iPhone X blamed for Apple's slow growth in smartphone sales

[BGrant]

You might want to hit the reply button 1 time next time

Under $400 for your graphics card is budget these days last I checked.

And congrats on not knowing what the difference is between a budget gaming laptop, a gaming laptop, and a laptop. Running VR is the new Crysis.

But the most hilarious thing about your reply is that you're suggesting I'm justifying the Apple tax? Why don't you try again. Because it also seems like you don't know Apple (since their $1000 machines are usually used for exactly what you just said is "completely insane" lol).

I see that you're just one of those people that want to be right regardless of the amount of arguments pointing to another direction.
have a good one.

 

[m4a4]

I see that you're just one of those people that want to be right regardless of the amount of arguments pointing to another direction.
have a good one.

Naw, I see that you are just one of those people that fired off a reply without actually reading or understanding the conversation. Now you're trying to save face. The Apple comments alone were proof of that.

All I ask is that you don't ignorantly apply the term "gaming laptop" to every laptop on the market that can play Minecraft, as it doesn't mean anything then. $999 is a lot for a phone, but for a gaming laptop? Not so much.

 

[Nobina]

Naw, I see that you are just one of those people that fired off a reply without actually reading or understanding the conversation. Now you're trying to save face. The Apple comments alone were proof of that.

All I ask is that you don't ignorantly apply the term "gaming laptop" to every laptop on the market that can play Minecraft, as it doesn't mean anything then. $999 is a lot for a phone, but for a gaming laptop? Not so much.

They are right. A laptop with 1050 ti and 1060 is certainly a gaming laptop. You can play pretty much every game right now on 1050 ti with above decent settings on 1080p. You might be one of those people that buy something like 1080ti and then thinks everything below that low budget gaming PC cause you dropped frames in unoptimized game, or you just got ripped off on your purchase.

 

[m4a4]

They are right. A laptop with 1050 ti and 1060 is certainly a gaming laptop. You can play pretty much every game right now on 1050 ti with above decent settings on 1080p. You might be one of those people that buy something like 1080ti and then thinks everything below that low budget gaming PC cause you dropped frames in unoptimized game, or you just got ripped off on your purchase.

I have a laptop with a 1070 actually (more of a budget purchase for what it's worth, and got it on sale). So no, I don't have a "high end gaming laptop". But I also don't have a "budget gaming laptop" as my laptop should be beefy enough to play with higher end graphics for the next few years.
But (again), last I checked, the 1050 and 1060 are geared more for budget gaming PC's. Even more so for portable PC's. I never said they can't play recent games with decent graphics settings.
And (again), if the term "gaming laptop" is used for a laptop that plays games, then what's the point of using the term?

 

[GregonMaui]

That very much is not true. The parts cost will be less than 50% of the retail price (like usual). Apple can afford to drop the price by a couple hundred and still make a big profit, but they're more a fashion brand, so the high price is what you pay to show off the Apple logo.

Sure, they should give them away. Because they could sell them cheaper, does not mean they should. As to the parts cost, that is very misleading as Apple uses its own chips in mobile devices. The cost breakdowns do not include the fully loaded cost of development, licensing, fabrication, etc. Just look at the cost of Intel processors, as compared to the $5 parts cost for chips in the cost breakdowns. someone has to pay for that. Is it worth it? Well last year's iPhone X release is still 15% faster (Geekbench) than the Samsung S9, using their own chip Exynos, which is faster than the Qualcomm effort. So where does Samsung get the premium for OLED displays? Because they are the only one to figure out how to manufacture them. By your logic, they should give them away for a lot cheaper price, because they could they don't need that nasty profit.

I guess the good part is, we all have lots of choices.

 

[GregonMaui]

I found face ID to be a giant waste of my time when I tested an iPhone X for couple of weeks at work. I much prefer using a Bio scanner like my pixel 2 or iphone 6s uses as I can unlock the device before its even out of my pocket.

Just curious how you define "giant waste of time". If I pull my phone out of my pocket and open it as I swipe or tap, and you, assuming your fingers are not sweaty and you grab the fingerprint sensor at the right spot in your pocket (although I've never managed to do this with my fingerprint sensors, and if you think about thee hand movements, it does sound kind of hard to do) so it is already open when you look at it, save what, maybe 1 second - lets be bold say 2 seconds (even though I've never seen it take that long to open a phone) Now guessing that you might open a phone say 120 times a day (for convenience in math) that would be a giant 4 minutes a day on the extreme side. (Of course, the iPhone clearly wins on sweaty days, and cold days where you are wearing gloves)

Why not take it down a notch and just say you prefer the fingerprint sensor? That is totally OK. These are marginal differences in technologies, each has advantages and disadvantages, not the "giant waste of time" differences you allude.

 

[McMurdeR]

There are now tons of well made alternatives in the $3-400 space that do pretty much everything useful that Apple's stuff does. And your not going to freak out much if you leave them in a taxi or drop them on the pavement. The spec and functionality of mid range phones has reached a critical point - they're ample for most people's needs - and cheap to replace.

Hat's off to Apple for bring prices as far as they did, but $1000 just doesn't make sense for an overengineered product that you're likely to lose or break, it's gone past the bounds of what's rational now.

 

[Panda218]

Just curious how you define "giant waste of time". If I pull my phone out of my pocket and open it as I swipe or tap, and you, assuming your fingers are not sweaty and you grab the fingerprint sensor at the right spot in your pocket (although I've never managed to do this with my fingerprint sensors, and if you think about thee hand movements, it does sound kind of hard to do) so it is already open when you look at it, save what, maybe 1 second - lets be bold say 2 seconds (even though I've never seen it take that long to open a phone) Now guessing that you might open a phone say 120 times a day (for convenience in math) that would be a giant 4 minutes a day on the extreme side. (Of course, the iPhone clearly wins on sweaty days, and cold days where you are wearing gloves)

Why not take it down a notch and just say you prefer the fingerprint sensor? That is totally OK. These are marginal differences in technologies, each has advantages and disadvantages, not the "giant waste of time" differences you allude.

The 1-2 second lag in unlocking my phone drove me mad. I understand its pretty hyperbolic to say its a giant waste of time, but considering how often we open our phones these days it really adds up. If the phone would immediately open instead of having me slide up then I'd be a little more OK with it. I also had lots of troubles unlocking the device with my sunglasses on during my commute home from work (I know don't look at my phone while driving/cycling).

I much prefer the biometric fingerprint scanner.

 

[ghostf1re]

At the price of a Gaming laptop.... I'll choose the laptop over an iPhone X everyday. You can also keep your unique accessories. My last iPhone was an iPhone 1...

...Gaming laptop at $999? I hate to tell you this, but you're in the year 2018. A laptop worthy of being called a "gaming laptop" will set you back at least $2000. You might be able to get away with a $1000 gaming PC if it's a desktop though...

Edit: not talking about a "budget gaming laptop", which is what around $1000 would get you.

Honestly even a budget gaming laptop could not be bought for $999. I don't see any kind of good gaming on a laptop that cheap. I agree, $2000 is definitely in line with what I would consider to be a gaming laptop.

 

[Panda218]

Honestly even a budget gaming laptop could not be bought for $999. I don't see any kind of good gaming on a laptop that cheap. I agree, $2000 is definitely in line with what I would consider to be a gaming laptop.

This whole argument is getting pretty dull. I understand people like to show off their rigs and prove they have the biggest Epeen, but you can totally game on a 1k laptop... Sure you won't be hitting 4k 60fps, but a 1080p panel and a 1060 go a long way. I know this because my GF has been gaming for about a month on our new "budget" gaming laptop I got for her to play GTA V, Saints Row, and Just Cause 3. All of which are running well over 60fps. What's your definition of gaming?

 

[m4a4]

Sure, they should give them away. Because they could sell them cheaper, does not mean they should. As to the parts cost, that is very misleading as Apple uses its own chips in mobile devices. The cost breakdowns do not include the fully loaded cost of development, licensing, fabrication, etc. Just look at the cost of Intel processors, as compared to the $5 parts cost for chips in the cost breakdowns. someone has to pay for that. Is it worth it? Well last year's iPhone X release is still 15% faster (Geekbench) than the Samsung S9, using their own chip Exynos, which is faster than the Qualcomm effort. So where does Samsung get the premium for OLED displays? Because they are the only one to figure out how to manufacture them. By your logic, they should give them away for a lot cheaper price, because they could they don't need that nasty profit.
I guess the good part is, we all have lots of choices.

You brought up parts cost (the screen) bumping the phone's price up (patently not true), and now you're going on a tangent. I'm well aware of the cost of R&D, but Apple doesn't make it's billions by pricing them out based on that either.

 

[GregonMaui]

You brought up parts cost (the screen) bumping the phone's price up (patently not true), and now you're going on a tangent. I'm well aware of the cost of R&D, but Apple doesn't make it's billions by pricing them out based on that either.

patently? You have patented that?

Both Apple and Samsung are free to charge what they think the value of their products are, and customers are free to buy or not buy the products at those prices. That is the only point. How either Samsung or Apple arrives at their pricing decisions is completely irrelevant.

 

[m4a4]

Both Apple and Samsung are free to charge what they think the value of their products are, and customers are free to buy or not buy the products at those prices. That is the only point. How either Samsung or Apple arrives at their pricing decisions is completely irrelevant.

Oh? Now you've officially changed your mind? Great! Next time don't wrongly say that the OLED screens drove up the price and then pretend you didn't (y)

True its Pricey, in large part thanks to only one vendor for OLED screens, a vendor who is overcharging because they have a monopoly on production (oh and use them in their own phones to competitive advantage).

 

[GregonMaui]

I much prefer the biometric fingerprint scanner.[/QUOTE]

Just a followup. the 1-2 second lag was an example, to prove a point only, lets not get that established as a standard. I don't actually see any lag. I pick up my phone and swipe, it opens. I love it! Totally understand you if you don't

 

[GregonMaui]

Oh? Now you've officially changed your mind? Great! Next time don't wrongly say that the OLED screens drove up the price and then pretend you didn't (y)

You are not a finance guy, I get it.

 

[Panda218]

I much prefer the biometric fingerprint scanner.

Just a followup. the 1-2 second lag was an example, to prove a point only, lets not get that established as a standard. I don't actually see any lag. I pick up my phone and swipe, it opens. I love it! Totally understand you if you don't[/QUOTE]


It was pretty standard in my experience with Face ID. Which is why I said it was a giant waste of time