Big difference between Android Central and iMore

[UJ95x]

The iPhone has fewer features than a 2012 Android phone. That is why it is overpriced.

And not every sees the need for those features. Someone on Windows mobile can switch to iOS or Android and get hundreds of thousands more apps available, but again, everyone has different needs. So no, it is not overpriced.

 

[JeffDenver]

And not every sees the need for those features.

Like not everyone needs large displays? Like not everyone needs replaceable keyboards? Why is it the iPhone is offering those now, but wasn't before? What changed? Does "everyone" need it now all of a sudden?

The fact that "omg not everyone needs it" is not reason enough to refuse to offer it. You are getting less for your money with an Apple product. It actually does less.

Not saying that Apple people are not happy with their products...but that is why people say Apple is overpriced or a rip off. Because it charges more but does less.

 

[UJ95x]

Like not everyone needs large displays? Like not everyone needs replaceable keyboards? Why is it the iPhone is offering those now, but wasn't before? What changed? Does "everyone" need it now all of a sudden?

The fact that "omg not everyone needs it" is not reason enough to refuse to offer it. You are getting less for your money with an Apple product. It actually does less.

Not saying that Apple people are not happy with their products...but that is why people say Apple is overpriced or a rip off. Because it charges more but does less.

I didn't say Apple made good decisions of not including those features, but it clearly didn't matter to their consumers. Some prioritize those features for a "better" ecosystem and/or a more stable experience.
I would love something like iMessage on Android, but again, I prioritize other features over that.

 

[planoman]

Like not everyone needs large displays? Like not everyone needs replaceable keyboards? Why is it the iPhone is offering those now, but wasn't before? What changed? Does "everyone" need it now all of a sudden?

The fact that "omg not everyone needs it" is not reason enough to refuse to offer it. You are getting less for your money with an Apple product. It actually does less.

Not saying that Apple people are not happy with their products...but that is why people say Apple is overpriced or a rip off. Because it charges more but does less.

They might do less but there are trade offs. They do hold their value better than androids. I just sold my daughters iPhone 4s for $210...for a 3 year old device which cost 299 subsidized? I have come to despise the bloat on carrier android devices. Apple does not allow it and handles all updates through Apple and this is the devices that the carrier sells you. To get that with Android you need an unlocked or non carrier model which can get expensive also. Also I do not need all of that wiz bang stuff which is why I left Samsung. I have an iPhone 5 for work and it always connects to our cars bluetooth. We have bought two new cars since I got the iPhone 5 so that is 4 vehicles of different makes and models that it works with flawlessly. Every time my Nexus 5 or android gets updated, I have to worry about my bluetooth working. Also sometimes I just want to hit an app and see all of my stocks updated, same for weather in different cities and not to mention a calendar and clock app which shows you the actual date and time...small things I know, but they speak to attention to detail and fit and finish. And yes, iMessage rocks! They may have all this stuff for android but not in the stock OS at least the ones I have seen. Overall I love android and am ordering a pure edition Moto X tomorrow to go with my iPhone 6+. Just like I have different watches, cars and computers, I want different phones depending on my needs and moods. I have to go to FedEx, I just sold my OnePlus One and need to ship it to it's new owner!

 

[LeoRex]

GS5: $650
Note 3: $600
M8: $600
G3: $600
iPhone 6: $650

Not much of a price difference. I wouldn't say that's anywhere near overpriced.

You're looking at it wrong. The iPhone is overpriced not in relation to its competition, it's overpriced because Apple's profit margins on those things are the highest in the industry. Meaning that, per phone, their markup is above and beyond anyone else (WAY above and beyond). They boast about it all the time and I shake my head... I mean, they are openly admitting that they over-inflate the retail price of the phone and everyone in the audience applauds. That alone illustrates to me how blindly loyal their customer base is...Tim Cook: "We're overcharging you and making BILLIONS!" Customers:"HUZZAH! WE LOVE APPLE!"

And they can pull it off due to zero in-platform competition. I mean, you don't have some upstart outfit pumping out iOS compatible devices for half the price. I remember back in the day when I worked at a computer store. We had some Macintosh clones.... they ran great, just as good as the Apple products in all but one area; price. They cost like half as much and we sold a ton... until the company lost a court battle and had to pull them from the shelves.

I always wondered what effect it would have if Apple took, say, the Nexus 5 and got iOS fully ported to its hardware.... then put it on sale at the Apple Stores next to the iPhone 5S for $399, undercutting the 5S by, what, $200? Of course it would never happen, as it would pull back the curtain and illustrate to everyone involved just how much Apple was gouging them on the iPhone.

Now, I'm guessing that they 6 might change the equation a little bit... that might have a higher unit cost than the 5S, but I bet you they'll still play the "OUR PROFIT MARGINS RULE!" trumpets at some point. And no one connects the dots.

 

[Ry]

You're looking at it wrong. The iPhone is overpriced not in relation to its competition, it's overpriced because Apple's profit margins on those things are the highest in the industry. Meaning that, per phone, their markup is above and beyond anyone else (WAY above and beyond). They boast about it all the time and I shake my head... I mean, they are openly admitting that they over-inflate the retail price of the phone and everyone in the audience applauds. That alone illustrates to me how blindly loyal their customer base is...Tim Cook: "We're overcharging you and making BILLIONS!" Customers:"HUZZAH! WE LOVE APPLE!"

And they can pull it off due to zero in-platform competition. I mean, you don't have some upstart outfit pumping out iOS compatible devices for half the price. I remember back in the day when I worked at a computer store. We had some Macintosh clones.... they ran great, just as good as the Apple products in all but one area; price. They cost like half as much and we sold a ton... until the company lost a court battle and had to pull them from the shelves.

I always wondered what effect it would have if Apple took, say, the Nexus 5 and got iOS fully ported to its hardware.... then put it on sale at the Apple Stores next to the iPhone 5S for $399, undercutting the 5S by, what, $200? Of course it would never happen, as it would pull back the curtain and illustrate to everyone involved just how much Apple was gouging them on the iPhone.

Now, I'm guessing that they 6 might change the equation a little bit... that might have a higher unit cost than the 5S, but I bet you they'll still play the "OUR PROFIT MARGINS RULE!" trumpets at some point. And no one connects the dots.

I don't think any of those companies are non-profits.

 

[LeoRex]

I don't think any of those companies are non-profits.

Oh, I'm not implying that these companies shouldn't make money of their hard work... I am only pointing out that the Apple slaps on a disproportionately large mark-up on the iPhone.

 

[JeffDenver]

I didn't say Apple made good decisions of not including those features, but it clearly didn't matter to their consumers.

It clearly does matter. It matters so much that Apple felt they needed to catch up (despite a loss of face for obviously copying Android), or risk losing their customers. They did not do this because they wanted to. They did this because they felt they had no choice.

The iPhone 6 does not have a larger screen because Apple thinks its a good idea. They have made that clear in the past when they said the iPhone "already" had a perfect screen size. They increased the display to avoid an exodus of their users...who wanted larger displays.

Witness: There is no "normal" iPhone 6 this year. All new models are using Android phone sizes. The smallest one is the size of the Nexus.

 

[sting7k]

Oh, I'm not implying that these companies shouldn't make money of their hard work... I am only pointing out that the Apple slaps on a disproportionately large mark-up on the iPhone.

You have a gross misunderstanding of Apple and Google's businesses. Apple and Google are not the same business. They make their money in completely different ways. You have not pointed out anything.

Apple, Google, and Microsoft are not at all the same business. They just happen to look very similar to the public.

 

[JeffDenver]

They might do less but there are trade offs. They do hold their value better than androids. I just sold my daughters iPhone 4s for $210...for a 3 year old device which cost 299 subsidized? I have come to despise the bloat on carrier android devices.

Me too, but thats not an Android thing. My Nexus had zero bloat.

To get that with Android you need an unlocked or non carrier model which can get expensive also.

My Nexus 4 was free (no money down) from T-Mobile. I bought my Nexus 5s (plural) off-contract from Google for about $400 after tax.

Also I do not need all of that wiz bang stuff which is why I left Samsung.

Yeah, I remember hearing the same thing about large displays and widgets and replaceable keyboards not all that long ago. Just sayin.

All the stuff iPeople claimed they didn't care about all of a sudden mattered once Apple got it too.

I have an iPhone 5 for work and it always connects to our cars bluetooth. We have bought two new cars since I got the iPhone 5 so that is 4 vehicles of different makes and models that it works with flawlessly. Every time my Nexus 5 or android gets updated, I have to worry about my bluetooth working.

Bluetooth has worked on mine flawlessly since I got it. I've never had an issue.

Also sometimes I just want to hit an app and see all of my stocks updated, same for weather in different cities and not to mention a calendar and clock app which shows you the actual date and time...small things I know, but they speak to attention to detail and fit and finish.

I use widgets for all of that. I don't even have to open anything...it's just there.

And yes, iMessage rocks! They may have all this stuff for android but not in the stock OS at least the ones I have seen.

Hangouts allows me to make phone calls on my tablet now if I want to. And gives me free wifi calling on any devices I own as if it were a phone. It works completely independently of a carrier or phone company. If my phone is downstairs and I am upstairs with my tablet, I can just take the call on my tablet. This is something I have used today, and works flawlessly. Hangouts also incorporates my SMS and IM into one place. It allows video calling natively as well.

I have never understood the appeal of iMessage. It seems like something that is only really useful if all your friends also own Apple stuff.

 

[Ry]

It clearly does matter. It matters so much that Apple felt they needed to catch up (despite a loss of face for obviously copying Android), or risk losing their customers. They did not do this because they wanted to. They did this because they felt they had no choice.

The iPhone 6 does not have a larger screen because Apple thinks its a good idea. They have made that clear in the past when they said the iPhone "already" had a perfect screen size. They increased the display to avoid an exodus of their users...who wanted larger displays.

Witness: There is no "normal" iPhone 6 this year. All new models are using Android phone sizes. The smallest one is the size of the Nexus.

I'm not sure how you can rationalize the need for Apple to catch up and risk losing customers when they:

sold iPhones with 3.5" screens and gained tons of customers and tons of profit
sold iPhones with 4" screens and gained tons of customers and tons of profit (they changed screen sizes! Perfect no more!)

Now they are selling iPhones with 4.7" and 5.5" screens. Early indications are that they will gain tons of customers and tons of profit as well.

Any company should market their wares as perfect for their customers. It's all it is. Marketing.

 

[ultravisitor]

I have never understood the appeal of iMessage. It seems like something that is only really useful if all your friends also own Apple stuff.

I guess the point is that not only should a person own all Apple devices, but they should only be able to communicate with people who use only Apple devices.

 

[Ry]

Me too, but thats not an Android thing. My Nexus had zero bloat.

It depends on your definition of bloat. Google has it's own bloat and has been shipping it on Nexus devices like Google Play Music (vs. the open source Android music player), Google Play Music & TV (vs. the native Android video player), Google Now Launcher (vs. Launcher3 from the Android source), etc. etc. etc.

 

[Ry]

I guess the point is that not only should a person own all Apple devices, but they should only be able to communicate with people who use only Apple devices.

For mobile: iMessage allows you to use the data network instead of SMS/MMS allotments. Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't it born out of an era before unlimited messaging was common-place?

 

[LeoRex]

You have a gross misunderstanding of Apple and Google's businesses. Apple and Google are not the same business. They make their money in completely different ways. You have not pointed out anything.

I never mentioned anything about Google. Google doesn't manufacture phones. I used the LG Nexus 5 as an example.... Make it an Oppo i2... or a "iMoto" if it makes you feel better. Fact is that if iOS ran on devices other than Apple's own stuff, everyone would see that the fruity emperor wasn't wearing any clothes and that they ripping off consumers with artificially inflated prices.

It's an established industry fact that Apple's profit margins on their devices are significantly higher than anyone else's, i.e. they mark up their phones considerably more than the other OEMS. Firm numbers are sketchy and hard to come by, but most have the iPhone 5S about $50 per phone cheaper to build than the similarly priced Galaxy S5.... I'd probably guess that the same could be held for most of the other flagships.

 

[UJ95x]

Me too, but thats not an Android thing. My Nexus had zero bloat.

It's not an Android thing, but it is an Android OEM thing. Apple won't allow carriers to install that bloat onto their devices.

My Nexus 4 was free (no money down) from T-Mobile. I bought my Nexus 5s (plural) off-contract from Google for about $400 after tax.

That's only the Nexus line. Most Android flagships will still cost you quite a bit, like planoman said.

Hangouts allows me to make phone calls on my tablet now if I want to. And gives me free wifi calling on any devices I own as if it were a phone. It works completely independently of a carrier or phone company. If my phone is downstairs and I am upstairs with my tablet, I can just take the call on my tablet. This is something I have used today, and works flawlessly. Hangouts also incorporates my SMS and IM into one place. It allows video calling natively as well.

Hangouts doesn't work like iMessage does. Mainly because it's not the standard messaging app on Android. iMessage automatically sends as MMS if you have no cell signal, something that would have to be done manually on Hangouts. I can't send messages to people who don't use Hangouts from my desktop.
I love Hangouts, and I use it for all of my SMS/MMS, but it does not work as well as iMessage does on iOS.

 

[JeffDenver]

I'm not sure how you can rationalize the need for Apple to catch up and risk losing customers when they:

sold iPhones with 3.5" screens and gained tons of customers and tons of profit
sold iPhones with 4" screens and gained tons of customers and tons of profit (they changed screen sizes! Perfect no more!)

Because in the past they said that 4" screens were already perfect, and are now offering large displays (and I mean really large). This is after they talked all kinds of crap about large displays.

Clearly they did not think phone screens needed to be larger. The market disagreed. They adapted to avoid losing customers over this issue.

Any company should market their wares as perfect for their customers. It's all it is. Marketing.

The reason Apple people get stereotyped is that they believe the marketing is fact.

 

[JeffDenver]

It depends on your definition of bloat. Google has it's own bloat and has been shipping it on Nexus devices like Google Play Music (vs. the open source Android music player), Google Play Music & TV (vs. the native Android video player), Google Now Launcher (vs. Launcher3 from the Android source), etc. etc. etc.

Well, by that definition, the iPhone is bloat-filled as well. You can't uninstall Apple's launcher or email or music player either, right?

For mobile: iMessage allows you to use the data network instead of SMS/MMS allotments. Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't it born out of an era before unlimited messaging was common-place?

And that would have been very useful in an era before IM became commonplace, and phone plans allowed unlimited texting anyways. In 2014? I'm not sure what the appeal is.

 

[JeffDenver]

That's only the Nexus line. Most Android flagships will still cost you quite a bit, like planoman said.

Moto Phones are similarly prices to Nexus phones. And then there are the Chinese phones to consider. It's not just Nexus anymore.

Samsung is not Android. Samsung is just a flavor of Android that sells well.

Hangouts doesn't work like iMessage does. Mainly because it's not the standard messaging app on Android.

Yes it is. It is on every Android phone released in 2014 that also has Google Play on it. It is a default app.

Even if it wasn't, it is freely installable on any of them.

 

[Ry]

Samsung is not Android. Samsung is just a flavor of Android that sells well.
.

Nexus is just a flavor of Android as well.