Where do we go from here?

bakron1

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I have been around the smartphone industry since the early days and have seen many changes in the industry. Blackberry who was once the dominant manufacturer in the industry and everyone had one and the Crackberry craze had begun.

Now we have just two dominant operating systems, Android and IOS and we all know the Blackberry story. I have seen a lot of changes and has me wondering where do we go from here?

The smartphone industry has actually been saturated the past couple of years and global sales are actually down in 2019.

Apple still sold a ton of iPhones and made wheelbarrows of cash and has more cash reserves then some countries do. Android is still the dominant OS with IOS in close second.

What’s next for this industry I have come to love. I have been a device junkie since buying my first Blackberry way back when. I have played with Blackberry OS, OS10, Windows Mobile, Palm OS, Android and IOS.

It was fun back then because then because I felt there was always something new and exciting coming around the corner and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the latest device.

Do some of you folks who have been around like myself feel the same way? Now it seems like the only magical thing we expect is changes in the current operating system and some minor hardware upgrades.

I miss the early days of flashing the latest Blackberry OS leak or a cool Android ROM some developer had posted on the Android OS forums. Just thought I would see what folks out there think we are headed from here????
 

calebt

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Yes, I miss all those things you mentioned and I feel things have become stagnant in the tech scene for me anyways, but it gives me time for the grandkids and other projects that I’ve neglected.
 

Ledsteplin

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What new would you like to see in smartphone hardware? And why does there need to be anything new, other than the annual camera upgrades? For 12 years or so smartphone technology has exploded with a wealth of new stuff, much of which has been in R & D for longer than said 12 years. Now we wait for current R & D to offer more in the coming years. In the mean time, we see some great upgrades in the operating systems. And the camera upgrades! The new iPhone camera is amazing I hear. Can't wait to get one in September.

If someone had shown me an iPhone 11 Pro Max 30 years ago, I would have thought it from the year 2120. Smartphones have come a long way in a short time. Let's enjoy what we have! I mean...it hasn't been that long since driving around looking for a pay phone.
 

Just_Me_D

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I know exactly what you mean, bakron1. I’ve used mobile phones since 1989 and the brands ranged from Nokia, Motorola, Nextel, Palm to Ericsson, RIM (Blackberry), HTC, and Apple. Of course, there were other brands.

I’m not sure what’s next in regard to the smartphone industry, but I’m confident that something will be introduced at some point that will change everything again.
 

kataran

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It was bound to happen as this personal communication device became an appliance. There’s no need to tinker with it anymore like the Auto Appliance most people drive

I do miss the days thou
 

metllicamilitia

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Not really. It was a race to get where we are. To get where we are required smaller processors and new technology. As well as new technology becoming old enough to become cheap enough to mass produce.

And to say there aren’t those devices out there still pushing the limits a bit is a falsity. We have the new Moto Razr, the Samsung Galaxy Fold and the like. The problem is, these new wonders are so new that they come with a price tag that many are not willing to pay which makes them non viable product for the most part.

You know what I want? Give me a larger battery. Give me a larger phone, by which I mean something I can actually hold on to because it isn’t a slippery rounded glass sandwich. The new technologies will arrive when they are cost viable.
 

Annie_M

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I think that we'll continue to see new developments that we once never thought of. With all the talks of the developments over the last decade, which included the iPad and Apple Watch, not to mention the new technology we're seeing in all smartphones. I can only imagine what new developments will see in this new decade.
 

Quis89

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I have been around the smartphone industry since the early days and have seen many changes in the industry. Blackberry who was once the dominant manufacturer in the industry and everyone had one and the Crackberry craze had begun.

Now we have just two dominant operating systems, Android and IOS and we all know the Blackberry story. I have seen a lot of changes and has me wondering where do we go from here?

The smartphone industry has actually been saturated the past couple of years and global sales are actually down in 2019.

Apple still sold a ton of iPhones and made wheelbarrows of cash and has more cash reserves then some countries do. Android is still the dominant OS with IOS in close second.

What’s next for this industry I have come to love. I have been a device junkie since buying my first Blackberry way back when. I have played with Blackberry OS, OS10, Windows Mobile, Palm OS, Android and IOS.

It was fun back then because then because I felt there was always something new and exciting coming around the corner and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the latest device.

Do some of you folks who have been around like myself feel the same way? Now it seems like the only magical thing we expect is changes in the current operating system and some minor hardware upgrades.

I miss the early days of flashing the latest Blackberry OS leak or a cool Android ROM some developer had posted on the Android OS forums. Just thought I would see what folks out there think we are headed from here????

I'm with you. The mobile device space use to be a lot more exciting that it is now. More options. Now...you've got iOS or Android. And those operating systems are close to maturation. Year over year not a whole lot of change.

What's next? Tough to guess. I wish all the time that PalmOS would make a comeback lol.
 

Spencerdl

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Good question and I also wonder what's next. I'm seriously thinking about looking for a "new" hobby as this particular one has ran its course in my honest opinion. It was a good run but the excitement going back to my Blackberry days until now with Apple will never give me the joy in a smartphone as it once did.
 

anon(50597)

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It’s really a shame that our choices have been limited. It decreases competition and, I agree, there hasn’t been anything new and exciting for a while.
 

bakron1

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Good question and I also wonder what's next. I'm seriously thinking about looking for a "new" hobby as this particular one has ran its course in my honest opinion. It was a good run but the excitement going back to my Blackberry days until now with Apple will never give me the joy in a smartphone as it once did.

Was talking to an old friend today who is a Blackberry person like me from way back and we started talking how we couldn’t wait for the next OS10 leak to flash and me being a Mac user, I bought a cheap laptop with windows just so I could load the program to allow me to flash the leaks.

I use VMWare with Windows on my iMacs and couldn’t use it because it was a virtual machine and wouldn’t work.

God those where the days. I also had a Nexus One when they where first released and loved flashing the original Cyanogen ROM when it was first released way back when. It was fun times back then.
 

robertk328

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I've had the conversation a few times that I upgraded to the 11 Pro Max because of the camera. Not sure much else changed from the XS Max, but for me it was worth it. Also proves the innovation is somewhat stagnant. We get a few cool updates each time but not much out there that's groundbreaking.
 

Golurk

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It’s really a shame that our choices have been limited. It decreases competition and, I agree, there hasn’t been anything new and exciting for a while.


I agree. One could argue that you do have a limited amount of choice within the Android world itself...but it’s not the same. Nokia, Microsoft, BlackBerry (and almost Samsung) tried to compete with Android and iPhones but failed. Samsung nearly did a long time ago but Google compromised.
 

Evilguppy

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BRING BACK THE OLD BLACKBERRY!!!

There I’ve said it. I miss Blackberry OS, I miss the keyboard, I miss the track ball and track pad, I miss my cool lil blackberry. I’m with Apple because Android is definitely not for me but if I had a choice I’d have a blackberry. It’s 2020 and there’s no way to make a blackberry that actually works??? Harrumph.
 

anon(50597)

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BRING BACK THE OLD BLACKBERRY!!!

There I’ve said it. I miss Blackberry OS, I miss the keyboard, I miss the track ball and track pad, I miss my cool lil blackberry. I’m with Apple because Android is definitely not for me but if I had a choice I’d have a blackberry. It’s 2020 and there’s no way to make a blackberry that actually works??? Harrumph.

It’s been tried a couple of times. They just aren’t popular enough to survive.
Sad but true.
 

qbnkelt

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I have been around the smartphone industry since the early days and have seen many changes in the industry. Blackberry who was once the dominant manufacturer in the industry and everyone had one and the Crackberry craze had begun.

Now we have just two dominant operating systems, Android and IOS and we all know the Blackberry story. I have seen a lot of changes and has me wondering where do we go from here?

The smartphone industry has actually been saturated the past couple of years and global sales are actually down in 2019.

Apple still sold a ton of iPhones and made wheelbarrows of cash and has more cash reserves then some countries do. Android is still the dominant OS with IOS in close second.

What’s next for this industry I have come to love. I have been a device junkie since buying my first Blackberry way back when. I have played with Blackberry OS, OS10, Windows Mobile, Palm OS, Android and IOS.

It was fun back then because then because I felt there was always something new and exciting coming around the corner and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the latest device.

Do some of you folks who have been around like myself feel the same way? Now it seems like the only magical thing we expect is changes in the current operating system and some minor hardware upgrades.

I miss the early days of flashing the latest Blackberry OS leak or a cool Android ROM some developer had posted on the Android OS forums. Just thought I would see what folks out there think we are headed from here????

For the first time since 2001 I haven’t bought a new phone. I’ve got my iPhone XS Max and I’m happy.

I miss the days of new and exciting phones. When I think of the money I spent on every new latest and greatest from every OS I shudder. I remember having several BlackBerry devices running concurrently on multiple lines. It was an obsession.

I’ve moved on. The phone is central to what I do every day but I no longer feel the need to buy the latest and greatest. Still have three lines. One Samsung SGS7 that I don’t even use, an iPhone X on another line, and my iPhone XS Max.

The money I save goes to adulting types of things. Home restoration. Paying off car loans. I hardly even come here except once in a while when there’s a news story relating to devices.

It was bound to happen.
 

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