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Some Smartphone Salesmen Aren't Sold on the iPhone X (cnet.com)
A CNET reporter visited four carrier stores to ask their salesmen if they'd recommend an iPhone X. But after visiting stores for Sprint, T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon, "I couldn't even find a salesperson to tell me it was the best iPhone I could buy." So he finally tried asking three salesmen at Apple Stores -- and still got equivocal answers. An anonymous reader quotes CNET's report:
"Well, it depends on what you like," the salesman said, somewhat coyly. "The biggest problem I have with it is using Face ID for Apple Pay. You really have to put the phone at a certain angle or it doesn't work." He started with a problem. I was already suspicious. I was in something of a hurry, but I asked him: "So are you selling a lot more of these than other phones?"
He turned into a high-ranking member of a political party. "All our phones sell well," he said. Which sounded not entirely reassuring. Indeed, it sounded like a "no."
Chatting next with an Apple store "Genius" (who was testing his iPhone 6), CNET's reporter was told that "The X and the 8 are the same phone... Inside, I mean. With the X, you're just paying the extra money for the design." Unfortunately, that salesman's $999 iPhone X was wrapped in an ugly pink case, because after four weeks he'd already cracked it. And a third Apple salesman -- who touted the glories of an OLED screen -- also kept his iPhone X in a case at all times "It's glass," he explained. "You'll definitely need a case."
"But what about not being able to see the lovely phone?"
"Get a see-through case," he replied with a smile.
He turned into a high-ranking member of a political party. "All our phones sell well," he said. Which sounded not entirely reassuring. Indeed, it sounded like a "no."
Chatting next with an Apple store "Genius" (who was testing his iPhone 6), CNET's reporter was told that "The X and the 8 are the same phone... Inside, I mean. With the X, you're just paying the extra money for the design." Unfortunately, that salesman's $999 iPhone X was wrapped in an ugly pink case, because after four weeks he'd already cracked it. And a third Apple salesman -- who touted the glories of an OLED screen -- also kept his iPhone X in a case at all times "It's glass," he explained. "You'll definitely need a case."
"But what about not being able to see the lovely phone?"
"Get a see-through case," he replied with a smile.
Apple has lost its edge mainly by succumbing to its own "function follows form" dogma. The main features of any iPhone are sleekness and thinness, which both compromise functionality.
Cases are a necessity because these devices are designed to be fragile, gouging the customer again for the case itself and/or the inevitable repair/replacement of the device.
It's a vicious scam, and unfortunately every handset OEM is convinced they must follow Apple's lead.
End of this month is Apple’s quarterly earnings call, which will include the commercial effect of iphone X. Then we will know whether they were succesful or not.
Next quarter is the one. The smart money already called it: X sales 25% below expectation, relying on leading indicators such as Foxcon and supply chain already cut back.
When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
Face ID and the missing home button are a poor compromise
The thing is, it's not a compromise at all. The way the iPhone X works is the way phones should work, period. It is WAY BETTER than a home button or virtual home buttons were. Going back to using a home button based device like an iPad or older iPhone just feels archaic now, the gesture based controls are easier for everyone to work with and the way you activate control center actually works 100% of the time now (before pulling up from bottom edge would sometimes not bring up control center if the keyboard was also up, really annoying).
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley