Analyst: Apple 5G iPhones might not be worth the wait

Goldman Sachs analyst Rod Hall is back trying to analyze Apple, the iPhone, and 5G with predictable results…

Eric J. Savitz, Barrons:

What if 5G is a bust? That isn’t to say there is lack of need for more bandwidth. It is a huge piece of the puzzle for autonomous driving and creates the potential for new competition in the market for home internet access. But it might not do much to improve your mobile-phone experience. In short, you probably won’t need a 5G phone.

In a research note on Wednesday, Goldman Sachs analyst Rod Hall casually makes the assertion that 5G is “a brand, not a feature.”

We do not believe that 5G offers consumers much in the way of additional utility. Smartphone download speeds are already sufficient even for 4K video streaming and latency decreases to 1 ms are not perceptible for humans (not even lag sensitive gamers.) …We expect the technology to mainly benefit carriers by lowering the cost to deliver bits and opening up fixed wireless broadband as a service option. Reduced latency to level usable by high speed machinery and automated vehicles might also open up new revenue opportunities for the carriers. IoT sensors reliant on batteries will gain lifespan and automated care also gain specific functionality allowing for vehicle-to-vehicle communication. — Goldman Sachs analyst Rod Hall

MacDailyNews Take: You know what else benefits from the far lower latency than 4G that 5G offers? Augmented reality. As in: Apple Glasses.

Given his limited reasoning capabilities, we doubt that, if pressed, Rod Hall would be able to analyze his way out of a wet paper bag.MacDailyNews, July 17, 2019


      1. Being an 11 Pro Max owners trumps being a Never Notcher who botch living a quality life with the best you can currently get, and then upgrading to whatever new iPhone comes with no notch in the future.

  1. Analyst misses the point… Right now, most customers don’t understand what benefits they’re supposedly “waiting” for with regard to 5G. So it’s NOT a matter of whether it’s worth waiting for 5G (or not). Most don’t care about it. They DO care about improved performance, that extra ultra-wide camera, the “X” (and later) features if currently “8” (or earlier), even new color choices. AND when ”5G” does arrive, it will be just one of many new iPhone improvements that model year. It won’t even be the primary most important new feature for most customers that motivates upgrade decision.

    1. Do you know anyone who is begging for 5G specifically? Do they even know what it is? I’ve asked smartphone users about 5G and they usually reply with, “What’s that?” It’s not as though everyone who uses a smartphone is up on the latest tech. It’s basically a commodity. Analysts who keep saying EVERYONE is waiting for 5G are bold-faced liars. Most consumers have far greater concerns for immediate things in their lives than 5G.

  2. I’m in Chicago and randomly get the 5G symbol on my iPhone 11 Pro Max Whatever The Damn Too Long Name Is Now. Doesn’t seem to work as well as 4G LTE on AT&T but I guess that’s progress.

    1. Progress will be when the entire 5G infrastructure is in place for most concerned users. I personally don’t see the rush for 5G when there’s good 4G LTE in place, which of course, depends on where you live. Your iPhone doesn’t support 5G but you may get a 5Ge (Evolution) symbol but that’s not true 5G. Spotty service is really just annoying.

    2. It’s iPhone 11 Pro Max. Did you have to be an a-CitizenX-hole and add “whatever the damn too long name is that comes after I wrote the right name because I enjoy looking like a dumb-a”?

      Are you also unaware that 5Ge on AT&T is simply a faster form of 4G LTE and that AT&T is just making you look like an a-CitizenX-hole?

      Spare us your inanity, bro.

  3. “I want you, I want everyone to go to your window, lean out, and holler, ‘I won’t take it any more! I want my 5G iGlasses now and I want my cataracts now’.”

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