Mobile phones & tablets thread

[ioan]

Dear Captain, dunno in your country but where I live at the moment (Danmark) 8 people out of 10 have an iPhone...there must be a reason don't you think?

Most probably there are more snobs in Denmark then in other countries?!
Or you had something different in mind?

[race aficionado]

I had a go with one yesterday and am seriously considering this as my next upgrade. Its considerably cheaper than the present iPhone and is packed with features. I loved the big screen too. I can keep my Android apps which would be a bonus. I don't like the blue version though on a purely aesthetical basis. It looks cheap and feels cheap for some reason but is stunning in white.

Yep, it's a HOT phone all right.

I of course am being cheeky here - if it's on print, it's not necessarily true.

Galaxy S3 Reportedly Explodes, Samsung Investigating

[CaptainRaiden]

Really?

For me for a computer or phone to be trash it has to be unfit for purpose, either doesn't work or is near unusable. I put it to you that on the current market you'll have to try VERY hard to find any product that is 'trash' as you call it, and if it is it will almost certainly be a fly-by-night company flogging a PC-based product due to the ease of manufacture. Apples would be at the top end of the market and satisfaction rates would suggest they are far from trash.

But this raises another question.

On this thread over the last few pages I've paid attention to, you've claimed that Apple customers are gullible and ignorant while Apple products are trash.

I think most people have made clear on this thread that Apples are not the answer to everything and that people have respect for, use and buy other products where they provide a better solution to their needs. Nowhere have I seen anyone deride users of non-Apple products.

You might wish to take note that the only person using derisive language like that is you. This does your argument very little good and by extension puts you in a poor light.

BTW your argument appears to revolve around the fact that Apple products offer poor value for money in terms of hardware performance and it seems that you cannot grasp the fact that other factors might be of importance to consumers. This is an exceptionally simplistic view of the computer and phone market, indeed of the world in general.

Extending your argument to the car market you would be arguing that Kias are by far the best car in the world and that by any objective measure anyone who buys a premium brand such as BMW or Mercedes must be an idiot. The problem is you're ignoring and dismissing all those voices saying "I want something that makes me feel good" "I need something sporty" "I need something that can take me off-road".

It's exactly this kind of justification from customers that lets Apple put such ridiculous price stickers on inferior products and people are happy paying it, because hey, it works!

If you have a problem with my posts or my "language", please add me to your ignore list.

The reason I called Apple products trash is because of the huge difference in price for inferior products. Okay, so in your and henners' opinion the OS X is better and convenient than Windows 7, and it's easy to use for its customers. Okay, so Apple charges more for that. But if I'm paying extra, shouldn't I get the SAME or at least comparable hardware?

Why is there a difference of $800 between the two laptops below? And keep in mind, you're getting inferior hardware on the Macbook for the extra $800.

Amazon.com: Apple MacBook Pro MD102LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop (NEWEST VERSION): Computers & Accessories

Amazon.com: Dell XPS X15Z-7502ELS 15-Inch Laptop (Elemental Silver): Electronics

Only for the Mac OS X?

I'm no tech expert, but I don't think a "better OS" (which is laughable BTW) and a brand name deserves the extra $800.

From that money, I can buy the Dell XPS laptop AND a brand spanking new Samsung Galaxy S3.

[CaptainRaiden]

Like Cap R said, its popular because its popular. Many buy them because "everybody else" have one, rather then because the phones specs.
Does that automatically make it good phone? Its the same with most things. Our purchases are influenced by others.

Regarding prices currently these are the cheapest prices that i can find for some phones

HTC One X, 5000kr
S. Galaxy SIII, 5500kr
Iphone 4S, 5200kr

So what with the older 4S makes it worth the same money as the HOX and the S3?

Imo the S3 and HOX are the phones that currently sets the standard for a top of the line smartphone and i dont think
that IP5 will reach up to their standard.

THIS is exactly what I can't understand. Both the One X and S3 are technical masterpieces and pretty much thrash the iPhone 4S in every department imaginable. Hell, the "old" S2 did it a year ago, and S3 is only better. Android 4.0 ICS has proven to be a much better and versatile OS compared to iOS.

BUT yet, they are in the same price range.

People would still buy the iPhone though, because they want the brand name as Jag explained a few posts ago. Beauty is only skin deep.

[CaptainRaiden]

Can't agree! The development team where I work all use Macs and find them much better for development than PCs.

I suspect they'd find Linux even better but perhaps that's a step too far.

Again, I must live in a parallel universe. The 10-15 programmers I know (one of them works for Qualcomm in San Diego, CA, one for Google in Bangalore and some others for bioinformatics companies) are not Mac fans whatsoever. It is from talking with them that I got this "anti-Apple" attitude.

Linux is the primary choice, followed by Windows at least for the ones that I know.

[CaptainRaiden]

Yep, it's a HOT phone all right.

I of course am being cheeky here - if it's on print, it's not necessarily true.

Galaxy S3 Reportedly Explodes, Samsung Investigating

Yeah, one isolated incident is enough to strike fear in the hearts of Galaxy S3 users.

iPhone 4 Explodes Midflight on Australian Airline - ABC News

Ayla Mota's iPhone explodes: Device emits smoke and sparks while charging | Mail Online

iPhone 4S Battery Explosion Problem

Another Iphone 4s Explodes In Brazil - Phones - Nairaland


Be afraid, be VERY afraid the next time you put your iPhone next to your ear.

[CaptainRaiden]

Maybe you get inferior hardware because Apple design their computers and software in such a way that they don't demand as much from the hardware itself? Why are Apple Macs often faster than PC's when using programmes such as Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, Illustrator, and InDesign? In my experience they are.

On a PC with similar specs? I highly doubt it. I have used all applications included in the Adobe Creative Suite on a Mac, a PC, a Macbook and a Dell laptop and didn't find any difference.

For the price of a Mac though you can buy a killer PC with double the specs, which will wipe the floor with the Mac with ease in any area imaginable. I have used such a monster with an SSD. Win 7 boots to desktop in 15 seconds flat, and Photoshop fires up in max 2-3 seconds. Rendering tasks in Premiere are a breeze. The Mac would of course be seriously trailing behind at this point for the SAME price. But of course if you're unsure of how to use or set up a PC, then it's gonna be tough.

My HTC Incredible S smartphone has a better spec on paper than my wifes iPhone 4 as another example. Why then is it slower to load webpages even on a WiFi connection, and the battery needs charging alot more frequent than hers? Side by side when you compare the specs, my phone is streets ahead or hers and even has a more powerful battery!! I keep getting told that I need to keep killing apps to maximise my battery life, but why should I have to keep doing that? The iPhone doesn't leave battery sucking apps running in the background and to be honest I think the OS is just better designed to cope with such use. I really enjoy using my Android phone don't get me wrong. It does most things the iPhone does, but there is a clear quality and performance difference regardless of its superior hardware.

First of all, the specs are quite similar. They both have a 1 Ghz single core processor I believe, and I wouldn't call a 250 MB RAM advantage of the HTC to be "streets ahead."

Second, you're comparing Android 2.2 Froyo with iOS 5. A better comparison would be 2.3 Gingerbread, especially with Samsung's touchwhiz UI, which makes it the biggest competitor to Apple, not HTC. Android 4.0 ICS is of course better than iOS 5.

Anyway, traditionally Android requires slightly better hardware, just because it's so versatile and customizable.

If the iPhone is being thrashed on every level especially the hardware, then why is it the most popular selling and most desirable phone on the market? And no its not just clever marketing and a sheep hearded mentality of consumers. Thats just a simplistic view to justify something one can't really answer IMO.

When the iPhone 4S was beaten in every area by the Galaxy S2, and still sells more, that tells you how much people really pay attention to reviews or even bother with what's inside their phone.

Also, you do realize that iPhone hardware + touchscreen were made by Samsung. Apple didn't invent apps. They were also a result of widgets made by Samsung. Galaxy S2 sold close to 10 million phones in a year, and was only a close second to iPhone 4S. Apple stayed ahead because of better brand marketing, flashy TV ads (especially the one with Siri doing unrealistic things which it doesn't do in reality) and creating hype around their phones. How many Apple ads do you see on TV versus Samsung ads?

Products are only inferior if the individual thinks they are. Many Apple owners may think the Dells are inferior and have reasons for it, what makes you think they have to be wrong?

In Apple's case, the products actually are inferior sold at a higher price. Apple's image, brand name, product placement (Macbooks with the bright Apple logo in Hollywood movies) and fancy exterior is what's keeping them marginally ahead..... for now.

[CaptainRaiden]

It sounds like your friends are are risk of being dangerously out of touch. If they are so anti a particular type of product, then they are in danger of putting themselves out of a job by dismissing a service based on past prejudices. People in IT have to be open to new technology and have an appreciation to how the market and systems develop. I have certain opinions on Design Packages but I don't judge them too harshly because I never know if I may need a job that uses a package I have had negative feelings about.

While I agree with what you say, I'll make sure to pass on your expert advice to the outdated guys working on Qualcomm's next gen mobile processor, Google translate and the ones designing apps for Android or optimizing Android's upcoming Jelly Bean OS for tablets.

And the prejudices aren't past, they're quite recent actually.

[CaptainRaiden]

My HTC was released after the iPhone 4 and was actually the same price at the beginning with as you say a similar hardware spec. To watch it completely overtaken by an older phone is not great. The better Android software you mention to compare won't run on my phone because its not fast enough. Why can Apple release software compatible to suit a year old device but Android only support better and newer devices?

Dear henners, it is because Android is a much better OS, and because it is so customizable, requires slightly better hardware. You cannot customize iOS NEARLY as well as you can with Android, not even close. Think of it as a fancy video game which requires more horsepower.

Going by your logic, Windows Phone 7 is the best mobile OS ever, as it requires even less horsepower and blasts the iPhone 4S in benchmark tests with inferior hardware.

The S2 was released way after mine and was a lot better yes, but now this is compared to the iPhone because its more on its level?

First of all the S2 is compared to iPhone 4S not the older iPhone 4, because it's in the same price bracket ($150 cheaper though) as the iPhone 4S. It's got better hardware, bigger screen and is faster at everything, even at booting. It boots to home screen in half the time of the 4S.

Comparing one company like Apple who release a smartphone every 2 years to a wide range of manufacturers who use one operating system is rather a biased comparison IMO. Yes Apple still charge a premium in comparison to these newer Android devices but they don't have any competitors using the same OS so they can. Simple as that really.

First of all, Android is open source, so even Apple or Nokia can use them, but they choose not to. You can even install Android on your laptop, it's free to download.

Second, nobody stops Apple from releasing phones more often. Hell, they release an iPad every year. So, their latest phone will be compared to the closest competitor I'm afraid. The iPhone 4S cannot be compared with HTC One X or Galaxy S3, because they're both in a different league. But the iPhone 5 will be compared to these.

Third, the iOS 5 is not better than Android 4.0 ICS. You may believe it is, but it's not, as it has been proven in many tests by phone review websites by smartphone experts. So, there's no reason really for Apple to charge a premium. They do it, because they can and because Apple customers believe they are justified.

I'm glad Samsung are considered the biggest competitor to Apple because it pushes both companies forward. Its rumoured the iPhone 5 is alot more powerful than the S3, so that can only be a good thing for both. Samsung will no doubt wait 7 months and release the S4 that will be slightly better on hardware than the iPhone, but no doubt Apple will still sell more devices and still be the market leader in 2 years time. You have to ask yourself why this is the case if they are just a load of inferior products with a fancy brand slapped on the back. I think theres alot more to it than that.

I didn't know your part-time job was being Oracle, henners. I highly doubt the iPhone 5 would be more powerful, but let's see. Apple have a history of unveiling underpowered gadgets. The iPhone 4S with much inferior hardware and features than the Galaxy S3, is in the same price range, which is just ridiculous BTW. I highly doubt the Apple would be able to keep the price competitive with a much more powerful iPhone 5, especially if it's got a bigger screen, because as it goes with Apple, every little change adds $200 to the total price.

Also, let's watch that space about who's the market leader in 2 years. iPhone is slightly ahead right now, because it got the jump in the smartphone arena.

Android came from nowhere, made a similar OS and interface, and jumped from 4th at its debut to now world's number one smartphone OS. Through different devices, it now has almost 60% of the world's smartphone share. And since it's open source, they have been developing it at frantic pace, pretty much forcing Apple's hand, which resulted in the launch of iPhone 4S instead of waiting another year for the iPhone 5.

The reason Apple sells more at this point is because it's an established brand, a lot of people are aware of the name Apple. Many don't know about Android, and Samsung is doing a great job putting the name out there with its Galaxy phones.

[cali]

I did realise that yes and I think we've discussed the many patent battles between the two companies on here in the past. I'm well aware Apple funded development done by Samsung. I am also aware that Samsung no longer develop the touchscreens for Apple and the new iPhone will have its screen manufactured and developed by 'Sharp'. Sorry if I gave you the impression I thought Apple invented the 'Application'. You must have a very low opinion of my intelligence level.

I think the Retina displays are produced by LG. Not sure though ...
In estonian technology columns people always passionate fights on topics like "OS X vs Windows vs Linux" or "WP vs Android vs iOS". I think it rather childish as these are merely products and do not pose any real value in our lives.