Htc fans unite!! (read my manifesto)

[dsignori]

Some of you guys are really cracking me up. Are you REALLY asserting the "REGULAR consumers" don't read reviews or solicit input from more tech-savvy friends? They make their smartphone purchasing decisions based ONLY on the ads they saw? I just don't buy that. It's hard for me to believe that there is even any significant number of people who buy smartphones ONLY based on "marketing".

The fact is, virtually ALL the places any consumer would go for advice on a smartphone purchase - from AndroidCentral to the more mainstream tech blog websites like engadget to the even more mainstream ones like CNet, to the industry print periodicals to the regular newspaper tech columns right on to the "regular" mainstream media have ALL been saying that all these phones are nice but the Galaxy S3 is The Best Android Smartphone - and many say The Best Smartphone, period.

Are you suggesting that all that Press is the result of all those reviewers being swayed that way by Marketing?! Hogwash! They're all saying it because THEY have looked at the phones and evaluated the specs and come to the same conclusions many of us would come to. The "REGULAR consumers" you keep talking about don't have to read the specs or care about them. That's what all that press is for. They aren't buying GS3s (solely) because of marketing. They're buying them because "They" (the experts) all agree that the GS3 is The Best and that's really all they need to know.

If HTC had made the DNA with bigger built-in storage options, a microSD slot, and a swappable battery, it might have been (I'll be generous here) 2mm thicker. And all that press would now be (mostly) printing that the DNA is the new Best Smartphone. That's not Marketing. That is having the Best Product. And all those "REGULAR consumers" would get that from all those industry and mainstream (who get it from industry) sources and from their tech geek friends and THEN HTC would have a chance at selling as many DNAs as Samsung sold GS3s.

Go to a mall and ask a random person how much RAM their phone has. Average people don't know or care, they really don't ..

 

[Ry]

So Ry, osubeavs728, and dsignori, as far a you guys are concerned HTC need only market more to reclaim sales and profitability? It has absolutely and utterly nothing to do with the specs/features the newest HTC phones are lacking? Nor the branding segmentation by having a different HTC phone on every carrier?

They are still profitable.

The supposed "lacking" features have little to do with it.

And AGAIN, it would be great if HTC could be like Samsung and take one halo phone to all of the carriers. We have gone over this. We're all pretty much in agreement. BUT a lot of us actually understand WHY HTC can't do that right now.

 

[natenrb9]

I'm sorry but LOL.

The Nexus 7, DROID RAZR M, and DROID RAZR HD must all be slouches.

I'm sorry, but I will throw out my own LOL. Just because other phones/tablets only have 1gb doesn't make it any less pathetic. We'll see how their sales do compared to the Samsung Galaxy line. Of course, the Nexus 7 is doing well, hopefully 1gb works well with it, I was thinking of getting one. And hopefully all of these handle only having 1gb better than my One X, and hopefully the One X+ does as well... I guess I am a power user, so it is possible 1gb of ram is alright for your average user...

 

[osubeavs728]

Some of you guys are really cracking me up. Are you REALLY asserting the "REGULAR consumers" don't read reviews or solicit input from more tech-savvy friends? They make their smartphone purchasing decisions based ONLY on the ads they saw? I just don't buy that. It's hard for me to believe that there is even any significant number of people who buy smartphones ONLY based on "marketing".

The fact is, virtually ALL the places any consumer would go for advice on a smartphone purchase - from AndroidCentral to the more mainstream tech blog websites like engadget to the even more mainstream ones like CNet, to the industry print periodicals to the regular newspaper tech columns right on to the "regular" mainstream media have ALL been saying that all these phones are nice but the Galaxy S3 is The Best Android Smartphone - and many say The Best Smartphone, period.

Just FYI....Expert testimonies are a form of marketing...

Also my Gnex does fine with 1 gig of ram as well.

 

[Ry]

I'm sorry, but I will throw out my own LOL. Just because other phones/tablets only have 1gb doesn't make it any less pathetic. We'll see how their sales do compared to the Samsung Galaxy line. Of course, the Nexus 7 is doing well, hopefully 1gb works well with it, I was thinking of getting one. And hopefully all of these handle only having 1gb better than my One X, and hopefully the One X+ does as well... I guess I am a power user, so it is possible 1gb of ram is alright for your average user...

Why don't you jump into the Nexus 7 forums here and ask them why they all purchased their Nexus 7 when it only ships with 1GB of RAM? Call them pathetic while you're at it.

 

[natenrb9]

Why don't you jump into the Nexus 7 forums here and ask them why they all purchased their Nexus 7 when it only ships with 1GB of RAM? Call them pathetic while you're at it.

Please read my full post before commenting.

 

[StuartV]

Didn't the One X have that "best Android phone" crown from the reviewers before the S3 came out? Didn't help much.

Look at the DROID RAZR/RAZR MAXX. It was selling like gangbusters over at Verizon for a good time. Many of you would here would say that phones like the Rezound out-classed it. But the DROID RAZR line was marketed heavily. The Rezound, while a perfectly good phone, was just a blip in smartphone history.

Didn't the S3 get announced before the One X was actually available? At least, here? Even if not, the One X had the Best Crown for what, a week?

Sure, the Rezound is better than the RAZR, in my opinion. But, when they were both the latest and greatest, my dad got a RAZR. Why? Because he asked me what to get and that's the one I told him. It's not enough to just have the most appeal to the tech geeks. That is often a case of the phones being pretty equal and the tech geeks just favoring one over the other for a minor reason that probably doesn't matter much to the non-techies. The GS3 is different. It was pretty clear-cut as the best. At least, among the widely reported media. PLUS, the GS3 was being reported as The Best, period, NOT The Best on AT&T, but on Verizon The Best is XYZ. So, virtually no matter what news source you went to and no matter what carrier you were on, since the GS3 came out, if you asked (not read the marketing or watched the advertising), you would hear that the GS3 is The Best - or possibly you'd hear "one of the best". The One X has never had that.

The DNA *could* have had that.

Fact is, regular customers care little about raw specs. They're not thinking about it as much as you think they are.

Did you or dsignori actually read my post? Did you grok the part about "REGULAR consumers" don't think about the specs and they don't have to. They check the news (to use a broad term) and are told that a phone is "the best" by people who DO look at the specs. So, the specs ARE part of their decision, they are just unwittingly (perhaps) defering that part of the decision to someone else.

 

[natenrb9]

Ry, osubeavs728, and dsignori so for you guys it is basically just bend over, and buy what is available? Why come to the forums?? Just act like your average consumer see the marketing, do a bit of research, go to the store and listen to the employees, and pick your favorite phone.

The point of this thread is to try and improve the situation. Of course, there isn't much we can do, and HTC most likely won't change anything. But we can only hope that there would be a smidgen of a chance that the next version of the HTC DNA (the at&t one), will have either more storage (or sd card slot), and a bigger battery (or removable).

With all of your opinions I would like to see manifestos from any of you on how HTC can reclaim their sales/profits. Clearly no one can argue that they need help.

Also, which phone do any of you own and why?

 

[Ry]

Please read my full post before commenting.

There are power users that use devices with 1GB of RAM just fine.



Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Android Central Forums

 

[StuartV]

Just FYI....Expert testimonies are a form of marketing...

To complete your incomplete quote: Are you suggesting that all that Press is the result of all those reviewers being swayed that way by Marketing? Really, your statement would be actually correct if it said "expert testimonials are often USED in marketing."

Also my Gnex does fine with 1 gig of ram as well.

Good for you! Let us know how well it runs Android 4.2. And 4.3. And 5.0.

 

[natenrb9]

There are power users that use devices with 1GB of RAM just fine.
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Android Central Forums

Oh Ry...I guess you need my help to spell out the part I was talking about... Here you go: "Of course, the Nexus 7 is doing well, hopefully 1gb works well with it, I was thinking of getting one. And hopefully all of these handle only having 1gb better than my One X, and hopefully the One X+ does as well..."

 

[Ry]

Good for you! Let us know how well it runs Android 4.2. And 4.3. And 5.0.

How well does the Nexus 7 run 4.2?


Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Android Central Forums

 

[MangoPowah]

How well does the Nexus 7 run 4.2?


Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Android Central Forums

Runs fine for the most part on my end, although there were a couple of stutters for the first few minutes. The bugs seemed to have squashed themselves.

Sent from the cockpit of Gurren Lagann

 

[natenrb9]

Also, Ry, osubeavs728, and dsignori are any of you getting the HTC DNA or HTC One X+? And if not, why (honestly)?

 

[osubeavs728]

Ry, osubeavs728, and dsignori so for you guys it is basically just bend over, and buy what is available?

Also, which phone do any of you own and why?

Bend over, not really. Everything that has been available so far has met w.e. desires/ needs I had at the time of purchase. I come to the forums to converse and have hardy debates with fellow android lovers. There's only one place to do that really and that's an android forum. Hell even though we disagree on the topic, we are all expressing our enjoyment for android with others who enjoy it just as much.

I will be buying a DNA because it meets my needs. I want to experience the s4 pro processor with a gorgeous screen and a better camera than my Gnex. I don't need much memory (i only use 1 gig on my Gnex), and I'm not worried about the battery. I bought my Gnex because I wanted to experience pure vanilla android (came from touchwiz).

 

[Ry]

Sure, the Rezound is better than the RAZR, in my opinion. But, when they were both the latest and greatest, my dad got a RAZR. Why? Because he asked me what to get and that's the one I told him.

Did you or dsignori actually read my post? Did you grok the part about "REGULAR consumers" don't think about the specs and they don't have to. They check the news (to use a broad term) and are told that a phone is "the best" by people who DO look at the specs. So, the specs ARE part of their decision, they are just unwittingly (perhaps) defering that part of the decision to someone else.

So are you telling me that your dad read about the differences between the RAZR and Rezound?

Or did your dad get the RAZR simply because you told him to get it without doing any research on his own?

 

[Ry]

Oh Ry...I guess you need my help to spell out the part I was talking about... Here you go: "Of course, the Nexus 7 is doing well, hopefully 1gb works well with it, I was thinking of getting one. And hopefully all of these handle only having 1gb better than my One X, and hopefully the One X+ does as well..."

But 1GB is pathetic. It should have 2GB. You are a power user. That spec apparently matters to you. YOU CALLED IT PATHETIC, yet you're giving the Nexus 7 a shot even be cause of that limitation? Contradict yourself much?

 

[natenrb9]

But 1GB is pathetic. It should have 2GB. You are a power user. That spec apparently matters to you. YOU CALLED IT PATHETIC, yet you're giving the Nexus 7 a shot even be cause of that limitation? Contradict yourself much?

Oh Ry, still grasping at straws. I clearly say "I was thinking of getting one", along with "hopefully all of these handle only having 1gb better than my One X". I will need to see for my self if 1gb of ram is sufficient on the Nexus 7. I am not spec blinded. You obviously need to see if the performance meets your needs regardless of specs. Storage and battery life are pretty dang easy to analyze, RAM is a bit more difficult.

 

[osubeavs728]

To complete your incomplete quote: Are you suggesting that all that Press is the result of all those reviewers being swayed that way by Marketing? Really, your statement would be actually correct if it said "expert testimonials are often USED in marketing.".

Who said anything about the reviewers being swayed from marketing? The reviews are good press. Expert testimonials are used in marketing and can be seen as a form of word of mouth marketing. Not all marketing is paid for or initiated by the company selling the product.

 

[Ry]

Ry, osubeavs728, and dsignori so for you guys it is basically just bend over, and buy what is available? Why come to the forums?? Just act like your average consumer see the marketing, do a bit of research, go to the store and listen to the employees, and pick your favorite phone.

The point of this thread is to try and improve the situation. Of course, there isn't much we can do, and HTC most likely won't change anything. But we can only hope that there would be a smidgen of a chance that the next version of the HTC DNA (the at&t one), will have either more storage (or sd card slot), and a bigger battery (or removable).

With all of your opinions I would like to see manifestos from any of you on how HTC can reclaim their sales/profits. Clearly no one can argue that they need help.

Also, which phone do any of you own and why?

With Android, there are many choices. Bend over? Really? If I don't like something about a certain phone, I'll take my business elsewhere if that particular spec mattered to me.

This isn't the iPhone where we have to like one model for a year.

Put yourself in HTC's shoes for a second.

You're coming off a poor showing in 2011. You've announced you're going to do some consolidation, develop less variants of phones but put more into each of them.

Your market research tells you (please look up articles on Android Central and Engadget where their editors where welcomed to HTC headquarters to witness R&D on new products) consumers want thin and light phones with good screens and access to the fastest networks.

You decide to create the One series, three phones that each tackle a market segment (V, S, and X for budget, midrange, and high-end respectively). You start shopping the line out to your carrier partners.

Budget carriers love the V. They'll take it but their budgets don't allow them to take the S and X. Sprint and Verizon come back to you and say, "hey what about that EVO and DROID line you were a part of? Don't you need some help marketing? We've created lines that our customers know."

T-Mobile, they like the X. They want the X. But AT&T comes and says we like the X too and we'll take it only if we get an exclusive on it. AT&T even offers to pitch in with marketing. Sorry T-Mobile, but you just get the S.

The reviews are glowing. Most recommend the phone as a buy. But the sales, they're just not there. Compare the marketing with what was done for the sales leaders. Take polls and survey mobile phone users on the strength of the One series as a brand versus the iPhone and the Galaxy S3.

Do you gamble on creating a halo phone AND and take it or leave attitude with the carriers? Will you be able to put the marketing muscle behind this new halo phone to make sure EVERYONE knows about this phone? Will you be able to make people WANT this phone over every other phone?

Can you price a phone with 64GB of space competitively against others in it's class? What if the carriers don't want it? Where will we sell the phone?

Or do you continue to play the carrier game?

The above events are purely fictional. Any relationship to actual events is purely coincidental.