Unboxed: The people’s response to the iPhone 6 reveal

Since the death of their founder and CEO, many have doubted that anything could emerge to rival the company’s greatest accomplishment, the iPhone 4S.

Ever since SIRI hit the scene, to both delight and infuriate users, Apple’s subsequent releases have only been lackluster modifications on their existing merchandise. The iPhone 5, 5c, and 5S showed little to no variation in design, save the addition of operating system tweaks and touch identification for better security.

Despite the disappointing turn of Apple’s recent activity, many suspected that their box of tricks was nowhere near empty. True enough, around July 6, 2013 rumors of a new super phone started to circulate, hinging on reports of Apple’s talks with mobile carrier SK Telecom.

Their potential foray into LTE Advanced technology quickly caught eyes and ears from all over the world. This was followed by another snippet on July 22, of the same year, detailing the possibly larger screens and improved display of the future iPhone 6.

For months after, the tech giant went silent presumably to prepare for their upcoming launch.

Tech geeks and experts continued to speculate, however, even going so far as to produce dummy models and simulations based on the scant knowledge released to the public. Now, the long wait is finally over and the new iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, and Apple Watch were finally unveiled.

An isolated event

A look at the Radian 6 graph of mentions (5,796,049 in total), reveals the highest peak at 2,329,302 on September 9, with a sharp decline on September 10, just a day after the initial unveiling. The level of mentions remained relatively steady until the long awaited product launch until a huge spike in the river of news corresponding to when the iPhone 6 was first presented to the public.

From there, mentions gradually petered out to a current level of 125,201. It looks like, with the official release date set for September 19, most are content to sit back and wait the extra ten days to claim their prize.

Despite the sudden decrease in buzz, the iPhone 6, along with its constituents, was the hotly debated topic of the day. The Philippines was among the top 20 countries that generated the greatest number of mentions, placing at no. 14 overall.

A word cloud scan revealed the most common topic being the iPhone itself with Apple, Samsung, and related brand hashtags (#note and #galaxy) ranking as well. Unsurprisingly, the word “imitation” made it into the cloud perhaps referencing the new iPhone 6’s apparent similarities to the Galaxy Note series.

True enough, Samsung made a reference to this in their latest video hit against their longtime rival.

Despite this, general reception was mostly positive at 60.8% of total mentions to 38.0% negative value. A majority of negative mentions targeted the resemblance of the new iPhone 6 Plus to the preceding models, as well as the Note series. As one Twitter user put it, “Whoever gets the iPhone 6 that has an iPhone 5/5S is stupid because it’s the exact same phone.”

More positive comments centered on how “cool” the iPhone 6 was and their eagerness to pre-order.

Expectations versus reality

Taking desirability into account, most online talk centered on the iPhone 6 Plus (775,817 mentions), followed by the iPhone 6 (775, 812 mentions) and the Apple Watch (186,988).

Based on this, it seems as if both iPhone models are neck and neck.

A look at all the new iPhone features reveals that size does matter, with majority of the desirability quotient skewed toward that area. Next in line are the improved camera and long-awaited iOS 8 software update.

Finally the retina display is also mentioned noticeably, and is one feature which is sure to make quite the impact when combined with the whopping 4.7” size increase.

A Battle of the Giants

Now that Apple has made its move, many look to Samsung to respond with equal intensity. A comparison of the iPhone 6 and Galaxy S5 releases reveal that the latter missed their competitor’s numbers by a wide margin at a total of 302, 891 mentions. In comparison to the iPhone 6 graph, a noticeable spike is also evident around the S5’s release date followed by a sharp decline and gradual loss of buzz.

With this, it seems as if Samsung has to pull something truly incredible out of their hats to combat Apple’s latest. Whatever they do come up with, it’s still a win-win situation for techies worldwide looking to collect the latest in touch technology.

With the initial announcements out of the way, further challenges and questions are looming for the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, and Apple Watch. Are they truly all that was promised and more? The real answers will come on September 19, where the true test and verdict will come from real-life performance. – Rappler.com

Pauline Pangan is the Founder of AllFamous Digital, a successful business digital marketing agency that services big clientele locally and internationally. She is also a health and fitness advocate and has even found the time in her busy schedule to become a certified Zumba instructor. Pauline is also actively involved in social outreach through LifelinePH, a charity organization she founded that helps people displaced by calamities. You can follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.