During Apple’s Q4 earnings call today, a question was asked about how Apple viewed its increased competition for the iPhone in the coming holiday season. In particular, it was asked how Apple views all the new Android phones coming out. Apple COO Tim Cook made Apple’s stance very clear: They’re still catching up with the first iPhone.
Yes, Apple views the smartphone market as still being behind the first phone they released over two years ago. “We’ve moved beyond that,” Cook noted.
Certainly, compared to some smartphones out there, the first iPhone still compares very well. The iPhone 3G compares even better — as we’ve written before, it’s kind of like James Bond, while a lot of others at the same price are Joe Schmoe. But to say the original iPhone is ahead of phones like the Palm Pre and the myTouch 3G seems a bit disingenuous.
That said, the iPhone 3GS is, in my view, still absolutely ahead of the competiton, including the aforementioned phones. By many accounts, the upcoming Verizon Droid phone could be first real challenger to the current leading iPhone. Verizon obviously feels the same way, given its advertising campaign.
It going to be interesting what the Verizon Droid is going to do the the iPhone market but, Verizon thought the Blackberry Storm was going to be the iPhone Killer and yet the BB storm sucks, i know i have one!
its going to do what the verizon voyager did. absolutely nothing.
the real competition will be windows mobile 7.
yeah I’m thinking the same thing myself but we will soon see.
except that windows mobile just plain sucks
The 3GS is definitely way ahead of the rest of the competition in terms of hardware and software. I feel Tim’s statement could have taken into consideration the software as well. A lot of the software of existing competitor’s software are just on par with iPhone OS 1.0 (or whatever the version is ).
The Apple appstore has been progressing a lot since it’s launch and competitors are now only launching their own application store.
I’ve been in attendance to over a dozen Steve Jobs and Phil schiller keynotes. every time they release a drastic change to any product it’s typical for Apple to say that.
When I did management training at apple, we were often saying that, “why is iPhoto better than windows photo viewer?”
Generally, this year’s Macbook, iPhone and iLife suite is so good, the competition is still catching up with last year’s model. Nothing new, typical Apple PR canned responses. Move along here.
Why is everyone getting all crazy about the Droid. At least from the pics, the Android 2.0 user interface looks like complete crap compared to the iPhone.
Android as a whole will grow and gradually get market share because its open and will be available across all networks.
But I don’t think any one particular phone will stand out against the iPhone in the near future.
Agree. Android will always be an inferior product that is simply trying to follow the iPhone. With winmo somewhere in between.
Agreed, excited to see what Droid brings then what apple continues to do to counter. Apple HD perhaps
How is Android catching up if the Apple iPhone is a single threaded OS?
AKA: “Why can’t I listen to Pandora and check my f#%king email at the same time!”
I hear you. I hate it how I can’t listen to pandora and update my daily burn app. Sucks.
But even still, I feel that Iphone is light years away from its competitors. I can’t wait for Android to bring some competition, but I hope it doesn’t end up like Windows Mobile.
There’s something to be said about controlling things end to end.
http://www.trad...spx?symbol=aapl
LOL.
After the cut & paste, the multitasking seems to be the best argument for haters.
But i think it’s just like cut & paste or MMS.
I’ve never used cut & paste since it’s there, and i just sent one MMS to try since it’s there (and it’s been enabled for many monthes by all the operators here in France.
Yes, “all the operators” because the exclusivity has been broken by law here, so the iPhone is a really huge success).
“How is Android catching up if the Apple iPhone is a single threaded OS?”
The iPhone OS is an OS X variant, i.e. Unix, and is certainly multithreaded. Not only can any app developer use threads in their app, but Apple’s own apps easily handle, e.g., email checking while you do something else.
The problem is that Apple designed the phone to permit only one non-Apple app to run at a time. Their excuse is that permitting background processes decreases memory and burns battery life. This is true but not the whole story. It would be perfectly possible to implement a system where a “background” app was inherently limited to a maximum chunk of memory and fractional time-slice, as well as making a utility that could quickly display such processes, including sliders for the user to set those resource limits (including 0 if they wanted the current setup.)
About half right Mark. First of all these are all clones of Unix. First we had the University of Cal Berkley beginning development of BSD in the 70’s. Then BSD also based/cloned from Unix in the 70’s. Next came Minix in the 80’s. Which is what Torvalds patterned the Linux kernel on in 1991. The GNU was started by Richard Stallman in 1983 and it was the beginning of X-Windows, GUI and aps that would eventually become part of KDE the most dominant GUI on all Unix’s even today.
Finally came the version of FreeBSD Unix Clone, used as a kernel base for Apple’s OS-X. It came out in 1993. But their kernel is a Hybrid of the Mach 3.0 kernel and Open Source FreeBSD. It’s no longer a true Unix OS at all. It’s a microkernel. All the rest are basically Unix/Linux clones except that Mach kernel. But Apple products are still based on some technologies that are shared more in common with Linux than any other Operating System, save BSD.
But none of this has anything to do with why both of the new Linux kernel based Mobile OS’s can multi-task and the iPhone can’t. There are two factors that contribute to this.
First off neither of these two Linux systems are pure Linux based except for the kernel. From there both WebOS (Palm) and Android (Google) would be better termed Java Based OS’s. Loosely structured on Sun’s Java OS and their Looking Glass OS technology. All applications are run as Java Applelets. Thus taking the multi-tasking and putting it into VM’s that run completely separate from both the OS and each other. That’s why they multi-task and iDon’t don’t!!!
Second, the hardware is completely different. Where Apple is running a more traditional OS based on fixed hard coded hardware, these Linuxs are designed to be first and foremost flexible. To run on even future undeveloped hardware and software that can be upgraded through updating. Develop one app to run on all hardware is the philosophy of WebOS and Android. However on Apple iPhone, version 3 is all the hardware it will ever run on. They will need a new version to run on new hardware. It’s called Planned Obsolescence or Forced Obsolescence. Apple only makes money if you buy a new phone every two years. iPhoney’s OS is running on hardcoded API’s and Android isn’t. It’s a Live OS and has a future!
So if I buy a Droid (which I am), that hardware will be upgradable like a Sony PS3 through updates. That’s why Moto wanted this thing to last. It’s why simple things like batteries are user replaceable, why they opted for a more expensive 3G chip that can receive online updates. Android is not a fixed OS like Apple’s and all Apps can be developed using Java to run on all the hardware even into the future!
That’s why I prefer to call my iPhone an iPhoney. In the end, Android will grow and mature while my present iPhoney will be sitting in a drawer.
Quite simply; the combination of Motorola’s legacy of Cell Phone hardware Excellence (incl. Razr- Most Popular single phone in history of America) will team up with Google’s Open Source expertise. Along with their Web and Search Dominance. Together with Verizon’s unsurpassed coverage and service, they will produce the most potent combination of forces, to easily crush Apple’s cheap choice in a 3G chip and AT&T’s abysmal 30% dropped call rates!
Monarky,
You’re much smarter than I am, obviously. But all that technical mumbo jumbo is VERY MUCH besides the point. A hyper-geek like you does not a market make.
I think you’re full of malarkey!!
It’s a piece of cake for Apple to demolish the iPhone competition and you can be damn sure they’ve already thought it.
Just, untether the iPhone from its AT&T exclusivity and let other carriers also offer the iPhone.
That’s the end of Android.
You see, there’s this little thing called iTunes and the App Store.
Nobody gives a rat’s ass about Linux,coded hardware, user-replaceable batteries, little-tiny plastic keyboards, etc. etc. etc. Certainly, very few people (with the exception of Geeks) care how long their hardware will last.
Dumb Question: Can a compass or improved video camera come through a software update?
No. Didn’t think so.
btw, your statement that the same app will run on all Android phone is nonsense as most handsets will try to distinguish themselves through tweeks to the OS.
It’s not the iPhone that’s a phoney. It the competition which is PHONEY!!!
@stlreader:
that was disingenuos. Monarky did a good job of explaining key differences in why the iPhone is inherently limited. The idea that apple forces obsolescense on its hardware should be obvious to you. The manner in which they have slowly rolled out technology that they could have bundled into a firstclass device right from the start should tip you off. Second, the concept of android is simply to provide a free OS to device manufacturers (which will tie google search and app techology into the device). That will allow prices to come down, and ’smartphone’ technology to be made more broadly available. You are correct in saying that when Apply opens iphone availability accross all service providers they will open up their market potential. You are also correct in pointing out the link between iTunes and the appstore. What you are forgetting is that windows 7 is being freshly released, which matters. As well, the allure of the iPhone, which hasn’t change appearances in almost 2 years, is diminishing. In fact, it will likely become un-chic soon enough to sport a phone that is so ‘last year’. But to each his own. I will still laugh at apple-eaters, though, just like I laugh at trailer-park heroes championing the GOP every chance they get. Just don’t get it in the end, do they?
That’s actually kind of funny Apple. Because your shiny top of the line phone still won’t do half of what my 2 year old Blackberry will. Technologies like tethering and phone functionality over WIFI your phone does not do at all. I considered your device for a short time until I realized I would be giving up features I use. And of course your “partner in crime” AT&T and their unholy rape plans. Oh sorry I meant rate plans really.
If your that out of touch with reality droid is going to eat you alive. Ill be upgrading my 2 year old Blackberry to the new Bold 9700 when it arrives for Tmobile. Your device might be “cool and hip” but its junk if it can’t even tether or place calls over WIFI.
Doesn’t mean your device is junk – it just means your “partner” is holding you back. The iPhone is more than capable of doing what you mentioned. I think the point is that the iPhone itself in terms of the software, the store, music, etc. is years beyond everyone else. Sure in the States it’s hindered, but not if you’re elsewhere.
A little bit of “pretty” UI does not make you ahead of everyone else. In the grand scheme of things Apple is a newcomer to the market. People have been using Blackberries since 1999. Apple just made it fashionable and hip to have a smart phone.
LOL. Blackberry is a dying breed man. Everyone can do push email now and we don’t need BIS costs to do it anymore.
Hum No.
IMHO what Apple is missing is the BES functionality.
One can doubt Apple will ever try to develop one, as they seems to think they are years in advance.
@Scott: That’s not the point Bob was trying to make, try reading it again.
I forgot to mention that I not only use the blackberry, but my home computer is running an 8086 CPU, and my gaming system is an 8 bit nintendo. Soon I will upgrade my vehicle to the latest tech when I replace my model T with a model A.
Uh actually I’ve been making calls (using the skype app) over wifi on the iphone for months now, not sure when it was released but it’s been a while.
But I do agree AT&T totally sucks and it is the iPhone’s achille heel imo, in NYC it’s pathetic how bad the service is.
I would switch phones in an instant to get reliable service if there was a phone that came close to the iphone in terms of UI/ease of use and the wide range of apps available. What makes the iPhone amazing is how good the UI and software is and well it integrates with the hardware, not something easy to reproduce. I’m not holding my breath for verizon to deliver on that count, but very curious to see what droid will be like.
I love the Iphone UI as well. Functionality however trumps eye candy any day. When Apple sorts out their issues with AT&T perhaps I might consider one of their devices. Until then its crippled and useless junk regardless of the reason.
Ummm. People have been doing both of those for months on the iPhone. There’s been a tethering hack for a while or you can obviously jailbreak your phone and I along with millions of others have been making calls over wifi using the Skype app and plenty of others for months. Plus all voip apps are now able to make calls over 3G which is being prepared for upcoming upgrades to Skype etc…
Do a little research before posting. Oh that’s right paid trolls don’t do research. Sorry forgot.
On a lighter note… I love my iPhone, but really do hope Droid and some others do push the envelope and come out with some cool stuff. This will be great for the consumer as it will push Apple to innovate better and quicker.
I’ll also look at switching, but it would take a lot for me to do that as I’m quite pleased with my iPhone experience. Sure I get pissed about certain things with AT&T, but a lot of that will be taken care of when Verizon gets the iPhone next year. Not only will it offer more competition between the carriers which is good for the consumer, but it will alleviate some of the network problems because of the demand the iPhone puts on them.
What people fail to realise is where did most of the ideas behind the iphone come from. A long line of smart phones before it. When it first came out apart from the pretty interface it could barely do 1/4 of the things that your typical smart phone did.
Now 2 years on and with the 3GS Apple have caught up a lot but are still well behind even Nokia’s aged Symbian OS.
To have Apple say everyone is behind them is just a joke when they’ve been playing catchup ever since the iphone came out.
A pretty UI does not make up for the fact that I can’t do half the stuff on an iphone that I can do on other smart phones.
http://www.iphonessuck.com is full of lists of features and functionality the iphone is lacking. Apple’s management should start reading it instead of resting on their laurels.
There’s a loooong road ahead of you Apple.
Wow how sad, a whole site dedicated to hating the iPhone.
I would still take an iPhone 2G over the competition for reasons related to screen size and software. I’m sure they’ll get it right soon, as Droid looks promising.
For those that are curious, BGR got some hands-on screen shots of the Droid that you can get to here http://bit.ly/1DLCny. As a big iPhone 3GS fan, from what I can tell the Droid isn’t going to be enough to shake me loose.
I love this wave of mobile innovation and have a feeling that we’re going to look back at 2010 someday as a pivotal point in mobile computing. The changes that will be as profound as the switch between basic phones and the first Blackberries.
quit trying to drive traffic to your lame site. stay quiet if you have nothing useful to say. we all have seen that old article from the boy genius report you maggot.
Wow. Sorry to have offended you. I’m just pumped to see these devices evolving and the competition in the market.
Just another troll…Anonymous as per usual.
Cooke should have responded
“look we’re still kicking ass even if our iPhone email experience sucks donkey balls”.
Arrogance! Android will flood the market and slowly make inroads where these arrogant guys will get punished down the road. Of course, not before they cash out for millions.
On the other hand hats of to Apple for having an incredible quarter. Reminds me of Cisco back in the day. Q to Q earnings and growth dominance.
Really? smartphones are just starting to catch up to iPhone 1.0? Really.
Things like A2DP, tethering, MMS, multi-tasking, real push?
Please. The iPhone is a great phone with a fantastic mobile browser.
However, other phones have had much more functionality that iPhone 1.0 and 2.0.
Let’s not get carried away with ourselves now.
We should remember that people were calling the Palm Pre the first real challenger to the iPhone, and look what happened to it…
Has anyone ever noticed that the phase “iPhone killer” comes NOT from the vendor but from the press? I doubt the CEO of Palm ever said the Pre was going to be an “iPhone killer”. That’s just plain stupid.
I think you have to give the competition a bit more credit than that. Wild hopes of a device that is going to sweep you off your feet means you’re less excited about the device and more about the company.
Regardless, I’d say it’s less about the individual phones and more about the platforms as a whole. For the longest time, iPhone users thought that Cut and Paste was useless until it came in the 3.0 update, and then they thought it was the greatest thing since sliced bread. Sooner or later, you’ll get fed up with Apple “holding back” on clear improvements to the iPhone and jump ship to something else.
Examples:
1) Background apps – some apps are worthwhile in the background. If you don’t WANT to have them, no one is forcing you to do so. But the option NOT to have them is totalitarian.
2) Side-loading apps – it’s my device, and I pay hundreds of dollars each month to use it. If I f*#$ up my phone, I’m not going to go crying to Apple to replace it for me.
3) Design – it pretty much hasn’t changed since 2007.
Not the CEO of Palm, but close:
“You know the beautiful thing: June 29, 2009, is the two-year anniversary of the first shipment of the iPhone. Not one of those people will still be using an iPhone a month later.”
– Palm investor Roger McNamee
http://seekinga...hone-prediction
Apple is just great, especially the #iphone
Of course, they are going to say their phones are better. This is just more Apple advertising. This is news? How much is Apple paying you MG?
None, they don’t have to. For him, it’s like porn — spanking it every time Jobs speaks.
um. jobs didn’t speak today. he wasn’t on the call. try to pay attention.
I do, maybe you don’t. Here’s a quote from your previous post:
“Apple sold 3.05 million Macs in the quarter, up 17 percent from a year ago. They also sold 7.4 million iPhones in the quarter, a 7 percent growth from a year ago. Both of those are record sales numbers, CEO Steve Jobs notes.”
ouch.
a hundred billion bajillion trillion dollars in long john silver’s gift certificates.
wow, can I quote you on that?
What people don’t get is now the game for the “smartphone” is a lifestyle. It’s not just the hardware. It’s not just the software. It’s not just the apps.
Sure business users have been using smartphones for a while, but now it’s about the mass market.
It’s selling the lifestyle that Apple does so well in all aspects of its business. The premium lifestyle. The simple lifestyle. The hip lifestyle.
Eventually Android will catch up due to sure quantity and availability, but the iPhone will always have its niche market. Just wait until it ends it’s exclusivity with AT&T…everyone’s gonna have a touch time catching up.
Agreed. I bet dinner on Saturday that Android would pass iPhone penetration by 31 December 2010. Android will do fine with a broad range of carriers and product. I wouldn’t want to be RIM, but Apple will continue to have a solid niche.
For true web browsing and office productivity, mobile devices need to have at least 800 x 480 screen resolution going forward. Since the technology is there to do it, why does everyone fawn over an iPhone which only allows 320×480 pixels to be displayed?
Not defending the iphone by any means but I get by on a 320×240 although that’s on a tiny screen.
On a 3.5inch display 320×480 is actually quite a pathetic resolution. I found them very blurry. Like watching an old CRT television up close.
Are they saying that there phones out there still struggling to add Video recording, MMS and 3G?
I know a lot of people with the Blackberry messenger, it seems quite popular now, especially if you can get it through work.
This response is to be expected .. apple breeds smugness from end users to the top. Even this statement is questionable.
# of calls made in NYC today on the iPhone: 3. # of calls dropped today on the iPhone: 2.,..and that’s actually pretty good…
i’m ready to switch for a 3G comparable model – it doesn’t have to be 3GS.
It’s funny…it seems time after time there are competitors who are touting “the next iPhone”, or “better than the iPhone”. And yet so far, in my eyes at least, we have yet to see one!
Was the comment from Cook crass? Yes, a bit. But the bottom is line that it is tough to argue against his position when over 7 million iPhones were sold last quarter.
Here’s the problem with that line of thinking. Are BlackBerries more advance that iPhones, because RIM sold more units than Apple. For that matter, is Symbian more advanced than OSX mobile, because Symbian phones dramatically outsell anything Apple makes. Is Windows 7 more advanced than Snow Leopard, because I can guarantee you it will dramatically outsell it.
Apple fans always want it both ways. When they think they have the sales numbers to brag, then success in the market is the ultimate proof of the superiority of the product, but when they don’t have the sales numbers to back up that brag, then it is just proof of how stupid the general consumer is, and how discerning and special Apple people are that they can recognize quality regardless of sales numbers.
Some of you people are very under-educated. The IPhone 3GS is superior HARDWARE wise. THAT’S IT! Software is way out of day. I can’t even play music and browse the web at the same time and its a damn music player!! My phone can do that
Also the Sidekick had “the catalog” waaay before the iphone. Trust me the folks at apple are not innovators. Lol
I cannot wait til the “Droid” completely murders the phone market and puts Android on the map.
Troll comment is trollish. Nearly everything you’ve said is the opposite of what is true or what likely will happen.
Wow. What a fail that was. Just so you don’t look so dumb in the future, take note that apples core apps, including music, email, webbrowsing,etc. Run in the background just fine. You can even surf the net while talking on the phone.
“You can even surf the net while talking on the phone”
That is absolutely amazing.
“..apples core..” are you trying to be funny?
+1000
“I can’t even play music and browse the web at the same time and its a damn music player!!”
You’re doing it wrong then (or simply don’t have one or haven’t used one as you admit “your” phone is not an iPhone). Maybe you should actually use an iPhone first before making up product deficiencies that don’t exist.
Um, I’ve been “listening to music and browsing the web” simultaneously on my iPhone since 2007. Way to announce your lack of knowledge on the subject.
Since 2007? Wasn’t that the iPhone 2G? So it was not possible to do phone and web browsing at the same time without WiFi
Sorry. I’m not an apple fanboy.
I have owned the original iPhone, iPhone 3GS, HTC G1 and currently the HTC Hero. The HTC Hero (sprint) is my fav. The Hero is very fast, clean design, and open. I don’t have Apple/ATT blocking apps with the Hero. Google Voice is a great example of that situation. The best part of android class of phones is the fact that many manufacturers are developing with the OS and I see major momentum gaining with the developers and apps. It doesn’t look like Apple will last as the number 1 smart phone for long!
Oooh Apple. I don’t think they’re THAT far ahead of the competition, just a bit more established since they have direct control over the APP store and their hardware/software combo of a device.
But just like the iPod, the name iPhone name has become synonymous or representative of fancy smartphones.
Did you just skip HTC Hero from this discussion? The phone has won two ‘phone of the year’ awards. I have used iPhone and Hero both and the Hero is hands down awesome …
The iPhone is not ahead of the competition.
The App store is ahead of the competition, and so WAS the iPhone Safari browser (possibly still is.)
Otherwise, the iPhone is nuthin’ special.
That being said, I can’t buy a device better than iPhone on AT&T yet. No Andriod, no WebOS. WM 6.5 still kinda sucks. Multitasking alone makes a better smartphone not.
Fully agree with Monica Dickey!
What an arrogant failass. IPhone is a fancy toy…not much else.
Iphone users and apple fanboys disgust me. It’s a big lovefest that blinds them from any reality. Anything the iphone has (even if other phones have it) is better. Anything the iphone does not have is useless (of course until the iphone gets it).
Yes the UI is flashy. Yes the app store has a lot of apps. However there are many things that other competitors have that beat the iphone. Most people don’t even know since they bought into this marketing hype, have only used one phone, and thinks everything else immediately sucks.
Can iphone users stop being so stupid? Just the iphone app sales alone can indicate how fickle / stupid some of the users are. A mirror app that made millions? Apple only adding additional sales support and never any ways to refund and users don’t give a crap?
“A mirror app that made millions”
That doesn’t surprise me the least bit. Apple users tend to big on appearance, a mirror app IS the signature application for the device.
Oh, do you mean like how Exchange support was completely irrelevant when the iPhone launched, because Apple wasn’t targeting “those kinds of users” and then became a hyped “killer app” as soon as Apple licensed ActiveSync, or how everyone said that web apps were the best, and “no one but nerds” installed apps on their phone anyway, right up until Apple opened their App Store, at which point it was the single thing that made the phone better than any other phone in the universe? Yeah, I love stuff like that.
I suppose if you limit yourself to the user interface (capacitive multitouch – accelerometer, etc.) then yeah, ok no argument.
But on basic features? You are drunk on your own kool aid apple.
The iPhone isn’t perfect, but in terms of overall experience, there isn’t really a phone that can compete on feature set. If you don’t like apple or iTunes, it’s probably not for you. For the vast majority of users, though, it packs more features and usability for the price than any other phone.
Also, a jailbroken iPhone really can’t be beat IMO. I went from a blackberry to an iPhone, and when I get another phone I’ll look into an android phone, but for what is currently available, 3gs is still top of the line. That’s overall… Some phones obviously have better individual features, but not the whole package yet.
There is a lot of iPhone bias, but it runs both ways… And I can see a lot of anti-iPhone bias in these comments.
Thats complete bullshit. If my fucking 3G can’t keep up the goddam pace when I’m simply typing a text message then I know the first iPhone must suck a nut when it comes to even the most basic functions like opening safari.
It sounds about right. But I wouldn’t be too smug if I was them. I’ve got a feeling android phones are about to take off.
I feel that Android will definitely take off soon but Apple are well positioned to adapt to any competitor!
Every blogger out there said “oh the blackberry storm is the first real challenge,” then they said “The palm pre is the first real challenge” and now its the Droid. Come on guys, you can’t over throw a giant with out doing something revolutionary. You can’t make a better iPhone than the iPhone. Look at the iPod, they all kept trying to just beat it by features and they all failed miserably. Now its the phone markets turn. Show me a phone that makes me rethink how my phone should work and Ill drop my iPhone. And NO ONE out side of the tech community cares a rats ass about software openness. Everyone will see the Droid as an “iPhone competitor” and thats the problem right there. They can’t simply be a little better, they have to blow the iPhone out of the water and NO phone, not the Pre, the Droid, or the HTC Hero as come close to doing that yet and thats why they fail.
THAT HAS TO BE THE DUMBEST THING I’VE HEARD ALL YEAR. GET REAL!!! THE NOKIA N900 PUTS ALL VERSIONS OF THE IPHONE TO SHAME. THE N900 IS IN INNOVATION AT ITS FINEST. APPLE CAN LEARN A THING OR TWO FROM NOKIA. THE N900 HAS 10 TIMES THE FEATURES THEN ANY VERSION OF THE IPHONE. IS IT ME OR IS EVERY VERSION OF THE IPHONE EXACTLY THE SAME? THE IPHONE IS STILL STUCK IN 2007 AND BUSY ADDING FEATURES TO EVERY NEXT GEN IPHONE THAT ALMOST EVERY OTHER SMART PHONE ON THE PLANET HAS HAD SINCE 2005. MMM’S LAST MONTH? REALLY? TETHERING. COPY AND PASTE. WHAT A JOKE. JUST BECAUSE A PHONE DOESN’T SELL AS MANY PHONES AS THE IPHONE DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE IPHONE IS BETTER. IT JUST MEANS ITS THE NEW TREND. LIKE SKINNY JEANS AND MOHAWKS. ANYBODY WHO KNOWS A THING OR TWO ABOUT TECHNOLOGY AND ACTUALLY KNOWS WHAT ALL THE FEATURES MEAN ON THE TECH SPECS MEAN KNOWS THAT THE CURRENT GEN IPHONE IS LACKING. THE IPHONE WAS NEW AN INNOVATED IN 2007. WE ARE MOVING INTO TO 2010 AND THE IPHONE IS BEING LEFT BEHIND. JUST LOOK AT THE IPOD TOUCH. WE’RE ON THE 3RD GEN? WHERE IS THE CHANGE? WHEN OTHER COMPANIES MAKE A NEW PRODUCT OR A SECOND GEN YOU CAN SEE THE CHANGES. CASE AND POINT ZUNE HD. OPEN YOUR EYES PEOPLE. PEOPLE WHO BUY IPHONES NOW KNOW VERY LITTLE ABOUT SMART PHONES, HOW TO USE ONE, FUNCTIONALITY OR USABILITY.
Even through all the caps, he makes good ass points. Iphone users just think they are superior, when in fact they are the one being manipulated by advertisements, drinking the apple kool-aide and are the ones bending over for apple to make a ton of money.
Carriers are actually barely making money trying to subsidize the iphone. The only ones clearly coming out on top is Apple. Considering they are getting so much just out of the app store alone, one would expect them to give the carriers a break, especially since they are taxing their systems like no other.
Microsoft gets criticized for being evil when Apple tries to milk money like no other. Just people don’t care. They have this love fest and are just too ignorant to notice. Continue buying apple products, continue buying useless apps, and continue giving apple all your money.
I can’t agree more indeed! And don’t say the Nokia N900 still has to come to market, it’s already there! The specs and freedom the Maemo platform offers is far superior to the Apple iPhone. Off course, Apple-fans can claim the Nokia N900 is actually a pocketPC, but that’s bull* and they know it!
so next time, please be impartial!
Android has so much under-developed potential. I suppose that’s what happens when you create a multi-device OS.
So much talk around about the iPhone and Android. Once upon a time Microsoft’s Mobile OS was the big dog, which became the sleeping dog and is about to become the underdog, before becoming the big dog over a period taking place, over the next 5 years.
A new game is about to begin in 2010 and many of folks are going to start singing a different tune in good time (not over night). The start of that new game see’s the world’s most powerful phone, about to take center stage; The HTC HD2 Windows Mobile 6.5.1 Smartphone (laugh if you will, just wait and see……..).
The HTC HD2 can do collectively, what NO other single device of today can do (yes that includes the 3GS). Watch the real hands-on videos linked at the bottom. The problem is too many folks are stuck in Microsofts past but guess what? Microsoft has got it’s act together (almost; 80% of the way there) and isn’t stuck in it’s own past any longer, starting within the next few months.
The HTC HD2 Windows Mobile 6.5.1 Smartphone:
*Qualcomm 1GHz MSM 8250 Snapdragon chipset: Almost twice as fast as the 3GS CPU yet it uses LESS POWER than not only the iPhone’s 600 MHz, but also less than almost all older processors above 500 MHz.
*Capacitive 4.3-inch 480×800 WVGA Screen: Larger screen than any current phone yet the device is smaller in EVERY dimension than my HP iPAQ 211 PDA which has 4.1 inch screen. The real beauty in the screen size is that it takes up most of the surface and so it’s able to still be a pocketable size. Just take a look at the numbers below:
HTC HD2: 121 x 67 x 11 mm Apple iPhone 3GS: 115.5 x 62.1 x 12.3 mm HP iPAQ 211: 133.9 x 75.4 x 17.5 mm Toshiba TG01: 130 x 70 x 9.9 mm Blackberry Pearl: 107 x 51 x 14.5 mm
*512MB flash memory – 448MB RAM: Plenty of RAM to multitask like never before. And for those silly people who think that multitasking is overrated; it’s a really nice thing to be able to make calls talking on a Bluetooth headset, while using the phone to take pictures, scan through emails, write notes, record notes or just have 2 to 3 apps open at once like I often do with my PDA. Playing music and working within different apps at once is a must for anyone who has ever had the experience and not something you’d ever want to lose.
*USB Host functionality: This is a rare one that you won’t find in any iPhone or in most other Smartphone’s. What this allows you to do is to connect a USB hard or flash drive, directly to the HD2 and work with its contents, just as you would if you plugged it into your Laptop. Furthermore you could connect a SD or Memory Stick reader to the HD2 and offload pictures from a digital camera (as in a real camera), to edit and or email without a need for a laptop on the go. Also this leaves options open for the use of a foldaway USB keyboard and or mouse, should you want one (all about options).
*WM6.5 OS installed: 6.5 isn’t what WM7 promises to be but it’s a good start (along with the very DEEP rooted Sense UI) and the hardware IS WM7 ready.
*5MP autofocus camera with dual LED flash: MP’s aren’t the best way to gage the quality of photo’s but instead Sensor type/size, optics and lighting are how to gage. Currently what’s known is that the HD2 has a dual LED flash system, unlike no flash in on the…………
*aGPS
*Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g
*Bluetooth 2.1 with EDR: If this follows the path of past HTC models; the Bluetooth here won’t be crippled as is done on the iPhone.
*FM Radio: Perhaps not used much by many, but still makes sense in a media device wouldn’t you say?!
*microSD expansion slot: Sure this isn’t full size SD but SanDisk is at 32GB this year and on target to release 64GB microSD cards, in the first half of 2010. With removable memory, one can move all his/her data from one device to another, in a matter of seconds. Also allowing one to quickly back up GB’s of data to a PC, all on a memory card that WinMo can keep encrypted with a key that only resides on the HD2’s internal memory. And I’m pretty sure (not factually) that 128 GB, will follow over the next year or two. Again it’s all about options.
*3.5mm headphone jack *Accelerometer *Light sensor *proximity sensor *Digital Compass
*The HD2 has a built-in feature in which it can be turned into a Wi-Fi hot spot: You can use your HD2 to give Wi-Fi 3G access to multiple devices (Laptops, PDA’s, etc) simultaneously.
*The HD2 has a built in program called Footprints, which uses the GPS and compass to track your movements and guide you back to your start location. Yes it’s well known from the Apple commercials that there’s an app that does this for the iPhone too.
*When you place your HD2 down on a table and it starts to ring, if you turn it upside down, the ringer goes to silent. Also if you pick up the phone while it’s ringing, the ringer volume goes down because the phone knows it has got your attention.
*During a call, to anyone in your address book, one tap of the screen brings it live from sleep. And then at the bottom of the screen are large icons which enable you in one tap to access your callers past emails, SMS or address book entry, which can all be viewed or edited, while on the call (there goes that useless multitasking again right?!)
And this list goes on but I need to get myself to my office now and my nearly photographic memory, seems to be running out of steam……..All of the above information, comes from blogs and videos with information given out by HTC reps and not speculation from blog writers.
Below are some links to some of the videos, showing what I have talked about above. The first link below, shows 2 videos of the HD2’s multi touch in action:
http://wmpoweruser.com/?p=8951
http://www.vimeo.com/6970304
http://www.mobi...-us-in-q1-2010/
http://www.slas...-video-0659275/
http://www.enga...-hd2-hands-on/
http://www.enga...sions-on-video/
http://www.enga...sions-on-video/
So
So much talk around about the iPhone and Android. Once upon a time Microsoft’s Mobile OS was the big dog, which became the sleeping dog and is about to become the underdog, before becoming the big dog over a period taking place, over the next 5 years. A new game is about to begin in 2010 and many of folks are going to start singing a different tune in good time (not over night). The start of that new game see’s the world’s most powerful phone, about to take center stage; The HTC HD2 Windows Mobile 6.5.1 Smartphone (laugh if you will, just wait and see……..).
The HTC HD2 can do collectively, what NO other single device of today can do (yes that includes the 3GS). With a straight face, who can claim that the below specs are playing catch up to anything currently on the market? And these aren’t just specs; watch the real hands-on demoes, in the links posted at the bottom.
*Qualcomm 1GHz MSM 8250 Snapdragon chipset: Almost twice as fast as the 3GS CPU yet it uses LESS POWER than not only the iPhone’s 600 MHz, but also less than almost all older processors above 500 MHz.
*Capacitive 4.3-inch 480×800 WVGA Screen: Larger screen than any current phone yet the device is smaller in EVERY dimension than my HP iPAQ 211 PDA which has 4.1 inch screen. The real beauty in the screen size is that it takes up most of the surface and so it’s able to still be a pocketable size. Just take a look at the numbers below:
HTC HD2: 121 x 67 x 11 mm
Apple iPhone 3GS: 115.5 x 62.1 x 12.3 mm
TG01: 130 x 70 x 9.9 mm
Blackberry Pearl: 107 x 51 x 14.5 mm
HP iPAQ 211: 133.9 x 75.4 x 17.5 mm Toshiba
*512MB flash memory – 448MB RAM: Plenty of RAM to multitask like never before. And for those silly people who think that multitasking is overrated; it’s a really nice thing to be able to make calls talking on a Bluetooth headset, while using the phone to take pictures, scan through emails, write notes, record notes or just have 2 to 3 apps open at once like I often do with my PDA. Playing music and working within different apps at once is a must for anyone who has ever had the experience and not something you’d ever want to lose.
*USB Host functionality: This is a rare one that you won’t find in any iPhone or in most other Smartphone’s. What this allows you to do is to connect a USB hard or flash drive, directly to the HD2 and work with its contents, just as you would if you plugged it into your Laptop. Furthermore you could connect a SD or Memory Stick reader to the HD2 and offload pictures from a digital camera (as in a real camera), to edit and or email without a need for a laptop on the go. Also this leaves options open for the use of a foldaway USB keyboard and or mouse, should you want one (all about options).
*WM6.5 OS installed: 6.5 isn’t what WM7 promises to be but it’s a good start (along with the very DEEP rooted Sense UI) and the hardware IS WM7 ready.
*5MP autofocus camera with dual LED flash: MP’s aren’t the best way to gage the quality of photo’s but instead Sensor type/size, optics and lighting are how to gage. Currently what’s known is that the HD2 has a dual LED flash system, unlike no flash in on the…………
*aGPS
*Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g
*Bluetooth 2.1 with EDR: If this follows the path of past HTC models; the Bluetooth here won’t be crippled as is done on the iPhone.
*FM Radio: Perhaps not used much by many, but still makes sense in a media device wouldn’t you say?!
*microSD expansion slot: Sure this isn’t full size SD but SanDisk is at 32GB this year and on target to release 64GB microSD cards, in the first half of 2010. With removable memory, one can move all his/her data from one device to another, in a matter of seconds. Also allowing one to quickly back up GB’s of data to a PC, all on a memory card that WinMo can keep encrypted with a key that only resides on the HD2’s internal memory. And I’m pretty sure (not factually) that 128 GB, will follow over the next year or two. Again it’s all about options.
*3.5mm headphone jack *Accelerometer *Light sensor *proximity sensor *Digital Compass
*The HD2 has a built-in feature in which it can be turned into a Wi-Fi hot spot: You can use your HD2 to give Wi-Fi 3G access to multiple devices (Laptops, PDA’s, etc) simultaneously.
*The HD2 has a built in program called Footprints, which uses the GPS and compass to track your movements and guide you back to your start location. Yes it’s well known from the Apple commercials that there’s an app that does this for the iPhone too.
*When you place your HD2 down on a table and it starts to ring, if you turn it upside down, the ringer goes to silent. Also if you pick up the phone while it’s ringing, the ringer volume goes down because the phone knows it has got your attention.
*During a call, to anyone in your address book, one tap of the screen brings it live from sleep. And then at the bottom of the screen are large icons which enable you in one tap to access your callers past emails, SMS or address book entry, which can all be viewed or edited, while on the call (there goes that useless multitasking again right?!)
And this list goes on but I need to get myself to my office now and my nearly photographic memory, seems to be running out of steam……..All of the above information, comes from blogs and videos with information given out by HTC reps and not speculation from blog writers.
Below are some links to some of the videos, showing what I have talked about above. The first link below, shows 2 videos of the HD2’s multi touch in action:
http://wmpoweruser.com/?p=8951
http://www.vimeo.com/6970304
http://www.mobi...-us-in-q1-2010/
http://www.slas...-video-0659275/
http://www.enga...-hd2-hands-on/
http://www.enga...sions-on-video/
http://www.enga...sions-on-video/
lol….Windows Mobile…. D student of the mobile space…..all back of the bus reading a D&D manual…
I used to have a HTC WiMo device…I just sold it to some dunce on ebay….good riddance…..
What’s all the fuss about? What do you expect an Apple rep to say? Admit that the Droid or a BB can do things an iPhone can’t? Of course he’s not gonna say that.
Anyways in terms of sales the iPhone is certainly king but when you look at the ‘best’ phone out there you need to look at individually what you value in a phone……if its multitasking, customization, openness, etc then the iPhone might not be your best bet….but if it’s web browsing, media, ease of use the iPhone is certainly tops.
I love my the 3GS but I got it because it does everything I want in a phone…If my values change or another competitor rises up I’ll gladly switch just so I don’t get lumped in with the plethora of annoying apple fanboys.
I don’t get this attitude that the Palm Pre is a failure and not better than the iPhone 3GS. It is a better a phone. Did it sell as many unit. Of course not. Was the marketing behind the Pre successful, not it wasn’t – ask the creepy Palm Pre girl.
But to say that the Palm Pre is an inferior phone to the iPhone is just more marketing crap and myths brandied around.
The Palm Pre has a UI that is more convivial that the iPhone and extra features. The race for the smartphone is just beginning and people are already announcing that the Palm Pre and a bunch of other Android phones have lost the fight, when it’s barely in its baby steps.
3 years is nothing to compare a success. I want to see where Android and Palm are in 6 to 15 years, before claiming that they are failures as phone and that the iPhone reigns supreme.
It seems that nothing short but a knock out punch is considered a success.
The Palm pre changed the game by adding new paradignm to phones that although were not as ground breaking as the iPhone did move things ahead.
The multitask interface is incredible and the best designed on the market. Nothing beats the card swiping metaphor. Another touch would be the touchstone which in a few years, will become the standard charging tech for all small devices.
As for Android, with the multitude of models and makers, they will only consolidate their market shares overall.
What the iPhone benefits from is media hutzpa. Nothing else. It is not a better phone. Many of my iPhone friends envy my Palm Pre and will come aboard when their contracts end. Just because the earth ain’t shattering today, doesn’t mean the cards have been dealt already.
I was at a party and everyone had iPhones. Do you know how dumb it made all of them look. Once, it used to be cool to have one. Now, it’s just this generic toy everyone has.
My money is on three platforms. Apple’s, Palm’s and Android. They will be the continuous game changers. But you have to remember that the only reason Apple still reign is because it has media support. That’s all.
I’m not rulling out BlackBerry or Nokia. They may surprise us yet again, but only time will tell.
Meanwhile, I’ll take Mr. Cooke’s words for what they are worth – nothing, empty air and chest beating when the ship is already trailing the competition. Just because he believes in magical unicorns and leprechauns doesn’t mean they are true.
Have you actually used a Pre, or did you just come to your conclusion based on a few videos you watched on Youtube? I work in the phone industry and I’ve used almost every smart phone under the sun, and I can tell you the Pre is definitely not a better phone than the 3GS, It’s slow, lags, has very poor build quality and a very poor battery life. Don’t get me wrong the Pre is a good phone but compared to the 3GS, its found wanting.
Most iPhone buyers are replacing simple cell phones with iPhones. Those buyers are new to smart phones. They do not look at hardware feature lists. They do not look at things on the iDon’t list. They look at ease of use.
The iPhone ecosystem is easy to use. It is virtually the same ecosystem that is used by over 100 million iPod owners. Those millions of iPod users are the ones buying iPhones. They know the iPhone will just work. Those millions of iPod users will not disappear overnight.
AT&T has problems. When the iPhone is on Verizon in January, most perceived iPhone problems will disappear. The rest of the iPhone users, worldwide, have tethering and MMS, everyone with a 3GS has video recording.
It’s not Apple’s problem that AT&T’s coverage is so bad. That’s why Apple is ending exclusivity all over the world, not just in the USA. Once the heavy iPhone data use is spread amongst several carriers, everyone wins.
Apple COO Tim Cook is clearly too lazy to do his own homework before making false and embarrasing statements. The current smartphone competition is way beyond the iPhone 2G, 3G, especially the 1st iPhone!
He doesn’t realize that current smartphone processors far exceeds the speed of the 1st iPhone. Even the Palm Pre’s 600 MHz chip is way faster than the iPhone 1G, 2G, and 3G.
Someone earlier mentioned Nokia utilizing the 1GHz processor…that blows the iPhone 3Gs completely out of the water. Now that’s competition! To add to that, Nokia is the world’s leader in smartphone dominance, so iPhone doesn’t even compare.
Meanwhile, iPhone STILL doesn’t have a REAL keyboard. Doesn’t have a removable battery and does not perform TRUE multitasking across 3rd party apps! For goodness sake, iPhone released copy/paste and MMS technology just now?! Pathetic.
If there’s anyone to praise for the competition, it would be the 3rd party developers that contribute to iPhone’s app store NOT the iPhone. The iPhone operating system is obsolete…and the whole phone will soon be as well after more and more 3rd Party developers provide the same apps across Android smartphones and webOS Palm Pre’s.
When will you guys learn, it’s all about the software stupid!
this is sooo cute!!!
The fact that you can’t run two apps at once on the iPhone out of the box makes me wonder how he can say that with a straight face. Just about every time I listen to music or stream a podcast, I’m also checking out a newsfeed on a different app. I can’t imagine being stuck to one at a time. Not to mention the fact that the iPhone drops calls like crazy and the battery can’t be swapped.
Yeah it’s pretty and all the available apps make it very handy, but to say that the competition is THAT far behind is pretty ridiculous. If any of the other phones had a comparable app marketplace and as many female-synth-happy-pop-music commercials it would be a different story.
How many times do we have to hear “xxx phone could be first real challenger to the current leading iPhone”?
Seriously its getting old.
How many phones has Android platform even sold? Maybe a million?
And how come no one ever mentions one of the key differences between the iphone and everyone else….the games.
Has anyone ever heard someone say “Come check out this sweet game on my Blackberry Storm?”
To answer Matt, 1 million Android phones were reported sold as of April 2009. Took about 6 months to reach 1 million. According to Apple’s own release, the iPhone reach the 1 million mark in about 2.5 months. Advantage iPhone.
If the iPhone had a real keyboard, I would have owned one by now. I held out until the G1 was released by T-Mobile. Neither phone is perfect and each has advantages over the other.
From a UI perspective, Android has a very functional desktop UI with the ability to embed widgets with live content. Social network feeds are live/real-time on my Android desktop as is my work (MS Exchange) calendar and Inbox. I don’t have open/reopen apps to see content. I’m not an iPhone wizard but I haven’t been able to reproduce widget functionality with the iPhones I have played with. All I can seem to do is scroll through pages of icons on the iPhone. Android has a pull down windows shade for all icons. I pull it down when I want to see’em otherwise I see a functional desktop customized with content I feel is important.
Gartner research predicts that Android devices will surpass iPhone devices by 2012. Why? Because every major US wireless carrier will have an Android offering by 1q OF 2010. Also because Android will be available from multiple hardware manufacturers. Pure penetration into every wireless retail store globally. So if T-Mobile USA alone is capable of selling 1 million phones in 6 months, what exponential market growth is possible with all carriers offering Android globally? Probably something very similar to Nokia/Symbian.
My perspective is if you like what you have, then that’s all that matters. However don’t assume that what you have is all there is.
Hey this is just my 2 cents but I wouldn’t count Android out.
Yes Android devices generally will sell in multiples, but the whether the single device Verizon Droid will challenge the single device iPhone is the question.
“1 million Android phones were reported sold as of April 2009. Took about 6 months to reach 1 million. According to Apple’s own release, the iPhone reach the 1 million mark in about 2.5 months”.
Comparing sales of the first iPhone, newer models of the iPhone sold a million in 72hrs.
I doubt if droid will have any traction, remember verizon is launching this device, all features and functions will be crippled. It will just be a lame brick by the time you lay your hands on it
I doubt if droid will have any traction, remember verizon is launching this device, all features and functions will be crippled. It will just be a lame brick by the time you lay your hands on it
i suspect there are enough of us out here to ensure Android, iPhone and BB are all relatively successful.
For the one that is the killer (looking beyond the little USofA), take a look at a Chinese brand called MTK, apparently shipped 70 million units in 2008. Now, that is selling. And it is not even a smartphone – if they drop Android into it then you have a game changer.
Ok, let’s put some perspective to the numbers game: in the last quarter Nokia sold 108.5 million mobile phones, 16.4 million of those were smartphones.
Nokia’s first mobile computers, the communicator series, game in 1997, with multi-tasking, Internet, full set if office software and, yes, games. Not to mention copy and paste.
The first Nokia touchscreen smartphones were introduced in 2004.
The first mp3 functionalities cane to many Nokia phones in 2006. Cameras were in dozens of models by 2007, many models with video camera.
Don’t get me wrong – I am writing this with my cherished iPhone 3GS, gave owned iPhone for a year. I have been buying smartphones every second month for years now.
Terthering has been a basic function since 2006.