How worried are Google and Microsoft?

[jrswizzle]

LOL. and when consumers find out their crappy Tizen phones can't run any app, then Samsung is finished. Android will be fine without Samsung with LG, Motorola and HTC taking over Samsungs' market share.

You underestimate what Samsung has built - they have an almost Apple-like following among the average consumer. With a Tizen build that looks almost exactly like TouchWiz and the ability to run Android apps while the Tizen app store gains developer support, Samsung would be just fine.

It'd honestly likely allow them to make a better overall experience - controlling the hardware and software is what makes the iOS experience so compelling.

But I agree the HTCs and LGs would get a chance to shine and I think they'd do well picking up the slack.

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I was at my friends house last night who just so happens to be employed with Microsoft and we started looking at his Windows Phone. He has a 1020. The software is impressive (he is running the beta 8.1) but the hardware design looked and felt undesirable. I then started comparing the Apps I had installed and use often versus what he could get in the store on his phone. Slim pickings. He wanted the NBA Game Time app I use and no dice.

I think the OS is getting there, but lack of beautiful design hardware wise and lack of developers really hurts the platform now and going forward. Hard to justify spending money on a platform that doesn't provide a similar experience as the competitors in my mind.

Agreed - hardware and app support are the two knocks against WP8 for me. I have a Lumia 520 (I know its a cheap phone and don't base all my hardware opinions on it) and the experience from an OS perspective is really great. Smooth, fast even on a lesser SoC.

I'm just not a fan of the Lumia design language....too boxy and bulky for me. And for crying out loud....there isn't even an official Dropbox app....

 

[miketheappleguy]

I don't think Microsoft or Google are worried one bit.

Google is all about software, advertising and the cloud. How many times did they say google speak or whatever it is at WWDC? The nexus products while I'm sure they care about are more throw away projects than the rest of what they concentrate on. While apple benefits obviously from being exclusive to their own operating systems, android and microsoft benefit from lending theirs out to other companies

Now let's talk about Microsoft. While I do think Microsoft definitely has their eyes set on apple to a point, their products are office and the windows operating system. I think Microsofts biggest problem is mentioning the macbook air and ipad at all when they announced their surface pro 3. It does the surface pro 3 a great disservice when compared to those two products because they're not fully either one. They're a hybrid which means in reality it's its own product that apple has no known plans to venture down towards. And lets be honest here. The surface pro is not a tablet that can be a laptop. It's a laptop that can be a tablet.

 

[pdqgp]

Google is all about software, advertising and the cloud.

The reality is Google isn't scared of anyone. They aren't about the phones, they are about the data mining the phones provide them access to. That's where the real money is at.

 

[bunchofpenguins]

LOL. and when consumers find out their crappy Tizen phones can't run any app, then Samsung is finished. Android will be fine without Samsung with LG, Motorola and HTC taking over Samsungs' market share.

You don't know they won't run any app, though. Samsung is huge with a giant marketing budget. No way they're going to go into this blindly. Besides, if they have to, they can always partner with Amazon.

 

[spinedoc77]

I was at my friends house last night who just so happens to be employed with Microsoft and we started looking at his Windows Phone. He has a 1020. The software is impressive (he is running the beta 8.1) but the hardware design looked and felt undesirable. I then started comparing the Apps I had installed and use often versus what he could get in the store on his phone. Slim pickings. He wanted the NBA Game Time app I use and no dice.

I think the OS is getting there, but lack of beautiful design hardware wise and lack of developers really hurts the platform now and going forward. Hard to justify spending money on a platform that doesn't provide a similar experience as the competitors in my mind.

The apps doesn't bother me so much, I get my tech fix from my windows tablet in all honesty. I just want a nice feeling phone with a decent screen to bezel ratio and a nice camera. I haven't seen a WP yet that is as nice as an iphone, or a G3 for example.

 

[apolloa]

The problem is Google has no long term answer. They flooded the market with Android devices, but there does not seem to be a long term strategy, I'm sure they have it, but it's not clear where their future lies.

They don't have an answer to Windows and OSX; those platforms are slowly moving into the mobile arena.

You've had your head in the sand then if you think that mate. It is VERY obvious where Google is going, it want's a connected world and it's getting it, you should try Google now sometime, it's scaringly accurate.
Google are developing some awesome products that Apple is not, and because Google is all about an open platform it has the power to do it.

Google very much have their **** together.

As for Microsoft, in what respect are they worried? They bought Nokia which when the iPhone was first launched were making and selling smartphones years ahead of the iPhone 1. And the Surface tablets are very well made, but the Surface Pro 3 runs full Windows, no iPad does anything equivalent, they have pulled a Google, where they attacked the iPad with the Nexus range with great specs at good prices, Microsoft is going higher price but great power and convenience.

We won't mention Windows in any other way considering it's worldwide install user base is something Apple literally can only dream off.

And just for some facts, Android has the majority world wide market share. And Apple was VERY clever with it's stats the other day, like iOS7 users, so that'll be iOS7 version 1 and every other version since, plus it's kinda forced on it's users.
And then we had Apple gloating about the uptake of it's FREE OSX update compared to Windows 8 nothing more then changing the stats to suit your needs.
And iOS is copying more of Androids features, they are losing their way a little, like the old Apple would have always made it's own keyboard, but now they are copying Android and will allow third party ones?

 

[Vegastouch]

What Apple showed at WWDC must have them very worried, I think.

While Microsoft and Google are doing hit and misses and still getting settled into what they want to do, Apple has decided, their foundation is concrete, the ecosystem that is stable, convenient, very easy to get into and rewarding.

Apple's organisation is just unmatched. While Android and Microsoft's Operating Systems might offer some features iOS still does not have, what Apple has is a very stable and good underlying platform with standardized rules and features that neither Microsoft, nor Google can match.

HomeKit
Headphone MFi - Allowing for 48KHz lossless audio, which will be big with audiophiles
Metal
SpriteKit
iCloud Drive integration
Family Sharing
Seamless and deep integration between iPhone - Mac - iPad
Health app and integration. Apple won't abandon and do it half-way, like Samsung, so companies will build things for this.

Not to mention tons of APIs and features from previous versions of iOS.

And while having such a strong foundation, now they've started integrating Android's features, which are much easier to do than the foundation part, making Android less and less attractive of an option. With iPhone 6, they'll make big screens too.

So IMO, Google and Microsoft have to be really, really worried. Apple have their **** together and they don't.

Seriously? LOL, is this a serious post?

I doubt either one is worried.

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Yeah I'm sure Google is terrified about how Apple just announced a bunch of features Android has had since Ice Cream Sandwich. Maybe that'll start to chip into the 80% market share Android has.

Apple: leading the way into 3 years ago.

ICS?..they have had many of them like widgets that Apple is just now getting since their inception on the G1.

 

[Vegastouch]

We really need a delete option in here.

 

[Vegastouch]

Here's the challenge for Google, it's never going to be possible for them to get the ecosystem Apple displayed at WWDC.

Apple took convergence and threw it out the window and showed the world a family of devices that all represent one cohesive experience where the sum is far greater than its parts.

Android can't do that. Microsoft can, but they have their head in their rump.

As I said in another thread, The iPhone 6 probably WONT be better than the Samsung S5 or LG G3, but now Android is really competing against Macs, iPads and iPhones and the singular experience they offer with iOS8 and Yosemite.

Google and Microsoft should absolutely be worried because I'm willing to bet that once people get a taste of a real ecosystem and device synergy, they will probably never leave for any single outlier android phone which is cut off from their tablet and laptop/desktop.

That and Apple will have big screens, which was half the appeal of android phones.

Really i think only the tech people care most about this.

I dont work in the computer industry so i dont really care much about this ecosystem thing. If i can get my music and photos to go on all my devices, im good and they are and im using Windows 8, windows Vista and Android. Dropbox, Google drive sync it all up just fine. I dont think the Non tech person cares much more about those things. I could probably add movies and books to that but that dont change anything. Google handles all that as well on other devices.

Samsung devices do all that stuff too but i didnt keep buying Samsung devices either. We dont have any of their tablets or laptops and only a couple of phones.

 

[Explicitic]

Headphone MFi - Allowing for 48KHz lossless audio, which will be big with audiophiles

Do you seriously believe this is a good thing? To have another new proprietary technology further lock you into Apple's ecosystem?

Replacing analog 3.5mm headphones with something proprietary is simply a stupid idea and "audiophiles" wouldn't care.

 

[Vegastouch]

Do you seriously believe this is a good thing? To have another new proprietary technology further lock you into Apple's ecosystem?

Replacing analog 3.5mm headphones with something proprietary is simply a stupid idea and "audiophiles" wouldn't care.

LOL, i didnt even notice that one. But im sure they will let you buy an adapter for only 29.99

They really arent doing away with the 3.5mm headjack are they?

 

[Oohara]

LOL, i didnt even notice that one. But im sure they will let you buy an adapter for only 29.99

They really arent doing away with the 3.5mm headjack are they?

Offing the 3.5 mm jack right now would be preposterous. I've read articles theorizing that they may drop the 3.5 jack in the future so they can make the phone even thinner, but that's all being said in that direction AFAIK.

What seems to be coming now is audiophile/active noise cancelling headphones connecting through the lightning jack.

 

[Jibbajabba]

Yeah I'm sure Google is terrified about how Apple just announced a bunch of features Android has had since Ice Cream Sandwich. Maybe that'll start to chip into the 80% market share Android has.

Apple: leading the way into 3 years ago.

It's called innovation lol

 

[daveathall]

I hope all companies are worried about each other. Worried enough to push innovation to its limit to benefit all of us.

 

[Switchback666]

Offing the 3.5 mm jack right now would be preposterous. I've read articles theorizing that they may drop the 3.5 jack in the future so they can make the phone even thinner, but that's all being said in that direction AFAIK.

What seems to be coming now is audiophile/active noise cancelling headphones connecting through the lightning jack.

I got myself nice UE pro 18 and they have serve me well for years now no reason to get new pair, i very much welcome a big screen iphone in the future but if they drop the classic 3.5mm jack just to make the damm thing thinner thats too much even for apple and i probably will never return; the biggest reason why i drop my ipod and sony ericsson phones back in the day was to finally have everything in 1 device.

 

[srkmish]

I feel with the bigger iphone coming and the integration of ios and osx, people may start coming back from android.

 

[Cod3rror]

Do you seriously believe this is a good thing? To have another new proprietary technology further lock you into Apple's ecosystem?

Replacing analog 3.5mm headphones with something proprietary is simply a stupid idea and "audiophiles" wouldn't care.

No, I absolutely don't believe proprietary technology is a good thing, however! It is pretty evident that it's almost always Apple pushing for new technologies and to try something new.

Take the lightning port, until Apple did that, USB organisation had absolutely no plans to introduce a small reversible port, they were content with that awful microUSB 3.0 port. Apple makes lightning port, suddenly USB is making a very similar port too.

The same goes with 64-bit. Apple caught the whole industry off guard. So off-guard that Qualcomm did not even have time to design their own 64-bit Krait cores and is using off the shelf ARM A57-A53 cores to get them through 2015.

It seems the industry is perfectly content with doing as little as possible until Apple jumps on a new technology and they have to innovate to keep up.

Now look, if this lightining port audio takes off, Samsung and others will suddenly start offering microUSB headphones too.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

It's called innovation lol

Um.

It's not innovation if someone else already did it, man. Like that's basic English, hahaha.

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Actually I really hope Apple does get rid of the 3.5mm, because watching Apple Fanboys scramble all over themselves to justify doing such an idiotic thing is going to be HILARIOUS.

Hey you know what people love? Not being able to listen to music while a device is plugged in.

"Oh but you can buy adapters!"

Of course... buy more adapters...

Samsung makes USB headphones? Who give a f$%^? Samsung and Apple's headphones are hogshit. Beats headphones with lightning? Good job, now only people with NEW iPhones are gonna buy new Beats, and no one with older Beats will buy iPhones.

Speaking as a headphone guy, if Apple did the lightning thing? I would first pee myself laughing, and then never buy an iOS product again. I can guarantee you that Shure and Final Audio are not going to be letting Apple dictate their products.

 

[khha4113]

Now look, if this lightining port audio takes off, Samsung and others will suddenly start offering microUSB headphones too.

IIRC, Some phones manufacturers (Pantech) had already offered microUSB
headphones on basic phones. I know since I had to buy them for my wife's old phones), so it's not new.
For 64bit OS, do you see other android makers have them (on HTC M8 or S5)? They're not because we still don't need it now. Maybe next year.

 

[Lloydbm41]

No, I absolutely don't believe proprietary technology is a good thing, however! It is pretty evident that it's almost always Apple pushing for new technologies and to try something new.

Take the lightning port, until Apple did that, USB organisation had absolutely no plans to introduce a small reversible port, they were content with that awful microUSB 3.0 port. Apple makes lightning port, suddenly USB is making a very similar port too.

The same goes with 64-bit. Apple caught the whole industry off guard. So off-guard that Qualcomm did not even have time to design their own 64-bit Krait cores and is using off the shelf ARM A57-A53 cores to get them through 2015.

It seems the industry is perfectly content with doing as little as possible until Apple jumps on a new technology and they have to innovate to keep up.

Now look, if this lightining port audio takes off, Samsung and others will suddenly start offering microUSB headphones too.

You seem to forget, until the industry came out with micro-usb, Apple was content with that awful 30pin errector set connector. Micro-usb port comes out and all of a sudden, Apple is making something similar.

64-bit. For the most part a gimmick at this point. But if one company comes out with a piece of hardware with a big number, then the others follow suit. Take for example, Android phones with bigger screens, now we see Apple coming out with bigger screens to compete.

And it is always Apple trying something new? You mean like NFC payments/data sharing? Or how about QHD quality displays? How about flexible displays? What about the use of dlna and miracast? or how about OTG cables or BT to allow for the use of multiple peripherals simultaneously?

You see, you can play this game all day long.

 

[spinedoc77]

Um.

It's not innovation if someone else already did it, man. Like that's basic English, hahaha.

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Actually I really hope Apple does get rid of the 3.5mm, because watching Apple Fanboys scramble all over themselves to justify doing such an idiotic thing is going to be HILARIOUS.

Hey you know what people love? Not being able to listen to music while a device is plugged in.

"Oh but you can buy adapters!"

Of course... buy more adapters...

Samsung makes USB headphones? Who give a f$%^? Samsung and Apple's headphones are hogshit. Beats headphones with lightning? Good job, now only people with NEW iPhones are gonna buy new Beats, and no one with older Beats will buy iPhones.

Speaking as a headphone guy, if Apple did the lightning thing? I would first pee myself laughing, and then never buy an iOS product again. I can guarantee you that Shure and Final Audio are not going to be letting Apple dictate their products.

They should just get rid of headphone jacks completely. I have been quite happy with my bluetooth headsets that I've used, I've had various ones for the past 10 years.

But why anyone would want to stand in the way of progress just to keep an outdated headphone jack is beyond me. Even though proprietary kind of sucks, at least Apple comes out with superior versions of hardware items. The lightning adapter is VASTLY superior to mini usb, I wish that was the standard.

 

[Tig Bitties]

How worried is Google about Apple ?

LOL, just a bug on the windshield.

 

[gotluck]

They should just get rid of headphone jacks completely. I have been quite happy with my bluetooth headsets that I've used, I've had various ones for the past 10 years.

But why anyone would want to stand in the way of progress just to keep an outdated headphone jack is beyond me. Even though proprietary kind of sucks, at least Apple comes out with superior versions of hardware items. The lightning adapter is VASTLY superior to mini usb, I wish that was the standard.

I love being able to attach to legacy products. I would be very sad without a headphone jack

No way! I want analog and digital sound output compatibility !

I don't believe sound over USB is very new either?

 

[Explicitic]

No, I absolutely don't believe proprietary technology is a good thing, however! It is pretty evident that it's almost always Apple pushing for new technologies and to try something new.

Take the lightning port, until Apple did that, USB organisation had absolutely no plans to introduce a small reversible port, they were content with that awful microUSB 3.0 port. Apple makes lightning port, suddenly USB is making a very similar port too.

The same goes with 64-bit. Apple caught the whole industry off guard. So off-guard that Qualcomm did not even have time to design their own 64-bit Krait cores and is using off the shelf ARM A57-A53 cores to get them through 2015.

It seems the industry is perfectly content with doing as little as possible until Apple jumps on a new technology and they have to innovate to keep up.

Now look, if this lightining port audio takes off, Samsung and others will suddenly start offering microUSB headphones too.

The problem is, what is the point of creating new headphones with Lightning connectors or EVEN microUSB?

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the current analog 3.5mm or 1/4 in. connections being used. Creating Lightning and microUSB headphones would be like doing what Samsung does, taking every single idea, creating a product out of it, and hoping it sticks.

Instead of introducing Lightning MFi headphones, why doesn't Apple simply improve the audio hardware inside their devices? A normal consumer would not be able to distinguish between lossless and a 320 mp3. Audiophiles, who claim they can, have thousands of dollars worth of headphones, DACs, etc...that use analog connections.

Apple making more money by selling Lightning -> 3.5mm adapters would be the only thing that comes of this.

 

[khha4113]

How worried is Google about Apple ?

LOL, just a bug on the windshield.

Seriously, it seems Apple is the ONE that worried since it now just follows the trends that are made by others..