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Iphone Apple

Some Smartphone Salesmen Aren't Sold on the iPhone X (cnet.com) 230

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.
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Some Smartphone Salesmen Aren't Sold on the iPhone X

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  • by DontBeAMoran ( 4843879 ) on Sunday January 07, 2018 @07:50PM (#55882459)

    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.

    http://dilbert.com/strip/2017-... [dilbert.com]

  • by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 07, 2018 @08:07PM (#55882537)

    You can't really argue much that Apple pushed at the right time with the right product with the right app infrastructure, support etc. iPhones were king mainly because of the app store and how easy it was to use. Noone could even compare (no they couldn't) and Droids, or whatever they were called were lackluster in support, the apps were trash and the app stores were trash. Hell they couldn't even agree on the same os to support things. Apple succeeded because it had all that.

    Fast forward to today. Apple has lost that edge. They've also lost the vision people have when using their smartphones. They are moving back to their roots where "Apple knows best" except now... there are much better offerings. I'll be honest, I've been an Apple phone guy since iPhone 4 and bought a 5, 6 and 7. It ended with 8 and their "we know best" removal of ports, constant fighting with app developers and trying to control the playing field when it's not their field anymore.

    The X was the real shining moment that Apple was completely out of touch with what the majority of people want. Followed up by the bonehead move involving the batteries. Apple is struggling as people aren't playing ball with them anymore and instead of accepting what they are giving... now demand something better.

    I honestly have no idea what my next phone will be but I know for sure it won't be an iPhone. They aren't even close to the best phone anymore.

    • by msauve ( 701917 )
      "Droids, or whatever they were called were lackluster in support, the apps were trash and the app stores were trash."

      The IOS "pull my finger" app is _so_ much better than the Droid one that it's not even fair to compare them.
    • by Dracos ( 107777 ) on Sunday January 07, 2018 @08:42PM (#55882653)

      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.

      • Cases are a necessity because these devices are designed to be fragile

        I don't know if that's fair. Shortly after the first iPhone was released, it became evident that people kept cracking the screen, and people started buying cases. People buy cases for pretty much every smart phone, not just Apple's. But people still like their phones to be as thin and light as possible, so that's what Apple provides.

        unfortunately every handset OEM is convinced they must follow Apple's lead.

        It kind of works both ways. I think one of the worst design decisions that Apple's made with the iPhone is to go big. In my personal view, the iPhone SE is still the "right

    • iPhones are still really the king of the smartphone world but they are more the Microsoft Windows of the smartphone world. They have a vast array of applications and the user experience is pretty consistent across their devices which makes it easy for users.

      Their flagship, "best we can do" phone is really just a copy of the Essential Phone's design and having a fingerprint reader, even if it was relegated to the back of the phone, would have made sense particularly for things like Apple Pay and for unlockin

      • At least with Windows I could create a program to run an alarm with a decent snooze function. Apple got this idea that an old style of snooze in mechanical alarm clocks that set 9 minutes for the snooze time was the only thing users ever needed and would never want to snooze for 5 minutes or 15 minutes. You could install another alarm, but with their lock hold on background apps it has to be literally the last program you use before going to sleep, and to hell with you if you happen to check email or Face

    • by Anonymous Coward

      The 7 lost the headphone port. That's when they lost me.

    • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

      by Anonymous Coward

      This silly idea of Apple ever having an edge on phones comes from the fact that American carriers had long cockblocked Nokia. The original iPhone was a sleek-looking featurephone that could not hold a candle to the true flagship smartphone of that year, the N95.

      • by tsa ( 15680 )

        I had a Nokia E65 back then, which was much smaller and had less features than the N95 and still was better than the iPhone. The first usable iPhone was the 4.

      • The original iPhone was a sleek-looking featurephone that could not hold a candle to the true flagship smartphone of that year, the N95.

        That is very false. It was obvious that iphone was something completely different. No custom apps? No problem, N95 had complete shit ones anyway. Default apps? iphone had those miles better, easier to use and much nicer to look at. The display was huge at the time. But the most important thing was the internet browser. It was a desktop one while Nokia had a browser which lo

    • iPhones sold because of the app store? There were NO third-party apps at launch. [9to5mac.com] That was something Apple hastily retrofitted in later, because people were demanding it.

      The iPhone was successful because it had a well-designed full touchscreen, and it didn't look like it was designed by and for geeks.

      • I don't think the App Store was retrofitted in hastily. I think it was part of the plan all along. Jobs said you didn't need third-party apps at first, and he was reasonably close to correct - with web apps, you don't need many native apps, and Jobs wasn't going to push native apps until they were available.

        The original iPhone was easy to use. It had a decent browser, decent email, and even worked as a phone.

    • The X was the real shining moment that Apple was completely out of touch with what the majority of people want.

      Actually that is exactly wrong. The X is exactly what the MAJORITY of people want.

      The reason is FaceID is just better. It is better in the winter when the majority of people use gloves, but no longer need to take them off to unlock the phone.

      It is better for the elderly where the majority of people have fingerprints that become harder to read with age, but have faces that grow more distinctive as

    • Insightful a.f... I felt that the iPhone X was Apple jumping the shark, but to put that in historical context, especially from the perspective of a former iPhone diehard... Bravo. You can bet Apple's going to turn hard towards monetizing everything, ever more planned obsolescence and other shitty practices to keep shareholders fed with the money they're used to. Gotta keep the slope on that graph steep enough. It will likely be a slow decline for Apple, but this is the beginning, and these are the forces th
  • by 93 Escort Wagon ( 326346 ) on Sunday January 07, 2018 @08:11PM (#55882551)

    I'd like to think I'm past the "ooh, I want the new shiny" thing - more or less. Going forward, my "new phone" budget is going to be roughly $500, and it's going to be spent every 3-4 years.

    But, in any case, this reads like a hit piece. "Tech writer goes into a story with an agenda, manages to confirm it."

    • I would pay that sort of money... if the phone is really worth it. The X is not.
    • There are tons of very good phones in the $200-300 range, mind you.

    • Honestly, after Google jumped from the Nexus line (bargain) to the Pixel line (flagship pricing), I bought my first "cheap brand" phone.

      A ZTE Axon 7 for $350.

      It is by far the most trouble free phone I've ever owned. I've got a super-minimal polycarbonate case on it and I've dropped it umpteen times, no cracks. It just works and has amazing battery life. And works. And works.

      You can get a lot in the midrange phone market ($200-500) now.

      The only thing it doesn't have that I wish it did is a removable battery.

    • by antdude ( 79039 )

      Yep, I stopped caring for the newest stuff. They're costly, buggy, etc. I use old stuff like iPhone 4S, VGA, DVI, PS/2, etc. Frak the newer stuff. I do upgrade to the newer stuff when the old ones die and useless.

  • by PopeRatzo ( 965947 ) on Sunday January 07, 2018 @08:15PM (#55882567) Journal

    Chatting next with an Apple store "Genius"...

    As of this weekend, that word no longer means what you think it does.

    • As of this weekend

      That phrase no longer means what you think it does.

  • by Camembert ( 2891457 ) on Sunday January 07, 2018 @08:16PM (#55882569)
    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. I still see people queuing to pick up their X at the local Applestore, hence my bet is on it being a commercial success, despite cherry-picked negative articles on slashdot.
    • by Tough Love ( 215404 ) on Sunday January 07, 2018 @09:10PM (#55882739)

      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.

    • Are you sure that queue was for people buying an iPhone X, and not people who got too shitfaced during New Years and who broke their iPhone?

      PS: This is not a dig at Apple specifically. Samsung has the same problem. The Samsung S8 is also made of glass and will break the first time you drop it (for people who were too stubborn not to get a case for it right away). This is not to say that having highly breakable phones is not a commercial success. It is to some degree. But it does hurt those brands in the lo

  • If you donâ(TM)t understand how they are compâ(TM)d and which product sales make them the most money then their advice is at Best suspect and probably worthless. That being said I would guess a lot of people are going to wait out the X and see how it shakes out. New interface, new security, new case. Thereâ(TM)s a lot of Delta in the product to deal with.
  • by hsmith ( 818216 ) on Sunday January 07, 2018 @08:54PM (#55882695)
    On moving some garbage LG phones is really going to push iPhones that he makes $0 on. More at 11.
  • by aaarrrgggh ( 9205 ) on Sunday January 07, 2018 @08:55PM (#55882699)

    While I do have two issues with FaceID, and a couple others regarding the missing home button... it is impossible for me to believe this story. The screen is a huge selling point, and you get the same real-estate as a plus but in the smaller form factor. FaceID is great for trivial security and for securing the phone.

    So, my complaints: I am not comfortable with FaceID for securing banking passwords... but it is too secure for storing my /. password; I can't use FaceID while laying on my side in bed. For the home button, the inconsistencies between devices now is a pain.

    But hell.... it is the best phone I have owned.

    • But hell.... it is the best phone I have owned.

      I have to second this. It's not perfect. No phone is perfect. But it's very good.

      Whether ANY phone is worth that kind of money is a personal decision. But the X is undeniably an improvement over the previous iPhones in many ways, and realistically doesn't step backwards anywhere except for price. Maybe a step sideways in some areas (trading off one weakness for a new, different, weakness) but not backwards.

    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      Face ID and the missing home button are a poor compromise to avoid having to "copy" other phones that put the fingerprint sensor on the back.

      They reduced usability and performance just to avoid the obvious, tried and tested solution.

      • Honestly, I disagree. I wouldn't want a back fingerprint reader; I would just like security levels for different apps/websites. Just being able to use a PIN for my bank and not bother me on my /. password would be enough.

      • by SuperKendall ( 25149 ) on Monday January 08, 2018 @01:15AM (#55883429)

        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).

        • by AmiMoJo ( 196126 ) on Monday January 08, 2018 @03:11AM (#55883657) Homepage Journal

          The home button is vastly inferior to the Android set of three. One for home, one to switch apps, one to go back. Makes operating the phone so much faster.

          • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

            by SuperKendall ( 25149 )

            Maybe so, but the X way is vastly superior to both. No icons, jus three gestures that work quicker than trying to press the right button.

            The back button on Android I think was a mistake, that has never worked well and just confuses people.

            • by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

              Remember the late 90s when every app was skinned? I think WinAMP started it, or at least was one of the first. Figuring out where the back/close button was positioned was always fun.

              Back is great, works exactly as you would expect. The app switch button is great too, because you can double tap it to quickly toggle between two apps, rather than trying to use split screen or something.

    • by Arkham ( 10779 )

      Face ID and the missing home button are a poor compromise to avoid having to "copy" other phones that put the fingerprint sensor on the back.

      They reduced usability and performance just to avoid the obvious, tried and tested solution.

      Having come from a TouchID (6 Plus, then 7 Plus) phone to FaceID, I'd never want to go back. FaceID is easier and faster and just works better for me. Wet hands? No problem. Gloves? No problem.

      Honestly, I really like the whole thing. The screen is nice, it's lighter and fits in my pocket better than the Plus while still giving me the two cameras (my main reason for getting the plus). It's not perfect, but neither was any iPhone or Android I've owned. On the whole though, having used it for two mon

  • Explain why I care what a sales-weasel thinks?

  • have a better spiff. These are sales people. If the Windows phones had a better spiff they'd be singing their praise.
    • Very valid point. A few years back when I was made redundant, I was working as a repair tech in a major retailer....sales people are completely self serving.

      I remember we had some year old stock that had gone end of life, massive markup (and therefore commission) on them....sales people pushed them super hard even if they weren't the right match for what the customer was wanting.

      All about the commission, not the needs of the end user.

      • Microsoft refused to give out extra spiffs. I don't think it was for the sake of propriety; just arrogance. Still, it meant the only way to get a Win phone was to look in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying 'Beware of the Leopard.”
  • A phone that has a shatter proof screen, is waterproof, has user replaceable batteries and is not a portable spying device for every company and its government. What I want is a commercial failure.
  • X and 8 plus actually. Both have two cameras but the 8+ has only one image stabilizer, the X has 2.
  • Alternate Take (Score:5, Interesting)

    by SuperKendall ( 25149 ) on Sunday January 07, 2018 @09:52PM (#55882867)

    I bought the iPhone X and think it's one of the better phone upgrades in some time. Because of FaceID it is the first phone in a while that feels like a real jump from a previous model instead of incremental improvement. For me I prefer generally how FaceID works generally over TouchID, which includes ApplePay... FaceID works without conscious thought, so it feels like you are using a phone with no passcode.

    I will agree that the X is slippery, but I still use it without a case in day to day life. However traveling with it I still plan to use a case.

    There is no way going forward I would buy a phone that did not have FaceID. I was planning to upgrade an iPad but I'm going to wait until that supports FaceID as well... If they do that they will need to support more than one person though.

    I've seen people claiming the sales were lower than expected but I'm pretty sure that will not be the case since the pre-order wait times were really long compared to other phones.

    • Because of FaceID it is the first phone in a while that feels like a real jump from a previous model instead of incremental improvement.

      That "real jump" is just a slightly fancier kind of facial recognition, which has been around for years.

      • That "real jump" is just a slightly fancier kind of facial recognition, which has been around for years.

        No - there is a HUGE difference in what FaceID is doing, because it is actually reasonable secure unlike every previous use of facial recognition to unlock things - simply because it cannot be fooled by an image. An image of a face is super easily obtained (especially these days when we handily provide other people with many examples to choose from and print). FaceID does not work at all with an image, a

    • I bought the iPhone X and think it's one of the better phone upgrades in some time. Because of FaceID it is the first phone in a while that feels like a real jump from a previous model instead of incremental improvement. For me I prefer generally how FaceID works generally over TouchID, which includes ApplePay... FaceID works without conscious thought, so it feels like you are using a phone with no passcode.

      I will agree that the X is slippery, but I still use it without a case in day to day life. However traveling with it I still plan to use a case.

      There is no way going forward I would buy a phone that did not have FaceID. I was planning to upgrade an iPad but I'm going to wait until that supports FaceID as well... If they do that they will need to support more than one person though.

      I've seen people claiming the sales were lower than expected but I'm pretty sure that will not be the case since the pre-order wait times were really long compared to other phones.

      TouchID is great in a lot of scenarios where FaceID is an automatic no-go. I ride motorcycles and sometimes I need to pull over to look at my phone for some reason or another. Taking off a glove to get TouchID going is a lot less work than taking off my helmet to get FaceID working. And typing in the pin code is slower than either one. With TouchID, I put my finger on the reader as I pull the phone out of my pocket and it is already unlocked and ready to go before my face even sees the phone. So I don'

      • Taking off a glove to get TouchID going is a lot less work than taking off my helmet to get FaceID working.

        Counterpoint: Far more people (myself included) benefit from being able to use touch-enabled gloves in winter and being able to unlock the phone without taking them off...

        But I don't I understand why you think a helmet would prevent your face from unlocking the phone. If IR light can get through the visor FaceID can read your face even in a full helmet [youtube.com].

        With TouchID, I put my finger on the reader as I

        • Re: (Score:2, Informative)

          by Anonymous Coward

          I see you've never worn a motorcycle helmet (or apparently seen one). You see, the full face helmet (the only ones a lot of riders will use because turns out wind blinds you, sunglasses do next to nothing to block it and the other types of helmets don't block wind at all, along with they're objectively the safest type) cover everything except your eyes. Your mouth, your nose, your forehead, your cheeks, none of that is visible. Basically, if you ski, the area that's covered by ski goggles, that's the onl

          • I see you've never worn a motorcycle helmet (or apparently seen one).

            I see you've not watched my video which shows FaceID working with a full hemet on.

            Come back after you have watched that and maybe I'll read your post... or wait...

            As for raising your helmet, well you see, at speed, air travels faster over the top than the bottom

            Wait you would take a hand off the handlebars to use a phone AT SPEED??? Holy shit you are a moron, I'm not even going to bother to read a response from a complete idiot who is no

        • Taking off a glove to get TouchID going is a lot less work than taking off my helmet to get FaceID working.

          Counterpoint: Far more people (myself included) benefit from being able to use touch-enabled gloves in winter and being able to unlock the phone without taking them off...

          But I don't I understand why you think a helmet would prevent your face from unlocking the phone. If IR light can get through the visor FaceID can read your face even in a full helmet [youtube.com].

          With TouchID, I put my finger on the reader as I pull the phone out of my pocket

          I'm really confused as to why it's easier to remove a glove (that you may easily lose) than lifting a visor or raising your helmet (which, again, you should not even have to do).

          So you have exactly one use case where FaceID is more convenient than TouchID. But there are plenty of counter examples where it is worse than TouchID, like paying at a credit card terminal, or any time your face may be obscured enough that it can't identify you. And what do you gain from losing the fingerprint sensor and the home button? A notch at the top of the screen. And as the AC who replied earlier said, it's far easier to take a glove off than a motorcycle helmet and if FaceID recognizes you in y

          • But there are plenty of counter examples where it is worse than TouchID, like paying at a credit card terminal,

            Since I have an X I have actually done this. Have you? I found it EASIER TO DO than to use TouchID, because I just held the phone to the terminal and it was unlocked before I thought about it, and the payment was complete. The experience was great, again echoing my thought that FaceID is like using an unlocked phone, things just work with the device before you think about what to do.

            And what do

  • I think THE issue with the iPhone comes down to the silly high price for the phone. US$1,149 for the 256 GB version makes even the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 look like a bargain in comparison.

  • First, when pricing phones and doing comparisons -- include the total cost of ownership of each of those models. People often get hung up on a device costing $100 or $200 more as being 15% to 25% more. I am use to not having a plan in the country I am living in (and total cost is considerably less than my home country of Canada). Phones should typically last 4 years (even sell the phone and get a new one; or recycle it through the family) with being reasonably useful - so that is typically what I use for
    • That's bonkers I spend about 150$ a year on phone and it is plenty for keeping in touch with teenage kids
      • At that rate, you probably are not using the phone very much at all and probably don't even need a smart phone. You are more the exception in this society today.
        • Not really on /. though most people here spend their day behind a computer, what is the point of an expensive phone? Also you say I am an exception... who really 'needs' a smartphone today? Most people use it as a toy.
    • In Canada where the market is very costly this could mean over those 4 years you are spending $4,000 on a plan for that phone....

      Wow. Do they at least buy you dinner first? I spend about $25 for Google Fi each month, taxes included. I use very little data because since most of the time I'm in WiFi areas. My kids cost me $15 per month each for unlimited talk/text with no data on Republic Wireless. We all have recent smartphones (Not Apple) and if I were really interested in lots of data, I could get S

  • If they had pulled off the sapphire glass manufacture... this phone could have been far from fragile. They took a gamble and lost... and the phone we have now is the runner-up to the phone of the future. The amaze-balls thing would be if Apple has come up with the sapphire glass but just needed more time and the Gorilla Glass is just to bide the time [crosses fingers]. Can you imagine a sapphire glass iPhone?! That would be pretty sweet.
    • by Algan ( 20532 )

      Sapphire can still shatter. Sure, it's a lot more resistant to scratches and wear, but if your phone takes a fall face down on some rocky outcrop, it's shatter just like glass. That being said, i sure wish the X had sapphire screen/back.

  • really? I haven't dealt with one of those guys since, ever. Phone salesmen went away with dumb phones, and much like car salesmen, I don't really miss them.

    I figure out what I want and go buy it from whoever has it for cheapest. I have 0 interest in a salesman getting in the way.

  • Comment removed based on user account deletion
  • "Well, it depends on what you like," the salesman said, somewhat coyly.

    Honestly, I don't see why this is anything about the correct answer. Which phone you should buy *does* depend on what you like. You want a small iPhone? The iPhone SE is for you. You want a cheap iPhone? Again, the iPhone SE. You want one of those giant iPhones? The iPhone 8 Plus is a good choice. You want a solid Android phone? Maybe the Google Pixel 2 is a good option?

    The iPhone X is a good option if you're looking for Apple's bleeding-edge phone, and have no qualms paying a premium for it. App

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