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Google vs. Apple – The Smartphone Race Is Over, and a New One Begins…

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Re: Google vs. Apple – The Smartphone Race Is Over, and a New One Begins…

#51

Post by ambirex »

wastedhours wrote: post #32
ambirex wrote: post #8

A couple nitpicks: - Virtual Reality - still hasn't demonstrated mainstream appeal. I'm pretty bearish on it being the next 3d TV's - Resolution - Does anything north of 300dpi really matter at this point? Maybe for VR, but see above - Privacy - as data breaches become the norm, where/how do you want your data stored?

Could I get a little context with the VR metaphor? Perhaps my interpretation is a little off, but would you not be bearish on VR, and bullish on the concept of it being the next 3D TV?

Sorry if that was too vague. VR is an interesting technology but I am very skeptical of it gaining wide spread adoption. That is why I don't think it should be considered a defining feature of a phone.

Re: Google vs. Apple – The Smartphone Race Is Over, and a New One Begins…

#52

Post by 0xFFC »

forthefuture wrote: post #42
vlunkr wrote: post #33

I think this article underestimates the power of brand loyalty. Tons of customers have almost a decade of iOS under their belt, and convincing them to learn something new is often impossible because they don't care . Their iPhone is working for them. Tech people think they can list off android-only features and convince people, but it usually doesn't work that way. Only when/if their iPhone really lets them down will…

That works the same for both sides. Many people I know would never use an iPhone. Most people in the world don't use iPhones.

This is my personal experience. So it is not going to match anyone else's experience. From my personal experience this is not true at all. I am student and I do see a lot of people. Everybody , I mean Everybody (other than 1 people I know personally) would prefer iPhone over Android without question, the only problem for them was high price of iPhone, there is no competition, they chose android just because of price of it. That was the only reason they were using android phones or service. If they have money to buy it (most of them were student , and short on money) they would change to iPhone in heartbeat.

Re: Google vs. Apple – The Smartphone Race Is Over, and a New One Begins…

#53

Post by soylentcola »

vlunkr wrote: post #28
ambirex wrote: post #8

A couple nitpicks: - Virtual Reality - still hasn't demonstrated mainstream appeal. I'm pretty bearish on it being the next 3d TV's - Resolution - Does anything north of 300dpi really matter at this point? Maybe for VR, but see above - Privacy - as data breaches become the norm, where/how do you want your data stored?

I agree, personally I think VR has interesting applications in gaming and other areas that we haven't seen yet. But you're never going to get my mom to spend money on VR.

Yep. But the same can be said for a lot of tech that eventually trickles down to the mainstream. Video teleconferencing was once the domain of enterprise and higher education but now your mom does video calls on Facebook or Hangouts or Skype when she wants to see the grandkids (maybe not your mom but lots of moms)

I actually think VR telepresence is a lot more intriguing to me than just playing cooler looking video games. I mean...the game stuff is the easiest thing to do first because you've already got established frameworks in place for the creation and rendering of complex 3d environments. But when you start getting into depth cams or light field cams combines with more advanced and ergonomic display hardware and high speed networks, you're moving toward having the pieces in place to allow people to virtually be someplace else and communicate with others in a way a webcam can't replicate.

Definitely interested to see how that field looks in 10-15 years.

Re: Google vs. Apple – The Smartphone Race Is Over, and a New One Begins…

#54

Post by devilsavocado »

Does only one company need to win? I don't think so. 91% of smartphone profits go to Apple! I had no idea it was that high. http://fortune.com/2016/02/14/apple-mobile-profit-2015/ Of course that doesn't account for profits from web activity, which is dominated by Google.

Apple will continue to make incredible profits on hardware, while google will do the same with advertising on the mobile platform.

Re: Google vs. Apple – The Smartphone Race Is Over, and a New One Begins…

#55

Post by KirinDave »

denzil_correa wrote: post #18
mariobertschler wrote: post #14

> Apple won the smartphone wars a long time ago. This is a bold statement. On what measure? Last that I've seen is that almost 87% of the smartphone market is dominated by Android. It might be true for app monetization, but definitely not as a whole. Good read though.

> Last that I've seen is that almost 87% of the smartphone market is dominated by Android. How much money does the iPhone versus the Android phones make?

This isn't even a well formed question. How would you compare the two? There isn't even one Android phone to point to as the basis of comparison, or one corporate bottom line.

Do we count the money lost by Samsung in this last flub? Do we count Xiomei even though their economics are quite different from Apple?

Everyone is so eager to justify the idea that Apple "won" a war of some sort. Jaded tech writers on their throne of paper and blood pronouncing it "done" because they're bored, while the stuff we've seen in Microsoft and Google's R&D demos suggest it's just getting started.

Re: Google vs. Apple – The Smartphone Race Is Over, and a New One Begins…

#56

Post by Meegul »

vlunkr wrote: post #28
ambirex wrote: post #8

A couple nitpicks: - Virtual Reality - still hasn't demonstrated mainstream appeal. I'm pretty bearish on it being the next 3d TV's - Resolution - Does anything north of 300dpi really matter at this point? Maybe for VR, but see above - Privacy - as data breaches become the norm, where/how do you want your data stored?

I agree, personally I think VR has interesting applications in gaming and other areas that we haven't seen yet. But you're never going to get my mom to spend money on VR.

While most people here will probably disagree, I believe that Microsoft's approach, that is, with AR, will be more successful. Virtual Reality has yet to prove that it can be useful in areas other gaming.

Augmented Reality has plenty of use cases - in more areas than the consumer space. For example, the demo that Microsoft showed off yesterday with testing out how furniture looks before you buy it could be huge. Or how about an app that has you stand in front of a mirror and try on clothes - online?

AR is life++; VR is reinventing life. The former will almost inevitably come easier and find more success, at least initially.

Re: Google vs. Apple – The Smartphone Race Is Over, and a New One Begins…

#57

Post by rdtsc »

I was looking for a new phone recently as mine is 5 years old. It still works but I was just comparing around mostly for fun.

Besides a bit faster hardware, some more DPI and "assistants" it is mostly the same. My gen 1 Moto G which I got for $170 a while back is still mostly ok. The hardware still looks the same. Anyone remember the jump from flip phones to smart phones? That was a huge difference. Something completely new. The upgrade felt like I was buying something completely different.

I guess I was expecting something more by now. Modular hardware, can plug more memory or more hardware into it. A different shape. A ridiculous battery life.

The only exciting thing I saw is made by a Chinese company I never heard of: Xiaomi (don't even know how to pronounce it). It is this phone: https://www.engadget.com/2016/10/25/xiaomi-mi-mix/ it doesn't have a bazel, looks square and slick, 256GB memory. I can see buying that. I don't see shelling $700 for a Pixel or for an iPhone.

Then I noticed Project Fi by Google. That would save me money every month. However given Google Fiber winding down, I am worried as soon as I jump on Project Fi, it will be shut down as Google does with many of its products. So the initial excitement there has kind of waned.

Re: Google vs. Apple – The Smartphone Race Is Over, and a New One Begins…

#58

Post by shuntress »

soylentcola wrote: post #53
vlunkr wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree, personally I think VR has interesting applications in gaming and other areas that we haven't seen yet. But you're never going to get my mom to spend money on VR.

Yep. But the same can be said for a lot of tech that eventually trickles down to the mainstream. Video teleconferencing was once the domain of enterprise and higher education but now your mom does video calls on Facebook or Hangouts or Skype when she wants to see the grandkids (maybe not your mom but lots of moms) I actually think VR telepresence is a lot more intriguing to me than just playing cooler looking video g…

There is an episode of The X-Files where Mulder teleconferences with the lone gunman and they make a whole huge deal about the amazing high-tech capabilities they are using to project their voice/image in to the specially set up conference room.

The way the writers even notice the technology compared to it's transparency/ubiquity today is quaint.

Re: Google vs. Apple – The Smartphone Race Is Over, and a New One Begins…

#59

Post by agentgt »

A long time ago (20-30 years ago) there was a somewhat analogous situation with Microsoft (Apple) and IBM (Google).

IBM was the "diversified" company particularly after it acquired Lotus which was suppose to make IBM compete with Microsoft directly on the office front.

I'm not saying the same thing will happen but I bet Apple will have another revolution in the next 20 years much like Microsoft did.

Re: Google vs. Apple – The Smartphone Race Is Over, and a New One Begins…

#60

Post by forthefuture »

toxican wrote: post #19
delecti wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I'm pretty bearish on it being the next 3d TV's I'm actually pretty bullish on that, considering 3D TVs fizzled out pretty quickly. Edit because I think I wasn't clear: I think setting the bar for VR as what 3D TVs accomplished is very pessimistic. VR seems vastly more promising, both moreso than 3D TVs did at their peak, and also on their own right as a very interesting and wide open medium.

I'm inclined to agree, simply because everyone I've seen review this recent iteration of VR has great things to say about it. I don't recall hearing many positive things about 3D.

Well 3DTVs looked really good, they just also hurt your eyes and you had to wear glasses, so people weren't willing to make that tradeoff. Those concerns are pretty consistent with VR's current iteration.
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