PEABODY, Mass. -- So here we are, fresh off some conversations with Apple workers and customers at the consumer technology giant's brick-and-mortar store inside the Northshore Mall in suburban Boston.
It's the day of the big iPhone 6 launch, and we've got news to report. Stories to tell.
So what do we have?
"You got nothing," said my afternoon-reporting companion for the day, Matthew, my 9-year-old fourth-grader lucky enough to have a half-day today.
Apparently, he's Bob Woodward.
"What are you going to write about?" he asked rhetorically, after listening to interviews I had with iPhone 4 users. "Oooh, I have an iPhone 4. Woo. Woo."
Not Much Buzz
He was kinda right. I get it. We're here for the iPhone 6.
In reality, most people on this day seemed to be fixing their old Apple devices versus gaining insight on the major iPhone 6 news that hit the streets today.
Two iPhone 4 users, in fact, didn't even give their names when approached by the oddest of reporting tandems -- me and my 9-year-old (hey, cut me some slack. I work from home, and it was a half-day, like I said).
"Sue" and "Paul" simply told us they needed some repairs on their respective iPhone 4s devices -- and they were not interested in the breaking news on the iPhone 6.
The store's manager, a nice enough guy, wouldn't go on the record with us because Apple corporate doesn't let him.
Matthew and I were lucky enough to find one iPhone 6 hunter. Bryan Craven, a professor of video game technology at Bunker Hill Community College in Boston, told us he was looking for a bigger screen than his current iPhone 5.
He was fascinated to hear about upcoming technology in the new iPhone that would enable it to be used in place of a credit card. At the same time, though, he wondered about security.
"I'm never a first day buyer," Craven added. "Let someone else endure the bugs."
Smarty Pants Gets a Say
Craven's was the only iPhone 6 tale we heard on this day.
So what's left to tell as the mobile-device world is shaken up from Cupertino, Calif.?
I guess we'll go with the story of Mr. Smarty Pants -- Matthew, who was willing to go on record about the iPhone 6 launch. Matthew's an iPhone 5c user himself.
"First of all, it's unbreakable," Matthew said when CMSWire asked about the prospects of the new iPhone 6. "And second of all, it's upgraded. What I don't like with the iPhone 5 is it doesn't have really good...it feels like the iPhone 4s too much...I want them to make a more cooler phone...All the iPhones are the same."
How much do you think it's going to cost?
"Right when it comes out it will be about $600," Matthew said. "And then in a month they'll lower it to $500. That's what I believe."
But Apple needs to step up the innovation here, Matthew said, adding, "I believe a lot of people are not going to get it unless they change it up."
Too Much Hype?
Matthew didn't like the idea of Apple building up to a huge news announcement -- and then not offering the device the same day. Apple's expecting to sell the iPhone 6 in stores later this month, we heard today.
"It's too long of a wait," Matthew said. "If they had a huge announcement for an Xbox 2, then everyone would want it right away. Once I had to wait another month to get something."
So let's get at the heart of the iPhone 6 here. Does Matthew want his parents to buy him one or not?
Matthew said yes — his argument being it won't cost too much.
"You have to pay a little extra," Matthew said. "You know, tax, insurance. And that's pretty much it. You just trade it up. But I can't have my (existing) phone anymore. I have to trade it in. The only bad thing about it is you don't get all the apps. But I don't even care. I'll just re-download them."
0 Comments
Email This
Stumble This