Despite the strength of its brand, Apple occasionally releases a product to mediocre reviews – remember the original Apple TV or Apple Watch?
But reviewers have rarely been as grumpy as this month, when Apple unveiled its collection of new gadgets for the holidays.
Each product was docked by reviewers for specific functional flaws, ranging from the iPhone 8’s middling design to Apple Watch Series 3 issues with wireless connectivity, and quality problems with the Apple TV 4K's video output.
“While Apple's new products often generate plenty of nit-picks, the lack of enthusiasm by reviewers across the portfolio seems unique this year,” Walter Piecyk, an analyst at BTIG, said.
Slow start
To be sure, Apple products have gotten bad reviews in the past, only to sell like hotcakes later. And reviewers haven't yet tested the iPhone X, which is expected to be the main object of desire when it becomes available in November.
Early sales in Asia may indicate that first-adopters are holding out for the iPhone X, and that pre-orders for the iPhone 8 may be lagging behind its predecessor.
As the only models likely to be readily available in stores ahead of the holidays, the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus are great phones, but their US$699 to US$949 prices make them competitors for rivals' top-end models, like Samsung’s Galaxy S8.
The problem is that these iPhones look dated compared with Samsung’s top-end offerings, and Apple’s own forthcoming iPhone X.
Perceptually, the 8-series handsets don't offer significant upgrades over last year’s models – or even the ones before – which are still being sold by Apple at lower prices. The main additions are new camera features, a wireless charging mechanism already present on competing phones, and faster chips.
Why upgrade?
“I can’t think of a single compelling reason to upgrade from an iPhone 7,” wrote Nilay Patel of The Verge.
Other reviews are more positive. “The iPhone 8 and 8 Plus will be the best phones on the market when they go on sale Friday,” said Business Insider’s Steve Kovach. “And they'll most likely remain the best phones available until November, when the iPhone X arrives.”
Another potential sign of trouble: the iPhone 8 models didn’t sell out during pre-orders, another rare occurrence for Apple phones.
Though each iPhone sells in the tens of millions, the 8 and 8 Plus are overshadowed by the latest designs, especially in the iPhone X. Yet Apple fans waiting for the iPhone X in November are expected to face shortages due to reported production delays and component-supply issues.
“Pre-orders for the iPhone 8 so far are less than iPhone 7, which was the most pre-ordered iPhone at Docomo,” said Hiroko Shimoyama, spokeswoman at NTT Docomo. “This may be due to iPhone X not being released until November.” Yusuke Abe, a spokesman at SoftBank Group, said that while iPhone 8 pre-orders weren’t “that much, we expect adding iPhone X may exceed last year’s pre-orders.”
Watch this space
The Apple Watch, originally released in 2015, was supposed to become the Next Big Thing at Apple, but has so far mostly languished as a pricey accessory to the iPhone.
That dependence was supposed to change this year with the ability to connect to cellular networks, un-tethering it from the handset.
Yet after testing the Apple Watch Series 3, reviewers panned its one-hour talk time, and others spotted connectivity problems, suggesting the new model isn't as free as initially appeared.
“On the AT&T-connected models, the cellular connection dropped, calls were often choppy and Siri sometimes failed to connect,” The Wall Street Journal’s Joanna Stern wrote. “On the one that ran on T-Mobile, I experienced several dropped connections.”
The Verge’s Lauren Goode noticed a serious connection issue as well, saying the device “would appear to pick up a single bar of some random Wi-Fi signal, and hang on that, rather than switching to LTE.”
Apple blamed the issue on a bug, and said it’s working on a future software update to fix it. And other reviewers were suitably wowed, with Wired praising the Watch’s speed and microphones. The device goes on sale Friday.
Apple TV goes 4K
The latest Apple TV also has hit snags with its eponymous upgrade: 4K video streaming.
Reviewing the $179 model, Apple's most expensive Apple TV in years, BuzzFeed said it wasn’t a significant step forward given it’s the first major upgrade since 2015. Instead, the news site described it as essentially the previous model with a faster chip to enable 4K video support – a feature that more affordable competitors have had for more than a year.
The Verge’s Patel noted the device’s high price, a lack of 4K support in major apps including YouTube, and a lack of support for the Dolby Atmos audio standard.
Apple subsequently hinted that Atmos support will come in a future software update, without giving a specific timeline.
Yet Patel’s biggest issue with the device was its main feature: 4K video rendering, specifically outside of iTunes, where he said the new Apple TV over-sharpens and adjusts the frame rates of certain videos to the point of visual distraction.
29 Jan 2012
Total posts 176
Time for the company to re-invent itself. Jobs has gone and new thinking needs to manifest itself for future expansion. My question - where did the iphone 9 go and why release 3 phone types in a 3 month window: 8, 8+ and X - surely a marketing disaster!!
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
18 Jun 2015
Total posts 57
With a $1800 price-tag for the iPhone X, it's imperative that they have relatively cheaper options such as SE, 8, and 8+ because not everyone can afford the X, and also there is a limited supply of the X
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
21 Jan 2017
Total posts 50
iPhone 8 is great but i really i can't see myself upgrade from my 6s. X is probably ok once it's available.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
17 May 2015
Total posts 75
Sure Apple make great phones, but to call them the best on the market is laughable. Itunes is the worst software in the industry. Adding files and music to an iphone is a nightmare. Recently I had a pdf on my iphone which I urgently needed to print at an airport lounge. With an android you just plug the phone in, open up the file, and press print. With an iphone you can't even access the file let alone open it or print it. It is prehistoric. I've just bought a 64GB OnePlus 5 from ebay for $490 and I couldn't be happier. It is completely unnecessary to spend $1800 on a phone - the competition is just too strong. I've used both Android and Apple extensively and I can say hands down Android is superior or equal to Apple on every criteria.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
20 Jan 2016
Total posts 61
A lot of noise being made about the merits of the $1800 flagship phone, but the significance of how these products will influence the market and benefit certainly business travel is more significant.
13 Sep 2016
Total posts 177
No sense upgrading from an iPhone 7 to an 8 unless you're an Apple fan or somebody who has GOT to have 'the latest', and a lot of those people will wait for the X. Moving from iPhone 6 to 8 makes a lot more sense especially for the 8's superior performance and wireless charging if you pick up a cheap charge pad and put it on your bedside table.
02 Dec 2016
Total posts 92
I upgraded to an 8plus 256gb over the weekend.... from my almost three year old 6plus with cracked screen. It is noticeably better and the camera and screen are great. But, if I was on a 7plus then I wouldn't have bothered. It's almost the same phone.
Yes, I did debate waiting a bit more for the X but apart from looking different and having facial recognition (which I would not use), I just can't see the extra cost being worth it. I put those $$ into the new iWatch 3 cellular instead (after experimenting with a fit bit for 6 months). Jury's out on the iwatch but it's a tricky thing so I need to learn how to use it better.
I also run a galaxy s7 for work. If I could through it away I would. Yes, there is hype around the iphones, but the galaxy hype is worse... I think half the hype for the galaxy is from apple haters. But, the google pixel looks good from what I've seen.
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