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Timzer

macrumors 6502
Nov 10, 2011
334
0
iPad 4 is probably the first instance I've seen Apple do this. Correct me if I'm wrong. I've never seen them pull moves like Samsung or HTC

Samsung GS2, Samsung Skyrocket 2 months later
Samsung Vibrant, Samsung Galaxy S 4G 4 months later
Samsung GS3, Samsung GS3 w/LTE on T-Mobile 6 months later

Apple usually waits at least a year or close to it with their mobile devices. If they release an iPhone 5S before June then I'll agree with you.

Sorry using Samsung's Galaxy S line is a horrible example of a company upgrading their device under a year. The Galaxy S line has always been on a one year UPGRADE cycle. I'm not talking just minor spec bumps the way Apple does. I'm talking a full upgrade each year as any respectable consumer should demand.
In your example, your talking about the same device with only LTE added for that particular NETWORK, not for the DEVICE overall. So this is not a matter of a company upgrading a DEVICE to milk ALL customers in general like the upgrade Apple did with the iPad 3 to iPad 4. This was a device being upgraded to match the new services that providers were just rolling out, LTE. Same goes for the Galaxy S4G. It was released in Feb/2011 and TMobile upgraded their HSPA+ network just before that. Hence an update to an existing phone to take advantage of the new data speeds.

You see, The GS3 was released in the North America with LTE for providers that had LTE, and released without LTE for provides that did not offer LTE. So why bother selling an LTE phone on a network that doesn't offer it, TMobile. But TMobile will now be offering LTE starting in Las Vegas, so now they are getting and LTE equiped GS3. Make sense? This is not the case of an early upgrade like the iPad3 to iPad4, make sense still?

But let's not forget that Samsung was just getting their feet wet with Android and didn't have the power they have now with the carriers. Each carrier demanded their own version the the Galaxy S and S2. The Galaxy S and S2 looked different and was called different names for different carriers. It was pathetic. But again, carriers demanded it and Samsung had no choice but to listen. But not anymore, now the shoes on the other foot. Samsung now is, for all practicle purposes, Android. Samsung now holds the leverage. If a carrier wants the most sought after Android phone, then they take what Samsung is selling. The GS3 is the same form factor and the same phone for all carriers (HSPA+ being the only difference for TMobile).

When the iPad3 was released, the iPad4 did not exist for purchase. The iPad3 to iPad4 wasn't a matter of just adding a new feature like LTE for a select group of customers, it added a new CPU to the device. Meaning all iPad3 customers got screwed on such a quick upgrade.
 
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DanteMann

macrumors 6502
May 23, 2011
453
0
Sorry using Samsung's Galaxy S line is a horrible example of a company upgrading their device under a year. The Galaxy S line has always been on a one year UPGRADE cycle. I'm not talking just minor spec bumps the way Apple does. I'm talking a full upgrade each year as any respectable consumer should demand.
In your example, your talking about the same device with only LTE added for that particular NETWORK, not for the DEVICE overall. So this is not a matter of a company upgrading a DEVICE to milk ALL customers in general like the upgrade Apple did with the iPad 3 to iPad 4. This was a device being upgraded to match the new services that providers were just rolling out, LTE. Same goes for the Galaxy S4G. It was released in Feb/2011 and TMobile upgraded their HSPA+ network just before that. Hence an update to an existing phone to take advantage of the new data speeds.

You see, The GS3 was released in the North America with LTE for providers that had LTE, and released without LTE for provides that did not offer LTE. So why bother selling an LTE phone on a network that doesn't offer it, TMobile. But TMobile will now be offering LTE starting in Las Vegas, so now they are getting and LTE equiped GS3. Make sense? This is not the case of an early upgrade like the iPad3 to iPad4, make sense still?

But let's not forget that Samsung was just getting their feet wet with Android and didn't have the power they have now with the carriers. Each carrier demanded their own version the the Galaxy S and S2. The Galaxy S and S2 looked different and was called different names for different carriers. It was pathetic. But again, carriers demanded it and Samsung had no choice but to listen. But not anymore, now the shoes on the other foot. Samsung now is, for all practicle purposes, Android. Samsung now holds the leverage. If a carrier wants the most sought after Android phone, then they take what Samsung is selling. The GS3 is the same form factor and the same phone for all carriers (HSPA+ being the only difference for TMobile).

When the iPad3 was released, the iPad4 did not exist for purchase. The iPad3 to iPad4 wasn't a matter of just adding a new feature like LTE for a select group of customers, it added a new CPU to the device. Meaning all iPad3 customers got screwed on such a quick upgrade.

I couldn't agree more with this.

----------

Samsung GS2, Samsung Skyrocket 2 months later
Samsung Vibrant, Samsung Galaxy S 4G 4 months later
Samsung GS3, Samsung GS3 w/LTE on T-Mobile 6 months later

Sorry, in regards to Samsung, your mixing up a refresh with an existing phone to an actual upgrade. Big difference.
 

r2shyyou

macrumors 68000
Oct 3, 2010
1,758
13
Paris, France
If they don't change soon, I really think Samsung is going to creep up.
Creep up in what way? Care to elaborate? And what information are you using as the basis for your opinion?

My thoughts exactly, dejo. It would be helpful for you, abhinav7333, to elaborate.

I don't know all the numbers but there are many metrics where one company could "creep up" on the other. And within those, there are some where Samsung is already ahead and others where Apple is in front. But one that is significant, among others, of course, is market capitalization, where Apple led Samsung at $559B vs $182B, as of March 2012. That's a big difference and one that isn't likely to be "creeped up on" anytime soon. It could happen eventually and it well might, for all we know (or don't know), but it isn't happening tomorrow or the next day or the next.
 

Dr McKay

macrumors 68040
Aug 11, 2010
3,531
260
Kirkland
It seems Apple believes their phones and OS are "Good Enough" and they aren't straying too far from what they know. Isn't that what RIM did?
 

matttye

macrumors 601
Mar 25, 2009
4,957
32
Lincoln, England
They still have one thing that sets them apart from most others: they control the hardware and the software for their devices.

That's why the iPhone doesn't need a quad core, 1.5GHz processor with 2GB of RAM and a humongous battery to stay relevant.
 

rillrill

macrumors 6502a
Jul 27, 2011
843
654
New York
the biggest challenge apple has is, imo, is the cloud computing thing. back in 2003 when i bought my first ibook, i bought it because my old windows 98 pc kept freezing and deleting my research papers. i bought a mac based on their reputation of reliability and their dedication to new and useful software. ilife, and iwork, even ipods, all have served me quite nicely in the last decade, but their competitors have caught up with them.

google and even mircosoft have similar products and software nowadays, but my life is mobile. i want access to all of my files and work where ever i am. and i want it quickly and without any problems. none of these companies are perfect at it now, but i think google has a pretty large lead.

jobs said, i believe, that the cloud is the new access point. apple was right in dumping google in favor of their own service, but that service is woefully inadequate right now. i can't be lost and have a map not help me, try to access a presentation or document and find it's not there, or try to play a track on my phone and have an error message pop up. that's not what i paid for.

the nice thing about google (right now) is that if i want to use their services on another device i can. i'll play along with the spying nonsense and ads for free services too. if their is something i'm uncomfortable, unlikely as it is, with being on the cloud, i won't upload it up there. but apple needs to get their cloud in order before i think about coming back and spending my money on there products.
 

Technarchy

macrumors 604
May 21, 2012
6,753
4,927
There comes a time in every nerd’s life when he has to be told that Apple isn’t magical.

Apple hasn't ever really been the nerd brand of choice to begin with.


They still have one thing that sets them apart from most others: they control the hardware and the software for their devices.

That's why the iPhone doesn't need a quad core, 1.5GHz processor with 2GB of RAM and a humongous battery to stay relevant.

Writing good code can somewhat equalize Apple's fully vertical, "walled garden" approach. A good example being Window's 8, which runs incredibly well on hardware that android would choke on.
 
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matttye

macrumors 601
Mar 25, 2009
4,957
32
Lincoln, England
Writing good code can somewhat equalize Apple's fully vertical, "walled garden" approach. A good example being Window's 8, which runs incredibly well on hardware that android would choke on.

Agreed. I don't know if that just hasn't been done with Android, if it's because Android is written in Java or if it's just because Android needs more resources, but it's just not as smooth as iOS on comparable hardware.
 

ArtOfWarfare

macrumors G3
Nov 26, 2007
9,616
6,145
So what, they should just stand by and wait a whole year and allow every other company to overtake them just so some few people with a poor understanding of how the technology industry works don't feel so "cheated"?

No, they should release a product that will be the best of the best for the next year.

It seems to me the only reason Apple released the latest iPad when they did was because they wanted to get rid of the 30-pin connector all at once.
 

Technarchy

macrumors 604
May 21, 2012
6,753
4,927
Agreed. I don't know if that just hasn't been done with Android, if it's because Android is written in Java or if it's just because Android needs more resources, but it's just not as smooth as iOS on comparable hardware.

The longstanding theory is android was not originally made for touch screens; it began as a blackberry knockoff. It was only shoehorned into a touch centric interface after the massive popularity of the iPhone.

The fact that android had no hardware acceleration powering the UI till Honeycomb makes it pretty obvious that this theory is probably true. The end result being android needs big hardware to do what iOS, Windows Phone, and seemingly BB10 do with much less, and even then, more often than not, something "feels" off.
 

tevion5

macrumors 68000
Jul 12, 2011
1,967
1,603
Ireland
No, they should release a product that will be the best of the best for the next year.

It seems to me the only reason Apple released the latest iPad when they did was because they wanted to get rid of the 30-pin connector all at once.

So if you didn't release the iPhone 5 in October for instance, and instead just waited until next June, you'd essentially get what will now be the iPhone 5s but instead the name will be different. So basically you'd have had no opportunity to purchase a better device in the middle of that time. Nobody is forcing you to buy these things. All it means is that you have a better chance to buy a more powerful version. A device 3 months old is still as good as it was when you bought it, just because a slightly superior version exists does not somehow make the old device worse.

Thats probably why yes, but this means that all their current Gen products would have the same cable. If they didn't people would be attacking them for it. Also, it meant that a better, more powerful device was available to buy just a few months after the old one.

If they released a new iPhone everyday each with better specs than the last one what would be the problem with that? You can wait for ever to get a better model and never end up buying anything. Heck why buy a computer now? Better wait until those new Intel 7th Gen i series processors come out in 2019 instead of wasting money on some inferior Haswell rubbish... :rolleyes:
 

VulchR

macrumors 68040
Jun 8, 2009
3,508
14,459
Scotland
Apple has sent the benchmark for successfully and profitably converting new technology (often developed by others) into consumer information devices. Right now it seems to me that other companies like Google and Samsung are closing the gap with Apple in this respect. In my opinion, they're not quite there yet. I do wonder what will happen when Samsung, which creates its own new technology, gets the design of their devices right and starts leading rather than following Apple :)p). I think it is possible that Samsung might eclipse Apple.

Certainly Apple hasn't helped itself recently with iOS6 (maps, App store, annual New Year's bug), but I suspect they've been sufficiently embarrassed that they'll get their house in order and get back some of the wow factor they used to have. We'll see. Either way, it sure is interesting to watch Apple, Google, MS, and Samsung slug it out.
 
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onthecouchagain

macrumors 604
Mar 29, 2011
7,382
2
I love how iPhone apologist will say the "average" user won't even fully utilize the features or realize the nuance advantages that Android offers, but will somehow notice the millisecond difference in touch screen response that apparently debilitates the entire OS.

It's the classic "unless Apple does it, it's irrelevant" argument mixed in with a little "If a non-Apple product has a disadvantage, it is the end of the world."

Not to mention the myth that iOS doesn't have touch response issues or lag itself. There are a number of times the keyboard misses keys, or there are unregistered taps when trying to launch an app (where the app icon grays out but nothing happens).
 

ArtOfWarfare

macrumors G3
Nov 26, 2007
9,616
6,145
So if you didn't release the iPhone 5 in October for instance, and instead just waited until next June, you'd essentially get what will now be the iPhone 5s but instead the name will be different. So basically you'd have had no opportunity to purchase a better device in the middle of that time. Nobody is forcing you to buy these things. All it means is that you have a better chance to buy a more powerful version. A device 3 months old is still as good as it was when you bought it, just because a slightly superior version exists does not somehow make the old device worse.

Thats probably why yes, but this means that all their current Gen products would have the same cable. If they didn't people would be attacking them for it. Also, it meant that a better, more powerful device was available to buy just a few months after the old one.

If they released a new iPhone everyday each with better specs than the last one what would be the problem with that? You can wait for ever to get a better model and never end up buying anything. Heck why buy a computer now? Better wait until those new Intel 7th Gen i series processors come out in 2019 instead of wasting money on some inferior Haswell rubbish... :rolleyes:

Psychology is a funny thing. The fact of the matter is, I, like most people, like to buy products when they'll be cutting edge for ~a year.

I love how iPhone apologist will say the "average" user won't even fully utilize the features or realize the nuance advantages that Android offers, but will somehow notice the millisecond difference in touch screen response that apparently debilitates the entire OS.

It's the classic "unless Apple does it, it's irrelevant" argument mixed in with a little "If a non-Apple product has a disadvantage, it is the end of the world."

Not to mention the myth that iOS doesn't have touch response issues or lag itself. There are a number of times the keyboard misses keys, or there are unregistered taps when trying to launch an app (where the app icon grays out but nothing happens).
I'm saying this as a developer: I hate how much spaghetti code I have just so that my app behaves the same on every OS & device combination. I could write volumes on how many stupid differences there are. Additionally, I have to use and test every combination. All the stupid differences throws any ability to have muscle memory right out the window, so, though I can think about every page to figure out how to do something, I can't just remember how it's done.

IE, some devices have the notification tray at the top while others have it on the bottom.
Some have YES/NO dialogs while others have NO/YES dialogs.
Some unlock by sliding one thing, others unlock by sliding something else.

In the end, though I'm a savvy Android user, I can't be a power user. Maybe other people can have a more intimate understanding on their Android device and become power users with them, but because I have to support all of them, I can't be.

Which is why I just use an iPhone and iOS devices for personal use.

(And I only do personal projects on iOS because everyone knows that's were all the high paying users are.)
 
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Rodster

macrumors 68040
May 15, 2007
3,177
6
I have a lot of respect for what Apple brings to the tech world. I have own Mac's, iPod's and now iPad's. I saw no need to buy an iPad and my first tablet was a Samsung Galaxy Tablet 10.1 and was wowed by the tech.

I finally gave in and bought an iPad and got to use it and came to realize what all the fuss was about. It's a truly streamlined package with both hardware and software working in harmony.

Here's my big concern regarding Apple. I don't see anyone currently at Apple who's the next Steve Jobs. A person who thinks out of the box and knows what the end user will want to have in their home, car etc. I just see a company who is profiting from the ideas Steve brought to the market.

There was a coolness when Apple introduced the first iMac, the first MacBook, Mac Mini, iPod, iPhone and iPad. Everything Apple has released since has been an evolution of a product already in the market. Yeah the new iMac is sleek, ultra thin and slick but it's another iMac. The same goes for the rest of their products that have released.

This is the concern of the tech world. The $1 billion dollar question is, does Apple have what it takes post Steve Jobs to innovate and bring a successful product from left field that no one was expecting? If Apple continues on it's current path then they could be in trouble as the competition will take less profit for more marketshare and offer a better bang for the buck product. It's already happening with the Nexus line and Samsung products.
 

batting1000

macrumors 604
Sep 4, 2011
7,464
1,874
Florida
Sorry using Samsung's Galaxy S line is a horrible example of a company upgrading their device under a year. The Galaxy S line has always been on a one year UPGRADE cycle. I'm not talking just minor spec bumps the way Apple does. I'm talking a full upgrade each year as any respectable consumer should demand.
In your example, your talking about the same device with only LTE added for that particular NETWORK, not for the DEVICE overall. So this is not a matter of a company upgrading a DEVICE to milk ALL customers in general like the upgrade Apple did with the iPad 3 to iPad 4. This was a device being upgraded to match the new services that providers were just rolling out, LTE. Same goes for the Galaxy S4G. It was released in Feb/2011 and TMobile upgraded their HSPA+ network just before that. Hence an update to an existing phone to take advantage of the new data speeds.

I'm confused though. All US carriers have an LTE Galaxy SIII because it has the capabilities built in. Why didn't TMobile opt for the baseline GS3 model (which has LTE built in) if they knew they'd be turning on LTE soon? Now, customers on TMobile that want LTE on their GS3 have to buy a whole new model which they won't be eligible for because the GS3 was released mid-last year. It's like Sprint asking Apple for a non-LTE iPhone 5 because they don't have as many markets with LTE as Verizon or AT&T.

It doesn't make any sense why they would make a separate version without LTE just because one carrier might not have it yet. It's either built in to the device or it isn't. Pick one.

I couldn't agree more with this.

----------



Sorry, in regards to Samsung, your mixing up a refresh with an existing phone to an actual upgrade. Big difference.

No, I don't think he is. He is just saying how Apple has never made one model and then released another with only one spec upgraded or the addition of only a new network radio / capability. Sorry.
 

cynics

macrumors G4
Jan 8, 2012
11,959
2,156
iPad 4 is probably the first instance I've seen Apple do this. Correct me if I'm wrong. I've never seen them pull moves like Samsung or HTC

HTC One X - HTC One X+ 6 months later
Samsung GS2, Samsung Skyrocket 2 months later
Samsung Vibrant, Samsung Galaxy S 4G 4 months later
Samsung GS3, Samsung GS3 w/LTE on T-Mobile 6 months later

Apple usually waits at least a year or close to it with their mobile devices. If they release an iPhone 5S before June then I'll agree with you.

I think constantly releasing tweaks of flagships throughout the year actually hurts HTC. In addition to them not having a single streamlined device across all 4 carriers. They don't have any iconic device like Samsung has done with the GS3 because they confuse consumers with all their tweaks and slightly different "flagships" on every carrier. The One X+ is what the One X should have been in the first place and it should have been the same identical device on every carrier.

If someone gets upset that a better version of their device comes out every 6 months or so that's a mental complex. I have an iPad 3 and a 4S there is nothing stopping me from getting a iPad 4 and iPhone 5 aside from me being content with what I have. If someone can't afford it because they are on a contract then it sounds like they are upset because then don't make enough money....

Personally I want faster updates. I wish the next iPhone would come out...
 

roxxette

macrumors 68000
Aug 9, 2011
1,507
0
People should just get a grip and stop expecting hype for every single product, atm theres plenty of options for the consumer so its not about 1 smartphone anymore.
 

maxosx

macrumors 68020
Dec 13, 2012
2,385
1
Southern California
With more than half of Apples revenue tied to the iPhone, it's easy to see why Apple fears changing it. Then there's the fact that very strong sales, most probably exacerbates Apples fear of taking the kinds of risks necessary to innovate like they have in the past.

While remaining a bit frozen in place with the same old style is not bad so far, it's going to be interesting just how long they can remain stagnant.

I am enjoying my iPhone 5 as it is, but there's no longer anything exciting & fresh about it. The advent of the iPad mini really makes up for the shortcomings of the small iPhone. Now I have room to work with its 7.9" display, larger keyboard & window when responding to emails & such. Working on the web is now practical, as opposed to the frustration of iPhones narrow display.

So for my needs if Apple continues to milk the iPhone in its current iteration, it won't impact me. In fact it saves me lots of money since I won't be buying new ones each year.

Conversely if suddenly Apple finds the courage to match the other premier smartphones in screen size & features, I'll be ready to purchase Apple's answer to the rapidly advancing Premier Android phones.
 

tevion5

macrumors 68000
Jul 12, 2011
1,967
1,603
Ireland
I'm saying this as a developer

Oh well that's an entirely different story! Yes from that point I can understand this is very frustrating.

----------

People should just get a grip and stop expecting hype for every single product, atm theres plenty of options for the consumer so its not about 1 smartphone anymore.

For us :apple: fans there still is

----------

It seems Apple believes their phones and OS are "Good Enough" and they aren't straying too far from what they know. Isn't that what RIM did?

Sure, only Apple have done this for maybe 1 or three 2 years at most.

RIM have done this for 10 years at least.
 

Irishman

macrumors 68040
Nov 2, 2006
3,449
859
If their crashing stock price is any indication...

Their crashing stock price is the result of unrealistic analysts expectations on Apple's performance. Any Apple success can be seen as an Apple failure if you look hard enough.

Millions of iPhone 5s sold in new markets and the US? Well, you missed our projections by a half million, so you fail! Did you sell more Apple TVs than Microsoft did XBox 360s in the same quarter? Well, you didn't ship an Apple-branded TV set and Gene Muenster has his panties in a wad (48 months running), so you fail!

Wall Street analysts are very good at setting unnaturally-high bars and penalizing any company that doesn't surpass them.
 

Spungoflex

macrumors 6502
Oct 30, 2012
388
488
Psychology is a funny thing. The fact of the matter is, I, like most people, like to buy products when they'll be cutting edge for ~a year.

But that is your problem and you will have to get over it. Are you really expecting the entire world to sit around and not improve technology for 365 days because you said so?

The days of yearly updates are over forever. Technology is moving way too fast and the marketplace is way too competitive for such old fashioned sluggishness.
 

Sensamic

macrumors 68040
Mar 26, 2010
3,072
689
I think I've reached my end cycle with Apple. At least until some years into the future.

My problem with Apple is......... price.

I don't have problems with money right now thankfully, but I just can't believe how pricey and expressive Apple is getting every year goes by.

In 2010 I bought the Mac mini for almost 800€, and it was still core 2 duo with only 2GB RAM!!! Are we crazy? What made me even more mad was that one year later the new Mac mini model with new CPU was released 200€ cheaper! It's like a scam.

And then you see the new MacBook pro 13 inch at an unbelievable price of 1600€!!!

On 2010 I bought an iMac and the Mac mini to serve as a media center on the living room. I'm quite happy with both. I was ready tired of Windows and to me there's absolutely no doubt that Mac OS X is way better than Windows.

But I'm not willing to pay an extra 1000€ in some cases just to have Mac OS X. For the price of the iPad I can buy a PC tower and a monitor!! It's amazing how cheap Windows PC's and laptops are nowadays, probably due to tablets.

It's also really hard to change the hard drive in a Mac and install an SSD.

Sorry Apple, but even if I were rich I'm not buying more overpriced stuff from you. I can get Windows and android stuff way way more cheap.

Are people seriously not worried with how expensive Apple is going?

I can buy three PC's for the price of an iMac or MacBook pro!!! I see Windows laptops with same specs as MacBooks pros (except for the screen) for as low as 400€!!! I can save around 1000€!!!!

No wonder they are the most profitable company in the world!! They steal from their users!!

And let me add one last thing: I hate Windows, but I hate even more the price Apple asks for their products.
 

Philscbx

macrumors regular
Jan 4, 2007
174
0
Mpls Mn
I have one option left to decide between the newest iPhone or the Sam S 111 that was just reviewed live at Verizon shop last nite.

A true side by side real-time review to show who lacks in anyway of any restrictions.
From BlueTooth & file types to processor speeds.
Maybe even some launched drop tests.
The larger screen of the S111 is one up already - for us older punks anyway.
I can promise one thing - it won't be about diamond cut.
 
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