Google Possibly Investing in Songza

[pappy53]

Kinda my thoughts... The guy just posted a thread about how the average price for Android was like $202... None of those come remotely close to that range.

Where is that $202 thread?

 

[z33dev33l]

Where is that $202 thread?

http://forums.androidcentral.com/phone-wars/393192-majority-android-phones-not-junk-phones.html

$215, I knew it was in that range but prior to the Moto G you could barely buy a usable Android phone in that range.

 

[Alik Malix]

... It's not a Samsung vs Apple competition, its an iOS vs Android competition. And in that competition, Android is winning and has been for years now. And is expanding it's lead.

From what I have seen of the sales figures, high end Android sales alone eclipse iOS. S4 + S5 + M8 + M7 + Nexus 4 + Nexus 5 + G2 + G3 + Note 2 + Note 3 ect ect ...add all those together and it will handily beat whatever the iPhone figures are. The S4 all by itself sold 20 million in a quarter.

You do realize that iOS vs Android is the same as Apple vs (All) Android. One Vendor vs The REST of the WORLD vendors. I'm not sure which side you're rooting for, but you're just underlining how Successful Apple has become with only 1 new phone per year...

Basically don't get lost in numbers - they all mean something - regardless of lack of every feature conceivable slapped on, Apple has been making the right product that people choose proven by its sale numbers vs the rest of the world vendors. Break all the vendors apart (to make it fair) and you got an embarrassing scenario...

EDIT: All this brings us back to the Topic of the Thread. Apple must be doing something right (in-spite of all Anti-Apple propaganda screaming how iOS is inadequate or lacking), and Google must be thinking if Apple is selling so much, so fast (with 1/16th of the collective advertising budget of Android OEMs), they must be doing something right. So if Apple buys "this" we gotta follow suit - it worked last time Google followed apple when they trashed their qwerty phone and started working on touch screen platform that was released commercially (September 2008)... (I posted the link earlier), way after iPhone 1 was introduced with iOS (June 29, 2007). Then following the App Store(July 10, 2008) with Android Market (October 22, 2008), then Find My Phone (June 2010) with Android Device Manager (Late 2013 I think), then following Siri (October 14, 2011) with Google Now (October 29, 2012). These are backbones of what our competing OS's consist of and Google wasn't first to any of them. There are many UI and Design concepts that further prove my point but I'm tired... but here's a recent one: the dreaded by Android Users iOS 7 with it's flat look, transparent menus, and minimalist cues (no borders, shades, indentations) are quickly making their way into new Android versions. You haven't seen most of it because most Android users are still waiting for KitKat...
And you're complaining about a few new conveniences that Apple Added to iOS that were there in Android... Dont forget of all that Apple also added that were never on Android like 64 bit processing, Metal for Graphics, iOS in Car,.... etc.. man this argument is getting old...

It's the same as... ooh ooh apple got Swype finally... ooh ooh Google got 64 bit support, oh wait...

 

[abazigal]

So are you saying there will be no spec bump in the iPhone 6? It will have the same hardware as the 5S?

I think what he means is that a checklist of specs alone don't always tell the whole story of how well a device works, much less the user experience it provides. Consider the 1st gen iPad, which sported just 256 mb of ram and a single core processor, yet worked better than a full blown laptop with regards to many tasks.

Heck, better specs can even be deleterious to the user experience. Didn't Anandtech recently talk about how most users don't need quad-core processors in a mobile phone and it actually meant slower performance and greater battery drain?

 

[abazigal]

There is no arguing that more PPI is better. There is no arguing that more resolution is better.

There is not even any arguing that samsung's quality is better.


LOL

That must be why Apple increases it's iPhone specs every generation. Because specs don't matter. The iPhone 4S had all the specs you could need, so the 5 and 5S must be unnecessary, right?

Every device is by definition a package of compromises, and it's up to the manufacturers to determine how best to manage those tradeoffs.

Higher PPI is more desirable, but only if you look at those qualities in a vacuum. Higher PPI isn't without its fair share of drawbacks, such as increased battery consumption. Heck, Ars Technica reviewed the LG G3 and found that the 2k display taxed the system quite heavily, to the point where it visibly throttled the system with error messages.

Also consider the context. A 4k display on a laptop would actually result in the desktop being unusable because the font would be ridiculously small, and windows applications don't necessarily support HiDPI scaling properly.

I would argue that like all specs, higher PPI matters, up to the point where it allows me to read whatever is in my smartphone comfortably, after which they begin to offer diminishing returns. The thing is that this threshold will differ from user to user.

 

[JohnnyCL]

He is being sarcastic.

Sorry: this is not sarcasm. This is irony.

 

[z33dev33l]

Sorry: this is not sarcasm. This is irony.

No, it was sarcasm.

 

[z33dev33l]

So basically, the same as it is with Android.

Just look at the downside of Project Butter. That's all I ask. It was made to smooth Android out but only did so on the high end. It actually provided a worse experience on all of the low end Android devices which, as you pointed out in another thread, encompasses most Android sales. Project Svelte in Kit Kat aimed to fix that and in a lot of cases did but a lot of that low end isn't getting a Kit Kat updated.

 

[pappy53]

There is no arguing that more PPI is better. There is no arguing that more resolution is better.

There is not even any arguing that samsung's quality is better.


LOL

That must be why Apple increases it's iPhone specs every generation. Because specs don't matter. The iPhone 4S had all the specs you could need, so the 5 and 5S must be unnecessary, right?

Samsung may have a nicer screen, but their overall phone quality is not comparable to Apple, IMO.

 

[z33dev33l]

Samsung may have a nicer screen, but their overall phone quality is not comparable to Apple, IMO.

Even the screen can be argued in my opinion. Prior to S5 the visuals all looked cartoonish. They finally balanced that out but I honestly don't find their polarization particularly strong and when compared to Apple, I like how everything seems to float on the screen.

 

[JeffDenver]

When was that established? High end Androids do not outsell iPhones.

...is what you assume. Got it.

Nowhere does it say that the Galaxy phones outsold iPhones

Does not say iPhones outsold Galaxy phones either...that was something you assumed. You have never shown actual evidence to support your claim.

Nearly half a billion compared to something over 200,000,000?

How did you determine it is only "something like 200 million"?

How did you establish that high-end Androids sold more?

It's an assumption I am making based on known sales figures for major models.

• Apple iPhone: global sales 2007-2014, by quarter | Statistic

Does Galaxy numbers even come close to those numbers?

I think they do. I have seen no evidence to the contrary. Feel free to post Galaxy sales figures if you have them.

 

[darkoman4]

By your logic is: I'm not going to buy a beautifully designed piece of jewerly, because the same weight in gold is cheaper...

Why is it that if someone like you who finds no value for him/herself - suddenly becomes "grossly overpriced". I have been doing contracted work for better half of my professional carrier. Same contract can be sold in a highly marginal price (that means very different prices) depending on conditions, recognition, understanding of the content, value, and need/want principles. So someone will pay $5000 for a product and get a great deal (due to mentioned above), but someone will pay $500 for the same product and still feel cheated. You know the difference between the two? One got a product he needed (that works for him), the other got the wrong product for his needs (that doesn't work for him).

So, your blab about "Grossly Overpriced" is as moronic as the person that buys a product that was not tailored for him. Apple products are NOT overpriced - their products work better for majority of people in the U.S. and great numbers of people in many other countries. And they're willing to pay for it - as evident in record breaking sales of iPhones, iPads, iPods... If Apple devices and Beats devices were "grossly overpriced" no one would buy them would they? (maybe a few uninformed would buy it, but not enough to bring Apple, Beats, Samsung to success)... I would not buy any offering with Android today because that product does not respond to my needs as iOS devices do. Buying something I'd need to fiddle with for the same price as an iPhone would be not valuable (the price would not justify its means) for me as it will waste my professional time getting it all sorted, day in - day out. But it's probably priced just right for you.

Now you're entitled to your opinion, but IT IS YOUR OPINION... Apple is profitable because people buy it - people buy it because they find value in it!!!

You must be a [removed by moderator] if you think iPhone 5C is not overpriced or if 16 GB of extra storage is worth $100.

 

[JeffDenver]

Uh huh.

Sales of Samsung Galaxy S exceeded 200 million units | KitGuru

Have no idea who kit guru is or where they are sourcing their figures. For all I know they are just making it up. In any event, even if they are completely accurate, that is a total spanning 4 years (back before the Galaxy S became popular). Samsung is selling far better now. And current sales are the context in which I made my original statement.

S4-- 50,000,000
S5-- 15,000,000
M8-- 500,000
M7-- 5,000,000
Nexus 4-- 375,000
Nexus 5-- ?
G2-- 3,000,000
G3-- ?
Note 2 and Note 3 combined-- 40,000,000

Total-- 113,875,000-- Earliest release date of any of these phones is 2012.

iPhone since 2012-- 356,000,000

Yeah don't knock yourself out with sources or anything. I am totally willing to just take your word for it since you are so obviously unbiased.

Samsung may have a nicer screen, but their overall phone quality is not comparable to Apple, IMO.

LOL! Your own link, that you posted as evidence, clearly said the S5 was equal to the best iPhone. In the text they equivocated, and in the actual video they flat out said the S5 had the best build quality.

So we have established build quality is comparable or better for the S5, and the S5 definitely has a better display. What else?

 

[z33dev33l]

You must be a moron if you think iPhone 5C is not overpriced or if 16 GB of extra storage is worth $100.

It's really not. You get a premium quality device, the best point and shoot camera phone out, guaranteed quite a few update cycles making the phone a solid choice well beyond the two year mark and a truly solid build quality that's been shown to endure more than the 5S.

 

[JeffDenver]

Every device is by definition a package of compromises, and it's up to the manufacturers to determine how best to manage those tradeoffs.

Higher PPI is more desirable, but only if you look at those qualities in a vacuum. Higher PPI isn't without its fair share of drawbacks, such as increased battery consumption.

The S5 has better battery life than the iPhone as well.

So there was no compromise made in this case. It has a better display, and still has better battery life despite the better display.

I would argue that like all specs, higher PPI matters, up to the point where it allows me to read whatever is in my smartphone comfortably, after which they begin to offer diminishing returns.

I agree, but more is never a bad thing, and Retina (326) is definitely not good enough IMO. It was good when it launched because everything else was much worse at the time. But it was never ideal. The ideal is not being able to see pixels at any range. That is true retina quality.

 

[z33dev33l]

Have no idea who kit guru is or where they are sourcing their figures. For all I know they are just making it up. In any event, even if they are completely accurate, that is a total spanning 4 years (back before the Galaxy S became popular). Samsung is selling far better now. And current sales are the context in which I made my original statement.


Yeah don't knock yourself out with sources or anything. I am totally willing to just take your word for it since you are so obviously unbiased.


LOL! Your own link, that you posted as evidence, clearly said the S5 was equal to the best iPhone. In the text they equivocated, and in the actual video they flat out said the S5 had the best build quality.

So we have established build quality is comparable or better for the S5, and the S5 definitely has a better display. What else?

Durability does not always equal build quality or else Nautiz, CAT and Duracomm would be relevant names in the smart phone world. I shaped a housing for my old 920 out of cherry wood. Didn't make it the best build quality iteration of the phone despite being less likely to break. Cheap materials are cheap materials.

 

[pappy53]

Have no idea who kit guru is or where they are sourcing their figures. For all I know they are just making it up. In any event, even if they are completely accurate, that is a total spanning 4 years (back before the Galaxy S became popular). Samsung is selling far better now. And current sales are the context in which I made my original statement.

Are you really that blind? That article is from Feb.25, 2014.

Yeah don't knock yourself out with sources or anything. I am totally willing to just take your word for it since you are so obviously unbiased.

You're the one that made the statement, so you should be the one with sources. At least I did take the time to look them up.

I think they do. I have seen no evidence to the contrary. Feel free to post Galaxy sales figures if you have them.

Sales of Samsung Galaxy S exceeded 200 million units | KitGuru

Give it up, or get some facts to back your claim.

 

[pappy53]

LOL! Your own link, that you posted as evidence, clearly said the S5 was equal to the best iPhone. In the text they equivocated, and in the actual video they flat out said the S5 had the best build quality.

No, they said that it did better in the drop test. There is more to phone quality than a drop test, such as fit, finish, etc.

 

[pappy53]

I hope that everyone has a great day. This train is headed nowhere, and I am jumping off. You just can't tell some people the facts.

 

[JeffDenver]

Durability does not always equal build quality or else Nautiz, CAT and Duracomm would be relevant names in the smart phone world.

As far as I know, Apple and it's users have never singled those companies out as having bad build quality.

Thats the only reason this is even an issue. Apple people like to cling to past Android stereotypes as if they are still relevant. If Samsung phones had bad build quality in the past, they obviously don't now.

Cheap materials are cheap materials.

Expensive materials do not necessarily = good build quality. You could make a phone with waterford crystal, and it would be expensive, but it would have bad build quality.