So I see the headline proclaiming that the mobile games business could "double".
I see a quote about adding 13 million potential new gamers.
Even if we ignore the fact that some if not a majority of VZ iPhone users will simply be former AT&T iPhone users, thus causing no change at all in the size of the gaming market.. Apple moved 10 million phones in Q4 2010 alone. The installed base is pushing 100 million devices. I guess we are also supposed to forget about the even larger number of Android devices out there, and the even larger number of new Android devices being sold each quarter when we think about the mobile gaming market.. but still how exactly does 13 million new users double anything?
"...Verizon's vanity and need for control over a device that is yours to use."
um.. you do realize that *Apple's* vanity and need for control over a device that is yours to use is the reason Verizon's vanity and need for control was an issue in the first place?
I think you're right about AT&T customers being slow to jump ship. Most will not even consider the switch until their current contract ends, and some will stay even then. AT&T has a lot of incentives to keep customers on their network. If a lot of your contacts are on at&t and have one of the "call other at&t people free" plans, it can be hard to switch. I moved from an iPhone to a VZ android phone several months back, and it wasn't simple due to such things.
as for the cdma phone or data but not both situation, I was concerned about that but it actually has not been an issue. can't remember a single instance of being inconvenienced by it, I guess because I'm generally on wifi.
You can't install apps that Apple hasn't approved. You can't use internet formats that Apple hasn't allowed. You generally can't replace Apple programs or even have access to programs that provide the same functions.
If Ford restricted their customers to approved gas stations or only roads which they deemed appropriate, people would be furious. As we are seeing more an more often, people don't like Apple's attempt to do similar things any better.
The samsung galaxy sold 10 million units in the same time period that the iPhone 4 sold 14 million. given that the galaxy has to compete with several other Android super phones while the iPhone is the only iOS option, I'd say it compares pretty damn well.
If your Ford car could only use Ford gas and only drive on Ford roads, or if your Sony TV could only tune to Sony channels, then you might have a point.
you make exactly the comment I was about to write. Android is competing with the iPhone on multiple carriers in world markets and doing just fine. And here in the US, most people who want an iPhone have simple switched to AT&T so they can have one. There will be some gain for the iPhone when it comes to VZ, but it just isn't that big of a deal. Apple isn't a stupid company, if they could have changed things dramatically with a VZ iPhone, they would have released it long ago.
"So what is making all these other people choose Android phones instead of iPhones, assuming they don't share my unique background and prejudices? "
The answer to your question is quite obvious. People are choosing Android because they are not having the same experience you claim to have had, instead they are quite enjoying Android even when switching from iPhone like myself.
I don't know what god forsaken Android device you purchased, but I haven't rebooted my htc incredible in weeks, and even then it only rebooted because i forgot to charge it two days in a row and it ran out of juice. I've never had any issue with stability. Nothing random or strange has ever, ever happened on my phone. In fact, it's much more stable than my iPhone ever was.
It is so disappointing to see my fellow Americans surrendering their freedoms in exchange for convenience, though many of them are simply unaware of the the bad deal they're getting by purchasing Apple.
The bright side is that awareness and rejection of Apple's restrictive platform seems to be growing.
the problems with USB floppies had nothing to do with the operating system on the hard drive of the computer. the problem was booting the operating system *on the floppy*
again, maybe macs didn't have that problem. all of this is really missing the point, which is that many Mac users felt Apple had abandoned them again when they made the move to drop floppies. It was not met with rejoicing and celebration, it was not considered a great move.
only now looking back have macholes managed to spin something that was not appreciated even amongst their own ranks into some example of apple "leading" the industry. it's ridiculous.
i personally knew several Mac users who were not pleased by the change. My uncle, a huge Mac guy had trouble with the transition, our high school computer lab who somehow purchased several new machines without realizing their entire "hand in your assignments on a floppy" system was screwed, etc.
i certainly remember much weeping and gnashing of teeth from the mac people i knew, but perhaps my experience was atypical. didn't know any "creative professionals", just normal folks who weren't too pleased with the deal.
I'll never understand why something that caused so many users so much trouble is heralded by some as innovative.
While most PC makers approached the aging floppy disk situation by first offering to leave the fdd out, then making them optional but not the default, and then making them available on select models, and only then ceasing to offer them, Apple dropped support entirely with no regard for their own users.
no android based system will ever, ever be as great as the iPhone. clearly it is foolish to even dream of such a thing.
what is becoming more and more obvious with each passing month is that nobody cares. Android is outselling everything else by an ever increasing margin.
a vast majority of iPhone users are not "Apple's traditional customers". In many cases the iPhone is the only Apple device they've ever owned. They don't feel the strong loyalty to the Apple brand that is found in die hard Apple fans. They haven't ever owned a Mac and have no desire to.
some may decide that Apple is great based on this limited experience with the company, but many may be just as inclined to try something different. switching cell phone platforms is a lot easier than switching computing platforms. I switched from iPhone to Android myself a few months back, had to purchase about $20 in apps and spend a day learning the ins and outs of Android.. not a big deal at all.
sure, my own experiences are coloring my opinion but I just don't see the iPhone userbase exhibiting the same loyalty that you see in the Mac world.
in most of the world, the iPhone is available on lots of carriers. Android is still outselling it in these markets.
as for "product fracture", yes it can bring some troubles. what you fail to mention is that it also brings a huge amount of innovation and competition that is not found in a single vendor, single device platform. basically, all your arguments against android's diversity could be easily applied to a PC vs Mac discussion. It's pretty clear how that battle turned out, and I anticipate a similar result in the smartphone arena. Apple's products will have their niche, but most the world won't really care about them.
I think RIM's best move would be to port the things corporate customers like onto an Android based phone. Bring all the functionality of the BES server to Android and you've got a device that could *really* clean up in the business market. I'm not familiar with all BES can do, but our IT guys love it.. I guess it allows a lot of security, remote control, policy management, etc that isn't yet available on the other smartphone platforms. They'd have all the benefits of the Android system (huge array of software, popular with customers, etc) and be able to worry about a smaller portion of the software stack on the device.
I guess it probably won't happen, but an Android device from RIM (assuming it did support all the management stuff) seems like a killer phone for the business market. I don't see how RIM can stay relevant using their own proprietary platform when it's losing so much market share.
wow didnt notice there was such serious debate over whether my post was a joke or not.
according to wikipedia, "A joke is a question, short story, or depiction of a situation made with the intent of being humorous".
if this is an accurate definition, then my post is indeed a joke for the simple reason that I intended it to be humorous. Even if I failed, it's still a joke.
why not connect the racetracks directly to the internet tubes. then the information could slide along the racetrack into a series of tubes and ultimately slide right into your own personal racetrack.
so... Google designs an operating system capable of supporting a wide range of devices, and the problem is... that it supports a wide range of devices?
"As much as I dislike Apple, iPhones are a solid platform. They have a few different versions of the OS (there needs to be progress, right?), but that's it. Much better for developers and for users."
Easier for devs, maybe. Better? Not if your potential users don't like the single hardware device, require some feature it doesn't have, or perhaps just don't like the single parent company. Not if the single parent company makes you use a single development environment that isn't what you like. Not when the parent company forces you to buy their computers to run this single environment. Not if the parent company decides on a whim not to allow you to sell your app. Not when the single company's market share dwindles as an open platform outsells it worldwide.
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all that and you ignored the basic premise that adding 13 to 100 doesn't double your total?
i'm fairly sure there are waaaay more than 13 million iPhones in the US.
So I see the headline proclaiming that the mobile games business could "double".
I see a quote about adding 13 million potential new gamers.
Even if we ignore the fact that some if not a majority of VZ iPhone users will simply be former AT&T iPhone users, thus causing no change at all in the size of the gaming market.. Apple moved 10 million phones in Q4 2010 alone. The installed base is pushing 100 million devices. I guess we are also supposed to forget about the even larger number of Android devices out there, and the even larger number of new Android devices being sold each quarter when we think about the mobile gaming market.. but still how exactly does 13 million new users double anything?
my issue is with any corporation restricting what can be done on a device the consumer owns, not with the how pretty the cage is.
"...Verizon's vanity and need for control over a device that is yours to use."
um.. you do realize that *Apple's* vanity and need for control over a device that is yours to use is the reason Verizon's vanity and need for control was an issue in the first place?
I think you're right about AT&T customers being slow to jump ship. Most will not even consider the switch until their current contract ends, and some will stay even then. AT&T has a lot of incentives to keep customers on their network. If a lot of your contacts are on at&t and have one of the "call other at&t people free" plans, it can be hard to switch. I moved from an iPhone to a VZ android phone several months back, and it wasn't simple due to such things.
as for the cdma phone or data but not both situation, I was concerned about that but it actually has not been an issue. can't remember a single instance of being inconvenienced by it, I guess because I'm generally on wifi.
You can't install apps that Apple hasn't approved. You can't use internet formats that Apple hasn't allowed. You generally can't replace Apple programs or even have access to programs that provide the same functions.
If Ford restricted their customers to approved gas stations or only roads which they deemed appropriate, people would be furious. As we are seeing more an more often, people don't like Apple's attempt to do similar things any better.
The samsung galaxy sold 10 million units in the same time period that the iPhone 4 sold 14 million. given that the galaxy has to compete with several other Android super phones while the iPhone is the only iOS option, I'd say it compares pretty damn well.
If your Ford car could only use Ford gas and only drive on Ford roads, or if your Sony TV could only tune to Sony channels, then you might have a point.
wish i had mod points for ya.
you make exactly the comment I was about to write. Android is competing with the iPhone on multiple carriers in world markets and doing just fine. And here in the US, most people who want an iPhone have simple switched to AT&T so they can have one.
There will be some gain for the iPhone when it comes to VZ, but it just isn't that big of a deal. Apple isn't a stupid company, if they could have changed things dramatically with a VZ iPhone, they would have released it long ago.
"So what is making all these other people choose Android phones instead of iPhones, assuming they don't share my unique background and prejudices? "
The answer to your question is quite obvious. People are choosing Android because they are not having the same experience you claim to have had, instead they are quite enjoying Android even when switching from iPhone like myself.
I don't know what god forsaken Android device you purchased, but I haven't rebooted my htc incredible in weeks, and even then it only rebooted because i forgot to charge it two days in a row and it ran out of juice. I've never had any issue with stability. Nothing random or strange has ever, ever happened on my phone. In fact, it's much more stable than my iPhone ever was.
Wish I could mod you up!
It is so disappointing to see my fellow Americans surrendering their freedoms in exchange for convenience,
though many of them are simply unaware of the the bad deal they're getting by purchasing Apple.
The bright side is that awareness and rejection of Apple's restrictive platform seems to be growing.
..to self aware cities that decide we are not worthy to live in them
just read Greg Bear's "Strength of Stones".. not his best but not too bad.
the problems with USB floppies had nothing to do with the operating system on the hard drive of the computer. the problem was booting the operating system *on the floppy*
again, maybe macs didn't have that problem. all of this is really missing the point, which is that many Mac users felt Apple had abandoned them again when they made the move to drop floppies. It was not met with rejoicing and celebration, it was not considered a great move.
only now looking back have macholes managed to spin something that was not appreciated even amongst their own ranks into some example of apple "leading" the industry. it's ridiculous.
not really. there was a huge variety of software that didn't work with USB floppies. maybe not so much on the mac, i wouldn't know.
i personally knew several Mac users who were not pleased by the change. My uncle, a huge Mac guy had trouble with the transition, our high school computer lab who somehow purchased several new machines without realizing their entire "hand in your assignments on a floppy" system was screwed, etc.
i certainly remember much weeping and gnashing of teeth from the mac people i knew, but perhaps my experience was atypical. didn't know any "creative professionals", just normal folks who weren't too pleased with the deal.
I'll never understand why something that caused so many users so much trouble is heralded by some as innovative.
While most PC makers approached the aging floppy disk situation by first offering to leave the fdd out, then making them optional but not the default, and then making them available on select models, and only then ceasing to offer them, Apple dropped support entirely with no regard for their own users.
This is an example we are to hold in esteem?
no android based system will ever, ever be as great as the iPhone. clearly it is foolish to even dream of such a thing.
what is becoming more and more obvious with each passing month is that nobody cares. Android is outselling everything else by an ever increasing margin.
a vast majority of iPhone users are not "Apple's traditional customers". In many cases the iPhone is the only Apple device they've ever owned. They don't feel the strong loyalty to the Apple brand that is found in die hard Apple fans. They haven't ever owned a Mac and have no desire to.
some may decide that Apple is great based on this limited experience with the company, but many may be just as inclined to try something different. switching cell phone platforms is a lot easier than switching computing platforms. I switched from iPhone to Android myself a few months back, had to purchase about $20 in apps and spend a day learning the ins and outs of Android.. not a big deal at all.
sure, my own experiences are coloring my opinion but I just don't see the iPhone userbase exhibiting the same loyalty that you see in the Mac world.
in most of the world, the iPhone is available on lots of carriers. Android is still outselling it in these markets.
as for "product fracture", yes it can bring some troubles. what you fail to mention is that it also brings a huge amount of innovation and competition that is not found in a single vendor, single device platform. basically, all your arguments against android's diversity could be easily applied to a PC vs Mac discussion. It's pretty clear how that battle turned out, and I anticipate a similar result in the smartphone arena. Apple's products will have their niche, but most the world won't really care about them.
I think RIM's best move would be to port the things corporate customers like onto an Android based phone. Bring all the functionality of the BES server to Android and you've got a device that could *really* clean up in the business market. I'm not familiar with all BES can do, but our IT guys love it.. I guess it allows a lot of security, remote control, policy management, etc that isn't yet available on the other smartphone platforms. They'd have all the benefits of the Android system (huge array of software, popular with customers, etc) and be able to worry about a smaller portion of the software stack on the device.
I guess it probably won't happen, but an Android device from RIM (assuming it did support all the management stuff) seems like a killer phone for the business market. I don't see how RIM can stay relevant using their own proprietary platform when it's losing so much market share.
wow didnt notice there was such serious debate over whether my post was a joke or not.
according to wikipedia, "A joke is a question, short story, or depiction of a situation made with the intent of being humorous".
if this is an accurate definition, then my post is indeed a joke for the simple reason that I intended it to be humorous. Even if I failed, it's still a joke.
suck it, Debbie Downer! happy new year!
look, the internet is not a truck. you cannot just dump enormous amounts of material onto it.
as long as I don't have to wait until Monday to get an internet I sent out on Friday, I don't see what the problem is.
why not connect the racetracks directly to the internet tubes. then the information could slide along the racetrack into a series of tubes and ultimately slide right into your own personal racetrack.
so... Google designs an operating system capable of supporting a wide range of devices, and the problem is... that it supports a wide range of devices?
"As much as I dislike Apple, iPhones are a solid platform. They have a few different versions of the OS (there needs to be progress, right?), but that's it. Much better for developers and for users."
Easier for devs, maybe. Better? Not if your potential users don't like the single hardware device, require some feature it doesn't have, or perhaps just don't like the single parent company. Not if the single parent company makes you use a single development environment that isn't what you like. Not when the parent company forces you to buy their computers to run this single environment. Not if the parent company decides on a whim not to allow you to sell your app. Not when the single company's market share dwindles as an open platform outsells it worldwide.