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The iPad and the iPhone were heavily criticized when they came out. While both were pushing some good tech, they were also going against the general wisdom of w

The iPad and the iPhone were heavily criticized when they came out. While both were pushing some good tech, they were also going against the general wisdom of what made a product in each category.

ericmay 3y ago
Yea. Remember all the memes of the iPad being 4 iPhones taped together? It was widely criticized and considered to be a flop by some. A pointless device even.
- plagiarist 3y ago
  It was kinda that, though, wasn't it? I think Vision Pro might be a similar evolution. IMO this is a tool for professionals and media enthusiasts. After proving out some use cases they'll transition later generations like how the iPad Pro has grown into stuff like graphics editing.
- scarface_74 3y ago
  The iPad had a higher sells trajectory its first four years than the iPhone did its it’s first four years.
Hamuko 3y ago
What, the iPhone too? The iPad was called a big iPhone (especially when they showcased on stage that you can run iPhone apps with 2x magnification), but I remember there being a lot of hype for the iPhone.
- arnorhs 3y ago
  Maybe for some people. A lot of people, esp. reporters and the like who loved their blackberries were heavily negative towards not having a physical keyboard.. It's kind of hard to imagine that this was the reality, given where we are today.
  - Hamuko 3y ago
    I'm not sure if BlackBerries were really ever a thing in Europe. All the business-type people had Nokia Communicators here (the last of which was released in 2007).
- bombcar 3y ago
  The hype for the iPhone was more the standard Apple hype cycle - I don’t thing many people really expected it to eat the world entire.
zarzavat 3y ago
The things that the iPhone was criticised for - no 3G was the biggest one - were easily fixed in the next iteration. The problems with the vision pro seem more fundamental, primarily cost. Apple really needs to sell it with zero margin or as a loss leader to build marketshare because $3000 is absurd and will really damage its branding "weird face hugger for rich people"
- NBJack 3y ago
  I think they are in part counting on it as a status symbol. iPhone, iPad, and a few others are ubiquitous in the US market. Additonally, they kinda "blend in" amidst competitor devices with similar designs. But the Vision Pro will be eye- catching and hard to miss, with a large profile and unique design. Time will tell if it works.
  - chongli 3y ago
    Going straight for the high end of the market is risky when you depend on developer ecosystems for value. The iPhone was expensive at launch but didn’t really take off until it added the App Store and came down in price. If they get a handful of celebrities walking around with these things it may become a status symbol. Or it may become a joke, especially if somebody crashes their Ferrari while wearing one.
    - rchaud 3y ago
      The iPhone also replaced things, like an iPod. This doesn't replace a Mac, and costs 2x what a Mac does.
  - rchaud 3y ago
    A status symbol is something you are regularly seen in. Apple Watch would be that thing, as it's basically a form of jewelry. A Vision Pro won't be seen in public. Nobody's going to be wearing this heavy thing in an airport or on transit.
    - Philpax 3y ago
achow 3y ago
I had an iPod touch before iPhone came around. If memory serves right, after first few versions of iPod Touch was out everyone was wondering why Apple is not cramming in the phone functionality as well. iPhone maybe was criticized by the likes of Ballmer and Nokia/Blackberry execs from business strategy perspective, but I'm not sure that sentiment was universally shared by consumers. EDIT: OK my memory has failed tragically. Will leave this comment here nevertheless.
- madeofpalk 3y ago
  iPod Touch came out after iPhone.
- bombcar 3y ago
  The iPod came first, and the main value proposition for the iPhone at first was it combined your iPod and your phone into one device. That was huge pocket savings. Apps didn’t come until significantly later.
trevyn 3y ago
People were very skeptical about the lack of a keyboard on iPhone, and it was missing a few basic features like copy/paste, but it was incomprehensibly small in person and other phones couldn’t touch the capabilities.
turnsout 3y ago
Yes, same goes for any "first gen" Apple product in a category: The Apple I, 128k Macintosh, iPod, Apple Watch. The thing all these first-generation products have in common (including the Apple Vision Pro) is that they are eminently skippable and usually followed by more popular, better-spec'd lower-cost models within a year or two.
- tsimionescu 3y ago
  Still, Apple computers were decidedly niche before the iPod and iPhone took the world by storm.

The iPad and the iPhone were heavily criticized when they came out. While both were pushing some good tech, they were also going against the general wisdom of what made a product in each category.

ericmay 3y ago

Yea. Remember all the memes of the iPad being 4 iPhones taped together? It was widely criticized and considered to be a flop by some. A pointless device even.

plagiarist 3y ago
It was kinda that, though, wasn't it? I think Vision Pro might be a similar evolution. IMO this is a tool for professionals and media enthusiasts. After proving out some use cases they'll transition later generations like how the iPad Pro has grown into stuff like graphics editing.
scarface_74 3y ago
The iPad had a higher sells trajectory its first four years than the iPhone did its it’s first four years.

Hamuko 3y ago

What, the iPhone too? The iPad was called a big iPhone (especially when they showcased on stage that you can run iPhone apps with 2x magnification), but I remember there being a lot of hype for the iPhone.

arnorhs 3y ago
Maybe for some people. A lot of people, esp. reporters and the like who loved their blackberries were heavily negative towards not having a physical keyboard.. It's kind of hard to imagine that this was the reality, given where we are today.
- Hamuko 3y ago
  I'm not sure if BlackBerries were really ever a thing in Europe. All the business-type people had Nokia Communicators here (the last of which was released in 2007).
bombcar 3y ago
The hype for the iPhone was more the standard Apple hype cycle - I don’t thing many people really expected it to eat the world entire.

zarzavat 3y ago

The things that the iPhone was criticised for - no 3G was the biggest one - were easily fixed in the next iteration. The problems with the vision pro seem more fundamental, primarily cost. Apple really needs to sell it with zero margin or as a loss leader to build marketshare because $3000 is absurd and will really damage its branding "weird face hugger for rich people"

NBJack 3y ago
I think they are in part counting on it as a status symbol. iPhone, iPad, and a few others are ubiquitous in the US market. Additonally, they kinda "blend in" amidst competitor devices with similar designs. But the Vision Pro will be eye- catching and hard to miss, with a large profile and unique design. Time will tell if it works.
- chongli 3y ago
  Going straight for the high end of the market is risky when you depend on developer ecosystems for value. The iPhone was expensive at launch but didn’t really take off until it added the App Store and came down in price. If they get a handful of celebrities walking around with these things it may become a status symbol. Or it may become a joke, especially if somebody crashes their Ferrari while wearing one.
  - rchaud 3y ago
    The iPhone also replaced things, like an iPod. This doesn't replace a Mac, and costs 2x what a Mac does.
- rchaud 3y ago
  A status symbol is something you are regularly seen in. Apple Watch would be that thing, as it's basically a form of jewelry. A Vision Pro won't be seen in public. Nobody's going to be wearing this heavy thing in an airport or on transit.
  - Philpax 3y ago

achow 3y ago

I had an iPod touch before iPhone came around. If memory serves right, after first few versions of iPod Touch was out everyone was wondering why Apple is not cramming in the phone functionality as well. iPhone maybe was criticized by the likes of Ballmer and Nokia/Blackberry execs from business strategy perspective, but I'm not sure that sentiment was universally shared by consumers. EDIT: OK my memory has failed tragically. Will leave this comment here nevertheless.

madeofpalk 3y ago
iPod Touch came out after iPhone.
bombcar 3y ago
The iPod came first, and the main value proposition for the iPhone at first was it combined your iPod and your phone into one device. That was huge pocket savings. Apps didn’t come until significantly later.

trevyn 3y ago

People were very skeptical about the lack of a keyboard on iPhone, and it was missing a few basic features like copy/paste, but it was incomprehensibly small in person and other phones couldn’t touch the capabilities.

turnsout 3y ago

Yes, same goes for any "first gen" Apple product in a category: The Apple I, 128k Macintosh, iPod, Apple Watch. The thing all these first-generation products have in common (including the Apple Vision Pro) is that they are eminently skippable and usually followed by more popular, better-spec'd lower-cost models within a year or two.

tsimionescu 3y ago
Still, Apple computers were decidedly niche before the iPod and iPhone took the world by storm.