A lot of us Sprint users have been waiting for years for this day when the iPhone would be announced on Sprint, and now it is finally here, but the special iPhone shine seems to have left (at least, for now) after watching Apple unveil their newest iPhone family member: iPhone 4s.
I had stuck it out with my Palm Pre (had it since it launched) in hopes of a high-end device like the iPhone, and I must say, I'm completely underwhelmed. The iPhone 4S is a middle-of-the-road phone at best. I will try not to get too in-depth and I will try to make a fair comparison below for those of you who care to read on.
To start things off, I will say that the iPhone 4S is a "filler" release. It's a device that functions more as a "placeholder" for Apple in the marketplace until their next major device release (iPhone 5, hopefully). As the details are unfolding, it is becoming more apparent that Apple intended the iPhone 4S as a bridge between the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 5. Apple could have done this even a year back and it would have been fine, but the way Android and Windows (with their new release of Mango) are contending for market share this could prove to be a poorly thought-out decision by Apple.
Let's just face the facts of the iPhone 4S when compared to the top Android phones (we'll take the Samsung Galaxy S2 as an example):
1) S2 has a faster 1.2GB processor.
2) S2 has twice the ram at 1GB.
3) S2 has a 2 megapixel front facing camera instead of Apple's VGA.
4) S2 has a larger screen. The actual debate of Super AMOLED+ vs Apple's Retina display pretty much boils down to personal preference so I won't get into such a moot point.
5) S2 has direct built-in HDMI support and it charges the phone during an HDMI connection (no dock needed).
6) S2 has a removable battery, whereas the iPhone does not. I'm sorry, but a smartphone without a removable battery is a deal breaker unless you plan on having some charging mechanism with you at all times. We all know that smartphones draw a lot of battery life and that batteries have a limited life cycle.
7) S2 has microSD expansion of up to 32GB on top of the 16GB it comes with. Apple will probably tell consumers that they didn't include a microSD card because their on-board storage is faster and more reliable, but don't get lost in their euphemisms. The translation of such statements - in my opinion - is, "we wouldn't be able to make more money from you if we were to include a microSD card slot in our phones". Thus, you're stuck spending a lot more money for more storage. MicroSD cards are pretty cheap these days. I can get a Class 10 32GB microSD card for around $60, and my data is portable/removable!
8) S2 has Adobe Flash support.
9) S2 has 4G and LTE versions out there.
10) Some S2 models have NFC support for mobile payments.
11) The S2 (at least the Epic Touch 4G) was being offered by several retailers for anywhere between $99 to $150 with a 2-year contract. I'm an existing Sprint customer and I got my Epic Touch 4G for $164 including a car windshield/air vent cradle and overnight shipping. Will Apple iPhone 4S beat this?
12) S2 (Samsung) has a much friendlier policy on its devices being rooted. This is quite a big one for many reasons because it encourages and supports external collaboration and innovation. Apple, on the other hand, has always insisted on micro-managing their end-user experience. This is often worked in their favor, but I also feel that it is insulting to consumers. I don't want a company to tell me what I can do with their device once I've purchased it and assumed full ownership. Others can differ on this if they wish, but I like to tweak my experience of a product as I please.
Now, here are some potential benefits of the iPhone:
1) Having the pleasure of owning an Apple "i" device. Okay, maybe I'm being a bit frivolous by pointing this out, but I have noticed that so many people who own or want to own an Apple "i" product are not very knowledgeable and/or aware as to why they like Apple products. It's more of a "I've heard this is a cool product because..." insert nebulous reason here.
2) Siri voice commands. This is agreeably a great feature, but I think a vast majority of people are forgetting that Android has had pretty decent voice functionality for quite some time now and it works pretty well. I know because I use it on a semi-daily basis. Also, I want to ask the question: how practical are constant voice commands? I'm seriously curious as to how big of an impact this feature will make in all practical terms (i.e. will background noise be an important factor?).
3) Cloud storage. Well, I wish I could say this was something unique, but this feature is becoming very commonplace these days. Heck, new owners of the failing HP Touchpad were offered absolutely FREE 50GB cloud storage from Box.net!
4) iPhone 4S will be a World Phone. I think this is a wonderful idea! Good job on including this feature, Apple. It will not only make for a much more streamlined manufacturing process, but also sell many more iPhones around the planet and allow global flexibility. I feel like all mid-to-high-end Smartphone devices should have this capability.
5) iPhone 4S will have refined camera optics. This is a pretty good feature as well.
I really think this was Apple's time to come out with a bang in the face of all the heavyweight Android phone releases that have been happening lately, however, I feel like they totally dropped the ball. Sorry, but the days of Apple "i"domination seem to be coming to a close.
As for me, I'm quite happy with my Samsung Epic Touch 4G. I was seriously considering the iPhone 4S for my wife, but now I can't seem to justify the cost-to-benefit ratio. I'm a value-driven consumer and the 16GB iPhone 4S at $200 simply doesn't convey the same level of value as a Samsung Epic Touch 4G. As for now, all eyes will be on the (Samsung) Google Nexus which will soon be announced.
Apple is facing a similar situation they did when they lost the computer operating system war with Microsoft all those years ago. Figuratively speaking, there were 10 PCs to match every Macintosh system released and sold. Microsoft and the PC industry won much wider adoption. Mac looked inward for inspiration and innovation and finally began digging themselves out of a hole after the late 90s. How did they do this? Well, through an excellent vision under Steve Jobs: a focus on thorough innovation, impeccable end-user experience, and reliability.
Ultimately, it was Apple's software environment along with hardware stability which made it the Worldwide phenomenon it is today. However, with the iPhone 4 antenna hiccup, a few questionable hardware/software decisions such as a non-removable iPhone battery, lack of Flash support, a micro-managed end-user experience, etc. Apple seems to be digging themselves right back into a familiar hole. I say this because the marketplace has vastly changed now. A lot of the innovation from other companies (such as Google, Microsoft, Samsung, HTC, LG, etc.) has caught up to Apple. They're playing on the same field like never before and Apple will have to figure out a new formula very soon if they want to continue to dominate the game.
At this point, it's simple Math. The more adopters (i.e. number of people using their product and the number of people in their development community) a particular company gets, the more their chances of domination. Since Google and Microsoft aren't micro-managing the end-user experience as much as Apple they have the freedom to release 10 devices to Apple's 1 device. At that rate, unfortunately, the usability and innovation of a product become somewhat negligible (remember WebOS? what a great OS it was) for consumers. They want what is easily accessible, convenient - and especially in this economy - something that is affordable. People are much more value-driven now than they have been in a long time.
So, in conclusion, if Apple does not respond aptly to the aforementioned circumstances I predict that they will end up in the very familiar predicament they've been in before. I'm not an Apple, or Google, or Microsoft, or WebOS fanboy. I'm just an interested and curious observer. I hope you enjoyed reading this!
I had stuck it out with my Palm Pre (had it since it launched) in hopes of a high-end device like the iPhone, and I must say, I'm completely underwhelmed. The iPhone 4S is a middle-of-the-road phone at best. I will try not to get too in-depth and I will try to make a fair comparison below for those of you who care to read on.
To start things off, I will say that the iPhone 4S is a "filler" release. It's a device that functions more as a "placeholder" for Apple in the marketplace until their next major device release (iPhone 5, hopefully). As the details are unfolding, it is becoming more apparent that Apple intended the iPhone 4S as a bridge between the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 5. Apple could have done this even a year back and it would have been fine, but the way Android and Windows (with their new release of Mango) are contending for market share this could prove to be a poorly thought-out decision by Apple.
Let's just face the facts of the iPhone 4S when compared to the top Android phones (we'll take the Samsung Galaxy S2 as an example):
1) S2 has a faster 1.2GB processor.
2) S2 has twice the ram at 1GB.
3) S2 has a 2 megapixel front facing camera instead of Apple's VGA.
4) S2 has a larger screen. The actual debate of Super AMOLED+ vs Apple's Retina display pretty much boils down to personal preference so I won't get into such a moot point.
5) S2 has direct built-in HDMI support and it charges the phone during an HDMI connection (no dock needed).
6) S2 has a removable battery, whereas the iPhone does not. I'm sorry, but a smartphone without a removable battery is a deal breaker unless you plan on having some charging mechanism with you at all times. We all know that smartphones draw a lot of battery life and that batteries have a limited life cycle.
7) S2 has microSD expansion of up to 32GB on top of the 16GB it comes with. Apple will probably tell consumers that they didn't include a microSD card because their on-board storage is faster and more reliable, but don't get lost in their euphemisms. The translation of such statements - in my opinion - is, "we wouldn't be able to make more money from you if we were to include a microSD card slot in our phones". Thus, you're stuck spending a lot more money for more storage. MicroSD cards are pretty cheap these days. I can get a Class 10 32GB microSD card for around $60, and my data is portable/removable!
8) S2 has Adobe Flash support.
9) S2 has 4G and LTE versions out there.
10) Some S2 models have NFC support for mobile payments.
11) The S2 (at least the Epic Touch 4G) was being offered by several retailers for anywhere between $99 to $150 with a 2-year contract. I'm an existing Sprint customer and I got my Epic Touch 4G for $164 including a car windshield/air vent cradle and overnight shipping. Will Apple iPhone 4S beat this?
12) S2 (Samsung) has a much friendlier policy on its devices being rooted. This is quite a big one for many reasons because it encourages and supports external collaboration and innovation. Apple, on the other hand, has always insisted on micro-managing their end-user experience. This is often worked in their favor, but I also feel that it is insulting to consumers. I don't want a company to tell me what I can do with their device once I've purchased it and assumed full ownership. Others can differ on this if they wish, but I like to tweak my experience of a product as I please.
Now, here are some potential benefits of the iPhone:
1) Having the pleasure of owning an Apple "i" device. Okay, maybe I'm being a bit frivolous by pointing this out, but I have noticed that so many people who own or want to own an Apple "i" product are not very knowledgeable and/or aware as to why they like Apple products. It's more of a "I've heard this is a cool product because..." insert nebulous reason here.
2) Siri voice commands. This is agreeably a great feature, but I think a vast majority of people are forgetting that Android has had pretty decent voice functionality for quite some time now and it works pretty well. I know because I use it on a semi-daily basis. Also, I want to ask the question: how practical are constant voice commands? I'm seriously curious as to how big of an impact this feature will make in all practical terms (i.e. will background noise be an important factor?).
3) Cloud storage. Well, I wish I could say this was something unique, but this feature is becoming very commonplace these days. Heck, new owners of the failing HP Touchpad were offered absolutely FREE 50GB cloud storage from Box.net!
4) iPhone 4S will be a World Phone. I think this is a wonderful idea! Good job on including this feature, Apple. It will not only make for a much more streamlined manufacturing process, but also sell many more iPhones around the planet and allow global flexibility. I feel like all mid-to-high-end Smartphone devices should have this capability.
5) iPhone 4S will have refined camera optics. This is a pretty good feature as well.
I really think this was Apple's time to come out with a bang in the face of all the heavyweight Android phone releases that have been happening lately, however, I feel like they totally dropped the ball. Sorry, but the days of Apple "i"domination seem to be coming to a close.
As for me, I'm quite happy with my Samsung Epic Touch 4G. I was seriously considering the iPhone 4S for my wife, but now I can't seem to justify the cost-to-benefit ratio. I'm a value-driven consumer and the 16GB iPhone 4S at $200 simply doesn't convey the same level of value as a Samsung Epic Touch 4G. As for now, all eyes will be on the (Samsung) Google Nexus which will soon be announced.
Apple is facing a similar situation they did when they lost the computer operating system war with Microsoft all those years ago. Figuratively speaking, there were 10 PCs to match every Macintosh system released and sold. Microsoft and the PC industry won much wider adoption. Mac looked inward for inspiration and innovation and finally began digging themselves out of a hole after the late 90s. How did they do this? Well, through an excellent vision under Steve Jobs: a focus on thorough innovation, impeccable end-user experience, and reliability.
Ultimately, it was Apple's software environment along with hardware stability which made it the Worldwide phenomenon it is today. However, with the iPhone 4 antenna hiccup, a few questionable hardware/software decisions such as a non-removable iPhone battery, lack of Flash support, a micro-managed end-user experience, etc. Apple seems to be digging themselves right back into a familiar hole. I say this because the marketplace has vastly changed now. A lot of the innovation from other companies (such as Google, Microsoft, Samsung, HTC, LG, etc.) has caught up to Apple. They're playing on the same field like never before and Apple will have to figure out a new formula very soon if they want to continue to dominate the game.
At this point, it's simple Math. The more adopters (i.e. number of people using their product and the number of people in their development community) a particular company gets, the more their chances of domination. Since Google and Microsoft aren't micro-managing the end-user experience as much as Apple they have the freedom to release 10 devices to Apple's 1 device. At that rate, unfortunately, the usability and innovation of a product become somewhat negligible (remember WebOS? what a great OS it was) for consumers. They want what is easily accessible, convenient - and especially in this economy - something that is affordable. People are much more value-driven now than they have been in a long time.
So, in conclusion, if Apple does not respond aptly to the aforementioned circumstances I predict that they will end up in the very familiar predicament they've been in before. I'm not an Apple, or Google, or Microsoft, or WebOS fanboy. I'm just an interested and curious observer. I hope you enjoyed reading this!
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