Nexus Galaxy Droid Prime and Iphone 5 Announcement

[ejaymd11]

If I missed the point, then please explain/summarize to me what your point is. I'm really not trying to be combative - I'm just trying to get across that I don't think VZW needs this phone to come out as soon as possible. The people who are going to buy the Nexus aren't a demographic that will be swayed to the iPhone 5/4S. Sure, it would be great for Google to get it out ASAP and market the crap out of it, but that's important for Google to a much greater extent than it is for Verizon. Verizon maintains/acquires customers because of the dominance of its network, period.

What I'm saying a lot of people say/imply that the Nexus doesn't sell, We don't know what the Nexus demographic truly is because the phone has never been truly marketed. Yes I agree it is very important for Google to get it out. But also VZW the reason being is you don't want all of your hopes lying on one phone. The reason they need this one is I feel it is the one true competitor to the Iphone that they will have. Also the Android base is growing very quickly. Do you think they really want to loose those die hard android fans using the OG Droid, and the folks using the Droid 2, and 2G like myself who have the phone because of insurance upgrades? Not the mention the first DINc costumers who are also up for upgrade. Those Android fans are not going to get the Iphone, and will jump ship if they have to get the Nexus, or the GSII. So yes VZW needs this phone also, and if not the specifics phone, a truly awesome beast to keep, and gain Android fans. Also from my understanding VZW customer gains have been relatively flat, I could be wrong though so their is not that much acquiring going on.

 

[TheDave]

On a different note than bickering at each other (seriously, people)...

What do you guys think will be the biggest difference between these two phones in terms of to the normal consumer? What will be the defining factor that will separate them, in other words?

Camera quality? Overall size?

 

[ninjataint]

On a different note than bickering at each other (seriously, people)...

What do you guys think will be the biggest difference between these two phones in terms of to the normal consumer? What will be the defining factor that will separate them, in other words?

Camera quality? Overall size?

Marketing, branding, trendiness

 

[Alucardsyco]

I disagree if you think Apple made them get rid of the plans. They used the iPhone as an excuse to get rid of unlimited data plans because they thought a slew of new customers would be joining and wouldn't miss what they never had. Why give something away for 'free" when you can charge for it? I may have misunderstood your statement.

You correctly understood my statement, so I went and found sources.

ATT ends unlimited
AT&T to end unlimited use mobile data plan | Reuters

iPhone 4 announced
Apple announces iPhone 4, available on AT&T on June 24th | PhoneDog

Verizon ends unlimited
Verizon ends unlimited data plan - Jul. 5, 2011

Sprint
Sprint reportedly offering unlimited data with iPhone 5 — Apple News, Tips and Reviews

Of course I see that it says for the Sprint one that they are going to have unlimited which is great because it'll increase their customer base, but the fact that it was even mentioned does show that they were inclined to end the unlimited plan.

 

[dsignori]

On a different note than bickering at each other (seriously, people)...

What do you guys think will be the biggest difference between these two phones in terms of to the normal consumer? What will be the defining factor that will separate them, in other words?

Camera quality? Overall size?

I think most believe Nexus will be a much larger phone, much larger display, perhaps comparative pixel density to the iPhone. I can't believe any camera is gonna be better then the iPhone's, but we'll see. Apple's user experience on the iPhone has always been terrific, unified and tightly integrated throughout the phone. I would expect that will continue. It's expected that iOS 5 will catch up to Android somewhat with notification improvements and other areas they lacked. That said, I still vastly prefer the Android OS experience.

Since neither phone is announced and we don't have any concrete (non-rumor) info on either, I would speculate that both will be fantastic phones. Let's face it, both can do just about everything. The Nexus will be tremendously more customizable, the iPhone will have every app known to man that a consumer might want (well almost ). Both will be fast with great screens and great eco-systems behind them.

IMO anyone that claims that one is "vastly inferior" to the other just isn't paying attention. The bottom line is this: It's great that consumers have a choice of some great phones upcoming. This also spurs innovation, as we have seen with the skyrocketing improvements in both hardware and software in smartphones in just the last year or 2. It's a win win for consumers IMO ...

 

[geeksbsmrt]

What I'm saying a lot of people say/imply that the Nexus doesn't sell.....

edited

WARNING: Long winded analysis and some personal experiences ahead.

I didn't want to jump in on this but it really is getting annoying watching both of you go back and forth.

Android is a growing OS and more people are coming to it every day still. The iPhone does have some things going for it: ease of use (almost anyone can use it), it just works (from the non-technical/just want a "smartphone" user point of view), and brand name recognition just to name a few.

I have a coworker that is considering the iPhone if VZWs Nexus device isn't a powerhouse. That said, we work in IT and keep up with the latest and greatest and I think he represents a very small number in the general populous. I came to Android from an iPhone and will never go back. I like to be able to customize my device and the iPhone just doesn't allow the customization I want.

What everyone needs to realize is that to the majority of VZW's subscribers the difference between the D3, x2, Bionic, Nexus, etc... is Name, aesthetics, price, and "I want the newest phone you have." I would be willing to wager that if you went into a VZW store and asked each customer why they bought the phone they did the extreme MINORITY would tell you because of: <sarcasm> teh 1337 spex. </sarcasm>

Even if VZW and Google marketed the crap out of the Nexus I believe that only a handful of "general populous" would get it because of the pure Google experience. Keep in mind that while we (the technical/Android followers) want the pureness of a Nexus, most people enjoy their UI's. The UI's really do add functionality and aesthetics to the phone. My wife for example blasted me when I rooted her Eris and got rid of "all the things on my desktop". She was talking about the Sense widgets.

So all this to say: Does VZW need to get this phone out ASAP? No, subscribers looking for a high-end device will buy the best VZW has to offer when their contract is up for renewal, they switch over, or start new service. Would it hurt sales to bring the Nexus and iPhone out around the same time? I think it has the possibility to. Let's say that someone is coming in looking for a new phone and they have been looking at the iPhone (brand recognition) but they haven't quite made up their mind. The sales rep shows them the Nexus that "just came out too." Now the customer that may have never heard of Nexus and not really done any "research" into Android wants to go home and "think about it." I have seen this all too much in my retail days. I worked in a Big Box retail store and our sales strategy was to talk to the customers (ask open ended questions BEFORE even moving towards or talking about product.) For example: What brings you in today? Have you looked anywhere else? What have you seen? Do you have a brand preference? How much are you looking to spend? What do you want it to be able to do? Who will be using it? How comfortable/familiar are you with this type of device?

All of these allow us to narrow down the product selection to 2 or 3 devices. From there we can ask more specific questions and allow the customer to pick the device that looks best to them and that they will be most happy with. We ask the questions to make sure that we don't present too much new information that may cause the customer to leave to "do more research." Data overload is a salesman's worst nightmare.

This is not to say that I don't want the Nexus out ASAP. In fact, I want it out today, my OG Droid isn't going to hold on much longer. But, it will come out in due time and as long as it is soon, it has a very good possibility of being my next device. However, if the Vigor beats it to market, I may have a very hard decision to make. I may look at the Vigor to see if it will meet my needs or not. This is another reason that the Nexus is not "needed" there are other high-end phones coming down the line. Only those who know the benefits and truly understand those benefits will desire a Nexus device which is why I believe it has not been marketed heavily in the past.

</analysis>

 

[flashpiti]

What I'm saying a lot of people say/imply that the Nexus doesn't sell, We don't know what the Nexus demographic truly is because the phone has never been truly marketed. Yes I agree it is very important for Google to get it out. But also VZW the reason being is you don't want all of your hopes lying on one phone. The reason they need this one is I feel it is the one true competitor to the Iphone that they will have. Also the Android base is growing very quickly. Do you think they really want to loose those die hard android fans using the OG Droid, and the folks using the Droid 2, and 2G like myself who have the phone because of insurance upgrades? Not the mention the first DINc costumers who are also up for upgrade. Those Android fans are not going to get the Iphone, and will jump ship if they have to get the Nexus, or the GSII. So yes VZW needs this phone also, and if not the specifics phone, a truly awesome beast to keep, and gain Android fans. Also from my understanding VZW customer gains have been relatively flat, I could be wrong though so their is not that much acquiring going on.

I think you over estimate the idea of brand or os loyalty. A study came out yesterday that stated 55% of people who use android would consider switching to a different os the next time they purchase a phone. Android is a great os, but one of the reasons I believe it is so successful is because of the wide variety of hardware choices at different price points. I don't think there are huge amounts of Android fans, except for the people here on the net. To most folks a phone is a tool and they don't care who it's made by or who created the os as long as it does what they want it to do and looks nice, which is why the iphone has been so successful despite only having one or two devices for sale at a time.

 

[dsignori]

WARNING: Long winded analysis and some personal experiences ahead.

I didn't want to jump in on this but it really is getting annoying watching both of you go back and forth.

Android is a growing OS and more people are coming to it every day still. The iPhone does have some things going for it: ease of use (almost anyone can use it), it just works (from the non-technical/just want a "smartphone" user point of view), and brand name recognition just to name a few.

I have a coworker that is considering the iPhone if VZWs Nexus device isn't a powerhouse. That said, we work in IT and keep up with the latest and greatest and I think he represents a very small number in the general populous. I came to Android from an iPhone and will never go back. I like to be able to customize my device and the iPhone just doesn't allow the customization I want.

What everyone needs to realize is that to the majority of VZW's subscribers the difference between the D3, x2, Bionic, Nexus, etc... is Name, aesthetics, price, and "I want the newest phone you have." I would be willing to wager that if you went into a VZW store and asked each customer why they bought the phone they did the extreme MINORITY would tell you because of: <sarcasm> teh 1337 spex. </sarcasm>

Even if VZW and Google marketed the crap out of the Nexus I believe that only a handful of "general populous" would get it because of the pure Google experience. Keep in mind that while we (the technical/Android followers) want the pureness of a Nexus, most people enjoy their UI's. The UI's really do add functionality and aesthetics to the phone. My wife for example blasted me when I rooted her Eris and got rid of "all the things on my desktop". She was talking about the Sense widgets.

So all this to say: Does VZW need to get this phone out ASAP? No, subscribers looking for a high-end device will buy the best VZW has to offer when their contract is up for renewal, they switch over, or start new service. Would it hurt sales to bring the Nexus and iPhone out around the same time? I think it has the possibility to. Let's say that someone is coming in looking for a new phone and they have been looking at the iPhone (brand recognition) but they haven't quite made up their mind. The sales rep shows them the Nexus that "just came out too." Now the customer that may have never heard of Nexus and not really done any "research" into Android wants to go home and "think about it." I have seen this all too much in my retail days. I worked in a Big Box retail store and our sales strategy was to talk to the customers (ask open ended questions BEFORE even moving towards or talking about product.) For example: What brings you in today? Have you looked anywhere else? What have you seen? Do you have a brand preference? How much are you looking to spend? What do you want it to be able to do? Who will be using it? How comfortable/familiar are you with this type of device?

All of these allow us to narrow down the product selection to 2 or 3 devices. From there we can ask more specific questions and allow the customer to pick the device that looks best to them and that they will be most happy with. We ask the questions to make sure that we don't present too much new information that may cause the customer to leave to "do more research." Data overload is a salesman's worst nightmare.

This is not to say that I don't want the Nexus out ASAP. In fact, I want it out today, my OG Droid isn't going to hold on much longer. But, it will come out in due time and as long as it is soon, it has a very good possibility of being my next device. However, if the Vigor beats it to market, I may have a very hard decision to make. I may look at the Vigor to see if it will meet my needs or not. This is another reason that the Nexus is not "needed" there are other high-end phones coming down the line. Only those who know the benefits and truly understand those benefits will desire a Nexus device which is why I believe it has not been marketed heavily in the past.

</analysis>

Very well stated.

 

[delco714]

On a side note, the droid charge's camera is better then iPhone 4's

 

[ottscay]

WARNING:Even if VZW and Google marketed the crap out of the Nexus I believe that only a handful of "general populous" would get it because of the pure Google experience. Keep in mind that while we (the technical/Android followers) want the pureness of a Nexus, most people enjoy their UI's.

I agree with pretty much everything you wrote, but I think there may be some behind-the-scenes issues that come into play. During leaks/discussions Verizon officials more than once indicated that Verizon is concerned about how their top tier Android phone will compete with the iPhone5 (including specifically with regard to their decision to not take the SGS2). Obviously in the larger sense any phone sale is good for them, so the fact that they have expressed the sentiment more than once leads me to suspect that Verizon is currently more concerned about Apple's leverage over them than Google's, so specifically wants a phone that can compete to some degree (if I were a betting man, I'd say it was Apple's recent attack on SMS that lead to this).

As for Google and the Nexus brand, with the emergence of Google Wallet and offers (and other products coming soon) that the Nexus is moving away from being a developer phone per se, and towards being Google's launch pad of technologies they think consumers will want. With the emphasis on UI/UX design coming in Ice Cream Sandwich, and the need to push out phones with NFC at a faster rate, the stars are getting into alignment in terms of Google wanting to market those phones to a broader audience.

Put those things together and I expect Samsung to announce their new phones (including the "Droid Prime" or whatever it'll be called) in the middle of October - maybe at the event they just announced on the 14th - and ICS to perhaps be announced by Google a bit earlier (in the week after the new iPhone is announced). That should lead to an early November launch, and probably a lot of Verizon-oriented marketing this holiday season, which I think is specifically aimed at not letting Apple get "to big for their britches" from Verizon's point of view.

 

[ChillFactorz]

I do not see VZW using Vanilla OS as a selling point. A 1st and exclusive on ICS would be a great selling point, regardless of Vanilla or Skinned. I've heard it been said that VZW sales reps are told to push the Android devices, even some using the words "quota". If this is the case I could see VZW's marketing plan, for the new Samsung Prime device, to be Hardware specific and "All new Google experience".

Another topic would be, we seem to be saying Apple vs. Google. What about Apple vs. Samsung or Moto? Consumers seem to be loyal to OEMs as well as OSs. With Hardware being OEM specific at times. I'm saying will a High-end Samsung device out sell Apple's latest device? Samsung seems to be riding high right now.

 

[geeksbsmrt]

Another topic would be, we seem to be saying Apple vs. Google. What about Apple vs. Samsung or Moto? Consumers seem to be loyal to OEMs as well as OSs. With Hardware being OEM specific at times. I'm saying will a High-end Samsung device out sell Apple's latest device? Samsung seems to be riding high right now.

I don't ever see this happening. Reasoning:

It is Apple vs. Google. When you ask someone that is not a follower, as we are, what kind of phone they have you will get a few responses. I have an iPhone/Droid/BlackBerry or a "Just a phone." I don't know what people who have WP7 tell people. But for the most part looking at only iPhone vs. Android you will get the iPhone/Droid response regardless of who made the actual Android device. That being the case I don't see one manufacturer being able to come close to the number of sales as the iPhone.

You can see similar trends with the iPod. Users of other portable media players (Sansa, Zune, etc...) will sometimes just call it an iPod for ease of reference. Other examples are Kleenex=tissue, Band-Aid=bandage, Cool-Whip=whipped cream, etc... It's all about brand recognition.

Now don't get me wrong there are some people out there that will know their device is an HTC or what not but there are far more of the other.

 

[ottscay]

I'm not so sure about that Geeks - I avoided Samsung phones like the plague so far (the GS2 is the first one that impressed me enough to take a serious look at it) because of their build quality. My wife loves her HTC Droid Incredibly and plans to go with them again next time.

I admit it'll never be the rivalry that we see amongst OSes, but lots of people do indeed pick an OEM and stay loyal to it.

 

[geeksbsmrt]

I'm not so sure about that Geeks - I avoided Samsung phones like the plague so far (the GS2 is the first one that impressed me enough to take a serious look at it) because of their build quality. My wife loves her HTC Droid Incredibly and plans to go with them again next time.

I admit it'll never be the rivalry that we see amongst OSes, but lots of people do indeed pick an OEM and stay loyal to it.

I get that, but what I'm saying is because of the choice out there as far as Android is concerned I don't think one manufacturer will be able to out do what Apple has done.