iPhone users still believe in Apple
VENICE BEACH, Calif. - The tech press has been all about Apple losing some of its innovation mojo this year to rivals like Google, Facebook and Amazon. But try telling that to consumers.
Advancements in virtual reality, augmented reality and the connected home from others? Not a concern. At least not to the tourists we spoke to this week here by the popular seaside skate park.
"I've tried Oculus Rift," the virtual reality gaming system owned by Facebook, says Anna Watkins, from London. "It doesn’t feel that accessible every day, yet I can’t imagine my life without this (iPhone)."
Gilda Osborn, visiting from Alabama, agreed: “I love Apple, I always want to buy the newest one thats out. I’m looking forward to seeing what they come out with next.”
We asked the consumers to name the coolest tech company--was it Google, Apple, Facebook or Amazon?
While Adam English of Alabama choose Google, "because I use it 20 times a day," Watkins went for Apple. "They’re always ahead of the game, and the things they create are beautiful. That’s the difference. It’s so easy to get into their (Apple) products and never leave. They make it easy to stay loyal to the brand.”
Beyond tech reporters, who have been drooling this year over advancements in 360 degree filmmaking, virtual and augmented reality and robotic computing--all advanced by rivals, Apple has seen its fortunes start to dip this year, with two successive quarters of declining iPhone sales. The most recent new model, the iPhone 6S, turned out to be a disappointment, the first iPhone model that didn't outsell the previous one.
Still, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster expects Apple to sell 231 million units of the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus phones.
Not everybody we spoke to at the beach this week was an Apple fan boy.
Jackie Babb of nearby San Dimas said she thought Apple products were overpriced and "not worth the money. It's just hype and advertising."
Apple is expected to debut new iPhones, computers and an Apple Watch on September 7 in San Francisco.
Follow Paste BN's Jefferson Graham on Twitter, @jeffersongraham.