Walmart Slashes iPhone 5 Price to $98 Ahead of 5S Launch in September, 2013

With the Apple iPhone 5S expected to launch in just a few short weeks, retailers are looking to clear the stock of Apple's current flagship handset any way they can. To that effect, Walmart slashed the cost of the iPhone 5 today, dropping it $100 below its price at launch. The mega-retailer is now selling the device in-store for just $98 with a two-year contract on AT&T, Sprint and Verizon.

This isn’t the first time Walmart has cut the price on the iPhone in recent memory. Back in June, the company started offering the handset for $129 (down from $189.97). It also started selling the iPhone 4S —which may be discontinued if Apple unveils two new smartphones next month—for just $39 at the same time (down from $99).

With the iPhone 5S launch so close, there’s no real reason to take Walmart up on its offer. In a few weeks, the iPhone 5 will naturally drop to $99 on-contract as Apple rolls out a new flagship handset. At that point you’ll have a choice between the 4-inch iPhone 5 and the updated 5S, which is expected to feature a more powerful processor, a larger battery, possibly a built-in fingerprint scanner, but no noticeable external changes.

Story by
Jacob Kleinman

Source: TechnoBuffalo / WALMART

Technology | Apple's iPhone 5 is the most hated handset - while the majority of people love the Samsung Galaxy S4, study finds

Apple's iPhone 5 received the biggest customer backlash following its launch in 2012, according to new research.

One in five posts on social networks were critical of Apple's most recent handset, with the majority of people complaining about the introduction of a new power socket, the inaccuracy of Apple Maps and how similar the phone was to previous models. 

Samsung's Galaxy S4 received the least complaints - just 11 per cent - according to figures from analysts We Are Social.  

Apple's iPhone 5, pictured, was the most criticised handset on social networks after its launch in 2012, according to research by analysts. We Are Social. One in five people complained about the device's power socket and lack of innovation

We Are Social scanned Twitter, blogs and forums following the launch of four major handsets - Apple's iPhone 5 in September 2012, Samsung Galaxy S4 in March this year, the BlackBerry Z10 launch event in January and Nokia's launch of the Lumia 920, first announced in September 2012. 

The iPhone 5 came in for a barrage of complaints for everything from its lack of innovation to its new power connector socket and its mapping application. Apple added a Lightning to 30-pin power socket to the iPhone 5, which meant previous Apple users couldn't use their older chargers to charge the new device. 

Apple then charged extra for an adapter. Previous iPhones used a Google mapping application but this was replaced with Apple Maps in the iPhone 5. This led to complaints about misplacement of landmarks, poor satellite images and wrong directions. Less than a fortnight after the launch, Apple issued a statement apologising for the frustration Apple Maps had caused customers and recommended they try alternative mapping apps. 

There were also complaints about picture quality of photos taken on select iPhone 5s, with some customers saying there was a purple discolouration on images. Other iPhone 5 owners were left angry when the coating on their handset chipped off, exposing bright aluminium underneath. 

Samsung's Galaxy S4, pictured, was the least complained about handset on social networks after it launched in March this year. Figures from We Are Social claim that only 11 per cent of posts about the S4 contained negative comments

More than 300,000 conversations about the BlackBerry Z10, pictured, took place following its launch in January. This was more than the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the Nokia 920

This became known as 'scuffgate' when Apple refused to acknowledge the problem.

Other iPhone 5 users reported that white handsets leaked light behind the screen.

Ed Kitchingman, senior analyst at We Are Social, said: 'Brands were often on the receiving end of criticism for their handsets offering nothing new to the previous model. 

'The most successful launches were those that captured the consumer's imagination by talking about the handset's new and innovative features. 'And while leaks can be an important tool in building success, give away too much and the handset loses its 'wow' factor upon launch.' 

He said Samsung had the most 'wow factor' with 56 per cent of discussions being about new or different features with a particular emphasis on its eye tracking. In contrast, only 29 per cent of conversations about the iPhone 5 launch were focused on different features as dissent grows about the lack of innovation at Apple. 

However, the iPhone 5 was by far the most talked-about launch on social media, with around 1.7 million conversations, compared to 300,000 mentions of the Z10, 140,000 references to the Galaxy S4 and 45,000 comments about the Lumia 920.

Nokia launched its Lumia 920, pictured, in September 2012. According to We Are Social there were only 45,000 social network conversations about the device after launch. However, the brand came second in a customer satisfaction survey by JD Power in March, beating Samsung

APPLE TOPS CUSTOMER SATISFACTION SURVEY

Apple's iPhone topped the J.D Power and Associates list of best smartphones for the ninth consecutive time in March. J.D. Power's scores are based on customer experiences with certain products. 

In the most recent report, customers said that their phone's performance was the most important feature, followed by its design and features. 

How easy the phone was to use also played a part. The Californian-based firm took the top spot with a score of 855 out of 1,000. Second place went to Nokia with 795.

Samsung came in a third at 793, followed by Motorola and HTC with 792 and 790, respectively. 

The average score was 796, while BlackBerry only scored 732. 

The research claims Apple still has the strongest brand loyalty, though, due to 42 per cent of conversations about the iPhone 5 launch based around the Apple brand itself.

Men dominate smartphone launch day conversations with 83 per cent of all mentions coming from men and just 17 per cent generated by women. On a non-launch day, however, anywhere between 28 per cent and 41 per cent of conversations about mobile phones come from women.

Apple's next iPhone could be announced on 10 September and go on sale ten days later, according to recent reports. The phone - dubbed iPhone 5S - is rumoured to have internet speeds around ten times as fast as 3G.

Analysts also expect a second, cheaper handset - dubbed iPhone 6 -  to be announced as early as 27 September. It will be the first time in Apple's iPhone history that the company has unveiled two handsets in the same month. 

We Are Social's figures contradict a recent study from Quality Insight in Korea. The marketing firm surveyed 44,168 people about their handset and the iPhone was rated the best smartphone. The participants said that the iPhone rarely failed, with only 17 per cent complaining about technical issues with their Apple phone.

This is compared to 31 per cent who reported issues with Samsung phones ranging from battery charging problems to screen quality issues. Apple’s faults were related to touch or button errors.

Story: 

Victoria Woollaston, Daily Mail