspects. So they now lean heavily on the "cult" aspect of their marketing. It seems to work, this time again, because people are irrational and there are enough that will fall for the illusion. Of course, if Apple continues to not deliver anything but the illusion, eventually the whole house of cards will come crashing down.
Check mate.
Very few people buy a new iThing based on thought and analtysis of information. (That can be said of Android devices to some extent too.)
Getting advice from other uninformed Apple enthusiasts has always accounted for a high proportiion of iPhone sales. The problem is that Apples market % is dropping. For years now, they have been protected by the fact that the market is growing so their sales numbers go up.
They know that this cannot continue for ever so they may be looking to reinvigorate the advertising channel that has served them so well in the past.
I'll see your Constitution and raise you a Queen.
Cult members never realize they are in a cult. They just consider their new programming to be normal.
Please look out for the warning signs http://www.esama.ca/warning-signs-that-you-are-in-a-cult
The industry is no longer the domain of nerds, of those who are interested in technology's beneficial application.
The tech industry has become like the fashion industry, being driven by lifestyle and narcissism, now. It's about demonstrating that you were the first to appreciate the truly splendorous sophistication of the emperor's new clothes.
Hipsters are a more common site (at least at MS, Amazon, etc. here in Seattle) than nerds are. Being cool is more important than being, and doing, right.
haha, yep checked it out. Not in a cult, confirmed.
You want a removable battery because ... why?
Battery-pack cases, and spare waterproof battery-pack chargers, are rampant. You're afraid the battery will "wear out" before your phone does?
Well, a USB-C port was first placed on a smartphone only two years ago. Your desired connector standard is so new that any phone you bought supporting it has not had a proper chance to "wear out" its battery, and half of those phones are still under warranty.
And yet, this port standard is a deal breaker for you now that it's around?
Perhaps you need to admit that you are just as susceptible to the fast pace of innovation in the smartphone world as all the other people you scoff at. Perhaps those people you think are acting based on "marketing" have their own list of must-have features that is just as arbitrary as your own.
Some people say Apple is successful only because of their fashionable marketing. You know what's fashionable marketing -- what never gets old? Loudly declaring that Apple is finally on the decline, or has been for years despite absolutely sky-high profits. And letting the ad impressions and the comments roll in, because hey, maybe THIS time, maybe we'll be right. And maybe THIS time congress will repeal Obamacare. And maybe THIS time, when we toss the poodle out the window, it'll fly.
Well, you obviously were an easy victim.
Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
... because the phone is nothing special.
ofcourse it is well designed and shiny and very bling and it will probably 'wow' you for a day, after which you realise it's just a phone like any other, might just have well bought the normal iphone instead.
by limiting the time reviewers have with the phone, they stay within the 'wow' phase, giving positives reviews.
On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero.
It's obvious is it? Such insight.