Competition

[crazyflyinshark]

Apple has to redesign the iPhone or else their butts will be kicked by Android. Usually they are the first ones to produce a new feature and they're starting to get beat. Apple will have to do pretty well with this iPhone or android might start winning. Im expecting new design, 4g, 10/12 mp camera, thinner lighter, 3 mp front facing camera they want to have reasons why people want an iPhone and not a droid any way rumors are rumors any old person can make one up and say they work for apple. It's what they want to hear we'll find out in a couple of weeks hopefully.

 

[msm0511]

No offense crazy, but Apple isn't gonna add many, if any of the features you mentioned. Both of the cameras you mentioned are not possible and still be able to have a thinner phone. The tech just isn't available for that yet. I'm thinking "4G" is unlikely as well. Probably HSPA+ (for GSM iPhones), but LTE is looking doubtful at this point. I could be wrong about LTE. Who knows about the design, I know I don't.

 

[Eileen89]

While I certainly think Apple has some good competition in Android, I don't believe Apple has anything to worry about. The iPhone 4 is still the top selling smartphone even though it has been on the market now for 14 months, followed by the iPhone 3GS in second place. iPhone 4 Still The Best Selling Smartphone In The U.S. Despite Imminent iPhone 5 Release | Smartphone

Food for thought: Irresistible Reasons Why iPhone 5 Will be the Best-Selling Smartphone | The Apple Clan

 

[msm0511]

While I certainly think Apple has some good competition in Android, I don't believe Apple has anything to worry about. The iPhone 4 is still the top selling smartphone even though it has been on the market now for 14 months, followed by the iPhone 3GS in second place. iPhone 4 Still The Best Selling Smartphone In The U.S. Despite Imminent iPhone 5 Release | Smartphone

Food for thought: Irresistible Reasons Why iPhone 5 Will be the Best-Selling Smartphone | The Apple Clan

Good points Irish! I just want to add that Apple has never been one to worry about having the biggest market share. They want to make the best products they can while still maintaining the highest possible profit. IMO it doesn't matter that there are more Android devices available, Apple still has higher quality devices with much higher profit margins on their devices.

 

[Eileen89]

Good points Irish! I just want to add that Apple has never been one to worry about having the biggest market share. They want to make the best products they can while still maintaining the highest possible profit. IMO it doesn't matter that there are more Android devices available, Apple still has higher quality devices with much higher profit margins on their devices.

I agree, msm. I hardly think a company that was recently named "The most valuable company in the world" has anything to be worried about. I'm sure if they wanted to they could mass produce the iPhone as Android is doing, however, I think it would definitely have an ill effect on the whole "Quality" image thing that they have going for them at this point.

Apple Is Officially The Most Valuable Company In The World | DrJays.com Live | Fashion. Music. Lifestyle

 

[ghostface147]

Apple has to redesign the iPhone or else their butts will be kicked by Android. Usually they are the first ones to produce a new feature and they're starting to get beat. Apple will have to do pretty well with this iPhone or android might start winning. Im expecting new design, 4g, 10/12 mp camera, thinner lighter, 3 mp front facing camera they want to have reasons why people want an iPhone and not a droid any way rumors are rumors any old person can make one up and say they work for apple. It's what they want to hear we'll find out in a couple of weeks hopefully.

Nope, not happening. No 4g, no 10/12 mp camera, no 3 mp front camera, and no new design.....which means it won't be a radical departure of what's available now. Android is already winning the market share, but I'd rather make money over marketshare.

 

[BLiNK]

gee i wonder of this poll will be lopsided, after all this is an iPhone forum

i highly doubt Apple is shivering in their boots, now or anytime. it cracks me up when people think so. Apple sets the standard, not the competition

thanks for the reiteration, Mrs. Rose

 

[BlackBerry Guy]

Apple keeps relatively modern, competitive hardware, but they don't go crazy on the specs. They're not going to sacrifice something like battery life just so they can claim that they have 4G LTE speeds on a 4.5" display. They're about user experience first, specs second. The Android manufacturers are all about the arms race to be bigger and faster.

 

[Eileen89]

gee i wonder of this poll will be lopsided, after all this is an iPhone forum

LOL, BLiNK. I guess this explains why the iPhone 5 is already 80% ahead in the poll.

 

[DrewBear]

Nope, not happening. No 4g, no 10/12 mp camera, no 3 mp front camera, and no new design.....which means it won't be a radical departure of what's available now. Android is already winning the market share, but I'd rather make money over marketshare.

I agree (still wondering about the design). Apple is on pace to sell ~$60 billion worth of iPhones this year. Add up all the high-end Android phones (price of $400+) and I'd be very surprised if they hit one quarter that total. (no way to know for sure because Samsung, HTC, Moto, etc. don't breakdown phone revenue by price range).

Apple doesn't sell hardware. They sell the overall user experience: hardware, software & content (apps, music, video, ebooks, etc.). The Android ecosystem has caught up with Apple in hardware specs, but little else. That's especially obvious in the tablet market, but it holds true in the smartphone market.

Apple is not standing still in the hardware department, but the major strides this time around will be in the software. The end result will be yet another market-leading user experience package. It will leave the competition scrambling again. Meanwhile, Apple is already skating to where the puck will be next year with iPad 3, iPhone 6 and the next iOS version.

 

[Premium1]

I agree (still wondering about the design). Apple is on pace to sell ~$60 billion worth of iPhones this year. Add up all the high-end Android phones (price of $400+) and I'd be very surprised if they hit one quarter that total. (no way to know for sure because Samsung, HTC, Moto, etc. don't breakdown phone revenue by price range).

Apple doesn't sell hardware. They sell the overall user experience: hardware, software & content (apps, music, video, ebooks, etc.). The Android ecosystem has caught up with Apple in hardware specs, but little else. That's especially obvious in the tablet market, but it holds true in the smartphone market.

Apple is not standing still in the hardware department, but the major strides this time around will be in the software. The end result will be yet another market-leading user experience package. It will leave the competition scrambling again. Meanwhile, Apple is already skating to where the puck will be next year with iPad 3, iPhone 6 and the next iOS version.

If android had only one or two phones then they would sell as many as the iphones. With so many phones thats why they don't have the sales of the iphones because new phones come out all the time unlike the iphone that comes out 1 a year.

 

[Raptor007]

You are correct on that, If Google took sole control of the Android platform and was the only device provider and designer then we would see a head to head competition that would challenge Apple on a hardware landscape.

Google is however more interested in revenue from search, ads, and the multitude of different products and services they offer.

While it seems easy to say Apple provides the best the hardware department is not entirely true. Apple does bump their specs up but at a rate and method that has irritated as many apple customers as it has fans of. Look at their computers, have you actually looked into the specs on the HDD, RAM, displays, graphics cards. You truly don't know what you are going to get, graphics cards are not as powerful as they could OR should be. RAM, well its overpriced and not special memory by any stretch plus they will install (2) 1GB in the two slots you get instead of (1) 2GB so you are forced to pay a costly upgrade.

I have owned in the past, currently own and will likely continue to own Apple computers and hopefully an iPhone again. But I speak from a true user experience on hardware and NOT the OS. I run Win 7 and Lion on my MBP.

 

[cardfan]

You are correct on that, If Google took sole control of the Android platform and was the only device provider and designer then we would see a head to head competition that would challenge Apple on a hardware landscape.

Google is however more interested in revenue from search, ads, and the multitude of different products and services they offer.

While it seems easy to say Apple provides the best the hardware department is not entirely true. Apple does bump their specs up but at a rate and method that has irritated as many apple customers as it has fans of. Look at their computers, have you actually looked into the specs on the HDD, RAM, displays, graphics cards. You truly don't know what you are going to get, graphics cards are not as powerful as they could OR should be. RAM, well its overpriced and not special memory by any stretch plus they will install (2) 1GB in the two slots you get instead of (1) 2GB so you are forced to pay a costly upgrade.

I have owned in the past, currently own and will likely continue to own Apple computers and hopefully an iPhone again. But I speak from a true user experience on hardware and NOT the OS. I run Win 7 and Lion on my MBP.

Then again, i haven't seen any phone hardware that knocks the iphone 4 out. Apple's retina screen still is best IMO. And that was out over a year ago.

 

[Premium1]

Then again, i haven't seen any phone hardware that knocks the iphone 4 out. Apple's retina screen still is best IMO. And that was out over a year ago.

The new hd screens that samsung showed on their new phones look to give apple's retina display a run for its money. Not to mention that comes on a larger screen and apples is on a 3.5 inch screen.

 

[jerseykirby]

Apple is going to be Apple and do what they want and STILL outsell every smartphone on the market. Why? I think it's because the majority of the users of smartphones aren't the guys and gals like us on the forums. They don't tinker with their phones and don't have the time or energy to Flash ROMs and such. They want something reliable and ready to go right out of the box hence the reason they go iPhone. Some still choose a blackberry, but I think it's more work related than anything. Regardless of what anyone one says(HTC head honcho) the iPhone still has that sex appeal and wow factor that we all want on our phones. Change or no change, it's QUALITY over QUANTITY and Apple provides exactly that.

 

[Garz]

I have tried a couple of Androids. Not for me. I'll stick to this awesome dated iPhone. Its still better than the rest.

 

[redbeard]

I agree (still wondering about the design). Apple is on pace to sell ~$60 billion worth of iPhones this year. Add up all the high-end Android phones (price of $400+) and I'd be very surprised if they hit one quarter that total. (no way to know for sure because Samsung, HTC, Moto, etc. don't breakdown phone revenue by price range).

Apple doesn't sell hardware. They sell the overall user experience: hardware, software & content (apps, music, video, ebooks, etc.). The Android ecosystem has caught up with Apple in hardware specs, but little else. That's especially obvious in the tablet market, but it holds true in the smartphone market.

Apple is not standing still in the hardware department, but the major strides this time around will be in the software. The end result will be yet another market-leading user experience package. It will leave the competition scrambling again. Meanwhile, Apple is already skating to where the puck will be next year with iPad 3, iPhone 6 and the next iOS version.

I wonder why Apple can't design one new phone per year at the same time they add a couple new features to their OS?

And this "market-leading user experience" you speak of is not true, they have been beat in that category. Not knowing whether or not you have a notification, not being able to add widgets, not being able to quickreply to texts without the horribly interrupting system they have now, and not being able to visit many websites on the net, all while cheapo phones from other manufacturers handle all those things just fine and have done so for years shows Apple has fallen behind.

Sure they lead in quality in terms of hardware, no cheap plastic (all stainless steel and glass), the OS is ridiculously locked down and it hinders the user experience.

 

[Eileen89]

I have tried a couple of Androids. Not for me. I'll stick to this awesome dated iPhone. Its still better than the rest.

I have tried more than a few Androids now and each time I end up returning them and going back to my iPhone 4. Some of them were nice, but they all had one issue or another that I just couldn't live with.

 

[Premium1]

I have tried more than a few Androids now and each time I end up returning them and going back to my iPhone 4. Some of them were nice, but they all had one issue or another that I just couldn't live with.

Every phone had issues iPhone included. No phone is problem free.

 

[DrewBear]

I wonder why Apple can't design one new phone per year at the same time they add a couple new features to their OS?

And this "market-leading user experience" you speak of is not true, they have been beat in that category. Not knowing whether or not you have a notification, not being able to add widgets, not being able to quickreply to texts without the horribly interrupting system they have now, and not being able to visit many websites on the net, all while cheapo phones from other manufacturers handle all those things just fine and have done so for years shows Apple has fallen behind.

Sure they lead in quality in terms of hardware, no cheap plastic (all stainless steel and glass), the OS is ridiculously locked down and it hinders the user experience.

We could go back & forth forever with our opinions. There's no hard scientific data to back up either of our positions. I'm fairly tech savvy, but definitely towards the bottom rung of "geekdom". It's my general impression that iOS is much easier to use compared to Android. iOS devices generally "just work" without need for customization or dorking around with systems controls. That type of simplicity is not for everyone, but it is what a lot of people want.

If you do want to mess around with iOS, the jailbreak community is very robust. I don't know how it compares to Android, but you can definitely customize your iOS device pretty heavily. But 90%+ of consumers have absolutely no interest in doing any of this.

For the past 3 yrs. Apple has done what exactly what you request: "design one new phone per year at the same time they add a couple new features to their OS". This is the first time they've broken the pattern, probably because of iCloud integration into iOS 5. It's a major change and they don't want to mess it up like they did with Mobile Me.

You can complain that they're late with these upgrades, but by this time next month most of features and capabilities that the iPhone has been criticized for will be "fixed"...again to the satisfaction of 90%+ of consumers. There will always be something that 10% don't like about the iPhone: lack of Flash, "closed" system, etc. So the iPhone isn't for them. That's cool. They can go with Android, WP7, Blackberry, WebOS or even Symbian if that's what they want.

Since it seems to rile folks up, maybe I'll stop using terms like "market-leading" to describe the UX or features of iOS. The whole experience offered by the iPhone, iPod touch & iPad is what people are willing to pay the most money for, so it does "lead" by that measure.

The OP of this thread started with this sentence: "Apple has to redesign the iPhone or else their butts will be kicked by Android." I don't think anyone doubts that Apple is upgrading the iPhone, but it might not be the kind of redesign the OP wants. Whatever the new iPhone looks like, there is zero chance that Android is going to "kick their butt" by any measure you want to use.

Who really cares? The title of this thread is "Competition". Competition is great for us as consumers. More choice of better devices. All of the major platforms are going to be around for at least 2-3 cell phone contracts. We can all "win" with whatever phone we pick.