Whaaaaaa

Written by

Roger Cheng for CNET:

Apple, I thought we had a deal. I buy one of your products, and I’m guaranteed roughly a year feeling like I’ve got the latest and greatest that Apple has to offer. That’s primarily been your product cycle, and it’s worked out fairly well for everyone.

Apple didn’t make any such deal that I know about. They’ve always released products when they were ready to — this week is no different. If you ever get such a commitment from a company, I want to know about it.

Besides, your iPad works the same as it did before the announcement. Nothing got turned off, it functions perfectly.

[Via Shawn King]



  • Tvaddic

    I disagree, Tim Cook made a big deal about someone buying the 100 millionth iPad. And Cook, and Apple reward that person by releasing a new iPad no more than a month later. Apple never said anything about this, but they know they upsetted people with this move.

    • thedoctor101

      If this were in March, the same problem would have occurred (if they hit 150 million by then, they reward that person by releasing a new version a few weeks after they bought it).

      • Tvaddic

        That still doesn’t make it right. With this move, they are taking their customers for granted.

        • thedoctor101

          It is such a small update. You really need a marginally faster iPad with a lightning connector? I have the new iPad and I have not found the need for speed increases.

          • Tvaddic

            Exactly, it was odd the potentially make people upset for these marginally upgrades.

        • gjgustav

          BS. There’s always going to be someone who bought the old model a month before. What do you want Apple to do? Not make products better? If the pre-announce, then it’ll kill sales of the existing product, and they’ll never get the profit to keep up R&D on future products.

          No, the real solution is to acknowledge that you got exactly what you agreed to pay for, and that the product you have still works fine, and stop being a baby about it.

          • Tvaddic

            I’m not saying that doesn’t happen. All that I’m saying, is that I wouldn’t buy an iPad until I am sure that one won’t release in March. Personally I believe there wasn’t any need for them to upgrade this product. But other people like yourself disagree.

        • http://www.tumblr.com/blog/his-divine-shadow His Shadow

          Nonsense. Companies that stand still get run over. Those people who were really offended by Apple updating their products on a regular basis need to get their heads examined.

          • Tvaddic

            Exactly, no one is upset when Apple updates their products on a regular basis. This new iPad update, was not upgraded on the regular basis they created.

          • http://www.tumblr.com/blog/his-divine-shadow His Shadow

            The “regular basis” for upgrades is when the product is ready, or are we supposed to forget the regular speed bumps and upgrades in laptops and desktops?

          • Tvaddic

            Apple is reported to be 1-2 years ahead with their products. Should they release all of those now? No, they should spread their devices out. They did this to try to steal some buzz from Google and Microsoft, with a technically new iPad.

          • http://www.tumblr.com/blog/his-divine-shadow His Shadow

            A speed bumped iPad is not a “new product”.

            And the truth is Apple could care less about stealing anyone’s thunder. They do that every time they have a press event.

          • Tvaddic

            I can possibly see how we can’t agree on the iPad upgrade, but I don’t think anyone can tell me, that Apple doesn’t care about the competition. They have to do anything to knock the competition down, which was done during the earnings call, and during the keynote. Apple is foolish if they aren’t scared of Google and Microsoft. And if Apple doesn’t want to steal anyone’s thunder, why did they make a 7 inch tablet, which the current and former CEOs, said was useless? Because they want to take the spotlight from Amazon and Google.

    • gjgustav

      So Apple should let new technology sit on the shelf for months just so existing owners can hold onto their superficial feelings of superiority?

      • Tvaddic

        You’re right, every time Apple makes the smallest upgrade, they should just release a new product.

        • imthedude

          Boo hoo, poor you. I have an iPad 2, I’m fine with it. I didn’t cry when the iPad 3 came out with a better screen. I didn’t cry when 2 months after I bought my wife one for christmas the 3 came out. I didn’t cry when the iPad 4 was even more powerful.

          The release of a new device doesn’t make yours magically stop doing what it always did. Enjoy what you have, and stop crying about what you don’t.

  • Steve Hammond

    True Jim, but I feel lucky I waited for the next gen iPad to replace my iPad 2. Now, I’m 2 generetion back, and I need an upgrade (not true, but why not!). iPad 4th gen with LTE coming to my house as soon as available!

  • http://profiles.google.com/larry.davis Larry Davis

    “Everything is amazing and nobody is happy.” – Louis CK

    • http://www.tumblr.com/blog/his-divine-shadow His Shadow

      Precisely. Also, search for Warren Ellis “How to See the Future”.

  • http://www.tenfingercrunch.com Michael Bartholomew

    I am still rocking an iPad 2 and do not see a reason to upgrade anytime soon. Truth be told, I still use my first-gen iPod Touch occasionally. People need to understand that great products still function when they are no longer in cycle.

  • http://twitter.com/recharge Richard Lee

    so by this logic, IF apple was capable of and ready to release new ipads every two months, customers should be okay with it? i’m not so sure i agree.

    i buy my apple products hoping–not expecting–them to stay relevant for awhile but with this release, it didn’t work out that way. i understand that a 6-7 month cycle is not the norm but that doesn’t mean i can’t be disappointed. i just hope that this does not become the norm.

    • http://www.tumblr.com/blog/his-divine-shadow His Shadow

      i buy my apple products hoping–not expecting–them to stay relevant

      This makes absolutely no sense. Are you stating for a fact that you feel let down when the device you purchased is no longer the most current model?

      Because that would make you a shallow ADHD afflicted prat.

  • http://darcyfitzpatrick.tumblr.com/ Darcy Fitzpatrick

    It’s not so much the hardware side of things as what it means for the software side of things. Every time Apple releases a new iPhone, my iPhone 4 gets slower. Which is to say, every time Apple upgrades their iOS devices, the equivalent iOS update is designed to take advantage of all that extra horsepower, leaving the previous generation devices struggling to keep up. So previous gen device owners have two options: get left behind in terms of features, or get left behind in terms of speed. But either way, you’re getting left behind. And now it seems the rate at which that’s happening may be increasing.

    I take what some people are saying, that you still got exactly what you paid for when you paid for it, regardless. But I can also see how device owners who thought they were investing in a longer term upgrade path are now concerned that the path just got shorter. If you can’t appreciate where these people are coming from then you’ve either got your head up your ass or you’re deliberately being an asshole.

    • http://twitter.com/iStav555 Jeff Kourvas

      Exactly!

      I love Apple products but, truth be told, they are becoming obsolete after (about) 1,5 years. And I’m talking 100% obsolete. My first gen iPad (which I very happily bought very early) is now useless. Since iOS 5 everything runs excruciatingly slow on it… And not being able to upgrade to iOS 6 is the final nail in the coffin for it since many apps now need iOS 6. And yes, I noticed too a speed decrease in my 4S once the new iOS was installed. Especially in web browsing.

      Oh and the fact that the iPad mini has a 2-year old CPU and (probably) half the RAM of the current iPad and iPhone is something that should turn most people away from it. I do not expect this device to be fast enough in 6 months time.

      But, iOS does have THE best ecosystem at the moment (apps and music are the main thing for me) so there’s really no option. I just get with the program and upgrade every year. :)

      (I’m keeping my first gen iPad forever, it was the first tablet in the world ever and I also bought it from a special store for me so I did not want to sell it and never will) :)

      • Jonas Ensby

        Nonsense. The original iPad still works great.

        I have both the first and the third iPad, and I am now considering to sell the iPad 3. (Because I need the money, and because the iPad 1 would be more than sufficient for my needs.)

        • http://darcyfitzpatrick.tumblr.com/ Darcy Fitzpatrick

          Well my iPhone 4, with the same A4 chip as the original iPad, is a lag monster after updating to iOS 6. This device is just two generations behind and it now sucks balls, as Jim often likes to say of Apple’s competition.

          The music app, for one, now takes up to ten seconds to load and frequently forgets its place when cueing up the last played song. For such a frequently used part of the iPhone experience, that’s bullshit (another Jim favourite).

          And how is a customer to know this will happen to their iPhone when Apple tells them there’s an update available? It’s not like there’s a warning – you will get some great new features, but it will slow down the performance of your phone considerably.

          So when people who have had this kind of experience with a device – having it hampered by the latest update when it’s only been two years since they bought it – see a six month release cycle being the potential new norm, I can see how it would give them cause for concern.

          • http://www.tumblr.com/blog/his-divine-shadow His Shadow

            Sorry, but I have a 4 loaded with over 160 games and apps and it is more than adequate for everyday use, and is better on iOS 6 with all the new options and even has improved battery life. Nothing crashes regularly. Nothing. The only app that lags in the camera but even that got better with iOS 6.

          • http://darcyfitzpatrick.tumblr.com/ Darcy Fitzpatrick

            That’s great, but I didn’t say anything about crashing. My 4 is noticeably slower on iOS 6. That’s all I’m saying. And I know I’m not the only one saying it.

          • http://www.tumblr.com/blog/his-divine-shadow His Shadow

            I did a secure backup, wiped the phone, updated to 6, then restored. I have not noticed any slowdowns that have made my experience worse.

          • http://darcyfitzpatrick.tumblr.com/ Darcy Fitzpatrick

            Cool, thanks for the heads up. I’m going to have to try that and see if it helps. But if that really is what it takes to get iOS 6 to not hamper an iPhone 4′s performance, then 99% of the iPhone 4 owners out there are going to be SOL since they likely wouldn’t even know such a thing is possible or where to begin if they did.

        • http://twitter.com/iStav555 Jeff Kourvas

          Really?

          Could you please visit apple.com or engadget.com or any other site and let me know how long does it take to render each page? Because mine is just not usable at all at browsing…

          Also many apps just crash very regularly, and there have been apps that won’t even run for more than a few seconds. I don’t know if it’s bad app design or anything but I don’t really care. They work on the latest iPad…

      • kibbles

        you’re high. my ipad1 is still in service, hardly obsolete. as is my 2008 MBP, and 2006 iMac.

      • http://www.tumblr.com/blog/his-divine-shadow His Shadow

        And I’m talking 100% obsolete.

        I’m sorry, but that’s gibberish. You are using that idiot Cheng’s idea of obsolete. A device is obsolete when it can no longer perform the basic functions for which it was purchased. My Rev B iMac is obsolete as it cannot play video or run modern browsers. It is little more than an email and music playing machine and is slow as hell at that.

        However, my Mom’s 2009 Mac Mini runs Mountain Lion and runs all latest Apple software plus 3rd party software more than adequately. If that 2009 Mac Mini is not “obsolete”, there is no ***king way in Hell that an 8 month old iPad or a 1.5 year old phone is “obsolete”. It’s bull.

        • http://twitter.com/iStav555 Jeff Kourvas

          Well, my iPad 1 (which I decided not to sell because of emotional reasons) takes 39 seconds to fully load the engadget homepage. Compare that to the 8 seconds that it takes for my 4s to fully load it (not the mobile view, the full version).

          Maybe that’s not an obsolete iPad, but it’s damn slow! :)

          • http://www.tumblr.com/blog/his-divine-shadow His Shadow

            That’s your punishment for going to Engadget…

  • http://twitter.com/colinmat Colin Mattson

    Hey, look at it with the glass half full: The third-gen iPad is now a limited-supply collector’s item!

  • bhopthomas

    I do agree, we have no right to complain it’s just the way the industry is.

    Yet: “Nothing got turned off, it functions perfectly.” – Except the iPad 3 won’t work with many LTE carriers in Europe, despite originally being advertised to do so.

    • marv08

      Actually, Apple never advertised the iPad (3) as being compatible with European LTE networks, the limitations have been explained in the tech specs from day one. They were talking about ’4G speeds’ (same as they did with the iPhone 4S). And in most European countries that is true. Where I am (Germany), the iPhone 5 on LTE is actually slower than the iPad (3) on DC-HSPA, despite a EUR 10 premium for the LTE contract. I have not heard of a single person ever seeing 100 Mbps on LTE here in real life, around 35 Mbps was the fastest I have seen, at 3 am and standing next to an LTE antenna.

      Agree with many others. My iPad (3) never had any performance problems, and, except for Apple’s own adapters, there are no Lightning accessories yet. I will keep the iPad (3) at least until a new model uses the same screen construction as the iPhone 5. If there is some excess money (after knowing the BTO prices for the new 27″ iMac in December), I might get the smallest iPad Mini, just for reading on the sofa…

  • eigerly

    I loved my iPad 3 on October 22 and I still love it today. No need to upgrade for another generation or two. I feel very sorry for you poor pricks who’ve been unfairly victimized. But hey, that’s the way of the world, isn’t it?

    The real reasons for the 4th gen upgrade as I see it: 1) Competition – Nexus and Kindle are coming out with 10″ tablets soon, and Apple wants/needs to stay well ahead of them technologically, and 2) it only makes sense to get all mobile devices on the Lightning connector as soon as possible (since they’ve already made that leap), 3) moving the iPad sales cycle to include the holidays had to happen sooner or later.

  • lkalliance

    My iMac is from 2008. Core 2 Duo processor. Maxed out at the (official) limit of 4GB of RAM. No Thunderbolt, no HDMI out. Still has a FW400 input. USB 2 and not USB 3. 350GB hard drive.

    There have been now at least two updates to the iMac since then that I’m aware of. Yet my machine runs Mountain Lion (and does it well), is fully connected with iCloud, etc. There is no current software tech released by Apple that I can’t use, with the exception of AirDrop. I don’t feel obsolete at all.

  • http://twitter.com/RoadRacer DT

    I don’t know Jim, when Phil introduced the 4th Gen iPad yesterday, my 3rd burst into flames …

  • http://twitter.com/Productive_Monk Productive Monk

    The real differences between the ipad 3 and ipad 4 are minute. At the end of the day, what does it matter if the ipad 4 runs a bit faster? The essential specs are the same so it really doesn’t matter.

  • Donnovan Lyons

    I must say I disagree Jim. Roger Cheng has it right. One of the things that has always made me feel comfortable investing my money in Apple products is knowing that they won’t become obsolete until a year later. Certainly something I rubbed in any Android user’s face.

    • http://twitter.com/Moeskido Moeskido

      Define “obsolete,” please.

      • djpMusic

        (adj) No longer produced or used. (verb) Cause (a product or idea) to be or become obsolete by replacing it with something new: “we’re obsoleting last year’s designs”.

        Perhaps obsolete is not quite right, though there is certainly an argument to be made that it is no longer produced. It has certainly been obsoleted by Apple. This is the source of some chagrin.

        • http://twitter.com/Moeskido Moeskido

          In the context of Cheng’s complaint, “obsolete” also suggests “no longer of use.” Anyone claiming such a thing about a device that still runs current software is indulging themselves with hyperbole.

          Cry me a river.

        • http://www.tumblr.com/blog/his-divine-shadow His Shadow

          Perhaps obsolete is not quite right

          Not quite right? Obsolete in regards to an 8 month old product isn’t even on the same street as “quite right”. Floppy discs are obsolete.

  • D3bgrRL

    This is what happens when people get deeply vested in having to always have the latest, newest and most souped up technology. I’m actually thinking about finding an iPad 4…