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35% Consumers Want iPhone 5... Sight Unseen

judgecorp writes "Apple's iPhone 5 is not announced yet, but 35 percent of consumers say they will buy it, when it comes out, even though they know nothing about it. The figure comes from an online survey of 3,000 US consumers by Experian's PriceGrabber shopping website."

566 comments

  1. This also means... by vinng86 · · Score: 1

    ...that 65% or two-thirds don't want it.

    1. Re:This also means... by pauljlucas · · Score: 1

      ...that 65% or two-thirds don't want it.

      No, they still might end up wanting it: they just might want to know something about it first. I'm one of that 65%.

      --
      If you reply, do so only to what I explicitly wrote. If I didn't write it, don't assume or infer it.
    2. Re:This also means... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      your logic is flawless

    3. Re:This also means... by hedwards · · Score: 1, Troll

      No, it means that 35% are fanbois that care more about being seen as well off than with the quality of the product. And the remaining 65% are assorted fanbois of over platforms, critical thinkiers and people that don't want a smart phone at all.

    4. Re:This also means... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, it means that 65% don't want one *sight unseen*. That is, those 65% either want to see it first, *or* don't want it.
      I'm pretty sure I'll be upgrading, since my 3Gs has seen better days at this point, but there's always the possibility that I'll skip it for some reason.

    5. Re:This also means... by Idbar · · Score: 2

      The figure comes from an online survey of 3,000 US consumers

      No, it means that out of 3,000 people with lots of free time, and probably bored of playing Angry Birds, about a thousand went online to eagerly answer a survey to waste more time.

      Furthermore, it's very likely that people answered the survey attracted by a sweepstake that offer them the chance of winning a free iProduct.

    6. Re:This also means... by BitZtream · · Score: 2

      Really? I'm a fanboy because I'm confident that the device will be something I want based on my experience with the first couple I've owned?

      Yea, I guess I am.

      I need a new phone, my current one is a iPhone 3G ( not 3GS) that is physically broken in multiple ways. I would have bought an iPhone 4, but the next one is right around the corner and so far, the new releases have always been wanted so it seems logical to wait for the next model at this point since my current on is 3 years old ... I don't want to start out behind the curve.

      --
      Persistent Volume manager for Kubernetes - https://github.com/dwimsey/openshift-pvmanager
    7. Re:This also means... by kehren77 · · Score: 1

      No, it means that 65% don't want one *sight unseen*. That is, those 65% either want to see it first, *or* don't want it.
      I'm pretty sure I'll be upgrading, since my 3Gs has seen better days at this point, but there's always the possibility that I'll skip it for some reason.

      Don't forget those of us in the 65% that would buy it "sight unseen" but just got the Verizon iPhone 4 in February and have to wait another year and a half for discount pricing.

    8. Re:This also means... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not necessarily,
      I'm most likely going to get the next generation iPhone, because I skipped the iPhone 4, my 2 year contract will be due for a renewal about the time Apple is likely to release it, and my current handset (a 3Gs) is starting to show signs of ware. All Apple has to do to get me to purchase is to not regress in quality.

      I could consider switching to an Android phone, but that would be inconvenient given the number of apps I use, and I've not been impressed with Android (it's not bad it just seems like a lateral move from iOS).

    9. Re:This also means... by index0 · · Score: 1

      From the same survey: 69 percent of consumers indicated that they would prefer Apple’s iPhone 5 as a gift.

    10. Re:This also means... by cayenne8 · · Score: 1
      My 2yrs on my 3GS came up last month....so, with me, just figuring time to upgrade.

      I've seen my friends' iPHone 4s and I like those...so, guessing the 5 will be a least as good as the 4s, and I want that...

      Also, guessing they've at least made improvements in the antenna problem, and from what I read, it should likely have a dual core process in it, so there are other reason to want it "sight unseen".

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    11. Re:This also means... by pauljlucas · · Score: 1

      69 percent of consumers indicated that they would prefer Apple's iPhone 5 as a gift.

      Who wouldn't prefer anything as a gift? If they end up liking it better than what they've got, they keep it; if not, they return it with the receipt.

      --
      If you reply, do so only to what I explicitly wrote. If I didn't write it, don't assume or infer it.
    12. Re:This also means... by DrgnDancer · · Score: 1

      Kinda my theory too. Unless the 5 is a worse device than the 4 (which seems unlikely), I probably want one to replace my 3GS. I'm still not going to say sight unseen that I want one though. I like my 3GS, and I like my wife's 4, so it seem reasonable that I'll like the 5... but "seems reasonable" doesn't make phone calls.

      --
      I don't need a million points of light, just two points of multi-mode fiber and a 10 Gig-E router.
    13. Re:This also means... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      So you're basically looking for a new device to continue your meaningless, consumer-driven lives?

    14. Re:This also means... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      and 75% of statistics are made up.

      Steve

      Sent from my iPhone

    15. Re:This also means... by gstoddart · · Score: 5, Insightful

      No, it means that 35% are fanbois that care more about being seen as well off than with the quality of the product.

      So, that's an assertion, and a biased one at that.

      As someone who doesn't own a smart phone, but who knows tons of people who have them ... I'm more inclined to think that these people are exceedingly satisfied with their phones, and expect that a new generation will continue to be more of the same.

      I actually don't know a single person who owns an iPhone (or iPod, or iPad) who owns it to "be seen as well off" -- in fact, they own them because of a perceived quality of the product and the overall user experience.

      Do you have anything that actually objectively supports the notion that people buying these devices are more concerned with the perceptions of other people than they are of their own perceptions of quality? Because I can tell you for a fact that I like my iPod and my iPad because, in part, I like the consistency of iTunes across these devices ... I sync the same data to these devices using the same tool. (And I've used the Palm Pre my wife's work bought her ... quite frankly, I'm underwhelmed.)

      I just don't get this unfounded assertion that everybody with something made by Apple has it as purely a fashion statement. In fact, most of the people I know who own these devices fall into one of two categories: 1) people who aren't technology buffs but want something which 'just works', and 2) people who work with technology but have reached an age where endless fiddling with a device is more of a nuisance and want something which 'just works'. I'm afraid I have no samples from the shallow teenager department as my sample is all from people aged 30+.

      Hell, the last time I flew on a plane, the old man in the seat in front of me (easily in his 70s) took out his hearing aid (!), and put in the headphones from his iPhone to listen to music for the flight. I'm pretty sure he doesn't have an iPhone to look trendy or cool.

      Why is everybody so wedded to this notion of these products being bought only by hipsters who wish to be seen with one? My observations show me as many people with sore hips have them as any other demographic.

      --
      Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    16. Re:This also means... by Trillan · · Score: 2

      No, it means 35% have a reasonable expectation that the product will be worth buying that they're planning for that purchase now.

      Regardless of whether someone's willing to buy a product unseen, if the announcement comes out and it's a dud most of them will quietly back down and not buy one.

      This is where I am. I have an iPhone 3GS, and my wife has an iPhone 3G. The iPhone 3GS is decent, but the 3G needs replacement. We're planning on buying an iPhone 5 now, without seeing one. (Possibly two, due to the nature of our contract; I suspect we'll need to recommit both accounts to purchase one phone, and I doubt the 3GS will be useful for another 3 years.) But, of course, if it's announced and it's a dud we won't get one. It isn't really possible to buy an Apple product without seeing it, is it?

    17. Re:This also means... by flaming+error · · Score: 1

      Wooosh.

      I'd imagine 35% of consumers also want to buy a car of the future. And if the market were limited to only one car each from Ford, Chevy, and Dodge, I imagine 35% of consumers would want to buy the next Ford.

    18. Re:This also means... by hedwards · · Score: 1

      It's not an unfounded assertion, that's the marketing campaign that Apple's been running for at least a decade now. And in many cases the only difference between the Apple product and the competition is that Apple over charges for making it pretty. They have a history of making inferior products, the iPods were never as good as the competition failing to support the same DRM that everybody else supported and not including a user replaceable battery for instance.

    19. Re:This also means... by rainmayun · · Score: 1

      You could make a case that the 4 was a worse device than the 3GS in some ways, certainly when it debuted. That said, I am one of the supposed 35% who "want" an iPhone 5 (to replace my old 3G). That doesn't mean I can't change my mind if I don't like what I see when the details are released.

    20. Re:This also means... by dloose · · Score: 1

      Yes.

    21. Re:This also means... by ColdWetDog · · Score: 3, Funny

      So you're basically looking for a new device to continue your meaningless, consumer-driven lives?

      Certainly. It's the patriotic thing to do.

      Why do you hate America?

      --
      Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
    22. Re:This also means... by CheerfulMacFanboy · · Score: 1

      Do you calculate the Android market-share by chance?

      --
      Fandroids hate facts.
    23. Re:This also means... by gstoddart · · Score: 1

      It's not an unfounded assertion, that's the marketing campaign that Apple's been running for at least a decade now.

      I must have missed the "only trendy people buy Apple" part of the ad campaign. In fact, the only thing I really remember about the marketing campaign is a bunch of shadows with white headphones, but I don't pay close attention to marketing so I really have no idea.

      They have a history of making inferior products, the iPods were never as good as the competition failing to support the same DRM that everybody else supported and not including a user replaceable battery for instance.

      *laugh* I've had iPods for the last 10 years ... and, if you think that the product is 'inferior' because it doesn't support the same DRM as everybody else ... well, that's your opinion. I've always used it to play non-DRM MP3s I rip from my own CDs (most of which were ripped on FreeBSD) -- so it's not like I've needed to support DRM. The competition was what ... the Zune? Where is it now? And, I've never once needed to replace a battery in an iPod (though I do understand it has come up).

      Go ahead, tell me it doesn't support Ogg Vorbis ... so I can have another laugh -- someone always whines there's no support for Ogg Vorbis despite the fact that I have only every known one person who cared about it as a file format (and even he gave up and starting using MP3). The vast majority of people have no idea of WTF it is, let a lone why they could possibly care.

      You're entitled to your own opinions, but not your own facts. You're more or less asserting that your opinions are facts ... to you it was an inferior product, to me it was a superior product ... these are both subjective opinions, not facts. Though, one might argue that actual sales numbers might back up my opinion more than yours. But, I'm sure you'll discount the sales figured on the sole basis that it was clearly the trendy people buying them and they don't count.

      Tell you what, walk up to the next 50 year old you see with an iPhone and tell them all of the reasons why you think their product of choice is wrong. See where that gets you. By all means, hate Apple all you want ... but don't act all smug and pretend that you are in on some objective reality that the rest of the world isn't. Preference for consumer products is about as subjective as you get.

      --
      Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    24. Re:This also means... by houghi · · Score: 1

      The people I know who own an iPhone is about 25% who think it is a stupid buy because noting works and you have to pay for almost everything and it misses a LOT of features you would expect, 25% who just like it and 50% who have no idea there are alternatives and think it is the bestest ever.

      The latter are the people are those who think that owning an iPhone makes them cool.

      --
      Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
    25. Re:This also means... by UnknowingFool · · Score: 1

      Please. Both the DRM and battery argument have been discussed ad nauseum. The fact you keep bringing them up means you haven't kept up in the many years or you like bringing up pointless arguments because you need to justify your position.

      --
      Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
    26. Re:This also means... by nathanh · · Score: 2

      They have a history of making inferior products, the iPods were never as good as the competition failing to support the same DRM that everybody else supported and not including a user replaceable battery for instance.

      Total rubbish. I was an anti-iPod cheerleader for years. Must have Ogg Vorbis support, never will support DRM, etc. Chanted the same "freedom or die" nonsense that /. championed. Even bought the nomad, irivers, etc. I hated them all so I eventually caved and bought an iPod.

      I then kicked myself for being an idiot all those years. The iPod was the superior product all along. My bias prevented me from seeing that. I didn't even realise you could play non-DRM music on the iPod. I was that ignorant of the product; in part because I listened to ignorant blogger comments instead of doing my own research.

      The "Apple is inferior" and "Apple over charges for making it pretty" chants are getting old. Nobody believes it anymore. The MacBook, the iPod, the iPhone, the iPad... they're competitive on price and superior in quality. People are buying Apple again and again because they like what they get.

      The anti-Apple crowd is now full of religious nuts because they won't admit the blindingly obvious; Apple is making great products. And the constant barrage of "bah, it's just fanbois, idiots, hipsters, brainwashed sheeple" sounds more and more like sour grapes every day.

    27. Re:This also means... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yep, Apple didn't support 'Plays for Sure'. Fortunately, that just means that the songs you had on your iPod back then can actually still be played on a current, modern iPod. As opposed to those songs with the 'Plays for Sure' DRM which can't be supported by newer devices, because Microsoft abandoned it when they came out with the Zune.

      Apple products tend to be quite price competitive, especially at the upper end. They just don't play in the bargain bin segment of the market.

    28. Re:This also means... by Windowser · · Score: 1

      Also, guessing they've at least made improvements in the antenna problem

      What antenna problem ? There is no antenna problem, you're just holding it wrong !!! :p

      --
      Avoid the MS tax, always buy I.B.M. PC's (I Built-it Myself)
    29. Re:This also means... by bay43270 · · Score: 1

      Not only have I never met anyone who bought an Apple product to appear 'well off'. I know a couple of people who have passed on Apple products because they don't want to seem like they're trying to show off.

    30. Re:This also means... by CheerfulMacFanboy · · Score: 1

      69 percent of consumers indicated that they would prefer Apple's iPhone 5 as a gift.

      Who wouldn't prefer anything as a gift?

      "That compares to only 7 percent who claimed that they wanted Motorola’s forthcoming Droid Bionic, and only 4 percent opting to receive the Samsung Galaxy S II"

      --
      Fandroids hate facts.
    31. Re:This also means... by cayenne8 · · Score: 0

      So you're basically looking for a new device to continue your meaningless, consumer-driven lives?

      Err, you say that like there is something wrong with that??

      :)

      But seriously, why else does one work at all? The ONLY reason I have a job and work to keep it...is to earn as much $$ as I can, so that I can afford to buy and do the things that give me pleasure in life.

      I guarantee, if I were to win the powerball tomorrow, I'd never set foot in a place of work again....If I had all the money I needed, was independently wealthy, I would never work again...I've got PLENTY that I like doing with my free time...travel, chase pretty ladies, party around New Orleans and tons of things to tinker with....and yes...BUY toys to play with!!!!

      Sure, a honda will get you across town..but a big motorcycle or Vette will do it too, and be 1000% more fun.

      Work is nothing more than a conduit towards getting money to allow you to live your life to the fullest extent.

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    32. Re:This also means... by umghhh · · Score: 1

      ... I don't want to start out behind the curve.

      - but you already are just read once what you wrote.

    33. Re:This also means... by bigstrat2003 · · Score: 0

      The "Apple is inferior" and "Apple over charges for making it pretty" chants are getting old. Nobody believes it anymore. The MacBook, the iPod, the iPhone, the iPad... they're competitive on price and superior in quality. People are buying Apple again and again because they like what they get.

      In what parallel universe do you live that an iPad is more capable and cheaper than competing devices!? That thing is the biggest rip-off I've ever seen.

      --
      "16MB (fuck off, MiB fascists)" - The Mighty Buzzard
    34. Re:This also means... by narcc · · Score: 1

      Do you calculate the Android market-share by chance?

      Here's a fun fact, the iPhone didn't beat out RIM (Blackberry) in market share until mid 2011. You know, the company everyone says has been dying for the past few years. It took tons of "RIM is dying" press and, of course, a significant lack of new handsets for RIM the "dying" RIM to finally slip behind to supposed "market leader".

      See for yourself

      The iPhone was a distant #3 or worse for years. That they're a distant #2 now should make Cheerful Mac Fanboy's happy, not sad.

    35. Re:This also means... by norminator · · Score: 2

      the iPods were never as good as the competition failing to support the same DRM that everybody else supported

      It's hilarious that you think that's an argument. Here's a few reasons why:

      A) iTunes sold a ton of music during their DRM'ed music days. The other stores would have loved to have their numbers.
      B) Nobody sells individually DRM'ed tracks anymore, so this hasn't been a big issue for a little while.
      C) If they would have gone with PlaysForSure instead of their own DRM, Microsoft would have had a total monopoly on music DRM.
      D) Microsoft themselves abandoned PlaysForSure with the Zune. Hell, they didn't even support Windows Media Player with the Zune. They came up with a whole new ecosystem of software and DRM. Clearly, Microsoft was trying as hard as they could to emulate Apple's success.
      E) How much music that's been "protected" by PlaysForSure is still playable? Take a look at the PlaysForSure wikipedia page, specifically the sections for "Content providers that offer PlaysForSure-certified audio" and "Content providers that formerly offered PlaysForSure". If you bought music from any of those former stores, but you need to move it to a new computer, your only option is to burn it to a CD, then re-rip it.

      I'd say they didn't fail to support the same DRM, they succeeded in not supporting the same DRM.

      Also, the battery in my 5th gen iPod started to get pretty weak. I replaced it, and it was easy and inexpensive. Anyone who doesn't want to replace the battery themselves can easily sell it on eBay and buy a new one. It is pretty lame that they are so quickly consumed, but it's honestly not a huge drawback.

    36. Re:This also means... by tacarat · · Score: 1

      I'm waiting to see if they drop the 4's price after the announcement or release. Hell, even an 8gig model might suit my needs for the thing.

      --
      "Common sense will be the death of us all"
    37. Re:This also means... by owlstead · · Score: 1

      Consumer driven? What do you suppose we use, a treadmill or do we simply burn them and fire up a steam engine?

    38. Re:This also means... by Xanthas · · Score: 1

      In what parallel universe do you live that an iPad is more capable and cheaper than competing devices!? That thing is the biggest rip-off I've ever seen.

      As near as I can tell, the iPad does not have competitors. It is the only device (that I know of) that does what it does. And it does it very, very well.

    39. Re:This also means... by bigstrat2003 · · Score: 0

      There are several other tablets out there. Furthermore, netbooks offer superior functionality at a superior price. The iPad is pure fluff. Most tablets are, but the iPad makes it worse by being priced at such a high price point.

      --
      "16MB (fuck off, MiB fascists)" - The Mighty Buzzard
    40. Re:This also means... by Duradin · · Score: 1

      Mind pointing out a netbook that has the same battery life, size, and weight as an iPad 2?

      My memory must be wrong then since I thought all the big name competitors to the iPad had to release their half baked tablets at or above the price of the iPad.

    41. Re:This also means... by uniquename72 · · Score: 1

      My gf would have been among the 35% iPhone people. Until she actual got to the store, saw that the EVO had more to offer (at the time: turn-by-turn nav, bigger screen, HD video out) at a lower-cost data plan price point, and bought that instead. She had no idea what Android was -- only that it was a much better fit for her, even though she's only ever used Apple computers.

      IOW, it's a meaningless survey. In any large population, what people DO is always very, very different from what the SAY they'll do.

    42. Re:This also means... by bigstrat2003 · · Score: 1

      None of those things are functionality. Functionality is what it can do, not how big it is or how long the battery lasts.

      --
      "16MB (fuck off, MiB fascists)" - The Mighty Buzzard
    43. Re:This also means... by Duradin · · Score: 1

      Using your netbooks for doorstops and bookends then?

    44. Re:This also means... by bigstrat2003 · · Score: 1

      I use a netbook as a very portable general-purpose computer. Tablets (and especially the iPad) have more limited functionality in comparison. I don't care about size or battery life if I have to sacrifice real, actual function to get them. I mean, a calculator is tiny compared to an iPad and the battery lasts forever, but it doesn't do as much so it's inferior. Similarly, the iPad (and other tablets) are inferior to a netbook.

      --
      "16MB (fuck off, MiB fascists)" - The Mighty Buzzard
    45. Re:This also means... by fish+waffle · · Score: 1

      I'm more inclined to think that these people are exceedingly satisfied with their phones

      They can't be that satisfied if they want a new one.

    46. Re:This also means... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Price Point? The 90's called, they want their buzzword back! "Price Point" is completely redundant with COST. Delete the ridiculous marketing-speak phrase completely from your post and the meaning is clearer and does not change. Then, finally, please delete them from your vocabulary, unless you are a marketing executive.

    47. Re:This also means... by nurb432 · · Score: 1

      Why is everybody so wedded to this notion of these products being bought only by hipsters who wish to be seen with one? My observations show me as many people with sore hips have them as any other demographic.

      its physiological fall out from all the class-warfare that is being shoved down our throats 24/7.

      --
      ---- Booth was a patriot ----
    48. Re:This also means... by nathanh · · Score: 1

      Netbooks suck. Had one, hated it, sold it. It's just an underpowered laptop. That you think it's comparable to a tablet shows how out-of-touch you are with what people want.

    49. Re:This also means... by bigstrat2003 · · Score: 0

      Quite frankly, I don't give a damn what people want. People want many things which are retarded. If they refuse to use sense when making their technology purchases, that's hardly my problem as I'm not in the business of selling them things.

      --
      "16MB (fuck off, MiB fascists)" - The Mighty Buzzard
    50. Re:This also means... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not to be pedantic, but price point is an economic term with a specific meaning. Also, at least to me, has different connotations than price. It implies that that there are tiers of prices.

    51. Re:This also means... by Compaqt · · Score: 1

      May I ask:

      1. Is your 3GS still working?

      2. If your provider didn't subsidize your phone, would you still buy it at full price?

      I'm assuming you're doing pretty well financially.

      Genuine question.

      --
      I'm not a lawyer, but I play one on the Internet. Blog
    52. Re:This also means... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Netbooks are underpowered laptops for people who do not want to pay the full price of the laptop to get netbook power.
      Obviously you did not look into what they could do before buying one.

      Caveat emptor

    53. Re:This also means... by StuartHankins · · Score: 1

      Hey if being a Negative Nellie makes you sleep better, great. The fact is Apple products work pretty damn well for most of us. Their products are selling very well. Their stock is going way up. Apple is a popular company. Hurts you somehow, doesn't it?

      Good luck squirting with your Zune or whatever.

    54. Re:This also means... by DrgnDancer · · Score: 1

      1) My 3GS is working, but getting a little beat up. Also my dad has my old 3G and I'd like to be able to give him one that has a fully functional GPS, he hates paying for data plans so takes my old smartphones and puts his SIM in them.

      2) Probably not right now. $200 is a fairly minor expense, $600 or $800 would be much more considerable. Since the provider does subsidize though, and I'm going to be paying my monthly fee anyway, the unsubsidized price is not really relevant to my decision. I'd keep the data plan even if I didn't have too. I work at a facility that does not allow wifi, so my cellular data is the only way I get internet on my phone for the majority of the day.

      I'm not rich or anything, but I'm doing well enough that $200 every two years or so is a fairly small investment for me on a device I use a lot.

      --
      I don't need a million points of light, just two points of multi-mode fiber and a 10 Gig-E router.
    55. Re:This also means... by gstoddart · · Score: 1

      Furthermore, netbooks offer superior functionality at a superior price.

      If you believe that, then I think you have yet to use a tablet (any tablet, not just an iPad).

      With a tablet, I can sit in a chair, recline in a lazy-boy, and generally use it in a way that the traditional clam shell laptop/netbook just doesn't really work. I can lay in a hammock, or sit in my back yard in a lawn chair, or lay down in bed. I really don't use it the same way I would a laptop or a netbook.

      You fundamentally use and interact with a tablet differently that you do something with a traditional keyboard. You end up holding it more like a book than a computer, and you do a different set of tasks with it, and in different places. I've used mine laying flat on my back on my sofa.

      I have an iPad, and I know a couple of people with Playbooks -- and regardless of brand, tablet owners uniformly feel that the form factor of the tablet is just different. You're not sitting and typing for the most part, you're surfing the web, or reading email, or playing videos or reading books -- things which don't require you to be sitting upright at a desk.

      Trust me, the tablet form factor cannot be replaced with a netbook ... and just because the tasks that you want to do with it leave you with the same old keyboard and mouse paradigm, doesn't mean that all of those people buying tablets are getting inferior functionality. They're getting an entirely different kind of device that gets used entirely differently -- no matter if it's made by Apple, RIM, or HP.

      If you can't see that getting away from the keyboard/monitor/mouse paradigm is actually a shift in the way people interact with computers, then you suffer from a lack of imagination, or you still only use computers in the way we've used them for the last several decades and can't imagine why someone would want to do something differently.

      --
      Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    56. Re:This also means... by Trillan · · Score: 1

      Good grief. Neither of those cited "reasons" is a practical reason, and they're not even theoretical problems to most people. I've never had a battery fail on me, and I've never even seen a file with different DRM nor visited a site that sold any. (I don't think there even are any available to Canadians, though I could be wrong. And, frankly, I don't care if I am.)

      That's really all you've got for declaring a huge fraction of the population slaves to fashion? Is it possible you're just a slave to your own paranoia?

    57. Re:This also means... by improfane · · Score: 1

      For any given product line there are different price points.

      What you get at each price point depends what you get. When buying a laptop, underneath a certain price point you won't find a dedicated graphics card.

      It make complete sense, if you imagine drawing a graph with each point being a price.

      --
      Slashdot needs Geekcode | Can anyone recommend any good SCIFI? My tastes: Foundation, Startide Rising, CITY, Ringworld,
    58. Re:This also means... by Xyde · · Score: 1

      It's so refreshing to see somebody actually admit and write that all out so eloquently.

  2. It's not really "unseen" by Petersko · · Score: 3, Informative

    They're probably people like me who own the 3gs (or older), still had time too much time on their plans (or who thought the 4 didn't quite justify an upgrade), and believe the next one is likely a good time to step up.

    1. Re:It's not really "unseen" by Scutter · · Score: 2

      They're probably people like me who own the 3gs (or older), still had time too much time on their plans (or who thought the 4 didn't quite justify an upgrade), and believe the next one is likely a good time to step up.

      I'm out of my current plan and my next one will be either an Android or an iPhone. For a variety of well-considered reasons, I'm leaning towards an iPhone, but I know how the markets work for Apple products and accessories. I'd just as soon wait two months for the next rev to come out before I switch.

      --

      "Tell me doctor, with all of your defenses, are there any provisions for an attack by killer bees?"
    2. Re:It's not really "unseen" by Grizzley9 · · Score: 1

      Same boat with me. 3GS will be upgraded this fall unless it really is crap, which knowing Apple, would be difficult. /cue the Android fanboi's--I like it too but I like my iPhone better.

    3. Re:It's not really "unseen" by daveywest · · Score: 1

      Exactly. For the last year, I've had the mid-June contract end date for my 3Gs set as an alarm (in iCal). Then Apple came and fracked up the iPhone model release schedule. I might get a 5 if it has the right features, but I would jump on a 4 if they dropped the price to $50-$99 right now.

    4. Re:It's not really "unseen" by Port1080 · · Score: 2

      On the flip side are people like me...I got a 4 right when it came out and have been very happy with it. I don't really see a compelling reason to upgrade to the 5 - I'm happy with the camera and video capabilities, I'm happy with the speed and functionality, I'm happy with the screen resolution, I don't care about LTE (I mostly use the phone on wifi in any case - I work at a university, so it's ubiquitous both at work and at home), and I don't have any desire to use NFC. I really can't imagine what feature Apple would add that would make me want to spend the money to upgrade. I may do it anyway if it makes sense financially (i.e. if I can sell my jail-broken, unlocked 4 on eBay for more than what I would have to pay to upgrade), but that would be the only reason. Phones are more or less feature-maxed at this point, I think - the form factor limits what you can add and do with them. I already look at phones like the Droid series and feel like they're too big and bulky - I hope Apple doesn't go that route, with the feature creep. Faster processors will eventually be necessary over time, but I think the 4's processor will be fast enough to run most apps for at least the year or two (after all, even today you can have a pretty good iOS experience on a 3GS, which is over two years old at this point).

      --
      Check out Treesandthings.com for offbeat news
    5. Re:It's not really "unseen" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm in the same boat, but have been thinking about trying an android set because there is no announced date for the next iPhone, nor have they announced if it will support 4g.

    6. Re:It's not really "unseen" by DeadboltX · · Score: 1

      +1
      I still have my 3G and I'm not interested in upgrading to a phone that is already a year old (iPhone 4). My next phone will probably be whichever the seemingly best new phone is around Q4 this year, whether it is an iPhone 5 or not.

    7. Re:It's not really "unseen" by walternate · · Score: 1

      They're probably people like me who own the 3gs (or older), still had time too much time on their plans (or who thought the 4 didn't quite justify an upgrade), and believe the next one is likely a good time to step up.

      But it is still unseen. As in, they haven't seen it or know anything about it but still say they will buy it (not consider bying it if it turns out to be an interesting product). Which is quite amazing.

    8. Re:It's not really "unseen" by bryansj · · Score: 1

      Or people like me that are stuck with AT&T so a contract extension is meaningless. Also for each release AT&T has allowed early adopters to purchase the new model with no upgrade penalty.

      When the iPhone 4 was released I sold my iPhone 3G for ~$250 and got a new iPhone 4 for $200.

      When the iPhone 5 is released I can sell my iPhone 4 for ~$250 and get a new iPhone 5 for $200.

      So yes, I'd like $50 and a brand new phone.

    9. Re:It's not really "unseen" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      For me it's "I still don't have a smartphone, my next phone will be an iPhone, but why buy now when the next one is right around the corner?". It's usually (though definitely not always) true that the next one is better than the current one.

    10. Re:It's not really "unseen" by exomondo · · Score: 1

      I don't really see a compelling reason to upgrade to the 5

      Of course you don't, because you don't know what the iPhone5 is yet so you don't know if it will provide you a compelling reason to upgrade. The main thing would be a larger screen, the iphone4 isn't much smaller than many other phones that have 4" displays yet only has a 3.5" display. Going to a 4 or 4.3" screen would be ideal as it adds a lot to the user experience but isn't going to affect it's portability.

    11. Re:It's not really "unseen" by mabhatter654 · · Score: 1

      I think that's part of the delay as well. After all the phone companies have no interest in letting people out of their contracts too early. How many people would actually be out of a 3GS contract now? if you got a 3GS on the day it was released for sale it would have just barely expired. There's really no reason to stuff new phones just for the sake of new phones, and I think Apple understands that as well. At this point a new iPhone is just competing with the people that ALREADY HAVE iPHONES, not growing the market. Apple wants the GROWTH dollars because those are the people that pay premium, there's just not something to put in a phone right now that's "that much" better... at least until iOS5 comes out.

    12. Re:It's not really "unseen" by Phil06 · · Score: 0

      My 3G was made excruciatingly slow by iOS 4.0, waited months for their supposed "fix" with no word on what was wrong or even an apology. Then they stopped updating it, before my contract even ran out, permanently leaving all location tracking data. I sure don't want a 4 with it's antenna problems. If you asked me, I would say I want a 5 because almost anything would be an improvement.

      --
      "...and yet, I blame society" Duke - Repo Man
  3. Consumers are stupid and driven by marketing by Tridus · · Score: 2

    This is news? Coming up next you'll tell us that a new study predicts the Sun will continue to rise in the East?

    --
    -- "So they told me that using the download page to download something was not something they anticipated." - Bill Gates
    1. Re:Consumers are stupid and driven by marketing by joeflies · · Score: 2

      What Phone 5 marketing are you referring to? I haven't seen any.

    2. Re:Consumers are stupid and driven by marketing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'd like to see a study that says voters are stupid and driven by marketing.

    3. Re:Consumers are stupid and driven by marketing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      are you sure ? If the magnetic pole shift, the east will be west!

    4. Re:Consumers are stupid and driven by marketing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Steve Jobs may one day convince the sun to make sunbathing at his new house a little more modern and awesome.

    5. Re:Consumers are stupid and driven by marketing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      On a related topic - 35% of cunsumers are sheep.

    6. Re:Consumers are stupid and driven by marketing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In other news, 82% of people are complete and utter cattle with no own free will.

      So I'd say 35% is actually a staggeringly low number, and a clear indicator that Apple is losing in the long run.

    7. Re:Consumers are stupid and driven by marketing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And 100% of people who call other people "sheep" are, like, totally unoriginal.

    8. Re:Consumers are stupid and driven by marketing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Until the poles reverse and it rises in the west, yes.

    9. Re:Consumers are stupid and driven by marketing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The Sun doesn't rise in the East, and it never has.
      .
      .
      .
      .
      .
      .
      .
      .
      .
      .
      It is an illusion credited by the Earth's eastward rotation.

    10. Re:Consumers are stupid and driven by marketing by PeanutButterBreath · · Score: 1

      Every utterance that Apple makes is designed to sell you their next "revolutionary" product. Apple consumers are conditioned to believe a) that the next release will be waaaaay better than what they have now and b) support for what they have now will soon sunset anyway (or it will break or degrade in some way that is inconveniently expensive to fix), so its pointless to resist.

      And sure, every consumer product company does this. Lest I be called an Apple "hater", note that I am acknowledging their superiority in this racket!

    11. Re:Consumers are stupid and driven by marketing by narcc · · Score: 1

      That would be all of the "Zomg Apple might put out a new phone some day!" click-whoring "articles" from the tech-press the past few months.

      Free advertising, sure, but advertising none-the-less.

    12. Re:Consumers are stupid and driven by marketing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This just in 35% of Consumers now believe the sun will rise in the West in just a short while

    13. Re:Consumers are stupid and driven by marketing by gmon750 · · Score: 1

      Nonsense. Apple does nothing to advertise their next product. They are chided for their extreme privacy which pretty much leaves it to the media and tech-heads to guess, doing it enough so that after saying it enough times, they begin to believe it is true. Apple does nothing.

      It's also fanboyism from BOTH sides that contributes to your post. I lost track of how many times folks yell at consumers buying an iPhone near the end of Apple's yearly cycle, and others bitching about people buying a new iPhone on day one, claiming they should never buy a first-generation Apple product, blah, blah.. whatever.

      What Apple has provided is a product that the majority of its customers love and created a halo-effect so that people do look forward to their next product offering. Any other phone company would sell their first-born to have that kind of customer loyalty.

      How can any one Android maker get a following of that magnitude when there are so many different phones and configurations? You can't get excited for more than five minutes and expect loyalty when there's a new phone every other day coming out. If Apple pulled this kind of shit, you folks would be ripping on Apple for "gouging" consumers and paying an Apple tax.

    14. Re:Consumers are stupid and driven by marketing by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 1

      Nonsense. Apple does nothing to advertise their next product. They are chided for their extreme privacy which pretty much leaves it to the media and tech-heads to guess, doing it enough so that after saying it enough times, they begin to believe it is true. Apple does nothing.

      Someone doesn't understand marketing and sales... Or the allure of the unknown and the power of the takeaway.

      --
      Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
  4. In other words by Dyinobal · · Score: 1, Insightful

    In other words 35% of consumers don't care about the product but the social symbol it is and the status they think it confers on them.

    1. Re:In other words by Tharsman · · Score: 0

      Or they simply love the product they own, find it reliable, high quality and are expecting the next generation to be the same but faster and plain better.

      Any brain dead monkey would know an iPhone 5 (or 4Gs) will have at minimum the same processing power increase the iPad 2 had over the iPad 1, and that was no trivial bump.

    2. Re:In other words by nschubach · · Score: 3, Informative

      It makes me wonder what the percentage is for Windows users and the next version of Windows.

      --
      Every time I start to have faith in humanity, I ruin it by driving to work between 7 and 8 am.
    3. Re:In other words by Grizzley9 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      In other words 35% of consumers don't care about the product but the social symbol it is and the status they think it confers on them.

      No, in other words Apple has created a good brand that people have come to trust in respect to their next smartphone. But go on hatin' if it makes you feel better that many people choose an iPhone b/c it's a good phone and just as good if not better than many Android handsets.

    4. Re:In other words by UnknowingFool · · Score: 2

      Or that Apple has done such a good job at marketing and building customer loyalty that consumers will trust that the next version of the iPhone will be adequate for their needs. Judging from my personal experience your average consumer couldn't tell you a single technical statistic about their smart phone like processor speed or even processor type. They will go on brand recognition alone.

      --
      Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
    5. Re:In other words by TrailerTrash · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Careful about anti-fanboyism - auto-mockery of what others love, just as blindly. Apple has a good track record as measured by customer satisfaction on their phones, and many people have confidence that that record will continue. My family is rocking two Blackberries, a Nexus S, and two iPhones, and I'll probably replace the iPhone 3GS with an iPhone 5 if it looks decent and provides incremental value. Not an automatic decision. But given the track record, I would probably answer a survey that I'd be interested in buying one. And I'm no fanboy of Apple, having literally thrown a Mac three years ago into the garbage because I hated it so much. Though I will admit my Apple Lisa and Apple ][+ were pretty sweet in the day.

    6. Re:In other words by MobileTatsu-NJG · · Score: 1

      Slashdot has spent so much time posturing for ad-clicks that lots of people here cannot fathom the possibility that there's a such thing as a satisfied iPhone customer.

      --

      "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)

    7. Re:In other words by arth1 · · Score: 1, Troll

      Sheep will be sheep. The fads will change, but the followers will follow them, whether it's playing Sudoku, wearing dirty jeans, drinking Starbucks, wearing lip gloss, playing World of Warcraft, using Facebook, collecting beanie babies, eating edamame, or buying iPhones.
      I'm just surprised the figure isn't higher than 35% - could it be because it's out of many people's price range?

    8. Re:In other words by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Moron, BIG% of PEOPLE said they would buy unannounced product POPULARPRODUCT++

      PS4
      XBox Next
      The Wii after the next Wii

      Etc...

    9. Re:In other words by TheCouchPotatoFamine · · Score: 2

      because we all know how just looking at the speed and processor type is all you need to know! Why those pentium 4's at 3Ghz (running windows millennium or.. who cares) were the best evar! Reputation *counts*

      --
      CS majors know the time/space tradeoff, but they never get taught the 3rd, crucial, tradeoff of the set: comprehension!
    10. Re:In other words by cyber-vandal · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      My family is rocking two Blackberries, a Nexus S, and two iPhones

      Rocking? What does that even mean?

    11. Re:In other words by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      35% of consumers' batteries won't hold a charge.

    12. Re:In other words by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Any brain dead monkey would know an iPhone 5 (or 4Gs) will have at minimum the same processing power increase the iPad 2 had over the iPad 1, and that was no trivial bump.

      How do you know anything about an unannounced product? Are you designing it? Are you just being sloppy with language, or is your thinking really this clouded?

    13. Re:In other words by iainl · · Score: 1

      Or alternatively, 35% of consumers assume that Apple will not make the next version of the iPhone worse than the current one, and aren't in a desperate rush to buy a model that will be obsolete in two months.

      --
      "I Know You Are But What Am I?"
    14. Re:In other words by chrysrobyn · · Score: 1

      In other words 35% of consumers don't care about the product but the social symbol it is and the status they think it confers on them.

      Personally, I've enjoyed my iPod Touch for the past two years, but I'm getting tired of only having network when I'm within range of a wifi access point. I'd really like the cellular modem. At this point, it seems stupid to get an iPhone because a new one is just around the corner. No, I don't know what's in it, but I'm 99% sure it'll be better than the iPhone 4.

    15. Re:In other words by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In other words 35% of consumers don't care about the product but the social symbol it is and the status they think it confers on them.

      Is this also what you say of people who currently plan to update to Ubuntu 12.04?

    16. Re:In other words by hoggoth · · Score: 1

      I'm buying the iPhone 5 sight-unseen.
      I am even checking the option that allows Apple to surgically transform me into a HumaniCentiPad.

      --
      - For the complete works of Shakespeare: cat /dev/random (may take some time)
    17. Re:In other words by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      35% is low fanboy. That's 35 positive, meaning the other 65 isn't. This is also a self selecting survey, result is meaningless.

    18. Re:In other words by Capt.DrumkenBum · · Score: 2

      people here cannot fathom the possibility that there's a such thing as a satisfied iPhone customer.

      Well, I for one am entirely satisfied with my iPhone 4.
      But for the record anyone who says they will buy a product sight unseen, based on nothing but speculation is an idiot!

      --
      If I were God, wouldn't I protect my churches from acts of me?
    19. Re:In other words by rwven · · Score: 1

      More accurately, 30% of people lie when asked a question that they know a "sounds right" answer to.

    20. Re:In other words by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      My jeans are dirty. Glad to know I am still hip.

    21. Re:In other words by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You can't compare Apples and Oranges. A phone wears out, Software doesn't. A less than viable replacement for XP in the form of Vista was, on the whole, rejected by the masses and only Windows 7 has returned that "I'm happy about my OS" feeling. Windows 8 will have to offer more than just "touchscreen support" and a phone-like interface to win over people who are just plain happy with Windows 7.
      Whereas my iPhone 3GS has some wear and tear and the battery doesn't hold as much charge as it did. So unless there's some monumental fault with the handsets, I will be upgrading to an iPhone 5 to get retina display, better battery, etc. but keep all my iTunes purchased apps, music and film. It's practicality, not fashion. If I worried about appearances, I'd have bought an iPhone 4, but I didn't because it had flaws and didn't offer much of an improvement over my handset at the time.

      I imagine if you asked people two weeks ago if they were going to see the final Harry Potter film, but hadn't read the books, more than 35% would have said "yes". People will make a decision based on experience as much as any other factor.

    22. Re:In other words by OverlordQ · · Score: 1, Insightful

      But go on hatin' if it makes you feel better that many people choose an iPhone b/c it's a good phone and just as good if not better than many Android handsets.

      Sounds like you're the one hating that iPhones have been out longer and but has a smaller market share then Android phones.

      --
      Your hair look like poop, Bob! - Wanker.
    23. Re:In other words by burning-toast · · Score: 0

      Rocking something is slang for indicating possession. Sort of like "rolling with" something. But cooler (and doesn't mean you are literally rocking or rolling).

      -Toast

    24. Re:In other words by Exitar · · Score: 0, Troll

      A company that to justify actual problems with its phone antenna has its CEO saying "You're holding it wrong!" is good brand that people have come to trust?
      Unless you classify a brand good if it "Causes Religious Reaction In Brains of Fans" stuff ( http://apple.slashdot.org/story/11/05/19/1410245/Apple-Causes-Religious-Reaction-In-Brains-of-Fans )

    25. Re:In other words by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Blind faith is irrational thinking no matter how much icing you put on it...

      But go on lovin' if that makes you feel comfortable the way you spend your money.

    26. Re:In other words by Talderas · · Score: 1

      Or alternatively, 35% of consumers assume that Apple will not make the next version of the iPhone worse than the current one, and aren't in a desperate rush to buy a model that will be obsolete in two months.

      I'm afraid you'll find that an iPhone 4 will be far from useless once the iPhone 5 comes out. Just saying.

      --
      "Lack of speed can be overcome. In the worst case by patience." --Znork
    27. Re:In other words by digitig · · Score: 2

      Or they feel that anything has to be better than the model they're using at the moment.

      --
      Quidnam Latine loqui modo coepi?
    28. Re:In other words by MobileTatsu-NJG · · Score: 2

      It's just a display of confidence. It's not like they plunked their cash down.

      --

      "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)

    29. Re:In other words by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      After Vista?

    30. Re:In other words by mcmonkey · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Sure, to some extent this covers fanbois and sheeple, but the full 35%.

      For example, if included in the survey my wife would be in that 35%. She's looking for a smart phone that will also replace her iPod. She also doesn't get a new phone every other day, so when she does upgrade, she goes to the latest and greatest.

      If the iPhone 5 was a year off, she'd just go ahead and get an iPhone 4. But since she expects the 5 in September, she's going to wait.

      The potentially faulty assumption she is making is not that having the newest iPhone is a social symbol, but that the new iPhone will be at least as good as the old iPhone.

      Why is it so strange or sad folks would want the new iPhone sight unseen? If you felt that way about the first iPhone, yeah then you might be a fanboi. But at this point, we know what the iPhone does, what its weaknesses are, what level of changes we see from one generation to the next.

      It's like asking if you'd be interested in dating a supermodel's sister, sight unseen. Not quite the same as asking if you're interested a random woman pulled off the street.

    31. Re:In other words by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      While you are correct about Apple creating a "good brand", they are still selling vendor lock-in and standing in the way of Freedom.

      Even if their product is better and shinier, you're still a fascist collaborator for standing up for them.

    32. Re:In other words by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think that most of those people are intending to buy it, I know I am based on Apple's past performance in this area, but if they come out with it and it sucks... Obviously I'm not buying it.

    33. Re:In other words by Andy_R · · Score: 2

      Nobody will actually buy the phone sight unseen, unless they scrupulously avoid every media outlet in the world for the week of release. The problem is (as with so much market research) we don't know exactly what the question was, so we can't draw any sensible conclusions from the results.

      For example "69 percent of consumers indicated that they would prefer Appleâ(TM)s iPhone 5 as a gift." - all this means is that 69% of people interpreted this question as meaning 'do you like free stuff'. As for the other 31%, as worded, their answer rather improbably implies they wouldn't take an iPhone 5 even if it was free, but in reality they probably thought 'they can't really be asking if I would rather pay money for things or not pay money for things, can they?' and assumed the question meant something different - quite possibly something to do with paying the very high tariffs needed to to get the phone 'free'.

      --
      A pizza of radius z and thickness a has a volume of pi z z a
    34. Re:In other words by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Name a single Android phone model that outsells the iPhone. Just one.

      We'll wait...

    35. Re:In other words by jo_ham · · Score: 2

      Which individual Android handset has more marketshare than an individual iPhone model?

      Colour me unsurprised that a mobile OS used by many manufacturers making all manner of phones (from cheap crappy ones to expensive excellent ones) has a higher marketshare than a single manufacturer.

      Although, if that's the sum total of your argument, then it follows that Windows is better than Linux because it has more marketshare, right? It's just that simple.

    36. Re:In other words by perryizgr8 · · Score: 0

      yup, right. awesome brand! i feel glad to be given the chance to be humiliated in public by the ceo of the company i bought my phone from, and that too in response to a genuine design defect. also, itunes. imo, the success of idevices brings out the decay in human civilization.

      --
      Wealth is the gift that keeps on giving.
    37. Re:In other words by DJRumpy · · Score: 2, Informative

      You mean in the same way other handset manufacturer's also told their own user the 'proper' way to hold a phone?

      http://member.america.htc.com/download/Web_materials/Manual/HTC_Ozone/Ozone_Users+Manual.pdf

      http://member.america.htc.com/download/Web_materials/Manual/DROID_ERIS_Verizon/DROID_ERIS_Verizon_English_UM_11_5.pdf

      These types of instructions are common for any phone, smart or otherwise.

    38. Re:In other words by Crudely_Indecent · · Score: 1

      Or, like playmate of the year, they know it will be HOT!

      --


      "Lame" - Galaxar
    39. Re:In other words by jo_ham · · Score: 1

      Well, that's all the Android fanbois would crow about when comparing the iPhone/iPad with the "iPad killers" - CPU specs, GPU and so on, so maybe that *is* how slashdot thinks.

    40. Re:In other words by elrous0 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      and are expecting the next generation to be the same but faster and plain better

      You mean like how the new versions of Final Cut Pro and OS X Server are big improvements over their predecessors?

      --
      SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
    41. Re:In other words by elrous0 · · Score: 1

      Apple has a good track record as measured by customer satisfaction

      Jobs could take a sloppy shit on a plate, get up on stage an proclaim it revolutionary, and 90% of Apple fanboys would report being satisfied with it.

      --
      SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
    42. Re:In other words by Chetti · · Score: 1

      It also means that 35% on consumers can't be trusted to make well thought out decisions...

    43. Re:In other words by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In other words 35% of consumers don't care about the product but the social symbol it is and the status they think it confers on them.

      In other words you like to make inflammatory statements to satisfy some antisocial hipster complex.

      I've owned 3 iphones. The original, the 3g, and the 4.
      I've also owned various palm, windows mobile, and blackberry devices before that which you could call smartphones before the term smartphone came in to vogue.

      The apple device was the fist I'd ever used that was actually useful. (You could argue that the blackberries were better for mail, especially enterprise mail at that point - But even then email on your phone was nothing new.. And RIM has not really innovated at all since then, thus why RIM is now circling the drain) It was the first with a useful touch screen that was actually accurate and the first useable UI designed around touch interface.

      The others were toys. Web browsing was at best a slow and useless novelty, data connections inconsistent, wifi connections manual. The iphone was the first phone designed around always on data connectivity, and the first phone that succeeded in any sort of seamless transition between wifi and cell data.

      I got all that..

      Oh, and the best music playing still available on any smartphone.
      Oh, and later they added add-on application support that became the benchmark and standard that every other vendor still tries to replicate
      Oh, and 2 more major OS revisions. For free. That added many more times features than were available at launch. (Carriers and manufactures of abandoned, update-less androids I'm looking right at you)

      And all this was just on the first iphone. My experience continues in a similar manner all the way to my iphone 4.

      Yes, I'm a fucking satisfied customer. I'll probably get a 5, and unless apple decides to cash in on the goodwill they've owned I'll get the next one too. I'll be disappointed if it comes to that, because it'll be a bitch to research which android to buy. I'm sure I'll be pleased with an android but it's really easy to buy a shitty one. And I have to hope that the vendor or carrier doesn't decide to EOL it and withhold updates

    44. Re:In other words by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Or they simple trust Apple, as I do. I'm sure they will do a fine job with iphone 5, just as good as they have being doing since the first iphone. Buying a new iPhone is VERY different than buying a new android device from some random maker.
      I trust apple just as much as I trust the next Google Nexus whatever will be a great device. But I do not trust the next motorola thing.

      People that bought the iphone since day 1 trust Apple will do a fine job. The camera will be better. The processor will be faster. And that's what they want, a simple upgrade. And that's what apple will delivery.

      Cya.

    45. Re:In other words by Kagetsuki · · Score: 1

      Actually I'd put money on this being brand association/loyalty. The product could be terrible, but if the image associated with it is good enough to the consumer they'll buy it even over superior products. Just look at Vuitton, StarBucks and Disney. Even the article points it out as "Brand Strength".

    46. Re:In other words by chinakow · · Score: 1

      Come on old man! Rockin is not that obscure of a phrase. Even I know what people mean when they say they are rockin something. Look at the third definition, it is most apt.

    47. Re:In other words by stephentyrone · · Score: 1

      Why on earth should any consumer be able to "tell you a single technical statistic about their smart phone like processor speed or even processor type?" It's wholly irrelevant to a phone's suitability. Either it works or it doesn't. Either it's enjoyable to use or it isn't. Either it's fast enough or it isn't. Either it has the functionality they need or it doesn't. None of those things are predicated on hardware specifications like processor speed or type. They're a function of both hardware and software, and exactly how the performance is achieved is totally irrelevant to the end user.

    48. Re:In other words by Revotron · · Score: 0

      It's hard to not gain a huge market share when you take the "buckshot" approach to your product line and release a new Android-powered device every single day.

      Do you want quality, or do you want quantity? A single shotgun can put a dozen holes in a target in one shot, but an accomplished marksman with a rifle has the accuracy and precision that a doofus with a scattergun lacks.

    49. Re:In other words by Tharsman · · Score: 2

      Saying "I want the next version of this product" is very very far from "i will buy the product, here is the money, i will sign my soul that i wont backpedal even if you just bring me an inferior product than i already have"

      So yea, pre-purchases of unannounced products is rather stupid, but thats not what we are talking about here. :)

    50. Re:In other words by grapeape · · Score: 1

      Not sure how this is "insightful", I dont know if I'm going to get the 5 or not but after switching from a droid to a captivate and finally to an iphone, I have been quite happy with it and would likely give the 5 the first look if and when I decide its time to upgrade. If it works well and its reliable I dont see a problem with sticking with something you already have experience with.

    51. Re:In other words by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually, the parent's comment was pro-Apple, not anti-Android. He is not a hater at all... or at least his comment doesn't "Sounds like..." it.

      ...just as good if not better than many Android handsets.

      [emphasis added]

      "Just as good if not" means on a par with, and having some advantages. "Many" does not mean all. He allowed that the product varied by manufacturer and that there might be other great phones out there based on Android.

    52. Re:In other words by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A company that to justify actual problems with its phone antenna has its CEO saying "You're holding it wrong!" is good brand that people have come to trust?

      I guess these 35% of people never had problems with their antennas, and the other 65% did.

      I know people who buy nothing but Hitachi disk drives, swearing that any others suck; I have others who get Western Digital swearing they've never had a failure; I know some others who claim that WDs always failed, and that they've had awesome experiences with Seagate.

      Who's right?

      Sheesh.

    53. Re:In other words by Kielistic · · Score: 1

      Except in this case you get to ignore all but the best pellet from the buckshot like they don't even exist. The marksman can completely miss the shot but if just one of those pellets hits the target it can be taken and the rest ignored.

      Which is perfectly apt in this case. The iphone is a one shot deal, take it or leave it. With Android you get to choose which one hits best. And there are many superior Android phones as that's the nature of choice.

    54. Re:In other words by Tharsman · · Score: 2

      Brand loyalty tends to be driven by satisfaction. It can work as momentum to get over a batch of bad products, but even that starts dying down if the window of bad quality lasts too long (look at RIM.)

    55. Re:In other words by ColdWetDog · · Score: 1

      Rocking something is slang for indicating possession. Sort of like "rolling with" something. But cooler (and doesn't mean you are literally rocking or rolling). -Toast

      Hmmph. Kills my visual of a whole family staring happily at a bunch of smartphones sitting in a cradle. A very comforting, very American, scene.

      --
      Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
    56. Re:In other words by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It makes me wonder what the percentage is for Windows users and the next version of Windows.

      Both of them will be buying Windows Mobile phones again.

    57. Re:In other words by ArsonSmith · · Score: 1

      Yes, Windows on the desktop is better. Although Linux is usable there are several sacrifices that you have to make.

      --
      Paying taxes to buy civilization is like paying a hooker to buy love.
    58. Re:In other words by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Although, if that's the sum total of your argument, then it follows that Windows is better than Linux because it has more marketshare, right? It's just that simple.

      You're only counting desktops and laptops, right? I mean, including servers, embedded devices, Android phones, and that one obligatory wanker mentioning the N900 who's due to show up in this thread any second now, you may want to rethink that statement...

    59. Re:In other words by houghi · · Score: 1

      No. It shows why Marketing people are payed more then the technical ones. because THEY make the real money and let people THINK it is their choice and that something unknown is better then something known.

      --
      Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
    60. Re:In other words by TrancePhreak · · Score: 1

      The Samsung Galaxy S2 is outselling all iPhones currently. Currently they have sold over 3 million of them and it's not even available in the US (Android's biggest market).

      --

      -]Phreak Out[-
    61. Re:In other words by UnknowingFool · · Score: 1

      Contrary to what many slashdotters think, consumers do not really care about the technical stats. Most likely the new iPhone will be faster and that's all they need to know. They will trust that it will be upgrade and good enough for their needs. Whatever speed the iPhone processor some slashdotter will loudly proclaim his Android phone is far superior because it runs 100MHz faster and that iPhone 5 owners are sheep because they don't care about what he/she cares about.

      --
      Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
    62. Re:In other words by jittles · · Score: 3, Informative

      You are confusing two different problems with radio transmissions. In one instance, the hand is obstructing the antenna, thereby decreasing the signal. In the other instance, you are shorting the antenna and thereby interfering with the transmission. There is little you can do to prevent objects from blocking the path of the radio signal. But you're damned stupid to put a bare antenna right along the edge of a device meant to be held in the hand. Have you never used rabbit ear antennas in your life?

    63. Re:In other words by gl4ss · · Score: 1

      well. I bet the answers would have been different if they had asked if they're going to sign a contract to pre-order it.
       
        if you want to be a dick about interpreting this one, you could say that 30% of consumers think that all iphones so far suck, because they need the new one, the one that doesn't exist yet.

      --
      world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
    64. Re:In other words by Sait-kun · · Score: 1

      Yeah, I really have to hand it to Apple's marketing department.

      For some reason they managed to make Apple something "everyone" wants. Which is odd.

      Apple doesn't produce the best phone hardware. Better yet even on the release date the hardware wasn't really worth the price tag on the device.
      Apple doesn't really have the best software. iOS is pretty good but limited and iTunes... I won't even go in to that piece of ... .
      Apple doesn't really produce the best PC hardware. I agree that the designs are often nice but when looking at the actual hardware you can often build a better computer for half its price.

      So for my conclusion...

      In the past Apple devices where an niche market. Expensive with good hardware and the software was quite good for the time. For some reason I can't explain they managed to keep the "exclusive" status without being exclusive. Everyone and their dog has a iPhone these days and everyone seems to be proud of their device.

      Apple is not a technological company it's an fashion company. They are / try to be the Gucci or Armani of the technology market and that tactic seems to work quite well for them.

    65. Re:In other words by Andrewkov · · Score: 1

      It's not a question of where he grips it, it's a question of weight ratios!!

    66. Re:In other words by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, Apple has created a phone that hit critical mass with popularity. It's a simple phone and it appeals to the masses. Peer pressure is a powerful thing, and some of that number is just people keeping up with the latest greatest toys. How many people would buy the next Xbox sight unseen? Or Wii?

      I've been using one for 2 years and the only reason I want the 5 is because the 3 is such a crappy phone. (it's a good mobile computer, and that's why I have it.)

      You want reasons? It drops calls like crazy. The speakerphone fails if there is any background noise on the other end. Call history information is minimal on the phone and isn't accesssible during the call. It can't interpret phone entries that start with numbers instead of letters.

      Hatin', as you put it, is just about as annoying as blind fanboyism.

    67. Re:In other words by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I feel pretty much like an "average consumer" and you are right, I cannot name the processor or speed. To get right to it, neither do I care. What I do care about is whether it is fast enough to run the apps I want, whether it has enough memory to deal with the sub-set of those apps I want to run simultaneously, whether the battery lasts until I set the unit on the charger each evening before bed, whether I have to worry about malware, how well it works with headsets I have or might buy, sound quality, and etc.

      For most of the things on my list the iPhone and Android are roughly equivalent. I do think the iPhone has a leg up on look and feel, it's just a bit more usable in general and I do think Apple cares greatly about the customer experience which seems far superior to what folks tell me about the Android ecosystem. The Android isn't some sort of "fail" by any means, though. I am absolutely positive I could be happy with an Android phone instead of an iPhone once I journeyed the learning curve. The android just doesn't offer a sufficient set of compelling differences for how I want to use my phone to justify that trip though. I have a 3gs, still, because I didn't think the iPhone 4 was sufficiently compelling either.

      I'm waiting for the 5, or 4S, or whatever it's going to be named. If it looks right for me I'll buy it (more like 3, one for each in my family) and expect to be pretty happy for another couple of years. Count me in, then. Had they surveyed me, I too would have said I was interested.

    68. Re:In other words by Capt.DrumkenBum · · Score: 1

      Nobody will actually buy the phone sight unseen

      Wanna bet? Just because you and I research our purchases, then weigh the pros and cons does not mean the general public will. I believe that Apple could announce that the iPhone 5 will be available at Apple stores world wide tomorrow, and nothing else, not a spec, not a photo NOTHING! There will be a line in front of every store, full of people ready to buy.
      30 years ago I wrote my first law. "People are generally stupid." In the past 30 years I have seen no evidence to the contrary.

      --
      If I were God, wouldn't I protect my churches from acts of me?
    69. Re:In other words by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I agree - this is as obvious as the headline "consumers want next year's 50 mpg 4-door sedan from Toyotoford Motors - sight unseen".

    70. Re:In other words by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Your absolutely right - BRAND - not product, not line, not device BRAND. So you keep your "cute name here" toy and we'll let the facts speak for themselves.

      http://www.businessinsider.com/t-mobile-confirms-1-million-google-android-phones-sold-2009-4 --- > T-Mobile Confirms 1 Million Google Android Phones Sold

      http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38382217/ns/technology_and_science-wireless/t/app-showdown-android-vs-iphone/--> Winner: Android

      I could do this all day, and even find some that say the IPHONE is better but the bottom line is the Android phones have outsold apple phones year for year match (year 1, year 2, ect) and continue to grow in the number of people who have them vs there iphone.

      I seem to remember this conversation except it was windows vs linux vs mac, or was in nvidia vs ati, or was it color vs black & white.

    71. Re:In other words by UnknowingFool · · Score: 1

      Um 3 million units globally since it was released in May 2011 is hardly outselling than the 20 million iPhones Apple reported that it sold in roughly the same time (Q3 2011). Now Apple doesnt break down iPhone sales by model but that is splittiing hairs.

      --
      Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
    72. Re:In other words by bay43270 · · Score: 1

      You wrongly assume most iPhone owners are having antenna issues, and that most iPhone owners have heard that Steve Jobs quote so you can associate satisfied users who want an upgrade with member of religious groups... and moderators decided that rather than trolling, you're saying something insightful?

      Way to go slashdot moderators.

    73. Re:In other words by Cinder6 · · Score: 1

      On the low end, Apple does cost a lot more than equivalent PCs. But that's because Apple doesn't really have a "low end". A few months ago, I compared the high-end Dell laptop to the high-end MacBook Pro, and was surprised at how small the price difference was. Dell was cheaper, but only by about $300, and we're talking about two machines that both cost over $2000. That $300 gives you much better hardware build quality and design and gives you easy, legitimate access to OS X (which may or may not be something you like; I just mention it as something Dell can't offer unless you go the Hackintosh route).

      Price disparity is slowly disappearing. It will probably always exist, because Apple wants to be seen as a "premium" brand and avoid a race to the bottom, but it's certainly not like the old days. Hell, I first got a Macbook because, price-wise, it made the most sense for what I was doing.

      --
      If you can't convince them, convict them.
    74. Re:In other words by Bo'Bob'O · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Actually it's less interesting then even that. All this says that is a bunch of people are planning to make their next phone an iOS phone, and are waiting until the next generation to do it. Big deal.

      My next desktop will be a windows machine, my next laptop probably a mac, my next phone probably android. I don't know exactly what form these will take, these purchases are months if not years off, but if there is a better model/version on the verge of release, I'd probably wait a few months extra for it to come out.

    75. Re:In other words by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why is market share important?

      a. It generates more profit
      b. It generates a stronger platform
      c. It generates a stronger sw library
      d. It generates a stronger eco-system for 3rd party businesses

      Which one of these has a greater market share given Android?

    76. Re:In other words by kevinNCSU · · Score: 1

      To people who actually use a product, their experiences using the said product likely far outweighs stupid quotes by CEO's they've never dealt with. Really what your pointing out is a soundbtie used by people who already don't like the company to bash the product. It'll help dissuade people who have never used it before, but if you have lengthy experiences using a product that's going to be what you make your decision based off of.

      Personally I don't like Steve Jobs, I don't like Apple and I don't like macs, but I do like my iphone. It's an old iphone 3g (no s), and since I got it way back when there's now a lot of competition where before there wasn't as much comparable, but the fact that my phone has worked really well over the last 3 years gives me confidence in further iterations of the product.

    77. Re:In other words by CheerfulMacFanboy · · Score: 3, Informative

      and are expecting the next generation to be the same but faster and plain better

      You mean like how the new versions of Final Cut Pro and OS X Server are big improvements over their predecessors?

      Let's ask someone with a clue: Why we’re betting everything on FCP X

      --
      Fandroids hate facts.
    78. Re:In other words by Krau+Ming · · Score: 1

      ya exactly. if we all find out that the iphone 5 had only minor upgrades over the 4 but that 35% buy it asap anyway, then it would be all about social symbol and status etc

    79. Re:In other words by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Price disparity is not changing or closing in between them, if you can't find a PC with equivalent specs to an Apple for far cheaper (20-30% less minimum), you are not looking in the right places. For those that want to save money or make a small sacrifice for a much larger savings, there are many options. For those that want convenience of not searching for a better deal and do not want to have to shop around and compare, you can always pick the first thing on Dell's site that they steer you towards and accept the default configuration. These concepts apply to all consumer goods for sale, not just computers.

    80. Re:In other words by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Compared to Android where every iteration is a throw-away. Can someone volunteer their experience with software they purchased with Android 1.0 and how much of it still works on their Gingerbread and later versions?

    81. Re:In other words by Darinbob · · Score: 1

      They also don't give a shit that the old phone will likely end up in a landfill despite being perfectly functional. This attitude of Apple's to have hi tech disposable devices is insane.

    82. Re:In other words by PeanutButterBreath · · Score: 1, Interesting

      To people who actually use a product, their experiences using the said product likely far outweighs stupid quotes by CEO's they've never dealt with.

      Question: among the average consumer, what percentage do you believe exploits the breadth of features in their chosen phone such that the experience could be distinguished among any alternative that is remotely functionally equivalent.

      In other words, I would wager that most smart phone users rarely do much beyond basic features such as phone calls, texting, email, clock/alarm, browsing, very simple gaming. Among these, in which area does Apple really excel? Superior calling? Not a claim I have ever heard. Text-based communications? Not much wiggle room there, unless you happen to dislike on-screen keyboards. Clock/alarm? Please. Browsing? Games (with no physical buttons)?

      Certainly, many people could be very happy with how all of these features work on their iPhone. The point is, where is there any opportunity for significant "experience" differentiation? I contend that there is very little. And if there isn't, what does drive brand appeal, if not marketing, perceived status symbolization and other factors that fellow brand-adherents are unlikely to acknowledge with much relish.

    83. Re:In other words by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Thing is, all of those reason already apply for competing software; most of them years ago. And most of that competing software also sports cross platform capability.

    84. Re:In other words by chinton · · Score: 1

      If I'm going to shell out a ton of money for a phone and data-plan, it better be more than "adequate" for my needs.

    85. Re:In other words by kevinNCSU · · Score: 2

      I see pretty stark differences in browsing, general UI of the phones, how it handles multi-tasking, battery life, battery management options, cameras, size and style of the phone, availability and quality of apps, standard keybaord vs the dragging the line thing, ect. And then there's the contracts and carriers besides. If you're not finding any perceived differences between the phones perhaps your just not that into phones like my grandparents aren't that into computers. They wouldn't see any perceived difference between a Mac, Windows Vista, or ubuntu box, they both have a monitor, you type with the keyboard move the cursor with a mouse and can browse the internet, so what could possibly set them apart? Must be solely branding.

    86. Re:In other words by UnknowingFool · · Score: 0

      That depends on what you define as "need". If they include being able to run whatever program you want from anywhere and the ability to upgrade the OS yourself, Android seems more what you are looking for. For most consumers, adequate is the ability to play media and access to the programs they want. Both Android and iPhone are adequate. Blackberry and WP7 are getting there are not on par yet.

      --
      Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
    87. Re:In other words by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Or maybe it's something simpler and doesn't involve rampant fanboyism on either side of the fence. Maybe it's the fact that they're already bought a metric s**t-ton of apps and music from apple and they'd like to keep on using them instead of switching to an incompatible handset and losing those apps, or spending additional money for a version compatible with the new OS on another device. Or maybe you're right - and the same-price-as-a-comparable-android iPhone is still a "status symbol." (eye roll)

    88. Re:In other words by Revotron · · Score: 1

      In a scientific experiment you don't ignore the data that doesn't support your conclusion.

      The marksman will always be far more accurate and precise than the guy wielding the shotgun. Sure, the shotgun will hit the target, but when you put 24 projectiles in the air and only one of them hits, I'd hardly call that a success when a marksman can hit the target with far greater accuracy and less projectiles. It would be downright deceitful to conveniently ignore the 23 misses when you calculate the accuracy of the shotgun compared to the rifle.

      I guess what I'm getting at is 499 failures and 1 success isn't very remarkable compared to 4 failures and 1 success. If Apple put out a low-end iOS-powered phone, people would be all over it and that market share argument would be even more invalid than it is now.

      I'd classify devices like the HTC Evo, Motorola Droid, Samsung Infuse and Apple iPhone as "high-end" smartphones. What I'd really like to see when we compare market share is only the high-end smartphones vs. each other.

    89. Re:In other words by cyber-vandal · · Score: 1

      I thought it was slang for wearing something in a cool way (which I don't like either) that's why I asked. I'm old, I don't get what these young folk are talking about, usually because I don't hear them properly.

    90. Re:In other words by makubesu · · Score: 1

      has its CEO saying "You're holding it wrong!"
      Well that and giving everyone a free case to remove the problem, but hey, we can't be talking about that, it's bad for your point.

    91. Re:In other words by awyeah · · Score: 1

      I'm afraid you'll find that an iPhone 4 will be far from useless once the iPhone 5 comes out. Just saying.

      Not only that, but the now nearly-two-year-old 3GS will be far from useless, iOS 5 actually runs pretty well on them (I am, of course, making an assumption that iOS 5 won't get worse for the final release).

      --
      Why, no, I haven't meta-moderated lately. Thanks for asking!
    92. Re:In other words by Capt.DrumkenBum · · Score: 1

      I have that phone at home.
      I bought it as a temp while I waited for my iPhone 4 to dry out after I washed it with my pants. :(
      It didn't dry out, and I had to get a replacement. Thank god for Applecare, and a gay Apple Genius who thought I was cute, and replaced my iPhone under warranty. :)

      --
      If I were God, wouldn't I protect my churches from acts of me?
    93. Re:In other words by jo_ham · · Score: 1

      3 million is not even close - Apple shipped about 15 million iPhones last quarter, and has about a 100 million install base.

    94. Re:In other words by rednip · · Score: 1

      Although Linux is usable there are several sacrifices that you have to make.

      What kind of sacrifice? goat? or would a chicken do. However, I'm pretty sure that the fine print in a Windows license makes claims on one's first born child.

      --
      The force that blew the Big Bang continues to accelerate.
    95. Re:In other words by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 1

      It's hard to not gain a huge market share when you take the "buckshot" approach to your product line and release a new Android-powered device every single day.

      Do you want quality, or do you want quantity? A single shotgun can put a dozen holes in a target in one shot, but an accomplished marksman with a rifle has the accuracy and precision that a doofus with a scattergun lacks.

      And having all those PC makers and chip makers and board makers and HDD makers and display makers just ruins the quality of the computer market. So much better if all we had was IBM making all our PC decisions for us, eh?

      --
      Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
    96. Re:In other words by keith_nt4 · · Score: 1

      Blackberry was a single manufacturer outselling all others combined for years on end so I don't really buy this logic. If Android wasn't appealing in some way it wouldn't matter how many manufactures and variations there were, iPhone would still outsell them all combined.

      I believe it's a combination of things including variations in prices and form factors as well as the general appeal of the OS itself over iOS. Personally I'm too cheap to buy a turn-by-turn gps device so the free one in the phone effectively keeps me on Android. That and I hate iTunes with a passion (among other reasons).

      --
      "UNIX is very simple, it just needs a genius to understand its simplicity." -Dennis Ritchie
    97. Re:In other words by jo_ham · · Score: 1

      There's no way the average Joe in the street is picking Android due to the "general appeal of the OS over iOS" (or vice versa) - they are picking it because of price, primarily. If they are savvy enough to get the really good Android handsets (the ones that are similar in cost to the iPhone) then perhaps that is a factor, but ultimately it's the low prices of many Android handsets - par for par there's not much to choose between an iPhone and a high spec Android, but at the low end, Apple has no cheap phone.

      It's a double edged sword - on the one hand, big marketshare growth. On the other hand, lots of really poor Android phones out there (I've used a few and they are really dreadful), so it dilutes the brand and detracts from the excellent Android handsets (which I have also tried out).

    98. Re:In other words by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      if there is nothing you can do to prevent objects form blocking the path of the radio signal then why place it in every manual to avoid holding the phone in that location? The end result is the same if signal strength is reduced and there is no denying that the manuals for these phones tell you not to hold them near the antenna. In addition, the iPhone 4 was shown to actually perform better in weaker signal areas than previous models.

      Parent is correct. You are being hypocritical to say it's Ok for Motorola, HTC, etc to tell you to avoid grabbing the phone in those locations, but when Apple does it, your holding it wrong?

    99. Re:In other words by CheerfulMacFanboy · · Score: 1

      Apple has a good track record as measured by customer satisfaction

      Jobs could bring world peace and end of hunger, and I'd complain he is hurting the economy.

      FTFY

      --
      Fandroids hate facts.
    100. Re:In other words by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Congratulations, it seems during the course of your post (more accurately somewhere between among the aver... and ...really excel) you discovered the, previously alien to you, question mark.

    101. Re:In other words by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That’s the funny thing about the ifanatics all they want is the iphone, they are completely 100% happy with whatever model they have, it’s perfect, it doesn’t need anything that they other phones are putting in. Until apple decides to include it then it’s the only way to go and apple is so inventive and ground breaking, quick let’s rush out to pre-order. If you lot are so content with the product you hold so high then why do you need to rush out and get the next one. Or is that secretly maybe even sub-consciously you are all not content with your product and now in a case of the king's new clothes, you aggressively defend your product so you don't appear stupid by association. Which would explain why you rush out for the next one, it’s a chance to reinforce the false perception you hold so dear. All while using as little analytical skills as possible (as the brain prefers to conserve power)

    102. Re:In other words by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Then how do you explain iphone4's success. That sucked but still made millions.

    103. Re:In other words by Dr+Max · · Score: 1

      It's almost set in stone that the iphone5 will use the A5 processor. That's if they can get it to stop over heating probably by underclocking it like the iphone4. Otherwise it would eat into their profits if they have to 'design' (find) a new chip (its possible they could give you a overclocked A4 to maximise profit). That said quad core 1.5ghz and 1.8ghz dual core chips will be showing up in phones around the same time.

      --
      Rocket Surgeon.
    104. Re:In other words by chrb · · Score: 1
      Hardly a fair comparison - you are comparing global sales figures for a phone that hasn't been released globally yet. The Galaxy S2 is outselling the iPhone in Asia and Europe. It hasn't been released in the U.S. yet, and only got released in China a few days ago, so expect global sales to pick up rapidly over the next months.

      It's a biased comparison for another obvious reason - to compare sales of one specific smartphone model from a company that sells several models to a company that sells only one. If you compare total global sales of all Samsung smartphones versus all Apple smartphones then it's about equal now. And if you include Samsung's non-smart phones, then Samsung outsells Apple.

    105. Re:In other words by CheerfulMacFanboy · · Score: 1

      Thing is, all of those reason already apply for competing software; most of them years ago. And most of that competing software also sports cross platform capability.

      Yeah, keep on pretending that the reason FCP is the best selling editing software among professionals is because of marketing, Mr. Anonymous Avid or Adobe employee.

      Face it: those that won't go to FCPX sooner or later will rather stick with FCP than use your trite solutions.

      --
      Fandroids hate facts.
    106. Re:In other words by chrb · · Score: 1

      The GP is correct: You are confusing two different problems with radio transmissions. Problem 1 - hand over antenna - all phones can suffer this to some degree if you put your hand over the antenna, or swallow your phone or whatever then the signal will be degraded due to physical blocking. That's why it's in the manual. Problem 2 - shorting of antenna - iPhone 4 only problem because in the iPhone 4 the external stainless steel frame is the antenna. Other phones use internal antennas.

    107. Re:In other words by Ziwcam · · Score: 1

      Apple also offers free recycling of computers when you buy a new one, and even offers a discount off a new iPod if you bring an old one in. Is that insane? Most places I know want to charge you to recycle an old computer...

    108. Re:In other words by Kielistic · · Score: 1

      Not if it's a fast moving target, such as the smartphone market. And in the Android market it's not 23 misses and one good phone. It's a couple awesome phones, a bunch of varying good phones and a couple shitty phones. A good healthy bell curve to satisfy more market space.

    109. Re:In other words by elrous0 · · Score: 1

      Jobs could bring world peace and end of hunger, and I'd complain he is hurting the economy.

      Well, good thing then that he's an legendarily selfish fuck who doesn't give squat to charity then. So I guess I don't have to complain.

      --
      SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
    110. Re:In other words by aristotle-dude · · Score: 1

      Not if it's a fast moving target, such as the smartphone market. And in the Android market it's not 23 misses and one good phone. It's a couple awesome phones, a bunch of varying good phones and a couple shitty phones. A good healthy bell curve to satisfy more market space.

      How do those mediocre and shitty phones benefit the customers who have the misfortune of getting when they renew their contracts for another two years?

      --
      Jesus was a compassionate social conservative who called individuals to sin no more.
    111. Re:In other words by aristotle-dude · · Score: 1

      Why is market share important?

      I don't know, why don't you tell us?

      a. It generates more profit

      If you look at the profit share of iOS versus Android and compare their supposed marketshare numbers then there appears to be in inverse correlation between market share and profit. Apple has the lion share of profit.

      b. It generates a stronger platform

      That is a false assumption. What generates a stronger platform is the availability of software and a high rate of retention. Android buyers seem to go through phones rather quickly so the actual active install base might be much smaller than the marketshare numbers would indicate.

      c. It generates a stronger sw library

      Wrong. A strong API that attracts quality developers along with proper marketing of "paid" apps on the store generate a stronger software base.

      d. It generates a stronger eco-system for 3rd party businesses

      Which one of these has a greater market share given Android?

      Reality does not seem to agree with you. The Android eco-system seems to be rather weak because of the fragmentation and the high churn rates of people switching phones. Why would people bother buying a case for a phone if they decide to get another phone because the original one was a piece of crap?

      --
      Jesus was a compassionate social conservative who called individuals to sin no more.
    112. Re:In other words by ArsonSmith · · Score: 1

      only the gpl does that, if you first born contains gpl'd code.

      --
      Paying taxes to buy civilization is like paying a hooker to buy love.
    113. Re:In other words by iainl · · Score: 1

      True, true. All I really meant was that I'm one of the 35%, because I'm assuming that the next iPhone will be at least as good as the current one, and I'm not in enough of a rush to not find out exactly how much better before signing a 2-year contract.

      --
      "I Know You Are But What Am I?"
  5. 35% of what? by captainpanic · · Score: 5, Insightful

    35% of people who visit the Apple website on a daily basis? 35% of people who registered for some random website through their iPhone?

    Seems like an awfully high percentage for just a regular average consumer survey.

    1. Re:35% of what? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      As of a couple days ago, Apple surpassed Nokia to become the company with the most handsets shipped worldwide (handsets, not specifically smartphones).

      Where "handset" is defined as what? Assuming you mean mobile phones, it doesn't sound likely but I'd be interested in seeing the source.

      To that end, the idea that when Apple has 28% total market share

      Where did you get 28% market share from? Are we still talking worldwide or US or something else? Your post would really benefit form sources.

    2. Re:35% of what? by wygit · · Score: 1

      and I'm pretty sure that's 28% OF SMARTPHONES, not "all consomers".

      The hype machine is running full throttle.

      Just like every 3rd story about how the freaking ghost town of G+ is killing Facebook and Twitter.

    3. Re:35% of what? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Really?

      http://mobility.cbronline.com/news/global-handset-shipments-up-17-to-350-million-units-in-q1-2011-strategy-analytics-020511

      And that is for a single quarter. If you want to take historical data into the calculation, it's nowhere close.

    4. Re:35% of what? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      " The figure comes from an online survey of 3,000 US consumers by Experian's PriceGrabber shopping website."

      It's the 2nd sentence of a 2 sentence summary FFS!

    5. Re:35% of what? by trevelyon · · Score: 1

      Agreed, there is too little detail on the group polled but this statement and the large gap between satisfied IOS and Android users may hint that the pool was Apple biased to start. Another one of those paid but "independent" surveys. In the end the sales numbers will tell the story but I bet stories like this help those figures a bit.

    6. Re:35% of what? by perryizgr8 · · Score: 1

      this is bullshit. source please.

      --
      Wealth is the gift that keeps on giving.
    7. Re:35% of what? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I agree. I hate how so many people buy into these polls. I bet everyone that posted a comment here wasn't asked. I'm a consumer too. You're right tho...35% of who? Not consumers.

    8. Re:35% of what? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I-phone is a now a generic name for a smart phone, or is that UMPC, That would explain the high number. Every one wants an " App for that". Who wants a dumb phone anymore.

      I-Phone is the new kleenex.

    9. Re:35% of what? by Kevin+Stevens · · Score: 1

      Well there are some fairly safe assumptions one can make about the new iphone:

      It is almost definitely going to have the A5 processor from the iPad, which will be a big bump in speed. Similarly, I think its safe to assume that there will be more memory. A camera that is probably bumped up in specs, as well as some sort of screen upgrade. Its also pretty safe to assume that the new phones will be 4G- and that will be enough for most to make the upgrade.

      If you are a happy apple customer like my wife, and you are due for a new phone, you are going to buy whatever Apple releases unless they really screw something up. And keep in mind that this includes not only rabid apple fans who will buy anything Jobs puts out there, but also people who have 2 year contracts, have seen the iphone4 and decided its something they definitely want.

      My iPhone 3GS is the first and only apple product I have ever bought, and it is a great product. I would be in the "sight unseen" category if it wasn't for Android making some huge leaps in the past year.

    10. Re:35% of what? by shadowrat · · Score: 1

      I'm surprised it isn't higher. I'd answer yes. Sure, i'll buy an iPhone 5. I'll also buy an android tablet. I'm also buying a boat and an RV. Of course, if I'm not as well off as i'd like to be in sept, I don't have to buy any of those things. well, maybe i can make the boat work.

    11. Re:35% of what? by PeanutButterBreath · · Score: 1

      It is almost definitely going to have the A5 processor from the iPad, which will be a big bump in speed.

      What percentage of consumers do you imagine would read through that entire sentence, much less understand its meaning?

    12. Re:35% of what? by Dahamma · · Score: 1

      I wish even 35% of commenters would RTFA first, since - not surprisingly - it answers this question.

      And yes, after having RTFA it sounded like a skewed survey... but it still makes a valid point. If people have a 2-3 year old iPhone that they like but want to upgrade to something with more features and performance, it's a foregone conclusion they will get the iPhone 5 when it comes out.

    13. Re:35% of what? by semi-extrinsic · · Score: 1

      Actually, hardware pundits are mostly saying that the A5 makes too much heat and has too big a die to fit in the iphone form factor. As the A4 is still pretty snappy, I don't see Steve sacrificing design for performance quite yet. Also, a screen upgrade would be pointless, the screen would touch your nose before it is close enough for you to see the improvement.

      --
      for i in `facebook friends "=bday" 2>/dev/null | cut -d " " -f 3-`; do facebook wallpost $i "Happy birthday!"; done
    14. Re:35% of what? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      While I agree with most of what you said about likely features, I'm not sure I'm on board with this:

      Its also pretty safe to assume that the new phones will be 4G- and that will be enough for most to make the upgrade.

      So-called "4G" networks in the US are only 3G networks with one or two 4G-like features. Since Apple will be making this for world-wide consumption (read: as cheaply as possible) I feel it's quite likely it will stay 3G only for maximum compatibility.

    15. Re:35% of what? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      He took a random survey of the four people that work in his area and rounded up.

      People that throw out Apple sales and growth numbers like to pick and choose the which ones they will use and when. Here, he is comparing a specific companies, not the OS of the phone. Of all phone makers, Apple may sell more but Apple is getting stomped when comparing sales of their phones to android powered devices. The same cherry picking of numbers is used for computer sales as well, Apple may have passed HP but HP is one of 50 different companies that sell a PC. Apple sales numbers have been getting double digit increases in sales for the last 10 years but they are STILL the same overall percentage of computer when compared to the PC. The three tricks are sales increase which depends but no baseline number given, Apple specific sales compared to another specific companies sales, and then IOS sales compared to Android but IOS is also on the Apples computers and pads as well. Many ways for people to interpret and twist Apples numbers to try to prove a point. Statistics are like bikinis, what they reveal is suggestive but what they conceal is vital.

    16. Re:35% of what? by Totenglocke · · Score: 1

      Pretty sure that Lord Jobs already said that the iPhone 5 will 100% NOT be 4G due to 4G decreasing battery life (the only claim to superiority the iPhone still has over Android phones). The other specs improvements you listed would merely bring the iPhone 5 (coming out in the fall) up to par with Anrdoid phones that have been on sale for a couple months already. As someone who has owned both iPhone's and Android phones, I cannot comprehend why anyone would still buy an iPhone. But that's just my opinion.

      --
      "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." ~Thomas Jefferson
    17. Re:35% of what? by hazydave · · Score: 1

      Maybe. Probably the A5 processor, but it could be a different one... Apple's widely rumored to be in talks with other chip fab companies, to decouple themselves from Samsung. Currently, Samsung makes the A5, though unlike the A4, the A5 is supposedly an Apple-designed/integrated chip, rather than just the scaled-down Samsung SOC that was the A4.

      New screen... unlikely. Apple has always used their screens in multiple models. Maybe a tweak to the backlight or something, but I expect it'll be fundamentally the same as the iPhone 4.

      Camera's possible but difficult. The iPhone 4 has a very excellent 5 megapixel camera.... most 5 Mpixel cameras in other phones were not as good. But 5 Mpixel is already just about at the diffraction limit for a 1/4" sensor. You could go to 8Mpixel, but get less sharpness AND less low-light performance very easily. Sure, they could go to a better lens (wider than f2.0) or a larger sensor.. but then you're too large for the iPhone. And, while they also haven't changed the casework each time, when they do, it gets thinner. Which goes against any actual improvements to the camera beyond a pixel count bump.

      The real big question I have: 4G or no 4G. For AT&T, they can get away with fake HPSA+ "4G", since that's probably just a tweak to the existing radio chip. But for Verizon, if they don't have LTE, they'll be way behind... particularly given Verizon's rapid expansion, and the fact that even regular HSPA is much faster than EvDO, unless you're in one of AT&T's overload zones. Of course, most consumers (and even more Apple buyers) don't know the technical details, but even they're aware of "4G" vs. "3G". Ok... not super aware... some 35% think the iPhone 4 is already 4G. And of course, if they do put in 4G, they can always call it "iPhone 4GS" and save the "iPhone 5" name for another time.

      Apple's never going to keep up with every feature on every Android phone. But even for the moment, we're having to make trade-offs between Androids: this one has a great physical keyboard, that one's 4G but only single processor, the next one's dual core but only 3G, this one has a much higher resolution screen, but that one has a mindblowing AM-OLED display, etc. But do I want a 3.1", 3.5", 4", or 4.3" screen? Lots of choices, but I haven't quite found my Droid-replacement yet.

      Apple's been competitive on features, but rarely leading on more than one or two lately, and usually not for long. If nothing else, the success of Android demonstrates that you can never be all things to all customers in a single model, much as Apple tries.

      --
      -Dave Haynie
    18. Re:35% of what? by Kevin+Stevens · · Score: 1

      I meant in size and/or technology- IE AMOLED, which has lower power consumption, not resolution.

    19. Re:35% of what? by Kevin+Stevens · · Score: 1

      Oh yeah? You made the switch? I have been looking for someone like you, none of my friends have gone iPhone-> Android, and I am seriously considering making the switch myself, but I want to see what the next iPhone offers, as well as some Android phones that will be released this fall.

      What do you think Android does better? Do you find the "polish" is good enough on Android? I really like that the iPhone just works. I like to tinker with some things, but my phone... should Just Work. Is battery life an issue?

      I already get the philosophical reasons, I was really pissed when Android had real multi-tasking, and could open ICS files and Jobs pretty much just told everyone "eh you don't want that."

    20. Re:35% of what? by Totenglocke · · Score: 1

      Well Android just flat out has more features for one. Hell, a lot of the "new" features that Apple has added to iOS 4 and the rumored improvements to iOS 5 are just added what Android already has, such as the drop down notification / task bar. Then there's physical features of phones (varying screen sizes to suit your tastes, physical keyboards, memory cards to expand storage, replaceable batteries). I also really enjoy the rapid pace of Android development - the frequency at which new features are added is just amazing, not to mention the large number of custom ROMS if you choose to go that path.

      Android is plenty "polished". Speaking from a hardware perspective, I find HTC makes the highest quality phones (I also think HTC's Sense UI is the best skin if you're not using stock Android). I work in IT and I honestly have more people asking me "How do I do *fill in basic function*?" on iPhone's than on Android phones - I myself actually find Android much more intuitive, especially with the tap-and-hold to "right-click". I also love that your paid apps, contacts, settings and such can all be seamlessly synced to your Google account so when you do a restore or buy a new phone, everything is quickly restored with no hassle. On the very rare occasion I've had an issue with the phone (I think only once, MAYBE twice in the year and a half I've been using Android), it was due to an app I installed and removing it or doing a system restore fixed the problem with no hassle. Apps are also updated VERY frequently since they do not have the long approval process that Apple forces on developers, so if there is a bug in an app it is usually fixed quite quickly (in some cases I've seen an update pushed out less than 24 hours after the last one).

      As for battery life, it all depends on the phone. Newer phones are getting better battery life due to improvements in the power management functions of the OS, as well as "low power" modes where it disabled unnecessary features (you can control what) to help extend your battery life once it's down to a certain point (say 1/3 battery left). Phones with larger screens do use more battery, as does having 4G running on a 4G phone - but again, you can get phones with varying screen sizes. Then there are extended batteries available or extra batteries at very low cost if you feel that it's not lasting long enough.

      My first Android phone was an Evo 4G and I recently traded up to an Evo 3D and the speed and battery life improvements were amazing (my record on the battery on the Evo 3D is a bit over 27 hours on one charge). Since I tether my phone (via free tethering apps), it recharges my phone much more often than I would usually plug it in so I do not track my battery life too often. I know when I had an iPhone 3GS that I had horrible battery life if I would text with 3G turned on - the same things that kill battery on any phone apply across the board though.

      I don't think iPhone's are "junk" - I just think that Apple has gotten extremely lazy with their development and that they aren't adding many new features or keeping up with the level of features on Android phones. If you've got more questions, I'm more than happy to answer them.

      --
      "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." ~Thomas Jefferson
  6. There are a lot of people like this: by XanC · · Score: 5, Funny
    1. Re:There are a lot of people like this: by Frag-A-Muffin · · Score: 1

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FL7yD-0pqZg

      HAHAHAHAHA. Best. Video. EVAR. (and I'm an iPhone user)

      --

      AirSpeak - http://itunes.com/apps/AirSpeak
    2. Re:There are a lot of people like this: by alta · · Score: 1

      Yeah, that was hilarious.

      Yes, I'm also an iPhone user.

      Yes, I'm going to buy a 5, not matter what. I'm currently on an ORIGINAL iphone. I need a new phone. I also have a Galaxy S, and it's shit. No, not 'Tha Shiit' but, like a piece of shit. Don't like it. Don't like the seemingly empty android market place. Don't like the the fact that if I use half the features on it my battery is dead in 12 hours.

      So yes. I haven't seen a iP5 but I sure as hell am going to be getting one.

      --
      Do not meddle in the affairs of sysadmins, for they are subtle, and quick to anger.
    3. Re:There are a lot of people like this: by ArhcAngel · · Score: 1

      MOD this up! It would be hilarious if it weren't true.

      --
      "A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it." - K
    4. Re:There are a lot of people like this: by jareth780 · · Score: 1

      ...and this same god Apple who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Jobs, the anointed one. Thus as Jobs spake of the iPhone 5, we shall be blessed by it's reception.

    5. Re:There are a lot of people like this: by virtualXTC · · Score: 1

      Samsung phones suck (I've had one and my co-workers do)!! Don't judge android by them. Get an HTC!

  7. Speaking for all the iPhone 4 owners... by ezrec · · Score: 1

    Yes, yes we will.

  8. I'll post about it unseen! First? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    First Post???

  9. 3000 consumers by zAPPzAPP · · Score: 2

    By "3000 consumers", do they mean 3000 Apple consumers that just bought the IPhone 4 on that site by any chance?
    Because I really doubt that 35% of "consumers" in general plan to buy a new phone, not to speak of a certain Apple phone...

    1. Re:3000 consumers by UnknowingFool · · Score: 1

      3000 consumers who participated in an online survey not run by Apple. I didn't get any further details. However sample bias and other statistical characteristics apply so I would take the survey with a grain of salt unless I knew more details.

      --
      Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
    2. Re:3000 consumers by UnanimousCoward · · Score: 1

      Wish they also cross-referenced with a question asking who believes in Intelligent Design.

      --
      Twelve-and-three-quarter inches. Unyielding. This wand belonged to Bellatrix Lestrange.
    3. Re:3000 consumers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Because I really doubt that 35% of "consumers" in general plan to buy a new phone, not to speak of a certain Apple phone...

      Wait, what? 100% of consumers with a mobile contract plan to get a new phone as soon as their contract is over. Otherwise, they wouldn't renew the contract, getting the new phone is the only advantage.

      I don't know what the percentage of mobile phone users are under a contract, but I'm fairly sure it's way higher than 35%

  10. im waiting by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ANNOUNCE IT ALREADY.

    1. Re:im waiting by ColdWetDog · · Score: 1

      ANNOUNCE IT ALREADY.

      OK. There WILL be an iPhone 5.

      Happy?

      --
      Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
  11. I'm in the same boat by master_kaos · · Score: 1

    I have an android phone, but for my job I have been working a lot with iOS so would like to get an iPhone. In Canada, rogers is starting to roll out LTE. I could buy an iPhone 4 now, but I will instead wait for the iPhone 5 and get that once it is out.. as I am sure it will have LTE.

    1. Re:I'm in the same boat by UnknowingFool · · Score: 1

      Apple hasn't announced anything so we can't be sure of LTE. I would bet that Apple upgrades the processor and camera resolutions. Everything else is just a rumor including NFC and LTE. The one rumor that made more sense than others was that the next iPhone would be both CDMA and GSM. It's a tricky bit of engineering but it would allow Apple to make only one kind of phone with variations on capacity.

      --
      Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
    2. Re:I'm in the same boat by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 1

      The one rumor that made more sense than others was that the next iPhone would be both CDMA and GSM. It's a tricky bit of engineering but it would allow Apple to make only one kind of phone with variations on capacity.

      Really not all that tricky. I still use a 2 year old HTC Touch Pro2 precisely because it is dual mode (CDMA and GSM). I'm Verizon in the US, and GSM in Asia (with local SIM cards).

      --
      Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
    3. Re:I'm in the same boat by UnknowingFool · · Score: 1

      Making a GSM/CDMA phone isn't a breakthrough. I would think making it as thin as Apple wants it to be while maintaining the same or better battery life is going to be tricky.

      --
      Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
    4. Re:I'm in the same boat by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 1

      So... Form over function?

      --
      Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
    5. Re:I'm in the same boat by UnknowingFool · · Score: 1

      Well every phone manufacturer I know is trying to make their phones bigger each year for absolutely no reason. And they want them to have less usable battery life also for no reason.

      --
      Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
    6. Re:I'm in the same boat by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 1

      The Droid 2 Global has dual CDMA and GSM radios, and it's extra thickness isn't a hindrance. Many HTC and Samsung phones have curved/bumped rears for components. If you want to put them in there, they can go - it just means you're willing to sacrifice some form for function. That's all.

      --
      Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
  12. I want it... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    I want the iPhone 5. Do you have the iPhone 5? I want the iPhone 5.

    1. Re:I want it... by midifarm · · Score: 1

      I'm waiting for that youtube video! lol

  13. I wonder how many by Neil_Brown · · Score: 1

    of those 35% would put down money now - sight unseen - for it, as opposed to just saying that they "will" buy it.

    Also, the article does not say where the survey took place - if it were on, and linked to by, a Mac user site, it's perhaps unsurprising that the result is what it is.

    1. Re:I wonder how many by QuantumPion · · Score: 1

      I would if I got some sort of pre-order discount. I mean it's unlikely that the 5 could be a downgrade or worse than the 4. So if you were planning on upgrading why not?

    2. Re:I wonder how many by Mongoose+Disciple · · Score: 1

      Considering the 4 had some well-publicized problems the 3 didn't (whether or not you consider those problems significant in your own case), is your statement based on a belief that lightning can't strike the same place twice?

    3. Re:I wonder how many by arth1 · · Score: 1

      I mean it's unlikely that the 5 could be a downgrade or worse than the 4.

      Yeah, just like it's unlikely that Mac OS X Server 10.7 (Lion) would be a downgrade or worse than Mac OS X Server 10.6 (Snow Leopard).

      Oh, wait...

    4. Re:I wonder how many by atrain728 · · Score: 1

      I would. My 3G is tired as hell. I'd put the money down right now to be among the first in line.

    5. Re:I wonder how many by josh6179 · · Score: 1

      of those 35% would put down money now - sight unseen - for it, as opposed to just saying that they "will" buy it.

      Also, the article does not say where the survey took place - if it were on, and linked to by, a Mac user site, it's perhaps unsurprising that the result is what it is.

      How many of those people are recently past their contract or near the end? That's definitely driving my decision. Personally, I "will" buy an iPhone 5 to replace my 3G. The 3G is over 3 years old tech at this point and showing its age. It's possible I'll get the iPhone 4 but I'll wait until the 5 is released to take advantage of any price drop. I think it's prudent more than anything else and not representative of widespread fanboism. If anything, it would be silly to buy a iPhone 4 now considering you'll be able to get a 5 at the same price a few months from now.

    6. Re:I wonder how many by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Despite those problems (which didn't actually affect many people at all), I doubt many people would call the 4 significantly worse or somehow a "downgrade" from the 3Gs.

    7. Re:I wonder how many by awyeah · · Score: 1

      That's true that it had "well-publicized problems," although my anecdotal evidence from everyone I know that has the iPhone 4 shows that people are generally happy with it.

      --
      Why, no, I haven't meta-moderated lately. Thanks for asking!
  14. Hear me now and believe me later... by Sponge+Bath · · Score: 1

    The power of Steve compels you... to buy a new iPhone.

  15. Apple marketing department by Chrisq · · Score: 3, Informative

    Apple marketing department: Bend over ... this will be a pleasant surprise
    Apple fanboi: Yes please

    1. Re:Apple marketing department by midifarm · · Score: 0, Redundant

      I haven't been let down by anything that I've bought from Apple. Don't be a hater.

    2. Re:Apple marketing department by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How's that iPhone 4 antenna working out for you? Or is that just another 'feature'?

    3. Re:Apple marketing department by MobileTatsu-NJG · · Score: 1

      Apple marketing department: Bend over ... this will be a pleasant surprise
      Apple fanboi: Yes please

      The next day...

      Slashdot: More Malicious Android Apps Pulled from MarketPlace
      Android Fanboy: At least list which ones!! Oh, and.. uh.. we should do damage control. At least we're free to bypass the store to download these apps!

      Fanboys are stupid, faces on stun.

      --

      "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)

    4. Re:Apple marketing department by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      you must not do much with your technology.

    5. Re:Apple marketing department by RazzleFrog · · Score: 1

      I guess you never bought Apple products in the 90s 0 the Gil Amelio days before Jobs came back. OS 6-9 made Windows ME look like perfection.

    6. Re:Apple marketing department by ThatsMyNick · · Score: 1

      The next day...

      Slashdot: More Malicious Android Apps Pulled from MarketPlace
      Android Fanboy: No problem, I can still get the app (if I wanted to), from various apps stores (like amazon, getjar, appbrain, and tens of others)

      Fanboys are stupid, faces on stun.

      FTFY

    7. Re:Apple marketing department by atrain728 · · Score: 1

      I've not known anyone with an iPhone 4 (and I know quite a few) that have even noticed that issue.

    8. Re:Apple marketing department by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They're no longer a company, they're a cult...

    9. Re:Apple marketing department by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Give it a rest. No one mentioned Android. Being a typical overzealous Apple fanboi must really get you down with your paranoia and fear of someone with an alternative opinion. Do you masturbate to a large picture of Jobs by any chance?

    10. Re:Apple marketing department by JBMcB · · Score: 1

      What was wrong with MacOS 7, 8 or 9? 7.6 and 8.5 were pretty lousy releases, but what problems did you have with them? System 6 was pretty dodgy, but compared with it's contemporary version of Windows, 2.1, it was fantastic. At the very least you could use 4MB of RAM without farting around with your config.sys (and autoexec, and win.ini...)

      Overall I was happy with that line of OSes. I ended up running MacOS 8.1 comfortably on my PowerMac 6100/60. Ever try running Windows 98 on a P60? Ugh.

      --
      My Other Computer Is A Data General Nova III.
    11. Re:Apple marketing department by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It works better than any other cell phone I have ever had.

    12. Re:Apple marketing department by jellomizer · · Score: 3, Insightful

      It isn't as much that we follow and bend to Fanboism from Apples marketing department. It is more the fact we really haven't had any real negative experience with Apple products vs. Other companies...

      I have had some products and phones in the past that after I used them I put on my list not to use that company again, unless they have really changed their way...
      Motorola, Compaq/HP, Gateway, Chrysler, GE Appliances...

      Then there are companies that I have had overall good experiences with.
      LG, Samsung, Apple, Toyota, Lenovo...
      So I would buy from them again without having such a critical eye.

      Now it is up to those companies that I had good experience with to prove me wrong. And the ones I have a bad experience with they really need to prove that they are much better then before.

      Apple has consistently offered a quality product which I have been happy with, and was useful. Not to say Apple product was the best product but it is a safe bet that I will be happy with it.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    13. Re:Apple marketing department by symes · · Score: 1

      I love my iPhone4, was completely happy with my iPhone 3G... but I am desparately underwhelmed by my iPad2. First, it doesn't bounce and costs nearly $600 to get repaired. Second, it is pretty useless if you have an iPhone and decent laptop.

    14. Re:Apple marketing department by jo_ham · · Score: 0

      Funnily enough, the iPhone 4 antenna is *better* than the one in the 3G, so even with this supposed "flaw", it is *still* better than the phone it replaced. It only exhibits the signal drop out (i.e., total loss of signal on attenuation) when it's in a region where the 3GS couldn't even get a signal *at all* in ideal conditions.

      Don't let the Apple hate consume you too much, it will chafe your neckbeard.

    15. Re:Apple marketing department by jo_ham · · Score: 1

      OS 8.6 was pretty nifty. Did a lot of heavy-hitting work on that on a 9600/300 (non-linear editing) that the PCs of the time just could not cope with.

      Also loved that you could turn it on and off with the keyboard - something I miss on my modern day iMac, having to fumble around at the back for the switch.

    16. Re:Apple marketing department by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's because you have Stockholm syndrome.

    17. Re:Apple marketing department by Cederic · · Score: 1

      I love your argument. "It's not as shit as its predecessor" doesn't mean that it wasn't still shit.

      Even Apple admitted it was a fuck up.

    18. Re:Apple marketing department by RazzleFrog · · Score: 1

      You mean besides the constant freeze-ups, having to reboot between switching applications, unhappy mac faces at start up. OS 6-9 almost drove Apple out of business which is why Microsoft had to throw a ton of cash at them and Jobs came back.

    19. Re:Apple marketing department by Overzeetop · · Score: 1

      Works better than the color-coded notification ball on the Nexus 1.

      --
      Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
    20. Re:Apple marketing department by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Apple marketing department: Bend over ... this will be a pleasant surprise

      Apple fanboi: Yes please

      You laugh. When the iPhone 5 ships, I won't be surprised by articles bemoaning its lack of support for talking out of your ass.

    21. Re:Apple marketing department by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What was wrong with MacOS 7, 8 or 9?

      Which one of these used to assign memory to programs and worked out that two times 8192K is 6384k?

    22. Re:Apple marketing department by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You must not have 'upgraded' to Final Cut 'Pro' X...

    23. Re:Apple marketing department by jo_ham · · Score: 1

      You will carefully note I did not say that. Both antennas are good - neither has given me any problems when in use, at any point.

      So, from my perspective, the iPhone 3G antenna was excellent, and the iPhone 4 antenna was better than the 3GS one. The only time you could make the iPhone 4 drop a call by attenuating the signal was in areas where the 3G couldn't pick up a signal at all in the first place. In my experience, my iPhone 3G always had signal in marginal places, while my friends with non-Apple phones (often blackberry) could not get signal at all.

      Apple did not admit it was a "fuck up", they responded to the massively overhyped trolling with a dose of PR, like any company would do. Of the perhaps 30 or 40 iPhone 4 users I have talked to, 75% of them have had no signal issues at all. The other 25% said "no signal issues, but I'll take the free phone case, thanks Apple!".

      The only negative reports I saw were on slashdot.

    24. Re:Apple marketing department by Paul1969 · · Score: 1

      Your comment reveals two facts about you:
      1. You have never owned an Apple product.
      2. You have no problem passing judgment on something even though you lack any actual knowledge of it.

    25. Re:Apple marketing department by Totenglocke · · Score: 1

      So, to recap, you don't consider the following to be a "negative experience":

      1) Antenna issues that are a manufacturer defect and when pointed out, the manufacturer blames you for "holding it wrong"

      2) A device where (unless you modify it and violate your warranty) you cannot install anything that the manufacturer doesn't pre-approve of

      3) A device where by the time it comes out (for the current and upcoming generation), it is already several months behind the competitors technologically yet they charge the same (or higher) price for it

      4) A device where to be able to even turn on the phone and use it the first time, you must connect it to a computer first running a specific program

      --
      "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." ~Thomas Jefferson
    26. Re:Apple marketing department by JBMcB · · Score: 1

      > You mean besides the constant freeze-ups, having to reboot between switching applications, unhappy mac faces at start up

      I only had app freezes when using dodgy programs. I had the same number of problems on my Windows machines (and OS/2, for that matter.)

      The OS wasn't killing Apple, their idiotic product stratification was, along with relying on too much proprietary technology driving costs up.

      --
      My Other Computer Is A Data General Nova III.
  16. baa baa by jaymz666 · · Score: 0

    sheep

    1. Re:baa baa by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Insulting people worked great for SanDisk's line of players, didn't it?

    2. Re:baa baa by Baloroth · · Score: 2

      Nah, everyone knows sheep don't like apples. What you got there is more of an equine species, like a horse or more probably a donkey. A male one.

      P.S. Its called a joke, mods and repliers. I feel the need to point this out, which is kinda sad.

      --
      "None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license." --John Milton
  17. Lemmings. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    iPhone, iPad, iWhatwhatever Apple makes. It's nice stuff, but no one likes to talk about the weaknesses of the proprietary itunes tether...

    Gotta give the Apple marketing folks credit though ... I can't think of anything that so many people would purchase without examining it first.

    1. Re:Lemmings. by Neil_Brown · · Score: 1

      no one likes to talk about the weaknesses of the proprietary itunes tether

      I must admit that, having moved from Linux to Mac, I have not yet noticed a particular problem - my music files are stored DRM free, even those which I purchase, and they are stored in a flat filesystem, and so can be easily moved around, or accessed by other programs.

      I used to sync my iPod with Amarok1.4 / gtkpod, and had no problems with either - each synced the iPod perfectly.

    2. Re:Lemmings. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      have you tried syncing with something that's not 5 years old?

    3. Re:Lemmings. by Neil_Brown · · Score: 1

      have you tried syncing with something that's not 5 years old?

      Under Linux, no - has support been broken in the newer products?

      There seem to be guides available, but I have not tried them.

    4. Re:Lemmings. by walshy007 · · Score: 1

      Brief listing of a couple things apple have done here.

      To my knowledge the latest thing they tried was some funky crypto business that as of a year or so ago still hadn't been cracked. No use in buying from a company that is actively fighting against you using their product.

    5. Re:Lemmings. by jellomizer · · Score: 1

      Sure there is a lot of talk about the problems with the iTunes problem. Heck I was just reading a CNN article on how developers are dropping iOS apps because Apple wants to take a cut off of every product/sub app sold threw the app.

      The problem is there isn't a compelling alternative out there yet. Android while having a larger user base has less quality apps.
      Right now everyone is copying Apple. That is good for Apple as lot people will decide to get the Original vs. the Copy.

      Now in order to dethrone Apple you will need a product that is noticeable cheaper 50%+ cheaper or generations ahead of the Apple offering.

      Apple iPhone kicked in because it was a generation ahead of the other smart phones (Even with Edge) out there. It took about 2 years for phone companies to catch up.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    6. Re:Lemmings. by norminator · · Score: 1

      I find it ironic that people use the word "Lemmings" to talk about others who just follow the crowd, seeing as how the idea that actual lemmings commit mass suicide is not true. So by using the word in this way, you're just following what a bunch of people have told you, without verifying it for yourself.

      Of course, for the ultimate irony, I'm just writing all this based on what I've seen other people post on random comment threads, and on what I've read on wikipedia.

    7. Re:Lemmings. by narcc · · Score: 1

      Right now everyone is copying Apple.

      Except for RIM, Motorola, HTC, and a host of other manufacturers.

  18. It's also Bigger and Better by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That would be me, as well. I got an iPhone 3G, which has been in use for the past three years. That means that, by the standards of cell phones, I've had an obsolete phone for two years now. I can't bring myself to upgrade to a 4, knowing that a better model is right around the corner. Even if it was just a faster processor and better camera on the 5, that would still be sufficient cause for me to upgrade once my contract expires, since those would address my main dissatisfactions with the 3G.

    In a nutshell, 'bigger and better' are good enough reasons to upgrade. Since that's a given with the 5, people will naturally want it, even knowing nothing else about it.

    1. Re:It's also Bigger and Better by Joce640k · · Score: 1

      Going from 3 to 5...maybe understandable.

      From 4 to 5, sight unseen...not so much. It's pure one-upmanship by people who think they've got too much money.

      --
      No sig today...
  19. iPhone as a gift by dokc · · Score: 1

    Moreover, 69 percent of consumers indicated that they would prefer Apple’s iPhone 5 as a gift.

    So jewelery and watches are replaced by iPhone. Buyers do not care about how many megapixels has iPhone5 camera, which OS is installed, 3G or 4G... It's just important to have the Apple logo on the device.

    --
    In love, war and slashdot discussions, everything is allowed.
    1. Re:iPhone as a gift by atrain728 · · Score: 1

      If your determining factor on a new phone is megapixels on the camera, a smart phone is probably not the market you're in.

    2. Re:iPhone as a gift by dokc · · Score: 1

      If your determining factor on a new phone is megapixels on the camera, a smart phone is probably not the market you're in.

      I didn't say a word about how I choose a new phone.

      --
      In love, war and slashdot discussions, everything is allowed.
    3. Re:iPhone as a gift by jellomizer · · Score: 2

      Style is important, most geeks do not comprehend that. Sure the tech specs are good, but it comes down to, Do I have a device that make me look professional or a cheap plastic toy that makes me look like I am still a teenager.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    4. Re:iPhone as a gift by jo_ham · · Score: 1

      Yes, yes you did.

      Your appraisal of the way you believe other people choose phones (i.e., by not caring about the specs) speaks volumes for how you choose your own purchases.

      I bet you were one of the many crowing about the "underpowered" iPad with "no connectivity", and how that would mean it would be a total flop. It's not always about the raw specs of the device.

    5. Re:iPhone as a gift by dokc · · Score: 1

      Yes, yes you did.

      Your appraisal of the way you believe other people choose phones (i.e., by not caring about the specs) speaks volumes for how you choose your own purchases.

      As the matter of fact, you are right. It does show how I choose what I buy

      I bet you were one of the many crowing about the "underpowered" iPad with "no connectivity", and how that would mean it would be a total flop. It's not always about the raw specs of the device.

      And you can't be more wrong... A product must convince me before I buy it. And the most important aspect of every product for me is price/performance ratio (performance eq raw power + design + usability + my subjective demands). iPhone/iPad are not even near the top of my price/performance ratio scale.

      --
      In love, war and slashdot discussions, everything is allowed.
    6. Re:iPhone as a gift by jo_ham · · Score: 1

      That's funny, so neither are any of the Android tablets either then?

      The iPad 2 is pretty much the most powerful tablet out there at the moment for the money - not that really has anything much to do with why it sells so well (that would be usability).

    7. Re:iPhone as a gift by semi-extrinsic · · Score: 1

      So, your general point in this discussion is that iphones sell because of superior user experience, and others don't because they are made of cheap plastic? Sure, sounds coherent...

      --
      for i in `facebook friends "=bday" 2>/dev/null | cut -d " " -f 3-`; do facebook wallpost $i "Happy birthday!"; done
    8. Re:iPhone as a gift by dokc · · Score: 1

      That's funny, so neither are any of the Android tablets either then?

      Exactly.

      The iPad 2 is pretty much the most powerful tablet out there at the moment for the money - not that really has anything much to do with why it sells so well (that would be usability).

      My personal opinion is that tablets are just a toys. They are not practical for some serious work and they are too big to be carried around. I prefer having a standard Laptop/PC at home/work plus a smartphone outside.

      --
      In love, war and slashdot discussions, everything is allowed.
  20. Oblig. Futurama by Darth_brooks · · Score: 1

    SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!

    --
    There are some people that if they don't know, you can't tell 'em.
  21. No big surprise... by Super+Dave+Osbourne · · Score: 2

    The masses are hooked on mediocrity in functionality, but will buy anything looking Gucci. Apple may become the first Trillion dollar valuation company in the world based on this kind of blind consumer interest.

    1. Re:No big surprise... by Bob+the+Super+Hamste · · Score: 1

      No they would be the first company to reach a trillion dollar valuation. That title goes to PetroChina which did it in 2007. When doing a Google search it it looks like lots of people think apple may reach a trillion dollar valuation, but how much of that would be speculation (like it was for PetroChina) and how much would be blind faith (the apple fanboi).

      --
      Time to offend someone
    2. Re:No big surprise... by alta · · Score: 2, Interesting

      All the android people come out screaming about all their advanced features and how they're always ahead of apple. But what they don't do is come out screaming about the high quality of their phones. I've got an ORIGINAL iphone. My wife has a 4. I also have a company supplied Galaxy S, and we've both had blackberries. As far as features, the android phones always win. As for quality, dependability, stability, etc the iphones always win. Blackberry used to have that wrapped up, but they've fallen behind on quality in the last 5 years.

      Oh, let me do a good old fashioned fixed that for you:

      The masses are hooked on quality in functionality,

      --
      Do not meddle in the affairs of sysadmins, for they are subtle, and quick to anger.
    3. Re:No big surprise... by shutdown+-p+now · · Score: 1

      Can you be more precise regarding your meaning of "quality"? Do you mean physical construction, lack of software glitches, or something else?

    4. Re:No big surprise... by tknd · · Score: 1

      I call anecdotal bullshit. I've seen plenty of friends with iphones that have cracked screens, dying screens, or buttons that don't work. I also have a friend that is a loyal Apple customer (stood in line just to buy his iphone 4) go through two iphone 4 phones for overheating issues.

    5. Re:No big surprise... by ISurfTooMuch · · Score: 1

      Well, your first mistake is using a Galaxy S as comparison. The various models of that phone had all sorts of issues, the one that comes to mind right now is the faulty GPS on the Captivate. IMHO, HTC makes better-quality hardware.

      I admit that Apple products are quite nice in terms of build quality for the most part, although putting the antenna on the outside was a boneheaded move. And I've even seen that become an issue on the Verizon model, although you have to put your hand on a slightly different part of the phone to cause it to short. Still, the arrogance of Steve Jobs' response to the issue is actually what kept me from buying an iPhone. I was very close, but the way he handled it really pushed me away.

    6. Re:No big surprise... by alta · · Score: 1

      Your first sentence makes me realize that I made the mistake I usually criticize people for. Comparing a particular apple phone, to the entire gamut of android phones. You over generalize when you compare a single model to an entire brand, or multiple brands of phones all at once.

      But I can say that yes, our iphones have both proven to be of better than the Galaxy S, and my boss's Motorola Droid.

      --
      Do not meddle in the affairs of sysadmins, for they are subtle, and quick to anger.
    7. Re:No big surprise... by avandesande · · Score: 1

      What about the soldered in battery?

      --
      love is just extroverted narcissism
    8. Re:No big surprise... by Vrtigo1 · · Score: 1

      I am stuck in the unfortunate position of being responsible for my company's wireless account, which means anytime someone gets a new phone or has a problem with their current phone, they come see me. We have about 150 lines on our account, and I can definitely tell you that company issues iPhones have the highest failure rate. From what I've seen, the failure rate is about 4-5x that of what you would expect to see for a phone someone has paid for out of their own pocket. When you pay for it yourself and are on the hook for that 2 year agreement, you take care of your shit. If the company gives it to you, apparently you don't care because you know if you break it, you'll get another one.

      These people were previously given Blackberries, so maybe they've come to expect their devices to take a certain level of abuse, but I will agree that Blackberry's quality has gone to shit over the past 3-4 years. If you take a 5 year old BB and put it next to a current model - well, it would make for an interesting torture test.

  22. PriceGrabber by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "The figure comes from an online survey of 3,000 US consumers by Experian's PriceGrabber shopping website."

    So 3000 people who answer surveys on PriceGrabber is now an accurate reflection for the market?

  23. As a mac user... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I apologize for our fanbois. What's sad is that as more people move to the Mac OS/iOS platform, more of these idiots are gonna show up...

  24. Duh.. Not rocket science. by GrBear · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Of course I want an iPhone 5.. my 3GS is due for a contractual upgrade, so why not get the 5. I already know what the 4 will do, and each release of the phone has been progressively better.

    It's not like I want to throw away my investments in apps and go to another OS (droid or win7). Sounds like a no-brainer to me, not a cultists mindless decision that commentators make it out to sound like.

    1. Re:Duh.. Not rocket science. by Microlith · · Score: 0

      It's not like I want to throw away my investments in apps and go to another OS

      Ah the lock-in "ecosystem." Isn't it wonderful?

    2. Re:Duh.. Not rocket science. by PhilHibbs · · Score: 1

      The iPhone5 is, for me, the first model that I have very little interest in. I got a 3GS when it was fairly new, and I was lusting over the iPhone4 and agonizing over whether to get one or wait for the Android platform to sort itself out when I genuinely accidentally dropped it and smashed it, so I got an iPhone4. But the iPhone4 has everything... fast, high-res screen, decent camera (for a phone, I know they will never be as good as a proper camera), HD video... what else is there that I need? I don't want a 3D screen, near-field doesn't seem particularly interesting (and I think the audio version is a better idea), really I can't see what must-have features the iPhone5 can add.

    3. Re:Duh.. Not rocket science. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Oh, you saying you can take all your Android apps to the iPhone?

    4. Re:Duh.. Not rocket science. by bennomatic · · Score: 1

      You're slashdotting wrong! You should be slinging ad hominem attacks, defending your choice like a religion, and basically proving the point opposite to your intended point. Your reasoned answer will get you banned, pronto!

      --
      The CB App. What's your 20?
    5. Re:Duh.. Not rocket science. by Kohath · · Score: 1

      He's "locked in" to an ecosystem he likes. Horrors!

      And if he decided something else was better and it's worth the nominal effort and expense of switching, he can switch.

    6. Re:Duh.. Not rocket science. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Of course I want an iPhone 5.. my 3GS is due for a contractual upgrade, so why not get the 5. I already know what the 4 will do, and each release of the phone has been progressively better.

      It's not like I want to throw away my investments in apps and go to another OS (droid or win7). Sounds like a no-brainer to me, not a cultists mindless decision that commentators make it out to sound like.

      no-brainer indeed

    7. Re:Duh.. Not rocket science. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sounds like a no-brainer to me, not a cultists mindless decision that commentators make it out to sound like.

      You describe the decision as a "no-brainer" but argue that it's not "mindless". Hilarious.

  25. In related news... by meridiangod · · Score: 1

    99% of Slashdot users will hate on this story... Sight Unseen.

  26. Really? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    My first thought was the exact same as the above - "What are these people thinking? They know nothing about the product, and yet they're prepared to buy it?!"

    Then it occurred to me:

    1) For plenty of these people, it will be a free upgrade; so why not?
    2) How is this exhibiting any higher a degree of faith in Apple than we do in e.g. Google or Facebook? They are essentially just trusting that Apple will do what they consider to be a satisfactory job, based on the last 4 efforts.

    Also, never forget what caveats they might have in their minds when they answer this survey - e.g. I'm sure they weren't thinking "I'll buy it even if it turns out to be a banana with an apple stamped on it"

    1. Re:Really? by Lumpy · · Score: 1

      "1) For plenty of these people, it will be a free upgrade; so why not?"

      What planet are you from? AT&T / Verizon and Apple have NEVER given a "free" upgrade ot anything other than the basic phones or out of date ones.

      --
      Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
    2. Re:Really? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sorry; my bad. I had assumed a broader spectrum than just US consumers - every other country I have been to gives free upgrades as a matter of course. My mistake.

  27. in that case by nimbius · · Score: 1

    give me 20 minutes, a roll of duct tape, and a stack of business cards...im about to fashion together your new god in record time....and of course, its 5g.

    just make that check out to 'cash'

    --
    Good people go to bed earlier.
  28. Re:That's retarded by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Apple has been making people believe it has been making quality phones for years, so it is a reasonable assumption that the next one will also be a quality product, so it is reasonable for some people to say that they will buy iPhone 5 when it comes out.

    FTFY

  29. This is a stupid thing to complain about by Twon · · Score: 1

    Of course they do! The iPhone has gotten progressively better from the original to the current version; it's not like you're going to open the box for the eventual iPhone 5 and have it contain nothing but a loose collection of wires and poster tack, with a little sign saying "HAHA PWNED." My wife is squarely in this category, since she's still fighting with an increasingly balky 3G whose apps are getting crashier as they expect to have more modern amounts of memory.

  30. Unpossible by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    35% of people don't have a smart phone. This lacks any sort of credibility.

    1. Re:Unpossible by JBMcB · · Score: 1

      I don't. I know quite a few people who don't. I have an android tablet and a cheap pay as you go phone. When I'm not in my car I'm near open Wifi about 75% of the time - I'm not paying $50 a month for the privilege of updating my Facebook page while I drive.

      --
      My Other Computer Is A Data General Nova III.
  31. I'm waiting for it by definate · · Score: 1

    I think the 35% is actually more likely, people who have loved the phones that have come out, their plan contract is completed, and they're waiting for the iPhone 5, to upgrade.

    I know I'm in that boat, as are ~5 of my friends. We've all had them before, and we're waiting to upgrade. We don't want a 4, because then we'll be stuck with it, while the 5 is just around the corner. Which would be annoying. I've liked these phones since the 3, and each model out has been good, so I've nothing to suspect the 5 won't be good. More so, it's upgradin' time. I'm currently paying for the same contract, but without paying off the phone, this means the carrier is making uber monies. I'm in limbo. Apple, at least gimme a time line so I can make an informed choice.

    The 65% are people who might want it later, or are still on a plan contract.

    --
    This is my footer. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
  32. Self-selected sample by JazzHarper · · Score: 2

    I'm surprised that the percentage wasn't higher.

    1. Re:Self-selected sample by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm surprised that the percentage wasn't higher.

      # Don't complain about lack of options. You've got to pick a few when you do multiple choice. Those are the breaks.

      No! they could not find the option that suited them.

  33. 100% of that 35% won't care about crap signals by phonewebcam · · Score: 0

    There will always be a stubborn brainwashed segment of the market that favour style over substance. Had you asked them about crappy design causing signal loss, they'd just tell you how pretty it was. This won't ever change - its a basic trait of some personalities which Apple are exploiting.

  34. So, it's a sequel by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Is this about Apple, or about successful brands in general? What do you suppose would be the percentage that would buy these hypothetical products, sight unseen:

    • PlayStation 4
    • XBox 720
    • A Harry Potter book 8
    • A straight-to-video sequel to any Pixar movie

    I know, "Apple fanboys are all tools", "It's all about the shiny", blah blah blah. But people are always interested in followups to successful products they like. How many /. users are psyched for Linux kernel 3.0, sight unseen?

  35. Replacing their 3GS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    35% of people have a 3GS that they're dying to replace. Not because they need the latest and greatest but because a device you carry for two years straight is getting pretty banged up.

  36. Worthless data? by surement · · Score: 2

    "The figure comes from an online survey of 3,000 US consumers by Experian's PriceGrabber shopping website"

  37. Re:That's retarded by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Correction - Apple has been making underwhelming, inferior phones for some time now.

    Anything that you can't pop open and replace the battery on is crap.
    Anything that blocks signal just because of how you hold the phone is crap.
    Anything with an Apple logo is crap.

  38. voting by roman_mir · · Score: 1

    that's why US was established as a republic and not a democracy, because an average person should not be voting for anything.

  39. Screw that! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I want an iPhone 6!

    and a pony!

  40. I think you don't understand technology by Brannon · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    if you can't figure out that the iPhones are pretty high-quality pieces of engineering.

    That's okay, there are lots of nontechnical people in the world and you are one of them. It's weird that you would hang out on a website catering to nerds.

    1. Re:I think you don't understand technology by RazzleFrog · · Score: 2, Insightful

      This website used to cater to nerds who care about free and open platforms but at some point did a complete 180 to support the most closed and controlled platform in the world.

    2. Re:I think you don't understand technology by jo_ham · · Score: 0

      So you think slashdot is *pro* Apple?

      hahahahaha.

      Cute.

    3. Re:I think you don't understand technology by perryizgr8 · · Score: 1, Troll

      iphones still cannot do basic smartphone stuff like run arbitrary code. its you who is non-technical, if you think iphone is a smartphone. iphone is a dumb phone designed for idiots who wanna look cool. why else would they buy a phone that doesn't even have a fucking file manager? the thing with smartphones is 90% people who think they need a smartphone do not need it. they just need voice, text and the web. if you are one of these people, iphone is ideal. if not, there are many true smartphones out there.

      --
      Wealth is the gift that keeps on giving.
    4. Re:I think you don't understand technology by Duradin · · Score: 1

      "if you can't figure out that the iPhones are pretty high-quality pieces of engineering"

      But the bullet points! Android has better bullet points! Bigger numbers! Won't someone please think of the bullet points!

    5. Re:I think you don't understand technology by MightyYar · · Score: 1

      iphones still cannot do basic smartphone stuff like run arbitrary code

      First of all, they will run arbitrary code right out of the box if you have the developer kit.

      But I presume you mean that you can't download any old binary off of any old web site and run it. Apple would argue this is a feature, but I digress.

      You certainly can run arbitrary code if you aren't completely retarded and just jailbreak the stupid thing. It's been 4 generations in 4 years, and all of them have been rooted successfully.

      --
      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
    6. Re:I think you don't understand technology by Chris+Burke · · Score: 1

      iphones still cannot do basic smartphone stuff like run arbitrary code. its you who is non-technical, if you think iphone is a smartphone. iphone is a dumb phone designed for idiots who wanna look cool.

      While I personally believe that taking into account licensing and other non-technical usage issues is vital when considering whether a piece of technology works for your purposes, actually conflating the technical and non-technical aspects is a step too far.

      So I'm totally on board with hating on the App Store and Apple's control over the platform, and as a technical person that's exactly why I wouldn't buy an iPhone. Yet at the same time it is clearly a smartphone, can clearly run arbitrary code, and can clearly do a lot more than just voice, text and the web. That the arbitrary code must also be approved is a serious limitation imposed by Apple. Sucks, but doesn't make a smartphone not-a-smartphone.

      --

      The enemies of Democracy are
    7. Re:I think you don't understand technology by object88 · · Score: 1

      iphones still cannot do basic smartphone stuff like run arbitrary code.

      Running arbitrary code is what delineates a smartphone from a "dumb phone"? First off, what is the advantage in running arbitrary code? What do you mean by "arbitrary code"? What are you looking to do?

      I've been using my iPhone for about 3 years, and not once have I lamented the lack of a file manager. Now mind you, I'm not toting around spreadsheets, etc, but it's done a pretty fantastic job of managing my music, audiobooks, tasks, notes, as well as myriad other functions. Compiled, purpose-built applications have done a pretty great job of elevating this device above the status of a so-called "dumb phone".

      I'd like to know what arbitrary code you want that can't be put into an application. Or are you bothered by Apple's code vetting process?

    8. Re:I think you don't understand technology by UnknowingFool · · Score: 3, Insightful

      iphones still cannot do basic smartphone stuff like run arbitrary code.

      Except that it can you are a developer. Now it can't run arbitrary code from anywhere but considering how much malware exists for Android, most consumers wouldn't consider that a feature.

      why else would they buy a phone that doesn't even have a fucking file manager?

      Seriously, are you saying the arcane notion of having to manuallly manipulate files == true smartphone OS? So do you consider only languages where you have micro-manage memory registers like assembly to be "real" programming languages.

      the thing with smartphones is 90% people who think they need a smartphone do not need it. they just need voice, text and the web. if you are one of these people, iphone is ideal. if not, there are many true smartphones out there.

      So your definition of smartphone isn't the commonly accepted one where users are allowed to do those things. Instead your defintion is one where users have to things they no longer have to do because of something called progress. So in your world do you have to hand crank your car to start it and need to adjust the engine timing otherwise it's not a true car?

      --
      Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
    9. Re:I think you don't understand technology by dloose · · Score: 1

      If the iPhone had a file manager, you would find another arbitrary (there's that word again) feature it lacks and say that it's the reason the iPhone is dumb. "why else would they buy a phone that doesn't even have a fucking Fortran compiler?"

    10. Re:I think you don't understand technology by perryizgr8 · · Score: 1

      iphones still cannot do basic smartphone stuff like run arbitrary code

      First of all, they will run arbitrary code right out of the box if you have the developer kit and you have overpaid for apple hardware.

      But I presume you mean that you can't download any old binary off of any old web site and run it. Apple would argue this is a feature, but I digress.

      You certainly can run arbitrary code if you are completely retarded and just jailbreak the stupid thing. It's been 4 generations in 4 years, and all of them have been rooted successfully.

      ftfy

      --
      Wealth is the gift that keeps on giving.
    11. Re:I think you don't understand technology by perryizgr8 · · Score: 1

      iphones still cannot do basic smartphone stuff like run arbitrary code. its you who is non-technical, if you think iphone is a smartphone. iphone is a dumb phone designed for idiots who wanna look cool.

      While I personally believe that taking into account licensing and other non-technical usage issues is vital when considering whether a piece of technology works for your purposes, actually conflating the technical and non-technical aspects is a step too far.

      So I'm totally on board with hating on the App Store and Apple's control over the platform, and as a technical person that's exactly why I wouldn't buy an iPhone. Yet at the same time it is clearly a smartphone, can clearly run arbitrary code, and can clearly do a lot more than just voice, text and the web. That the arbitrary code must also be approved is a serious limitation imposed by Apple. Sucks, but doesn't make a smartphone not-a-smartphone.

      it makes the code un-arbitrary. and imo calling something like this a smartphone is misleading.

      --
      Wealth is the gift that keeps on giving.
    12. Re:I think you don't understand technology by perryizgr8 · · Score: 0

      Except that it can you pay 100 dollars every year and overpay for mediocre apple hardware. Now it can't run arbitrary code from anywhere but considering how much malware exists for Android, most consumers wouldn't consider that a feature.

      ftfy.

      So your definition of smartphone isn't the commonly accepted one where users are allowed to do those things. Instead your defintion is one where users have to things they no longer have to do because of something called progress. So in your world do you have to hand crank your car to start it and need to adjust the engine timing otherwise it's not a true car?

      no, my definition of a smartphone is where the user gets to choose (paying the same company thousands of bucks is not choice) what code runs on his device, not the manufacturer.

      --
      Wealth is the gift that keeps on giving.
    13. Re:I think you don't understand technology by perryizgr8 · · Score: 0

      yes, true. the point of a smartphone is that you can theoretically have every damn feature. the iphone is such a restricted platform that you simply cannot create certain kinds of apps.

      --
      Wealth is the gift that keeps on giving.
    14. Re:I think you don't understand technology by That+Guy+From+Mrktng · · Score: 1

      I only could figure it out when I'm not holding it wrong :(

    15. Re:I think you don't understand technology by MightyYar · · Score: 1

      ftfy

      Not really - you just totally changed the argument from "you can't do that" to "you can do that, but I think it's too expensive".

      Since value is relative, I'll just stop. Unless you'd like me to say "nuh-uh!" and then we can go back and forth like that for a while.

      --
      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
    16. Re:I think you don't understand technology by That+Guy+From+Mrktng · · Score: 1

      No, /. is not pro Apple and thats what shills are trying to change. I've read here Apple users that make perfectly coherent arguments for choosing Apple but also you see people that react violently to any claim that Apple is a dud, quote obscure numbers and statistics and always manage to firehose even the most irrelevant articles containing the word iPhone.

      Like the digg ring of circlejerking and the Fark club of approval, Slashdot have an organized group of people that openly promote Apple while the majority of people here just feel sick about the blatant and unsolicited spam. All this while Taco *ca chin* his way to the pagehits bank.

      And you hearing this from that guy in marketing that have several Apple devices, so I must be biased thanks to be immune to marketing poison.

    17. Re:I think you don't understand technology by CheerfulMacFanboy · · Score: 1

      This website used to cater to nerds who care about free and open platforms but at some point did a complete 180 to support the most closed and controlled platform in the world.

      Yeah, people here really like the Kindle. Remember when everybody attacked Amazon for one-click-buy? Now they use it to buy their eBooks.

      --
      Fandroids hate facts.
    18. Re:I think you don't understand technology by m50d · · Score: 1

      Except that it can you are a developer.

      Sure, but you can't write and release an interpreter for a turing-complete language for other people to use. And an awful number of useful things are turing-complete (Heck, if I've read the app store guidelines correctly, a postscript renderer would be in violation of apple policies and they would have every right to remove it).

      So your definition of smartphone isn't the commonly accepted one where users are allowed to do those things. Instead your defintion is one where users have to things they no longer have to do because of something called progress.

      Look, if you can't run arbitrary programs it's not a smartphone. That's the only meaningful feature distinction we can make. Otherwise my old nokia was a smartphone - I could use it to make calls and text and browse the web and play nokia's games and ...

      --
      I am trolling
    19. Re:I think you don't understand technology by perryizgr8 · · Score: 1

      don't you get it? i can, by your logic, argue that my calculator too can run arbitrary code. because, after all, i can just pay millions of bucks and get a majority share in casio. then i can put any program i want into the calculator.
      imposing a (non-trivial) price on the development tools is a serious matter. only devices that can get away with this are special-purpose computers (xbox, ps3, etc). since iphone too require you to pay to develop for it, it is NOT a general-purpose computer, thus it is not a smartphone. again, you might not agree with this because the very definition of a smartphone has been fucked by apple marketing dept.

      --
      Wealth is the gift that keeps on giving.
    20. Re:I think you don't understand technology by That+Guy+From+Mrktng · · Score: 1

      The power point is strong in this one

    21. Re:I think you don't understand technology by MightyYar · · Score: 1

      imposing a (non-trivial) price on the development tools is a serious matter.

      $99 is cheap for development tools, by any objective measure. You'll drop $600-700 on a phone but sneeze at $100 for the development tools? I'm not asking you to drop $6 billion or so on the controlling share of a company - just a Franklin.

      Besides, you don't even need the official development tools - if you have a jailbroken (for free!) iPhone you can use one of the free compilers. Just don't expect the Apple magic shiny stuff.

      since iphone too require you to pay to develop for it, it is NOT a general-purpose computer, thus it is not a smartphone.

      That's a funny definition of a general-purpose computer. People have been running proprietary computers for decades and have considered them "multi-purpose". And since when does "smartphone" get defined in terms of it being general-purpose? Nokia Symbian, Blackberry, Apple, Windows Mobile... these are all smart phones.

      --
      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
    22. Re:I think you don't understand technology by object88 · · Score: 1

      a smartphone is (or was supposed to be) a general purpose computer that fits in your hand and can connect to a cell network. although apple has (thru marketing) changed that definition to "phone with touchscreen".

      The term "smartphone" was coined by Ericsson, for the r380. It ran Symbian and had a touchscreen. Oh, and "users could not install their own software on the device." So what was that about a general computing device? Sounds more like a smartphone is a phone that can run purpose-built applications. Or perhaps a PDA that can connect to a cell network.

      i'd like to have control of my own device. i'd also like everyone to have control of their own devices. i care about other people because the runaway success of iphone impedes on my freedom too. i can't get a nice symbian or windows mobile phone right now. because corps now understand that selling is about tricking unthinking dumbasses, not actually providing a powerful smartphone.

      No corporation is stopping you from getting a Symbian or WinMo device. I'm sure there are even some very nice ones out there, for certain values of "nice". I understand that you're upset that you can't or haven't found something that suits your purposes, but companies are not obligated to fulfill your desires. The success of devices that don't do what you want is not an impingement on your freedom.

    23. Re:I think you don't understand technology by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's because it's "news for nerds that matter", and free and open just doesn't matter much anymore. Most people have grown up and realize they want the best tool for the job, just not the free one in many cases.

    24. Re:I think you don't understand technology by narcc · · Score: 1

      if you can't figure out that the iPhones are pretty high-quality pieces of engineering.

      The success of the iPhone had absolutely nothing to do with quality. Hell, the first one couldn't even manage picture messaging (MMS). How long did it take to get copy and paste on that so-called smartphone?

      This is to say nothing of the astonishingly poor battery life that plagued the thing at least until the iPhone 4.

      The iPhones success is a complete mystery to me. How did the crumbiest phone on the market gain such impressive market share?

    25. Re:I think you don't understand technology by KingMotley · · Score: 1

      I know plenty of androids who can't run arbitrary code.. If by arbitrary code you mean the latest OS update.

    26. Re:I think you don't understand technology by KingMotley · · Score: 1

      Umm.. no. You've described a netbook or notebook.

    27. Re:I think you don't understand technology by KingMotley · · Score: 1

      Thousands of bucks? Come back from fairytale land. A developers license is $99. I have one, do you?

    28. Re:I think you don't understand technology by KingMotley · · Score: 1

      Odd, what kind of app is it that I can't create?

    29. Re:I think you don't understand technology by UnknowingFool · · Score: 1

      Maybe if your information wasn't so out of date and wrong you might have had a point. To be a developer requires that you register with Apple. To publish your code to the store requires the $99 yearly fee. Later you change that to thousands so it seems to me that being accurate isn't as important to you.

      --
      Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
    30. Re:I think you don't understand technology by sydneyfong · · Score: 1

      From the GP:

      That's okay.

      --
      Don't quote me on this.
    31. Re:I think you don't understand technology by dloose · · Score: 1

      the point of a smartphone is that you can theoretically have every damn feature.

      Nope. That's something you just made up.

    32. Re:I think you don't understand technology by perryizgr8 · · Score: 1

      thousands because you pay them for the hardware (the development machine), too.

      --
      Wealth is the gift that keeps on giving.
    33. Re:I think you don't understand technology by UnknowingFool · · Score: 1

      So you get all of your development machines for free? They just rain out of the sky?

      --
      Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
    34. Re:I think you don't understand technology by perryizgr8 · · Score: 1

      no, but i do not overpay for mediocre quality hardware. i get a thinkpad.

      --
      Wealth is the gift that keeps on giving.
    35. Re:I think you don't understand technology by UnknowingFool · · Score: 1

      So you think $599 for a new Mac is paying $1000. And then of course everyone who wants to pay for a computer has to buy new. No one ever buys a used compute, ever.

      --
      Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
    36. Re:I think you don't understand technology by perryizgr8 · · Score: 1

      no, i think paying $599 for a mac is stupid, because you get hardware worth only $299.

      --
      Wealth is the gift that keeps on giving.
    37. Re:I think you don't understand technology by UnknowingFool · · Score: 1

      Then you admit your "paying thousands" for a development machine is not realty grounded in reality but some arbitrary condition you imposed wherein some one who wants to develop iOS has to buy a brand new Mac of your choosing. As for the $299 price, you do realize that Core i5 processor alone retails for about $200 and that neither Dell nor HP nor Lenovo sells a Core i5 desktop your $299. It seems again accuracy isn't your thing.

      --
      Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
    38. Re:I think you don't understand technology by perryizgr8 · · Score: 1

      i admit i like to buy high quality hardware. is it wrong of me to assume that i'll be able to develop software on a machine of my choosing?

      --
      Wealth is the gift that keeps on giving.
    39. Re:I think you don't understand technology by UnknowingFool · · Score: 1

      It's not wrong but unrealistic to think you can dictate terms for development to the platform owners. Want to develop for Windows? You need a Windows machine. Yes mono exists but it isn't complete. Want to develop for Blackberry? You have to use whatever software/hardware they bless. This has been true since the beginning of software development. Why you single out Apple is illogical as is why you feel it is some sort of right that you can dictate their requirements.

      --
      Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
    40. Re:I think you don't understand technology by improfane · · Score: 1

      Seems like Apple fanboys have gone through all your posts and modded you down.

      --
      Slashdot needs Geekcode | Can anyone recommend any good SCIFI? My tastes: Foundation, Startide Rising, CITY, Ringworld,
    41. Re:I think you don't understand technology by perryizgr8 · · Score: 1

      at least one person agrees with me. i don't care about the mods, i have plenty of karma to burn.

      --
      Wealth is the gift that keeps on giving.
  41. Not surprising. by grimmjeeper · · Score: 1

    Apple makes a decent phone that integrates well with other Apple products. The target demographic of Apple is the consumer electronics user, not the serious computer user. They only use computers to accomplish something else. They don't use computers for the sake of using computers. The polished and (reasonably) well integrated user interface is simple and lets them get on with doing what they want to do without getting in their way. The iPhone4 was better than the 3. Apple has a track record of solid and steady improvements, rather than some companies who completely redesign their user interface every time they come out with a major release. *cough* *cough* Microsoft *cough* *cough* When I'm happy with an appliance, I'm very likely to want to buy another one of the same brand when it's time to replace and/or upgrade. I don't see why the iPhone would be any different.

    1. Re:Not surprising. by roachdabug · · Score: 1

      "The polished and (reasonably) well integrated user interface is simple and lets them get on with doing what they want to do without getting in their way. "

      For a long time I preferred iOS for that reason, until Apple's app store stupidity started to affect me directly. For a while if you didn't pay attention it was hard to miss, but things like the delayed approval of the G+ app and the fact that convenient features are actually starting to be removed from apps I use because of the greedy in-app purchase policy bring it all out in plain view. Android is looking more and more appealing, even if it seems to lack the ease and polish of iOS.

      I'm eligible for discount hardware upgrade in less than four months. The only thing that makes me think twice about moving away from Apple now is the money I've already invested in apps and accessories. Most of the apps I can live without, and the rest can be replaced relatively inexpensively, but my car and portable speaker docks which I use daily will be missed.

      A worthy sacrifice, i think.

  42. Give Apple engineering guys credit by Brannon · · Score: 0

    They've built up that brand by doing solid engineering that leads to lots of repeat customers.

  43. I think the politically correct term is... by Gohtar · · Score: 1

    iSheep, just sayin.

    1. Re:I think the politically correct term is... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      iVos Aries?

  44. We already know quite a bit by Quila · · Score: 1

    Choosing to buy now isn't completely a blind purchase. It's sure to have the A5 processor, Bluetooth 4 Low Energy and a dual GSM/CDMA chip. Less sure are a bigger camera with dual LED flash and the exact case design that is supposed to be thinner and lighter.

    If you like these features, and you're looking to upgrade your iPhone anyway, it's a fairly safe purchase decision. It's certainly not buying in the dark.

    1. Re:We already know quite a bit by Joce640k · · Score: 1

      I can understand getting the latest one of your old one breaks and there's not much price difference. What we're talking about here is mass buying, sight unseen and throwing the old one (still perfectly good) in the trash.

      This seems appropriate here: http://theoatmeal.com/comics/apple

      --
      No sig today...
    2. Re:We already know quite a bit by cayenne8 · · Score: 1

      I can understand getting the latest one of your old one breaks and there's not much price difference. What we're talking about here is mass buying, sight unseen and throwing the old one (still perfectly good) in the trash.

      Depends on your definition of "still perfectly good" is.

      I mean, sure, my iPhone 3GS still makes calls, take picture, etc. It goes what it originally did perfectly, in fact...just before my warranty went out, the volume knob on the side fell off...and Apple replace the whole thing with a BRAND new iPhone 3gs.

      However, the newer phones have functionality I wish...front facing camera for video chatting. It also has a better processor...etc. I think the new phones will have the capability to run on either of the types of US phone networks. So, stuff like that make me want to upgrade.

      Also, my cell phone is my ONLY phone...I have no landline...if it hadn't gotten completely replace, I'd be worrying a bit that my current iPhone was starting show signs of battery wear...so, upgrading phones for that was a reason too.

      All that being said..since this is basically a NEW iPhone 3gs that I'm ditching..I might see if my Mom or Dad would be interested in it...

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    3. Re:We already know quite a bit by Score+Whore · · Score: 1

      What we're talking about here is mass buying, sight unseen and throwing the old one (still perfectly good) in the trash.

      Um... no. All they have is "Will you buy an iPhone 5?" And 35% said yes. They didn't actually take anyone's money. Consider if I were to ask you this question:

      "Will you buy <food item of your choice> from <your normal grocery store> next week?"

      You're going to answer yes. Now if you show up and the item is spoiled you're not going to buy it. Because with any question about future events, there is built in caveats. If the iPhone 5 turns out to be a throw back to the 1980's brick phones, or if it causes your sphincter to leak, those 35% won't buy it.

      One key element of communication is shared context. If you chose to ignore that context then that's your problem.

  45. You just don't get it by Brannon · · Score: 1

    if you think the right way to pick a phone is to add up all the numbered features and then take the phone with the highest total.

    Apple customers really don't care about the logo, they care that it is a solidly engineered appliance.

    1. Re:You just don't get it by dokc · · Score: 1

      No, I just wanted to say that 69% of participants in the survey will give iPhones to someone else and they do not care abut anything related to the phone specifications. They do not care about solidly engineered appliance, they do not care about all the features.
      They care only about the logo.

      --
      In love, war and slashdot discussions, everything is allowed.
    2. Re:You just don't get it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's pretty much "wahh, wahh, no one's paying attention to my phone with a user experience like a drunken rednecked step child on methaphetamines".

      I am crazy happy with my iPhone, and I'm pretty shy to warm back up to ANY phone where the carrier has a substantial influence in how the OS is displayed. Android itself might not be fragmented, and it might not be a bad phone OS, but riddle me this: why did none of the carriers spearhead the creation of something like Android?

      If you're answer isn't "because they were trying to stick both of their hands in their customers money-pockets at the same time", you're probably wrong.

      Is there even an Android phone out there with even acceptable integration with my contacts, photos, and music collection? Where there's a good chance I'd be able to upgrade to the latest firmware two years down the line? And no carrier crapware? It's not a point of pride for me to make my phone work. It used to be that way for my main computer, but then I realized I could be reading Slashdot instead.

    3. Re:You just don't get it by Cederic · · Score: 1

      You do realise that you can buy an unlocked Android phone direct from the manufacturer, with no carrier software installed at all?

      You do realise you can install your own version of Android on many handsets, without needing to "jailbreak" them first?

      You do realise that Apple's control of the handset is far more sinister, invasive, arrogant and anti-consumer than any carrier has ever achieved?

      No fucking wonder you posted anonymously, you're on Apple's fucking payroll.

    4. Re:You just don't get it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, I'm just an asshole who's too lazy to do the mountain of work involved in getting a "freedom phone".

      I've yet to see a simple yet comprehensive guide for doing all the things you spoke of in tandem with all the things I spoke of.

      Because I know Apple has one.

      Oh, wait, I'm wrong. It doesn't need one.

    5. Re:You just don't get it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      they care that it is a solidly engineered appliance.

      Oh bullshit, the fact that the antenna issues didn't slow the rate of adoption of the iphone 4 at all is proof that your statement is false.

  46. I'm a 35%-er by Midnight+Ryder · · Score: 2

    I'm one of the folks who's probably going to buy it sight unseen. I could care less about if someone else things I'm affluent because I have an iPhone 5, or if I'm "trendy" because of it, or anything else. And just because it's got an Apple logo in the middle of the back doesn't mean it's worth it's weight in gold either.

    I'm still using a 3GS, and after two years it's starting to get a little beaten up - the screen isn't cracked or deeply scratched, but it's got a few pits here and there, etc. I was going to upgrade to a 4, but I decided to skip a generation since we're so close to the release of the 5. And, since once of the reasons I wanted the 4 was a improvement in the camera over the 3GS (which I use a lot), I figure the 5's camera will more likely than not be slightly better.

    Which brings me to the question: how may of of the 35% mentioned are people who decided to skip a generation because there wasn't a compelling reason to upgrade to a 4, but about the time the 5 rolls around their 3G or 3GS is due for a replacement?
     

    --

    Davis Ray Sickmon, Jr - looking for something to read? Check out my three free novels at MidnightRyder.org

    1. Re:I'm a 35%-er by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I'm in the same boat as you. I have a 3GS that works wonderfully, and I'll buy the iPhone 5, probably a month or two after it launches. How is that sight-unseen? Well, it's not like I'm going to do the slightest amount of research. I just know what I have works great, but it is getting a bit beat up and is having a few functionality issues (antenna range is shorter than before even in familiar situations). I can't imagine the iPhone 5 will be anything but just like the 3GS, maybe a bit better. That is what I want.

    2. Re:I'm a 35%-er by grimmjeeper · · Score: 0

      I could care less about if someone else things I'm affluent because I have an iPhone 5, or if I'm "trendy" because of it, or anything else.

      Really? How much less could you care? A lot? Not much? The way you wrote this post it seems like you intended to say that you couldn't care less. I mean, I personally could care less about bad grammar. A lot less. But I do care. That's why I could care less. It seems to me that there are a lot of people out there who couldn't care less about their own bad grammar.

    3. Re:I'm a 35%-er by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "probably going to buy" != "will buy"
      Is it the summary or the article that's causing the confusion? I didn't read either :)

  47. Its inevitable by PPH · · Score: 1

    We've passed the tipping point.

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.
  48. Social symbol? by Petersko · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The only people that think owning an iPhone is somehow a social symbol are Android users with inferiority complexes. Having an iPhone stopped being unusual years ago.

    1. Re:Social symbol? by coinreturn · · Score: 1

      +7 Most insightful comment of all time.

    2. Re:Social symbol? by DrgnDancer · · Score: 1

      Nor are they any indication of wealth. Anyone who can afford an Android phone can afford an iPhone. They sell the 3GS for under $100 with contract now. You have to be able to afford a data plan of course but that's true of any smartphone.

      --
      I don't need a million points of light, just two points of multi-mode fiber and a 10 Gig-E router.
    3. Re:Social symbol? by lidocaineus · · Score: 2, Insightful

      now explain to me why ipad sells more.

      Because hardware specs do not make a product superior.

    4. Re:Social symbol? by astrodoom · · Score: 2

      Seems like you misunderstand what a status symbol is. At $200 starting with 2-year plan, an iphone is still well outside the price range of a large portion of the population. A status symbol is not something that is unusual, merely a cultural symbol of attaining a certain level. You would in no way expect the workers at your local McDonalds to be sporting iphones. Status symbols are perceptions, not percentages. Status Symbol (wiki)

    5. Re:Social symbol? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There are Android users with inferiority complexes? Maybe they're the ones without a keyboard?

    6. Re:Social symbol? by perryizgr8 · · Score: 2

      no, because superior products do not always sell better.

      --
      Wealth is the gift that keeps on giving.
    7. Re:Social symbol? by eepok · · Score: 1

      *Smart phones* are still not the norm. Most cell phone owners have dumb phones/feature phones. The only reason they seem like the norm is because of their massive profit margins and thus massive marketing to make it SEEM like everyone has a smart phone and thus you need one to be as good as everyone else. (OH NO! Social symbol!)

      http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2011/Smartphones/Summary.aspx

      ""
      83% of American adults have a cell phone and one third of them.
      43% of American adult cellphone owners have a smart phone.
      65% of American adults do NOT own a smart phone.
      Several groups have higher than average levels of smartphone adoption, including:

      The financially well-off and well-educated â"
      59% of adults living in a household earning income of $75,000 or more are smartphone owners;
      48% of those with a college degree own smartphones.

      Even among those with a household income of $30,000 or less, smartphone ownership rates for those ages 18-29 are equal to the national average.
      ""

      Take that last part to heart becase when the luxury purchases of the low-income mirror those of the upper-income, the items purchased are most likely status/social symbols.

    8. Re:Social symbol? by lidocaineus · · Score: 0

      You're pretty much the typical example of a techie who doesn't get usability and functional design, and instead pushes technological talking points above all else (and usually AT the expense of all else). If you spit out those points to a typical person, none of that would matter, or even make sense to them. Products more technologically advanced does not equal superior. It just means they have better tech. When you realize the difference and what how technology ENABLES superiority but does not just blindly grant it, you'll take that brave first step into the real world.

    9. Re:Social symbol? by perryizgr8 · · Score: 1

      Products more technologically advanced does not equal superior.

      then what does? i'll tell you. 'superior' for normal everyday people means "designed by apple".

      --
      Wealth is the gift that keeps on giving.
    10. Re:Social symbol? by lidocaineus · · Score: 0

      You seem to have a hard time differentiating between blind loyalty and brand loyalty due to past performance and experience. Please do us all a favor and toss your fanboy / anti-fanboy rhetoric to the side; it will make your life infinitely better since you will spending less time arguing about pointless specs and more time using the tools you choose.

      And seriously, if I have to explain why tech superiority does not automatically equal a superior user experience, you really need to grow up a bit before you start having adult conversations.

    11. Re:Social symbol? by perryizgr8 · · Score: 1

      nice dodge! please continue contributing to the steve jobs fund!

      --
      Wealth is the gift that keeps on giving.
    12. Re:Social symbol? by adeft · · Score: 1

      Social status is only part of the situation, herd mentality is another.

    13. Re:Social symbol? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That also means that people are buying iPhones so they can hop on the bandwagon. Getting an iPhone 5 not because it has features you want but because all your friends are getting it. By no means is this exclusive to iPhones.

    14. Re:Social symbol? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Then why do my friends constantly keep bring up their iphones and insisting on showing off the latest app, no matter how useless? Iphones are like genital piercings, you have one, good for you, I don't really want to see it.
      And no I don't have an Android

    15. Re:Social symbol? by SpeZek · · Score: 1

      You would in no way expect the workers at your local McDonalds to be sporting iphones.

      Actually, yes, I do. They're the same folks who post pictures on my facebook of them sitting in a leased $30,000 truck with a fan of $100 bills from a payday loan.

      It's a status symbol. People buy it even if they can't afford it, because it makes it look like they can. Smartphones in general are an "investment" in social capital.

    16. Re:Social symbol? by immaterial · · Score: 2

      Because the iPad has a shift key?

    17. Re:Social symbol? by lidocaineus · · Score: 0

      please continue contributing to the steve jobs fund!

      If that doesn't exemplify your lack of adult level conversational skills in one sentence, I don't know what does. Please come back when you're ready to interact at an intelligent level.

    18. Re:Social symbol? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Labeling it as social symbol makes it not a social symbol. Saying or admitting you bought it as a social symbol is not cool, but owning one still is cool to them.

      One of two things causes people to desire these without even seeing them. They are extremely unhappy with their existing iPhone and want to upgrade hoping for something better or.. They do not want to be left behind with something older when everyone else has a newer one. They like the perceived social value of saying look at what I got and dislike the perceived value of saying "I still have the old model but, [insert excuses here why]." which makes them look behind or not with it anymore. Watch the habits of any woman who follows fashion, specially shoes, glasses, and purses. It is the same thing. That new $600 purse they had to have does not hold their belongings any better, safer, comfortably, or more conveniently than the $600 purse they bought last year. They bought the new one to feel accepted in their crowd and they did not want to be left behind. There is very little actual real measurable ways to justify why they bought the new one. At least with the X+1 version of the iPhone/iPad, people can throw out some new feature or something to attempt to justify it. Those justifications seem pretty shallow though, if these new features on the new device were so desirable (enough to want to upgrade without even knowing if the new model is better and in what ways), why did most of the people never complain about the device they had did not have that feature? Right now, their response would be that their current newest model available is 100% perfect, suddenly when a new version is released, it seems not so perfect? Cognitive dissonance doing its thing.

    19. Re:Social symbol? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They still do. And unfortunately, its been linked that iPhone owners are significantly more likely to currently be in debt, contrast to those using a device with Symbian or Android. Its a bit of an ironic twist that iPhone users are the ones most likely to be poor compared to those without one.

    20. Re:Social symbol? by Vrtigo1 · · Score: 0

      If anything - I would say that owning an iPhone can sometimes be exactly the opposite - a 'tard symbol.

      Back when iPhone first came out, it *was* a status symbol and now all the unwashed masses buy them because they think it makes them cool.

      I'd almost say that a high end Android device has replaced the iPhone as the "status symbol" - at least for people who know anything about anything. The iPhone 4 has been out for over a year, and as such is quite dated compared to some of the newer Android handsets.

      The idea that most people cannot afford iPhones is wrong. You can go to AT&T and buy a 3GS for $49. I know people who are unemployed, have trouble buying diapers for their kids, but they're damn sure going to make sure they have the new iPhone when it comes out. It's sad to see what advertising and the perception of a phone as a social symbol does to people....

    21. Re:Social symbol? by semi-extrinsic · · Score: 1

      Actually, you don't need a data plan, we've invented this new great thing called "WiFi". I've been using my Android smartphone for about a year now without a data plan, just paying for texts and voice.

      --
      for i in `facebook friends "=bday" 2>/dev/null | cut -d " " -f 3-`; do facebook wallpost $i "Happy birthday!"; done
    22. Re:Social symbol? by DrgnDancer · · Score: 1

      In the US it's almost exclusively required that you get some sort of data plan to get contract pricing on a smartphone. There may be exceptions for some very low cost models, but to my knowledge if you the phone cheap, you're signing up for two years of data plan.

      --
      I don't need a million points of light, just two points of multi-mode fiber and a 10 Gig-E router.
    23. Re:Social symbol? by stewbacca · · Score: 1

      You would in no way expect the workers at your local McDonalds to be sporting iphones.
      Status symbols are perceptions, not percentages.

      Wait, what the hell? You think a $200 phone with a 2-year contract is out of reach of the average 40-hour a week worker? What are you smoking? Smart phones are the norm, regardless of your social status. Cheap pay as you go phones are the exception.

    24. Re:Social symbol? by exomondo · · Score: 1

      Seems like you misunderstand what a status symbol is. At $200 starting with 2-year plan, an iphone is still well outside the price range of a large portion of the population.

      What country are you in? You can get an iphone4 in australia for $0 on standard 2-year contract.

      You would in no way expect the workers at your local McDonalds to be sporting iphones.

      Maybe not where you live but i certainly do.

    25. Re:Social symbol? by astrodoom · · Score: 1

      I said a large portion, not the average. My whole point was that status symbols are a perception, not based on how many people can afford them.

    26. Re:Social symbol? by astrodoom · · Score: 1

      Really? Here in the U.S. It's 200 with the contract, something like 400-600 without.

    27. Re:Social symbol? by exomondo · · Score: 1

      Really? Here in the U.S. It's 200 with the contract, something like 400-600 without.

      I suppose that explains why they aren't the predominant choice of your local mcdonalds workers ;)

    28. Re:Social symbol? by semi-extrinsic · · Score: 1

      Huh, you can't even get unlocked smartphones on the internet? Talk about "free market benefits"... Where I live (Trondheim), the local university is even running a pilot study with free wifi access covering most of downtown.

      --
      for i in `facebook friends "=bday" 2>/dev/null | cut -d " " -f 3-`; do facebook wallpost $i "Happy birthday!"; done
    29. Re:Social symbol? by DrgnDancer · · Score: 1

      Oh, you can get unlocked phones, but with the exception of T-mobile (who don't discount much), there's no "SIM only" rate on plans. So whether you sign a contract to get a free/cheap phone or use an unlocked phone your generally paying the same amount monthly. So most of us opt to get a discounted phone every two years more or less on principle (we're paying for the company match anyway). Right now in order to get a smartphone on contract you have to also get a data plan (although you can opt for the cheap, nearly useless ones for not much money). Also smartphones tend to be fairly expensive without plan discounts and this was a post about cheap ways to get phones.

      --
      I don't need a million points of light, just two points of multi-mode fiber and a 10 Gig-E router.
    30. Re:Social symbol? by semi-extrinsic · · Score: 1

      +1 Informative

      --
      for i in `facebook friends "=bday" 2>/dev/null | cut -d " " -f 3-`; do facebook wallpost $i "Happy birthday!"; done
  49. iPhone 6b by Arancaytar · · Score: 1

    They should rename it to iPhone 6 a month after launch. A lot of people would buy it again.

  50. Not unique to Apple by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    There are people that will buy a new Ford Mustang when it comes out... because it's a 'stang.

    Choosing a car is a much larger decision than choosing a smartphone, but people are still swayed by brand loyalty. I'm not surprised that brand loyalty is prevalent in choosing a device that you will throw away after 2 years.

  51. One word.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Sheeple

  52. What by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    '35% Consumers Want iPhone 5... Sight Unseen'

    "35% Consumers?"

    Is it possible to be 35% consumer?

    1. Re:What by UnknowingFool · · Score: 1

      I think zombies are rated to be at least 35% post-consumer. . . Thanks, I'll be here all week. Try the veal.

      --
      Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
  53. The brand has value by Brannon · · Score: 1

    because there is now quite a bit of historical evidence of Apple building high-quality, well-engineered products. I can understand why that would be perplexing to you (a) don't mind fiddling with technology to get it to work, and (b) don't understand technology well enough to appreciate good engineering.

    1. Re:The brand has value by dokc · · Score: 1

      because there is now quite a bit of historical evidence of Apple building high-quality, well-engineered products.

      I don't say that Apple products are not "high-quality, well-engineered products", they are. The hype around the products comes from the people who mostly do not have any idea about the technology and engineering behind. They see only the logo.

      I can understand why that would be perplexing to you (a) don't mind fiddling with technology to get it to work, and (b) don't understand technology well enough to appreciate good engineering.

      (c) being embedded engineer myself

      --
      In love, war and slashdot discussions, everything is allowed.
    2. Re:The brand has value by Cederic · · Score: 1

      Nokia has an even longer history of providing high quality well engineered products. I don't see people wetting themselves with excitement about buying a new Nokia phone.

      Ironic, given Nokia's engineering is better than Apple's. Must be the magic of that logo.

  54. Re:That's retarded by jawtheshark · · Score: 3, Interesting

    ... and yet they sell. Perception of a product is very important. People know that iPhones are "good" (enough), they know that everyone and their dog know how to handle them and thus cannot be too complicated to use (whether this is true or not). One final thing that Apple does correctly: restrict choice. That might be counter-intuitive to you, but when you buy an iPhone you know exactly what you get. The only differences consist in how much storage space you have and whether you get the black or the white one. That's it.

    You might think that bad, but in a sense it isn't. How many HTC phones you you have? A shitload and you aren't sure whether the one you get is going to fit. I happen to have a HTC Smart. Bad choice? At first you think it's one of the "good" ones because it really looks like it runs HTC Sense. It was also damned cheap and that should have raised a red flag. Now, last time, I came up with this in a discussion, I got slammed because I didn't get the 500€ HTC running (Desire, etc...). Yes, true... My mistake... Still, if I was going to spend 600€, why not get the iPhone as I know that it is decent quality and easy to use.

    The iPhone has in a sense become the "Windows of Smartphones": The baseline everything else is compared with. To make a phone better than the iPhone it needs to be cheaper (very important! If it's more expensive or on par, the choice falls on the iPhone), as easy or easier to use than the iPhone, and be able to compete on the "apps" (hate the word) that you can install.

    We have one iPhone in the household. It belongs to my wife, and while I wouldn't mind having one myself, I simply cannot justify another 50€/month plan (sure the phone is "only" 49€ then). I keep the crap phone with the cheap plan. My wife, a computer neophyte, has never been so happy with a phone. She now actually uses the Internet on it, buys songs, uses facebook and writes email. Something I never managed to get her to do on her computer.

    --
    Ahhh...the great dumpster continuum. Many a free computer will be found there. -- sowth (748135)
  55. I call on all moderators to mod down the hate by hellfire · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Okay this is just bullshit. First, this is not news for nerds, this is news for:

    1) Apple Fanbois to thump their chest on
    2) Android Fanbois to fires of their hatred of anything Apple
    3) Business Marketroids, who are most definitely not nerds

    Obviously I have to start voting with my eyeballs and look to some other site for quality news. There's nothing of substance in an article like this, it's just flamebait for all the Apple-Android flame wars.

    But just to answer all three groups and point out my utter annoyance with all of them:

    1) Just because you are popular doesn't mean you have the best product. Doesn't mean you don't, but "everyone else is buying it" is a top fallacy that everyone needs to stop using as a badge of honor.
    2) I love how you point out 35% of people are [stupid/easy to fool/lambs to the slaughter/insert overdone cliche] and then out of the other side of your mouth point out how Android phones are more popular in volume than Apple phones. To those of you who do, see #1 and stop thinking you are somehow better than Apple fanbois because you are not, you are 100% just like them.
    3) You are not nerds, get off this site so the nerds can mod these stories into oblivion. /rant

    --

    "All great wisdom is contained in .signature files"

    1. Re:I call on all moderators to mod down the hate by vijayiyer · · Score: 1

      Best post I've seen on Slashdot in years...

    2. Re:I call on all moderators to mod down the hate by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      1) [...] is a top fallacy that everyone needs to stop using [...]

      But everyone else is buying it...

    3. Re:I call on all moderators to mod down the hate by The+Living+Fractal · · Score: 1

      What would be more interesting than this article would be a survey on Slashdot users who come to Slashdot merely to be a part of the fanboi flamewars you so vehemently despise. At that point we would probably have a solid answer for why Slashdot, historically, decides to post news that we all decidedly agree is not "news for nerds" -- revenue.

      --
      I do not respond to cowards. Especially anonymous ones.
    4. Re:I call on all moderators to mod down the hate by chemosh6969 · · Score: 1

      I agree. Let's get back to the endless fighting between linux and windows users.

    5. Re:I call on all moderators to mod down the hate by recharged95 · · Score: 1

      In other news, 65% of people are interested in not buying the iPhone5.

      Really, Apple is #1 in the business currently, you're going to get the blogs, wall street analysts, fanboys and others rooting for Apple as loud as they can much like they just won the Superbowl. But note that there are other teams (i.e. products) out there.

    6. Re:I call on all moderators to mod down the hate by trojjan · · Score: 1

      I agree completely. Only around 1 in 5 stories is worth reading on /. and hardly any of them has any insightful/interesting comments. I am seriously thinking of forking /. into /.fornerds with a clean UI, no stupid flash ads and most importantly 'stuff that matters'.

  56. People would buy anything shiny by bz386 · · Score: 2
  57. Re:Scientists cast doubt on Time Travel by need4mospd · · Score: 1

    Are you inferring that 35% of consumers would time travel for an iPhone 5?

  58. So you were one of the 35% by petes_PoV · · Score: 2

    choose an iPhone b/c it's a good phone

    You've just illustrated the point. The iphone 5 isn't out yet, but you're saying it will be good - simply because that's what you think of the ones that preceded it (all their faults notwithstanding).

    Maybe it WILL be a good phone, maybe the designers and marketeers will have learned all the lessons from past mistakes. Until it comes out, nobody knows. Therefore the only people who would buy it sight-unseen and price-unkown and without knowing what the voice/data package will cost appear to be people who put their faith, willingly, in an untried product without doing any sort of critical analysis or bothering to look around to see what else is available.

    Sounds like you're their ideal customer

    --
    politicians are like babies' nappies: they should both be changed regularly and for the same reasons
    1. Re:So you were one of the 35% by AdmiralXyz · · Score: 2

      I'd like to point out that "temporal continuity"-- the hypothesis that if things happened this way in the past, they are likely to happen that way in the future-- is a fundamental property of the universe. Without it, we wouldn't have causality, and we could not possibly have science. Without temporal continuity, just because F = ma yesterday, who's to say that it will continue to do so tomorrow?

      Obviously I'm not trying to say that the quality of Apple's products is akin to a physical law, but I am saying that believing "Because the previous iPhones were good, the next one is likely to be as well" is not as illogical and a sign of fanboyism as you seem to think. It's a logical, if slightly misguided, extension of something we have to believe in order to function as conscious entities.

      --
      Dislike the Electoral College? Lobby your state to join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact.
    2. Re:So you were one of the 35% by Infernal+Device · · Score: 1

      I have an Android phone. I've looked at many of the other Android phones (the ones I don't have).

      1. I'm just not impressed. Usability is nowhere near what it is on the Apple phones.
      2. Too much fragmentation and no end of that in sight. Every manufacturer has a different version of the OS that's been vendorized. Sorry, not interested in that - I'll handle personalization myself.
      3. Upgrading is a crapshoot w/o buying a new phone. I'm currently stuck with 2.2 and no way to upgrade past that w/o Jailbreaking - which I'm not particularly interested in.

      Yeah, Apple is not perfect. But they are good enough and it's a brand I trust not to screw me over too badly (that's about as good as it gets these days, unfortunately).

      I might buy an iPhone 5, I might not. But right now, I'm leaning toward it.

      --
      "My God...it's full of trolls!"
    3. Re:So you were one of the 35% by jittles · · Score: 2

      You do realize that people with older iphones can't upgrade to the newest versions of iOS, right? And that Apple let people with the 3G upgrade to 4.0 and it caused their phones to be almost completely unusable? So it's not exactly like there is no fragmentation on the iPhone.

    4. Re:So you were one of the 35% by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's what I was thinking.

      "I have no clue what the price is, but for all I know they're charging $1000 for a minor speed/resolution/battery change and style difference... and I'm fine with paying that every single year, discarding a perfectly good working current phone... because I like the status symbol of saying to people that I've got the latest apple toy, so they can ooh and aah over it"

      How is 'sheep' or 'sheeple' not one of the tags for this summary?

    5. Re:So you were one of the 35% by dmmiller2k · · Score: 1

      ... the only people who would buy it sight-unseen and price-unkown and without knowing what the voice/data package will cost appear to be people who put their faith, willingly, in an untried product without doing any sort of critical analysis or bothering to look around to see what else is available.

      Or maybe they just don't know any better: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FL7yD-0pqZg

      --

      "No matter how cynical you get, it is impossible to keep up." -- Lily Tomlin

    6. Re:So you were one of the 35% by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This is a dumb survey, because there's obviously a lot of assumption. Obviously everyone who said yes has unmentioned caveats, such as "The price doesn't require my first-born child." I would assume "it isn't a giant piece of shit" is also in there. The new iPhone will probably be as good or better than the last (as they have trended thus far) and that's what people are using to answer the survey.

    7. Re:So you were one of the 35% by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Are you going to scrutinize people who subscribe to magazines, or a newspaper? What about premium TV channels?

      It's not much different than what's going on with iPhones. People liked what they saw in the past, and are confident that the next product will be as good as the last. IMO

    8. Re:So you were one of the 35% by awyeah · · Score: 2

      You do realize that people with older iphones can't upgrade to the newest versions of iOS, right? And that Apple let people with the 3G upgrade to 4.0 and it caused their phones to be almost completely unusable? So it's not exactly like there is no fragmentation on the iPhone.

      I won't argue the performance aspect... my roommate had a 3G and it basically became unusable until they came out with later versions, and even then it still wasn't great.

      Now, this may be splitting hairs, but the 3G was two years old when iOS 4.0 came out, and the upgrade was still made available, although certain features were held back on that device, likely due to hardware limitations. That's two years of OS updates.

      Android 2.2.2 came out in May 2010, and 2.3 came out in December of 2010, 7 months later, and there are likely some devices out there that will never get a 2.2 -> 2.3 upgrade. (Sorry, I don't have the 2.2.0 release date handy).

      So yes, there's fragmentation on the iPhone, but as of today, there's only one generation of the iPhone that can't run the latest OS. In a few months, that will change of course, the 3G will be 3 years old at that time and will not get iOS 5. The T-Mobile G1 was released in 2008, same year the iPhone 3G was released, it's still stuck on Android 1.6 unless you root it, and from what I've heard, if you do root and update it, it's barely functional.

      This fast obsolescence is nothing new in the mobile phone industry and it's certainly not specific to Apple.

      --
      Why, no, I haven't meta-moderated lately. Thanks for asking!
    9. Re:So you were one of the 35% by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 1

      I have an Android phone....
      2. Too much fragmentation and no end of that in sight. Every manufacturer has a different version of the OS that's been vendorized. Sorry, not interested in that - I'll handle personalization myself.

      Not with an iPhone, you won't. You'll get the user experience that Apple tells you you'll get, and nothing else.

      --
      Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
    10. Re:So you were one of the 35% by stewbacca · · Score: 1

      You've just illustrated the point. The iphone 5 isn't out yet, but you're saying it will be good - simply because that's what you think of the ones that preceded it (all their faults notwithstanding).

      Um, yeah, exactly. Apple has a 20+ year track record of making nice stuff. Why will the iPhone 5 be any different?

    11. Re:So you were one of the 35% by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sorry, not interested in that - I'll handle personalization myself.

      And you're going to do that on an iphone how?

  59. That's misleading, yes? by dmomo · · Score: 4, Insightful

    No. Not 35% of consumers. 35% of people who filled out the survey. There is no qualification of the sample in the article. Who knows how they were chosen?

    35% seems shockingly high. Shockingly convenient for a who-the-heck-are-you website that could really get attention.

    1. Re:That's misleading, yes? by Attila+Dimedici · · Score: 1

      Exactly my thoughts. I am not convinced that 35% of consumers want a smart phone, let alone want an Iphone. What percentage of consumers don't even want a cellphone of any kind?

      --
      The truth is that all men having power ought to be mistrusted. James Madison
    2. Re:That's misleading, yes? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "that 35 percent of nearly 3,000 US consumers surveyed online." From article.

      While they may be consumers in the real world online answering an online survey they are online answerers of an online survey and you are guessing how Experian phrased the questions.

      Are you interested in an iPhone 5? Y/N

      is quite different from

      Are you interested in an iPhone5? Android 3.0? Other make? Not interested in owning a cellphone?

    3. Re:That's misleading, yes? by chemosh6969 · · Score: 1

      Is it really that high for Apple fans? I don't think so. Have you seen the lines for their things on release day?

    4. Re:That's misleading, yes? by dmomo · · Score: 1

      No. Not that high for apple fans. This was sort of my point. The title made it seem as if it were 35% of all consumers. Shocking and misleading.

  60. Cool Stuff by kakyoin01 · · Score: 1

    With any cool new tech toy, people are going to want it. Consumers like cool things. Consumers are also interested in getting in on the latest and greatest (they aren't necessarily dumb, they are more likely ignorant). Besides, how accurate are those survey results? What if not much thought was put into the participants choosing the right answers? Keep in mind also of the halo effect: Apple makes a great product, consumer purchases that product; suddenly, all Apple products become awesome in that consumer's eyes. This goes for anything else too.

    --
    The more you know, the more you have to say and the more you should listen.
  61. No surprises here. by kelemvor4 · · Score: 1

    As I've often been flamed for saying before, Apple product sales have very little to do with quality or features yet have everything to do with the current fad of apple being "cool". This just goes to prove that 35% of apple users openly admit it since they don't know what will be in the iphone5. Reminds me of that skit on the onion where the guy says "I'll buy anything if it's shiny and made by Apple."

  62. This website has covered a lot more than GNU/Linux by Brannon · · Score: 4, Insightful

    for its entire history--it has covered all manner of technology (closed or not). The PS3/Wii/Xbox are all far more closed platforms than iPhones, and they've all gotten plenty of ink here. The space shuttle program has also gotten a lot of ink, I assume you don't believe that's an open platform, do you?

  63. Re:That's retarded by PhotoJim · · Score: 2

    Any company that sells locked phones without having factory unlocked phones available is crap.

    Give kudos to Apple here - you can buy an unlocked one without any hacking required. Just click on "buy" on the Apple site or pop into an Apple store.

    I'm changing carriers when my contract is up in early August and it's literally just going to be a SIM card change and a number port and I'll be up and running with my existing device and still be contract-free.

    The battery issue is somewhat annoying, but I can see why Apple preferred to have a hard-to-remove back to preserve the ergonomics. Besides, with decent care (frequent charging) my iPhone 3G battery, now 3 years old, still works pretty well.

  64. kernel upgrade site unseen by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So do you ever upgrade your kernel sight unseen?

  65. There's a big difference between saying it... by AC-x · · Score: 2

    ... and actually doing it. How many of those 35% that responded will actually go out and buy one as soon as it comes out? Not many I'd suspect, even if only because most will still be bound by contracts etc.

    1. Re:There's a big difference between saying it... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You underestimate Apple fanboys!

  66. Why would that be a surprise? by nedlohs · · Score: 1

    Lots of people get a new phone every X years and if they currently like the iPhone and possibly have a bunch paid for apps that only work on the iPhone then of course they'll buy an iPhone 5. Unless when it comes out it really sucks, but that's unlikely given Apple hasn't screwed it up yet.

    If asked I'd say that yes I'll be buying Mass Effect 3 (though most likely after it has been out long enough to be discounted) even though for all I know they could release a tetris/tower defense hybrid and call is Mass Effect 3. I liked the first two so it seems a fair bet. I won't be pre-ordering and I'm sure these people aren't suggesting they'll pay for it right now before the hype starts...

  67. Re:That's retarded by Stenchwarrior · · Score: 1

    I agree with you to a point. I have an iPhone 4, but I wouldn't use it if I didn't know how to jailbreak it. To me, an unlocked iPhone is just a really nice paper-weight. But OTOH, I am a technical person. I can see how the lack of choices would appeal to the masses and thus why the Apple stuffs sell so well. My wife and daughter use a MacBook and absolutely love them. Of course, that was AFTER I hooked it up to my exchange server so they could get email and installed all the other MS products so it was more like their old PC. But whatever. And when something breaks on them they come to me rather than going to the "Genius Bar" (laughable), not because I know anything about them, but because I'm technical and, more importantly, tenacious enough that I bang my head against it long enough to figure it out. Again, not the masses. But that's OK and that's how Apple has made their billions. Clearly there's something out there for everyone.

    --
    Loading...
  68. They want MORE SPEED by Beat+The+Odds · · Score: 1

    That 5G is gonna be BLAZING FAST!!!!

  69. PROOF! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That Apple customers only buy Apple junk because it's trendy and cool. Why else would they by second rate hardware that's slower and crappier than real computer maker stuff, for twice the priceseses.

  70. Re:Well, if you don't want one then don't buy one by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I completely understand RF, and since my bone marrow is actually sequestering the iron that makes it into my blood stream (isn't cancer a wonderful thing?) - I block/absorb more RF than most people.
    But I have never had the problems that the Apple iPhone did.
    I have tried holding my phone in almost every conceivable way and still haven't caused calls to be dropped.
    Slashdot isn't as technical as it used to be btw.

  71. because a 5G phone has got to be better then the 4 by Locutus · · Score: 1

    and the percentage sounds about right for this kind of blind stupidity.

    LoB

    --
    "Anyone who stands out in the middle of a road looks like roadkill to me." --Linus
  72. Liars! by dishpig · · Score: 1

    Bullshit. No one likes new tech. We always prefer the older, slower, known quantities of grandfathered hardware. It comforts us in our dotage.

  73. Futurama already had this nailed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-D7bVxhQB0

  74. Well...I might by btk1137 · · Score: 1

    My iphone 3G is getting 'phone Alzheimers' (It may have been dropped a few times as a child...and adult), therefore I think it's getting about time to take it out back with the shotgun and bring home a cute new iphone 5

  75. Where the hell are my mod points? by jamrock · · Score: 1

    Nice summation of the idiotic Android/iOS fanboy mentality. I salute you sir.

  76. Re:That's retarded by donny77 · · Score: 2

    Quit believing what other companies tell you. I don't care about the user replaceable battery. Why? Because in 3 years of using iPhones I've never run the battery down all the way. Not once. The fact that other phones "require" you carry a second battery is their problem, not Apple's.

  77. Reading comprehension? by Petersko · · Score: 0

    "blah blah blah samsung galaxy tab 10 blah blah blah... now explain to me why ipad sells more"

    I said nothing other than that the iPhone hasn't been a status symbol for years. Your brain filled in all the ridiculousness required to leap all the way over here.

    I'll bite anyway. Could it be because of the huge number of mature, high quality applications that attract users as opposed to technical pinheads?

    Naw... that couldn't be it.

    1. Re:Reading comprehension? by perryizgr8 · · Score: 1

      I said nothing other than that the iPhone hasn't been a status symbol for years. Your brain filled in all the ridiculousness required to leap all the way over here.

      read the first line of my comment. i explain why your assertion is wrong.

      Could it be because of the huge number of mature, high quality applications that attract users as opposed to technical pinheads?

      is there any "mature, high quality application" that is available for ipad but not for android? i doubt it.

      --
      Wealth is the gift that keeps on giving.
  78. Re:That's retarded by BitZtream · · Score: 0

    Anything that blocks signal just because of how you hold the phone is crap.

    $100 says that even when you hold the iPhone4 'wrong' so that it gets bad reception ... it still beats the ever living fuck out of whatever you own.

    There are 3rd party tests by plenty of geeks to confirm what is reality versus your wet dreams.

    Yes, reception drops off when you hold it ... and its STILL BETTER THAN 95% of the phones out there by a large margin.

    --
    Persistent Volume manager for Kubernetes - https://github.com/dwimsey/openshift-pvmanager
  79. Mindless Apple fanboys - video by Animats · · Score: 1

    Next Media Animation in Tapei has Apple fandom covered. "When the Iphone 5 comes out, I'm screwed".

  80. Re:Scientists cast doubt on Time Travel by devleopard · · Score: 1

    Just a matter of experience. I've gone through 2 iPhones, have invested significant amounts of $$ in apps, and they just work. I know, based on experience, that the next one will be a similar experience: I'll plug it in (100% certainty it'll be same cable), it'll sync my apps, and it'll look and feel like my last phone, only a bit faster and shinier. Had a similar experience with my iPad - had to sell my first iPad, recently replaced it with an iPad 2. Plugged it in, and it synced .. so I had essentially the same device I had several months ago.

    We could get into the details people always rage about - the tweak-necessary nature of Android, whether or not Android has superior hardware, Android security issues, the philosophy of openness, Apple's gaffe with location data, etc, etc ... but the reality is none of that matters. To geeks, maybe. (Hell, I'm a geek .. I spend more time writing code everyday than your typical Slashdotter, and I can see past those issues.) The key is customer experience. Apple, for better or worse, has built up an ecosystem that makes this happen. I dropped my phone, cracked the screen, made an appointment, had a new screen within a couple of hours. Android? Well, I'd have to get online, do some searching, and hope I found a shop that did service. And hope my particular model's replacement parts were in stock. You can't overcome that experience with a free nav app inside of Google Maps.

    If Google (or someone else.. Amazon?) can build up that ecosystem, I'd probably commit to buy sight unseen.

    --
    The best thing about a boolean is even if you are wrong, you are only off by a bit.
  81. Re:Well, if you don't want one then don't buy one by ColdWetDog · · Score: 1

    You realize, of course, you're being trolled. Somebody got a long time out in the basement and is taking out their frustrations on the Internets.

    --
    Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
  82. Re:First post! by CheerfulMacFanboy · · Score: 1

    Gee, you've just proven the AC wrong - how else could he have gotten his anti-time-travel post in before your first post, if not by time travel?

    --
    Fandroids hate facts.
  83. Re:That's retarded by kevinmenzel · · Score: 1

    Congrats, I'm glad you've never been away from power for an extended period of time in the entire time you've owned your iPhone. Whereas some people do things like travel, or hike, or camp, or what have you.

    I've only drained my battery completely a few times on my blackberry, and that was due to heavy usage across multiple days of not charging my phone, but I'm STILL glad I have a user accessible battery. Why? The one time I accidentally got my phone soaking wet, I was able to pull the battery quickly, and as a result, my phone and everything in it still works perfectly fine. It also means that there's no reason for my phone manufacturer to complain that SIM cards are too big, since a regular SIM card fits great under a battery. Which makes it a hell of a lot more convenient for international travel.

    And neither of those things has anything to do with "what other companies tell me." I just, on a frequent basis, encounter use scenarios across all my devices that Apple devices would easily bite the dust on.

    Which of course pertains to the original article. I'm not going to buy something without any information on it from ANY company, because I know my damn use cases, and I want a tool to meet my requirements, not define my requirements.

  84. Re:Well, if you don't want one then don't buy one by amicusNYCL · · Score: 2

    but many people don't care about replacing the battery and they'd rather not have some rickety plastic door on it that pops open all the time.

    Those are your only choices with Apple? You either get a non-serviceable battery, or a rickety plastic door that pops open all the time? Why can't Apple design a battery cover that stays attached to the phone like every other manufacturer has managed to do? Is that one of those copy-and-paste things, where Apple will eventually come out with a feature long after everyone else has it and then say they do it "better"?

    Every phone blocks signal based on how you hold it--I can understand why that isn't obvious to you but this is a technical website so you probably shouldn't hang out here if you don't care to understand basic RF.

    If you're going to be technical, then the phone doesn't block anything, your hand does. But, only with the iPhone was your hand actually touching and shorting the antenna.

    It is really totally okay if you don't want to buy Apple products and you don't understand anything about technology or engineering

    Wow. God help us when Apple's customer base are considered the elite technical/engineering crowd. Apple designs their devices to be extremely simple to use, not technical, designed and marketed for simple people. While generally impressive under the hood, they are marketed with simplicity in mind. I don't know if you heard, but Wozniak doesn't work there any more.

    --
    "Our two-party system is like a bowl of shit looking at itself in a mirror." - Lewis Black
  85. Less risk going with the iPhone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    One of the things I like most about the iPhone is that Apple sells a whole lot of them. That means that if there's a problem, millions of people will be upset with Apple until they fix the problem. That also (in theory) pushes apple to get the product right the first time.

    Before getting the iPhone 4, I had a Samsung Glyde. I thought it would be a great phone. It wasn't. People quickly found out that it was a turd and stopped buying it shortly after its release. Support from the manufacturer was pretty much non-existent. That's part of the reason why I avoid Android phones (for now). If I happen to get the turd Android phone that the carrier and manufacturer don't want to support, I'm stuck for a few years. But the manufacturers and carriers don't care because in a month they come out with the newer, improved phone and people forget about the turds. I have less fear about getting a turd phone from Apple.

  86. Re:Well, if you don't want one then don't buy one by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Sounds like you have more important things to worry about than why some people like a phone that you don't like.

  87. They know nothing about it? by bickle · · Score: 1

    They know nothing about it? Hardly. Quite a bit is known. The iPhone has been around for 4 generations of devices, each one being an extension of the last. Generation 5 will be an extension of gen 4. So already there is quite a bit known.

    The summary and article is just a bunch of FUD.

  88. "Even though they know nothing about it" by strotz · · Score: 1

    One could make the argument that they have a pretty reasonable expectation, based on past performance, that the new product will be similar to existing offerings but with as-yet-unspecified improvements. If you asked people whether or not they intended to buy a phone produced by an unknown company with no track record then, indeed, they would "know nothing about it." Not the case here.

  89. Re:That's retarded by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ROFL - whatcha smokin there fanboi?

    I know for a fact that I could travel to 90% of the places I travel to, and my phone had signal while a friends iPhone didn't.

    Yup, it's true. The carrier at the time (AT&Fail) didn't cover the zones I traveled in, except for along the interstates.
    Once my friend switched to Verizon, it was closer to even, but his iPhone still required more signal to get the same call quality.

    While I know you were trolling, I thought I'd correct your incorrect statement.

    Have a nice day fanboi living in fanworld, drinking the fanaid.

  90. Re:Scientists cast doubt on Time Travel by That+Guy+From+Mrktng · · Score: 1

    35% would sell a kidney! for a good place on the line. Whats the point of getting an iDevice w/out the "human moth" ritual?

  91. I'm going to hold out by backwardsposter · · Score: 1

    I'm going to hold out on this and wait for the iPhone20 (to go with my Mach 20). I expect good things from such high numbers

  92. Re:That's retarded by kevinmenzel · · Score: 1

    If you press any carrier in my country (Canada), they will eventually admit that when it comes down to it, they get more reports about dropped calls from iPhone users than anyone else. I have friends who have finally gotten so sick of worse reception or frequent dropped calls that even though they found various iPhones acceptable, they are moving away from Apple in the next few months.

    And frankly, I wouldn't mind that $100 because I already know that my Bold 9700 gets better reception than an iPhone 4. I did extensive tests with a friend's phone one day in my basement, and with various methods of holding in exactly the same location on exactly the same number, the iPhone dropped calls WAY more often than the BlackBerry did.

  93. Lets all sing along... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Old McJobs had a store, EE-I-EE-I-Oh
    And in that store he had some SHEEP, EE-I-EE-I-Oh...

  94. So... by Brannon · · Score: 1

    The hype is justified if you understand the technology, but since most customers don't then the hype from them is unjustified? Do you have any idea how that sounds?

    Even non-technical people can appreciate good engineering. You don't have to know how bridges are built to appreciate that good ones don't collapse and bad ones do. If you then associate the good bridges with the companies that made them, does that mean that you only care about that company's logo?

    1. Re:So... by dokc · · Score: 1

      The hype is justified if you understand the technology, but since most customers don't then the hype from them is unjustified? Do you have any idea how that sounds?

      The hype can't be justified by any means. Do you have any idea what is hype: http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hype
      It's pure propaganda and it doesn't have anything to do with quality or engineering.

      Even non-technical people can appreciate good engineering. You don't have to know how bridges are built to appreciate that good ones don't collapse and bad ones do. If you then associate the good bridges with the companies that made them, does that mean that you only care about that company's logo?

      If you have bridge company A and bridge company B who make "uncollapsible" bridges do you really care who made the bridge?
      What is that with you and Apple engineers? Do you think that Apple engineers are the only good ones in the world? Do you think they are better then RIM, Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, LG, ... engineers?

      --
      In love, war and slashdot discussions, everything is allowed.
    2. Re:So... by Brannon · · Score: 1

      > If you have bridge company A and bridge company B who make "uncollapsible" bridges do you really care who made the bridge?
      What is that with you and Apple engineers? Do you think that Apple engineers are the only good ones in the world? Do you think they are better then RIM, Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, LG, ... engineers?

      Have you compared a Motorola Xoom to an iPad2? One of them is a collapsed bridge and the other isn't.

    3. Re:So... by dokc · · Score: 1

      Have you compared a Motorola Xoom to an iPad2? One of them is a collapsed bridge and the other isn't.

      Have you compared them?
      What means "collapsed bridge" for you? Have you tried Motorola Xoom and it exploded in your hands?

      --
      In love, war and slashdot discussions, everything is allowed.
  95. Who cares what you call it? by Brannon · · Score: 2

    Do you think anybody buys an iPhone because they were tricked into thinking they could do some C++ coding for it right out of the box?

    The technology is impressive and well-executed. If it isn't something you want, then don't buy it (there are alternatives). I don't see why you have to shit all over anyone who makes a different value judgement about what they want from a phone.

    1. Re:Who cares what you call it? by perryizgr8 · · Score: 1

      i hate it because the buying decisions of my fellow humans affect me too. for example, symbian and winmo are dead. they were proper smartphone platforms. android phones are being locked down (although this will not continue for long, it think). all this is a direct consequence of iphone misleading people into thinking it is a smartphone.

      --
      Wealth is the gift that keeps on giving.
    2. Re:Who cares what you call it? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That sucks to be you.

      And no, WinMo was NOT a proper smartphone platform. It was a steaming pile of shit. There's a lot more to being a "smartphone" than just running "arbitrary code".

    3. Re:Who cares what you call it? by sydneyfong · · Score: 1

      Seriously, if everybody stopped categorizing iPhones as "smartphones", and instead calls them "foobar phones", will you be happy?

      Because most consumers don't really care whether they can run arbitrary code on their phones, and most consumers don't care whether their phones are "smart phones" or not as long as they can play Angry Birds on them.

      Frankly, sucks to be you. You really can't change the purchasing preferences of people around you just by arguing online about the proper definition of a smartphone -- people won't buy something else instead of their iPhone or locked-down-android just because you redefined the "smartphone" term.

      The world doesn't work that way.

      --
      Don't quote me on this.
    4. Re:Who cares what you call it? by improfane · · Score: 1

      You are absolutely correct. I honestly don't understand the Apple religion either.

      I am shocked how many people don't understand your original post. It's beyond me why it's marked troll. Maybe it's Apple shills?

      --
      Slashdot needs Geekcode | Can anyone recommend any good SCIFI? My tastes: Foundation, Startide Rising, CITY, Ringworld,
  96. Re:That's retarded by Joce640k · · Score: 1

    How does a hard to remove back improve ergonomics?

    My Samsung Android has a removable battery and there's no screws or anything. There's is is a half-inch-long gap between front/back at the bottom, barely wide enough to get your fingernail into. You insert something in the slot, twist, the back pops off.

    I've seen others where the back slides downwards if you press it just right. When it's closed there's no gap anywhere.

    In short, the whole "ergonomics" thing is bullshit ... and you've swallowed it as gospel simply because Apple has repeated it enough times. Go back to your flock of sheeple.

    --
    No sig today...
  97. Re:Scientists cast doubt on Time Travel by morgauxo · · Score: 1

    If only it worked that way. Then the iPhone7 would flop and the world would be rid of the iPhenomenon.

  98. I'm in the 35% by tompaulco · · Score: 2

    I'm in the 35% that wants the iphone 5 to be an unseen sight.

    --
    If you are not allowed to question your government then the government has answered your question.
  99. 35% of Consumers found to have heads up their .... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    At least 35% anyway, but probably more than that.

  100. 35% to 50% by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Roughly 50% are under average intelligence .... you do the conclusion.
    This is marketing not news - anyone gonna check that these people were honest? I make it a principle to lie on any survey.

  101. Amplitube. by Petersko · · Score: 1

    Amplitube. And scads of other applications for musicians that don't work on Android because of latency issues.

  102. Re:Scientists cast doubt on Time Travel by That+Guy+From+Mrktng · · Score: 1

    Hipsters in the dystopian 2050 will use iPhones 1G bolted awkwardly (you know, holding it wrong) to their faces as a rebel sign against the oppression of the Big Apple Brotherhood and the persistent iTelescreen watching incessantly from every corner, since every corner of this brave new world have a Min-iStore.. all of them tripleplusgood.

    Yes, future int the hands of Apple is so fucked up that hipsters are the closer thing to a guerrilla.

    Coomand line is a toughcrime
    Linux is oppression
    We have always been at war with Oracle
    Successful campaigns in the Microsoft front
    Production of earbuds have increased 5000%

    WHATS NOT TO LIKE!!?

  103. Why not? by phorm · · Score: 1

    There's a bit of a lock-in to having a bunch of stuff already in the app-store/iTunes.

    My fiancee has been looking at getting an iPhone 4. She's got a lot of apps she uses on the iPod, and was looking at a "Galaxy S2" VS "iPhone 4." I mentioned that the 5 is probably coming out, and would expect some features to include a multi-core processor etc in order to stay competitive with the newer Android phones. So does one consider iPhone5 as a competitor for the other phones, or mainly against the iPhone4? For those that are looking a "new iphone", it makes sense to at least wait until the 5 is out and then see if the full features list warrants an upgrade.

  104. Re:That's retarded by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If that many people want to upgrade site unseen and don't even know what is new and updated with it, they must not be happy with the current phone they have now.

  105. Pavlov Rules !!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Sad about your life though

  106. Bullshit by Brannon · · Score: 1

    People buy iPhones because they are well-built with a user-friendly interface and a well-executed ecosystem for media (tv/movies/music/apps) across iOS products (iPad/iPhone/AppleTV). iPhone [generally speaking] don't want to tinker with their phones or write code for them.

    You are mad that what the majority of people want is not what you specifically want. You want something you can fiddle with and hack at. And that's great, but it is unreasonable for you to expect the rest of the consumer world to subsidize your desire to tinker.

    Apple has not misled anyone. People are getting exactly what they want and paid for. It just isn't what *you* want.

  107. Apple Nokia by Brannon · · Score: 1

    Nokia does have a proud history and they rode the value of that brand quite a while after they stopped making the best smartphone on the block. What existing product do they have which is comparable to an iPhone4 or an iPad2?

    Apple is still making excellent products. If they stop making good products and then 3 years later people are still buying it then you could maybe make a case that they are buying it "just for the logo".

    The "just for the logo" crowd is just so outrageously stupid. The logo has basically been unchanged for about 30 years--during which time Apple has nearly gone out of business several times (coincidentally when they were making crappy products)--why didn't the "logo" save them then? Why don't other companies get themselves magical logos if it is that frickin easy?

  108. i want the one with the most gee bees by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'll just leave this right here.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FL7yD-0pqZg

  109. Re:Apple Nokia by Cederic · · Score: 1

    Nokia has a number of Symbian phones that are in engineering and quality terms at least the equal of the iPhone.

    Apple's logo is currently fashionable. It wasn't in the past, but it is now. Excellent marketing (and adequate design coupled with excellent software support) of the iPod caused that; the phones have leveraged that and Apple has continued with its marketing excellence.

    The devices themselves are by no means shabby, but don't dismiss the power of that status boasting logo.

  110. It's going to be over twice as fast by Quila · · Score: 1

    for the CPU and IIRC 7 times as fast for the graphics, all at the same price. A lot of people dump their current computing products for something like that.

    Basically, "sight unseen" is irrelevant here. We know it's basically going to kick-ass. There is almost no chance that it won't. It's a pretty safe bet to say you'd buy it, especially if you're already invested in the ecosystem. Love that lock-in.

  111. How many % doesn't want one? by KreAture · · Score: 1

    I for one would like to know how many don't want one, regardless of changes.
    I assume it will still be overpriced and hyped as well as limited and very easy to break.

  112. You just don't understand technology by Brannon · · Score: 1

    ...that's the fundamental problem.

    You think the value of a technology is measured by gigabytes and megapixels but in fact the point of all technology is to improve the quality of life for some human. Nokia's symbian phones might have some good engineering but they don't have the full package the way Apple's products do, with great hardware, great software and a large & well-executed media-delivery ecosystem (tv/movies/music/apps/books/etc.) on a platform which extends elegantly across phones/tablets/computers.

    Because you aren't capable of understanding the complete story of how that technology really affects peoples lives then you are left grappling from some explanation of the overwhemling success Apple's had--and so you dismiss it as "good marketing" with a "trendy logo". It's sad and pathetic.

    1. Re:You just don't understand technology by Cederic · · Score: 1

      Hmm. How would a locked down device that wont run software I want to run and doesn't give me input mechanisms that I want affect my life in a positive, constructive and more beneficial way than other technology that does meet those needs?

      Trust me, Apple's success is very heavily related to their marketing prowess and their trendy logo. I don't need to know a thing about technology to understand and realise that.

  113. It's Time by npsimons · · Score: 2

    Many, many moons ago (see my UID), this was a site founded about open source (with emphasis on Linux), science, and technology (with emphasis on IT). It was good, and attracted many interesting and smart people. The articles weren't always the best, but you could read comments from people who were knowledgeable in their field, and learn about really cool things you otherwise would never hear about.

    But then, MS started to astroturf, and with popularity came misinformed bigots and those ignorant of science and the reasons for Free software. Microsoft and most of their shills have been (rightfully) discredited, but there has been a resurgence in people too blind to look past their brand loyalty and not satisfied with other sites that might better meet their needs. Why they feel the need to push their agenda to every inch of the Internet, I do not know.

    Many good people have left slashdot; some of us still stay to try and clean things up. But it's hard when you see tons of spam and slashvertisements for companies who are hostile to freedom filling up the firehose everyday, and very little of note about open source and science and real technology getting through. Though there are still many wise people posting insightful comments here, I fear it might be time for me to leave. I'm not sure where I'd go; preferably somewhere that focuses on more technical issues; somewhere that cares about Freedom and open systems. Slashdot does not appear to be that place anymore.

  114. Because you aren't everyone by Brannon · · Score: 1

    It runs the software that most people want to run and it interacts with their lives in a positive way.

    If you have special wants and needs then that's a great reason for you to look elsewhere, but it doesn't invalidate the value of Apple's technology for everyone else.

    This is so obvious that you must know it so I'm going to assume that you are either (a) trolling or (b) far too stupid to grasp these basic concepts--either way, I'm bored.

  115. It never was what it was. by mosb1000 · · Score: 1

    No, friend, Slashdot has never been that. I've been visiting this site for over 15 years, and it has always had articles from a broad range to technical themes, and a diverse array of opinions expressed in the comments. It used to be very anti-apple, it's true, and some explained this by claiming apple was not open, but the change happened around the time apple released the iMac.

    This was the time when the quality of Apple's products improved dramatically. Apple started innovating and their products were no longer overpriced and underpowered. Apple reinvented the music industry and the cell phone industry. You complain they are not open, but maybe you don't remember how things were before apple moved into these industries (much, much worse).

    I'll admit that apple does a lot of screwed up stuff, but the reason they get traction here on slashdot is they move the state of the art forward, and they produce products of supperior quality. Open platforms will win out in the end, and Apple will be forced to capitulate some day, when the rest of the market has caught up to them. But in the mean time, Apple has the support of most slashdotters because they actually release new products from time to time.

    1. Re:It never was what it was. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Apple started innovating and their products were no longer overpriced and underpowered.

      When did this happen? They're still over-priced, underpowered, and made cheap as hell.

      yeah they're shiny, but shiny wears off in 15 picoseconds and then you're left with a pile of smoldering crap.

  116. Galaxy Tab is useless by mozumder · · Score: 1

    No apps for it.

    We don't buy computers to have specs. We buy computers to do work.

    iPad is so far ahead of everything it's not even funny. We use it as a Point-of-sale terminal, for example. Can't do that on a Tab.

  117. Let me fix that... by Dzimas · · Score: 1

    It should read "35% of self-selected respondents to an online poll at an online shopping website indicate that they will buy the iPhone 5." In other words, it's meaningless. I am impressed by the brand loyalty that Apple has managed to generate in the short time they've been in the phone market, but it'll become increasingly difficult to sell $650+ handsets to consumers as the market matures.

  118. Flashnews! 100% of the people want 1 million $!!! by 140Mandak262Jamuna · · Score: 1

    Yeah, yeah, yeah, they all want iPhone5. Are they willing to buy it? Or they want someone to give it to them? So 65% of the people would not even want an iPhone5. Even if it was just handed to them. It puts the headline in a completely different light!

    --
    sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
  119. Not me! by bennomatic · · Score: 1

    I'm waiting for the iPhone 6!

    --
    The CB App. What's your 20?
  120. Re:Scientists cast doubt on Time Travel by sammyF70 · · Score: 0

    'll plug it in (100% certainty it'll be same cable), it'll sync my apps, and it'll look and feel like my last phone, only a bit faster and shinier. Had a similar experience with my iPad - had to sell my first iPad, recently replaced it with an iPad 2. Plugged it in, and it synced .. so I had essentially the same device I had several months ago.

    (emphasis mine) You're prepared to shell out money to have basically exactly what you had before ... and you don't see a problem with that?

    --
    "DRM is like the Ford Pinto: it's a smooth ride, right up the point at which it explodes and ruins your day."-C.Doctorow
  121. Sight-unseen: another way of saying clueless by sl4shd0rk · · Score: 1

    Seriously, the only reasons anyone upgrades:

        1) because it's new
        2) because it's prettier
        3) because it's thinner (see #2)
        4) because mine sucks (see #1)

    Nobody ever upgrades because:

        1) The hardware guys cut radiation emittance by 35% in the new model
        2) The dot pitch has been embiggened. I can actually see a whole page of email now
        3) On screen keyboard keys have gotten 15% bigger. I can now type easier.
        4) Devs have added support for IMAPS now so I can use my home mail server
        5) The new model uses 12% less electricity now so it's better for the environment

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    Join the Slashcott! Feb 10 thru Feb 17!
  122. Online surveys by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    According to online surveys, the average man has a 14" penis.

  123. I'll buy it if it is 64GB or larger by kimvette · · Score: 1

    I'll buy it if it is a compelling upgrade. Will it be dual core, and will it feature 64GB or 128GB of storage, and a larger display? I don't care about 4G/LTE since 3G is fast enough for my purposes; I can stream netflix without issue, Rhapsody without a problem, and I expect Apple's iCloud services will work just fine once they work through MAFIAA insanity regarding streaming content users own (remember, when you buy creative works, you OWN that copy; you have the right of first sale. You just can't violate its copyright, so spare me your propaganda).

    If it's not a compelling upgrade though, that is, if it's still limited to 32GB with no SD slot to expand storage, I'll stick with my iPhone4 until there is a compelling reason to upgrade. Storage is the deciding point for me; I am constantly juggling my play list, especially as I re-rip my CDs to replace old 128kbps rips (which, after years of going without using a home stereo system, I'm building a new system with Klipsch Reference speakers and a new Elite receiver to replace Elite VSX-26TX that is so obsolete that I probably couldn't even give it away at this point) because my new system will easily make the flaws in 128kbps rips apparent.

    So yeah - between purchased videos and my music collection, which as I dig up my CDs and re-rip them, my media collection would exceed even a 128GB capacity by far, especially when you figure that iOS will probably take up 1.2GB, then my purchased apps another 8-12GB, and then my Free/Free apps (sbsettings, BSD userland, mobile terminal, openssh, assorted utilities and shell scripts for monitoring servers, etc.) via Cydia taking up another couple gig.

    --
    The Christian Right is Neither (Christian nor right). See: Matthew 23, Matthew 25, Ezekiel 16:48-50
  124. Steve Jobs==Sith Lord by GodfatherofSoul · · Score: 0

    n/t

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    I swear to God...I swear to God! That is NOT how you treat your human!
  125. From the department of DUH! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yeah I love stupid articles like this.

    Hey guess what... Most people want a flying car can we get a percentage on that as well and useless article behind it?

  126. LTE yes, otherwise maybe by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'll buy one when they have LTE and AWS 1700 (T-mobile and Wind(Canada)) support, otherwise it's a maybe.

    NFC will peak my interest, but not much yet.

  127. would you buy a phone that's better? by schlachter · · Score: 2

    Not hard to imagine these numbers.

    Q: Would you buy a phone that's better than the iPhone4 (one of the best selling smart phones)?
    A: Survey results: most everyone says yes..

    "better than the iPhone4" = "iPhone5"

    --
    My God can beat up your God. Just kidding...don't take offense. I know there's no God.
  128. Zombies in the marketplace by ChucktheMan · · Score: 1

    Zombies. They probably vote the same way, without a thought of who will have to pay for all those social programs.

  129. Re:Well, if you don't want one then don't buy one by siddesu · · Score: 1

    "but many people don't care about replacing the battery"

    Actually, most people I know who have an iphone4 (that includes me) do care about battery. One reason I moved away was that I use the smart part of the phone (networked apps, apps that use the camera and the sensors) heavily, and that does kill the iphone4 for about 6-7 hours, which is for me totally unacceptable. Now that I'm using a smartphone that allows using replacement batteries, I can squeeze over a day of heavy usage. I still carry the iphone as an emergency phone though.

    My opinion has changed from "replacing the battery is a good thing" to "if you can't use the battery on full throttle for over a day, you probably don't need a smartphone anyway".

    Also, what I got is (unsurprisingly, because it is newer) a much better gadget than the iphone4 in terms of hardware and features.

  130. Great sample size by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Phacops says-

    Given:

    * A 3,000 user sample size;
    * The resident population of the United States is 311,852,895 (via the U.S. Census Bureau);
    * 35% of the sample size wants the unreleased iPhone.

    Then,

    1,050 of the participants wanted the iPhone. This induces the fact that for every 1 person that wants it, there are 297,002.757 people that either do not know about it, don't care, or are undecided etc., This is
    ~3.36697 x 10 ^ -6 which is .000336697...% of the U.S. population.

    Niche market?

  131. if only... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    the iPhone 5 was really a lethal injection, we could stop pretending these toys are revolutionary or that they have any place in an organization with security, efficiency, or environmental standards.

  132. I'm one who definitely doesn't want it, seen or un by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm one who definitely doesn't want it, seen or unseen.

  133. 35% of consumer are unhappy with current IPhone! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What this shows is that even when people have the IPhone 4 it can not satisfy them. It's a shame they are willing to get rid of them for something they have never seen or have no idea what it will do. Like sheep the follow the person infront of them, no idea where they are going. They all must think (no HOPE) the Apple is greener on the side as the current Iphone has just not lived up to their expectations due to the hype surronding it.

  134. Ohh, I just need to have that adult toy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The Apple device is a great device, if you really need it. With your "Must have it or I will not sleep at night" syndrome, you are victim to hype.

    I use my phone as a phone and for some messages. I do enough emails that I don't need to do more while I am walking or in a meeting.

    So, my toy cost me $60.00 and that's it. Not a penny more. I prefer to put my money into paying down debt, and building up a pension fund for my wife and me.

  135. More likely... by DarthVain · · Score: 1

    35% of the sample population has or has a friend that has an older generation iPhone. Having not been disappointed in the past, by said product, they can say that they will likely want the new iPhone after their current mobile contract is up. If that is the iPhone 5 then so be it.

    I know I fit into that category. I bought the 3GS a while back and have to say I have been very happy with it. Do I want an iPhone 5? Hell yes. Will that stop me from looking at alternatives? No. But will my positive history with the device add to my purchasing decision? Definitely. If when released, the iPhone is a dog, will I still get it? Likely not. Depending on when my contract ends, hopefully I won't be a first adopter, and can find out from someone else if it had problems.