Apple’s Latest iPhone Introduction Was a Letdown: 10 Reasons Why

By Don Reisinger

Prior to the Sept. 10 event, there was talk that Apple would announce new features for its Apple TV set-top box. Apple might even announce new partnerships with content providers, the rumor mill said. Instead, Apple ignored the Apple TV, making it one of the bigger disappointments for entertainment-seekers.

When Apple announced its new and improved Mac Pro earlier this year, the company said that it would make the computer available this fall. It was believed prior to the event that Apple would finally announce when that computer would be made available. Unfortunately, Apple didn’t do so, leaving customers to wait even longer for the new Mac Pro.

Near-field communication hasn’t gotten the kind of attention this year as it did in 2012, but that doesn’t mean that Apple shouldn’t have integrated the feature into the iPhone 5S. Many people believe that near-field communication is the future of payment-processing and sending and receiving files from mobile devices. And although AirDrop will help Apple in that regard, having true near-field communication would have been nice.

Considering the sheer number of major competitors that are competing against Apple with big-screen smartphones, it would have only made sense that the company would have delivered a larger screen in the iPhone 5S. Instead, it stuck with the 4-inch screen. What a bore.

Historically, Apple has announced new iPhones alongside new iPods. This time around, however, Apple didn’t discuss any new iPods. Granted, iPods are starting to lose their luster, but the iPod Touch, especially, is still popular among kids and parents. It was unfortunate that Apple skipped the iPod discussion.

The iPhone 5 has been eliminated, but surprisingly, the iPhone 4S hasn’t. Customers looking to get their hands on a cheaper iPhone can pick up the 4S for free. The device only comes with 8GB of onboard storage, but at that price (or lack thereof), it offers a nice value.

Apple’s iPhone 5S will come with up to 64GB of storage. It was rather disappointing, however, when the company didn’t announce a 128GB option. If the iPad can deliver that much storage, why can’t the iPhone as well? It seems rather odd. Apple has acknowledged its users need more storage; why wouldn’t the company provide that?

There was some hope among Apple fans that the company would finally show off an update to its popular iPad. However, Apple decided to make the Sept. 10 event all about the iPhone. Let’s hope that the new iPad, featuring a new design and better specs, will be hitting store shelves sooner rather than later.

Over the last couple of years, Apple has shown off iOS at the Worldwide Developer Conference, and then when it announced the iPhone separately, it would also deliver some new iOS features that went with the respective device. This time around, however, Apple showed off the same old iOS 7 without any major improvements.

There seemed to be a general lack of excitement when Apple’s Tim Cook headed up to the stage to kick off his company’s event. And save for an anti-Android joke from Phil Schiller, Apple’s executives lacked the flair that had become so commonplace in its press events over the years. Perhaps that lack of excitement was due to the lack of general excitement in the products Apple showed off. But whatever the reason, the show’s boring announcements made for a less-than-exciting experience.