I’m in the market for a new phone so I paid close attention to the iPhone event yesterday. My take after the break for those who are interested. For others, here’s a summary:
Update: FYWP ate the comment settings and part of the post. Fixed now. Sorry about that.
Because the iPhone 4 had been on the market for 100 days longer than any previous model, there were rumors that Apple was going to produce a phone with a radically different form factor. Those rumors were wrong — Apple’s iPhone 4S is simply a faster version of the iPhone 4 with a better camera that runs on all the major cellular networks. Just as it did after introducing the iPhone 3, Apple decided to keep the same physical appearance of the phone and upgrade the innards.
The changes to iPhone this time are the software and supporting systems around it and the networks it runs on. The software, IOS 5, includes a new voice recognition system called “Siri” that appears to be an improvement on Google’s voice recognition, since it does some interpretation of the user’s requests. (Example: “Remind me to tell my wife happy birthday when I get home”.) IOS 5 also has a notification system that mimics the one available on Google’s Android, better Twitter integration and integration with iCloud.
iCloud is similar to, and in ways better than, the Amazon cloud. All your iTunes purchased music and books are stored in the cloud, along with your picture roll. iCloud-enabled apps sync between devices, so reminders entered on the phone are available on the iPad, for example. You can also store 5 GB of data over and above those items, which is more generous than other free cloud offerings. Apple has added technology from its Lala acquisition to allow iTunes to figure out what music you have on your PC and match that to 20 million songs in their cloud library — that costs $24.95/year.
IOS 5 also lets you do software upgrades over the net, without having to plug the phone into iTunes, and you can wirelessly sync with iTunes on your home network. Between Siri, which if it works as well as demoed is a huge advance in voice recognition, and the rest of the IOS 5 software, it’s an impressive update.
Even so, Apple’s stock dropped on the announcement, and I really didn’t sense a lot of excitement from the tech blogs I follow. The trend in Android phones has been bigger screens and radios that run on the latest 4G network, Verizon’s LTE. iPhone 4S has the same size screen and doesn’t run on LTE. Instead, Apple put their effort into making a phone that has better battery life, a better camera, a better antenna, and a single device that runs on Verizon, AT&T and, now, Sprint.
As a Google fan, I’d like to say that the Android phone makers are beating Apple, but I’m not wowed by this comparison. If you read the reviews for those phones, you’ll find that the Samsung Galaxy S2 is probably the best of the bunch. It’s also ginormous and not available on Verizon. For its own reasons, Verizon decided to concentrate its efforts on the less inspiring and huge Droid Bionic, which has mediocre camera to match its mediocre battery life.
Another factor in the Android vs iPhone decision is that Android manufacturers tend to crap up their phones with “skins” and uninstallable apps that make buying an Android phone similar to buying a PC from Best Buy — both have ugly junk that you probably don’t want preinstalled. And Android manufacturers have a terrible track record updating their phones. Almost every Android device that’s been out for a year or so runs an old version of Android, because the phone manufacturer lags updates, since you’re last year’s model. When Google bought Motorola, the assumption was that they were purchasing patents, but I think they also wanted to be able to produce an Android phone that was cutting-edge hardware, without all the crap, and with regular updates.
Until Google produces a Google Phone, Apple is the manufacturer that actually cares about supporting hardware for more than a few months — owners of the iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS will get an upgrade to the same IOS 5 that runs on the newest iPhone. Apple’s also concentrating on what people really want from their phones, rather than what the carrier marketing departments want. In addition to not installing carrier-mandated crapware on the phone, Apple decided against putting an LTE radio in the iPhone 4S. That’s the right decision. LTE only matters for heavy usage like streaming video, and why would I want to stream video on the thing when carriers have ridiculously low caps on usage? Those caps are like handing me a firehose to fill a five gallon bucket, and charging me a buck for every drop that splashes outside the bucket.
Instead of an LTE radio, Apple spent their hardware love on an even better camera. The iPhone 4 camera really is about as good as the point-and-shoot digital cameras from a few years back, and the 4S camera looks to be even better. One of the most convincing slides in yesterday’s announcement showed how long it takes for the other phones to be ready to snap a photo. The iPhone is ready in about a second, while the Droid Bionic takes almost 4. That’s a huge difference in usability.
The net of this is that I’ll probably end up buying an iPhone, even though I’m pretty solidly in the Google camp. I’ll miss the turn-by-turn navigation in Google Maps, and I’m expecting the email and calendar integration with my many Google accounts to be not quite as seamless, but I’ll be goddamned if I’m going to put up with another Android phone that turns into a laggy, buggy piece of crap in my pocket after a few months, the way my original Droid has.
barath
It’s funny – that image is exactly what I thought when I found out the new iPhone looks like the old one. Then again, I don’t even have a smartphone, and I leave my phone in airplane mode most of the time…
Maybe someday I’ll have no choice but to get one, but until that day comes, I’m sticking with my really-badly-made LG generic phone.
arguingwithsignposts
I’m right there with you, mix. I have a droid 2, and if i had it to do over again, I’d get an iphone. As it is, I’ll have to wait another year, and by then, there’ll be an iPhone 5. I was a bit disappointed by the announcement yesterday, but, meh.
RSA
I’ll probably replace my iPhone 3 with a 4s, if there are any left when I get around to it.
jangledangle
Actually, integration with Google Calendar is very good on the iPhone. You’ll have no worries there. The gmail integration is decent on an iPhone too, but I’m not sure what Android users get in that department.
RGuy
It was well know that the new one was only going to be a minor upgrade. The big factor in this one is the voice recognition. Apple didn’t come out with a 4G phone yet because 4G takes sucks a lot of battery. That’s why they didn’t go with the 3G when they first introduced the iPhone. They’ll eventually offer a 4G phone but as of now Verizon’s 4G network is so new that they’re still implementing it.
Walker
We know Google bought Motorola to make hardware; it is in the explanation of their offer to the SEC.
Hardware fragmentation is KILLING Google. When game studios talk to my students, they want iPhone experience, not Android experience. Because nothing other than an established title can make money on the Android – you need to launch on iPhone first. If you launch on Android, you will get tons of bad reviews because of all the models you forgot to test on.
Also, Amazon’s fork of Android with Fire is a serious threat to Google’s control of the platform.
mistermix
@Walker: Unfortunately phone makers other than Apple still think like Nokia. “Here’s a phone for people who like taking pictures. It has a good camera but the screen is crappy. Here’s one who like email, it has a keyboard but a terrible (or nonexistent) phone and a tiny screen. And here’s one for people who like Music. It has a music player that actually works. And here are a dozen more phones at every price point.”
It’s madness. Also, Android customers won’t pay for anything, so the market is full of ad-supported crapware.
Belafon (formerly anonevent)
I do find it interesting that it takes a company where software is a major portion of their overall product development to actually recognize that you have to pay attention to the customer. I’m not surprised: As a programmer myself, whether or not a piece of software gets used depends on the customer wanting to use it, not whether I feel like making it a certain way. But you can put Google and Apple at one end of this scale and phone manufacturers at the other end.
Kilgore Trout
Very interesting post.
Having used both a first generation iPhone and an early Android phone, in my mind there is no comparison – the Apple iOS is just so much more intuitive. Given I’m not wanting to tweak my phone, I just want it to work well, it was an easy decision to go with an iPhone the last time our contract was up.
arguingwithsignposts
@Belafon (formerly anonevent): I think you’re missing a “not” in there somewhere. Apple is not primarily a software company. Every piece of software they develop is for the puroose of pushing their hardware.
Walker
@mistermix:
Exactly, and that is why game developers are avoiding the platform like the plague. And anyone who does not think games drive the app market on smart phones is kidding themselves. The freakin’ iPod Touch is outselling the PSP and Nintendo DS when it comes to gaming.
mistermix
@arguingwithsignposts: The Droid form factor is actually one I prefer over the iPhone, since I like the keyboard, but they consistently put too small a processor and too little RAM into the thing, so I’m done with them.
arguingwithsignposts
Since fywp won’t let me edit my comment, i think belafon’s comment makes more sense on second read, in that Motorola doesn’t do software. If so, apologies for my reading fail.
dmsilev
It looks like Apple is following Intel’s “tick-tock” strategy for CPUs. For Intel, that’s alternating between process shrinks (same CPU made using smaller transistors; generally faster and less power hungry) and new CPU designs. For Apple, it’s “new form factor” vs. “major internal update”. So, we go from the 3G to the 3GS (same case, big speed bump). From the 3GS to the 4, the CPU got a bit faster, but most of the changes were external (the new case, the high-res screen). And now with the 4S, it’s all internal changes again.
Presumably the 5 will feature a CPU that’s a modest improvement over the current version, but will have a new case form factor and some other bells and whistles.
mistermix
@Walker: Again, here’s where Apple wins by having a business model that isn’t beholden to carriers. Kids get an iPod Touch long before they get a smartphone, and it makes them all want iPhones, because they have a library of music they bought with the iTunes gift cards their aunts and uncles gave them, and they are comfortable with IOS. It’s hardly ever mentioned but it’s really smart on Apple’s part.
robertdsc-PowerBook
Love both of my iPhones, the old 3G and my current 4. The 4S is nice, but I’ll keep my 4 for now.
Walker
@dmsilev:
As a long time Apple owner, I approve of this cycle. Because you should never buy the first new of anything from Apple. I am happily on the S cycle (currently past my contract on a 3S).
By the way, mistermix, one of the things you didn’t mention was mirroring. That is huge for those of us in education. It means that, like the iPad2, I can hook the phone up to a classroom projector.
Danny
Wow, this is exactly how I feel about why I’m going to be picking up an iPhone 4S ASAP. Great job on this post mistermix.
I would just like to point out that, while what you say about Android phones is true for most of them, the Nexus units actually have unadulterated Android and get updates as soon as Google releases them.
Having said that, even though I’m on a Nexus One, I’m still planning to switch to iPhone. The reason is pretty simple, I spend a lot of time playing games, watching movies, and listening to music on my iPod Touch. I’d love to be able to consolidate my devices into one and the only way to do that is with an iPhone. I have too many movies and too much music that I got through iTunes to use an Android device as an iPod.
I can understand why someone with an iPhone 4 would be disappointed with yesterdays news, but for the rest of us, the 4S is going to be an awesome upgrade over our current phones.
eeentropyyy
There are free navigation apps like MapQuest that, while not as good as Google’s offering, do a good job. The trick to the iPhone’s Google integration is to set up your GMail account as an Exchange account not the listed GMail setting. This allows you to sync Contacts, Calendar, and Email. There has been a steady stream of native Google apps bridging the Android to iOS gap.
MattF
I’ve been a skeptic about open source for a long time. Not because I’m a fan of proprietary software, but because the design-and-maintenance process for open source strikes me as fundamentally flawed. It seems, unfortunately, that the tribulations of the Android OS are proving me right.
Li
This is an odd topic for BJ, but let me chime in: I too, am an original Droid owner, and like you I have experienced a startling loss in basic usability over the past few years. It started out being reasonably stable and fast, and now it crashes hourly and takes several minutes to accomplish basic tasks. And this is despite being a power user that is comfortable zapping and reinstalling the software on the phone regularly (which never needs to be done on my years old, used ipod touch). I feel like there is a basic hardware problem with the device, as if the circuit traces were made cheaply and have begun to leak electrons. Basically, it sucks; it sucks so bad that the 4S is really attractive to me now, even though the degree to which Apple controls the platform gives me the willies.
J.W. Hamner
No mention of the Nexus Prime that should be announced and/or released next week? My contract is up in the next month and that’s the Android phone I am targeting.
Walker
@Li:
I find it fascinating that people think this way about their phones. No one thinks that way about game consoles. If you wanted control, look at what Sony does with the PS3 or even Microsoft on the X-Box. Just getting development access to those platforms is incredibly expensive, and beyond the access of the average user. With the iPhone, it is the cost of an average textbook, and free if you are in education. Apple has nothing on the game console companies.
These are consumer devices, not general purpose computers. The fact that everyone thinks we are fighting the old war of the 90s is exactly why Apple is doing so well.
mistermix
@J.W. Hamner: If the N’ is like the Nexus One, it will be GSM first, and I’m on Verizon, so that’s why I didn’t mention it. If it’s CDMA, I’d consider it, since I’ll never buy a non-Google-branded Android device again.
@Li: I got my Droid on the first day it was released and I knew I’d never buy another one a few months after. I have the same willingness to tinker, and the same negative experience.
@MattF: Open source on PCs is a very different thing from open source on devices like phones. Each PC has its quirks, but generally the open source community has learned how to support different hardware, and manufacturers are generally releasing drivers for their hardware reasonably quickly (graphics cards are a bit of an exception). Phones are a totally different story. Each phone is quite different from another one, and the life cycle is really a few months or a year or two at most. From what I can tell, there’s just too much hardware that’s too different for open source to be effective.
Li
Walker: Actually, I agree with you. If you want a model of how to build a consumer electronic device that is stable, usable, and rarely crashes or behaves poorly, the best model is Nintendo. I’ve not once managed to crash a Nintendo device irrevocably, and I can only remember one instance in which I experienced a software crash. But, it is easy to see a device like an iPhone as a tiny computer rather than a CED, and people like me (power users) are used to having the power to hack and modify their computers to their hearts content. This is even true with Apple computers; they give access to the terminal right out of the box! Android seemed appealing at first because it seemed more hackable, but the lousy hardware support and the “Phone Carrier First” perspective have ruined that experience.
I guess I would rather, in the end, have a usable CSE than a crappy pocket computer.
daveX99
Hmm.. I am not exactly a zealot for Android, but I have not had that experience (laggy crappishness), and I am pretty zealously anti-Apple. I know that Android (on ATT, no less) isn’t really as free as say Linux, but it’s a more open platform than Apple’s.
I’m on my 2nd HTC Android on ATT (the inspire, I had the aria first go-round), and I really like it.
Are you sure you weren’t suffering because of a particular app that you’d installed? Sometimes they gum shit up.
haenck
After nearly 2.5 years my old iPhone 3gs could still fetch close to $200. And runs the latest iOS quite well.
After nearly 2.5 years my Motorola Droid, is an utterly worthless, worn out, unsupported husk.
I don’t care that Google bought Motorola, I will never touch a Motorola phone again.
bluehill
Thanks, all. This is the first post I’ve read about the new iPhone that hasn’t quickly devolved into a flame war between Apple and Android zealots. It’s really helpful to read about everyone’s experiences with Android.
J.W. Hamner
@mistermix:
They’re only rumors at this point obviously, but allegedly the Nexus Prime will be on Verizon… though possibly it will be held back or otherwise gimped by Verizon.
beergoggles
Wow all the android hate.
I got my first android on an HTC Hero – it had all the bells and whistles of the current IOS5 3 years ago.
I upgraded to a dual core android smartphone a few months ago and it’s blazingly fast.
Never encountered many issues with them other than the first hurdle of upgrading to froyo which warned me that it would delete all my personal data.
I own an archos 101 android tablet which I have mounted in the kitchen for recipes and media streaming while cooking.
I own a google tv that functions perfectly 99.9% of the time – although getting honeycomb on it soon would be nice.
Best part about owning an android phone – I never have to plug the phone in anywhere to charge it. Just keep several batteries that I charge on a wall wart and swap em in as needed.
Android products provide you with better ownership and extensibility of your hardware. The way iphones are going, you might be better off renting the device because you don’t really own it.
mistermix
@daveX99: I’ve uninstalled a lot of stuff and tried to tweak the crap out of it, but it still lags. And the camera is terrible. And the GPS won’t lock half the time unless you pull the battery and reboot. And it’s been on the same 2.2.2 version of Android (current version, 2.3.something, with 2.4 about to drop) for at least a year because Motorola gave up on updating it. I’m no Apple fan, and I will be looking hard at the Nexus Prime which I hope is on Verizon, but my experience with this phone has led me to believe that if it isn’t a Nexus/Google phone, it’s going to be an orphan in less than a year.
Bill E Pilgrim
I just want to say thanks for the post and the comments that echoed it about Android v iPhone. My iPhone 3G is becoming unusable so it’s time to make a move, and even though I also love all things Google, my instincts were telling me iPhone again, and this helps confirm, along with all of the research I’ve done today about specs and etc.
Kind of a drag, I’d really just as soon stay with the old iPhone but after I updated to OS 4, the phone slowed to where it was virtually useless, I mean really didn’t work, especially the maps which I rely on heavily. So I found a hack to reinstall system 3 and that worked fine, the phone sped along like new, the problem is most of the new apps I try to download now say they require OS 4 and won’t install. I also just realized that it actually removes old apps once they update to the version that won’t run on my OS. That just seems rude.
mistermix
@J.W. Hamner: Looks like the announcement is Oct 11 so I’ll wait and see, but if it is the “Droid Prime”, meaning Verizon mandates some crapware and holds back updates, I’m going to be very skeptical about buying it.
Sportello
Though I am an Apple fanboy, I do have friends with Droid products, and I recognize them to be a very viable alternative.
I’m shocked that people were expecting an LTE phone. A survey of sites like Cult of Mac, TUAW and Daring Fireball would show that an LTE phone was at best a hope, not an expectation. It is also consistent with Apple’s tradition of not being cutting edge, but on making stuff that works reliably and efficiently.
And Siri? If only it works as well as in the demo … well, that would be cutting edge.
superking
I have a 4G HTC something-or-other with Sprint. I am definitely getting the iPhone. I fucking hate my google phone. It’s fiddly and poorly designed. Why is the home button on the top of the phone, and why does it also turn my phone on and off? Why does the phone immediately call anyone I briefly tap in my call history? Why do I have 4 buttons at the bottom that I can accidentally touch and fuck up everything I’m doing?
I can’t understand why anyone would prefer any version of android over iOS. But I’ve been with Sprint for a long time, I didn’t want to pay to get out of my contract, and, as it turns out, Sprint actually has the best plans. $70 per month for unlimited data, text, and calls? Yes please! Now, the best of both worlds. Hooray!
Admiral_Komack
I love my iPhone 3GS.
I’ll wait to get the 4S.
TheMightyTrowel
Ok, I’ll join the fray: I have a highly non-smart phone at the moment and I’m happy with it. However, I’m moving to Australia in a few months and leaving my partner behind in the UK for at least the first 6-12 months of that. He’s got a crackberry and I’m thinking of getting one too so that we can message frequently without racking up ginormous fees. Will any android phones do this? Iphone is out because if you buy it in australia, it won’t work in the UK (I’ve been told) but android phones usually just accept a new SIM and go.
Linnaeus
I’m so uncool, I still use a BlackBerry.
beergoggles
@TheMightyTrowel: Dude u just need a phone that runs google voice to do all your texting. Doesn’t matter what phone OS it runs. Google voice has an app for the blackberry as well – go sign up for it already.
TheMightyTrowel
@beergoggles: does it matter what phone my partner’s got or whether he has the app? My current phone is really really dumb/not web linked (shock horror) at all.
mistermix
@TheMightyTrowel: The new iPhone is a “world phone” so it should work on GSM (i.e., the one with a SIM) and CDMA networks. There’s the issue of whether the phone is ‘locked’ to a specific carrier, but I understand that iPhones may be unlocked, don’t know the status of that.
iPhone has a new messaging system (called iMessage, of course) that is similar to BlackBerry’s messenger. However, unless your partner is also going to buy an iPhone, he can’t send you an iMessage, because it’s iPhone specific. If your partner isn’t replacing the BlackBerry, then you’ll need to get one, too, so you can message using BlackBerry messenger.
TheMightyTrowel
@mistermix: Cheers! superhelpful! Who’d have thunk that accepting a new job meant I’d have to give up my smug my-phone-is-dumber-than-yours attitude/cred….
mistermix
@TheMightyTrowel: beergoggle’s Google Voice recommendation is also a good one, forgot about GV, but, yes, you’ll need a smartphone to run GV.
No matter what phone you get, make sure that it can be unlocked and used on different carrier networks, since you’re changing countries.
beergoggles
@TheMightyTrowel: yes, both parties need google voice, however if he doesn’t want to use the app for the blackberry he can just use google voice on his web browser. Also – get a decent android phone – doesn’t have to be new – there are some cheap refurb android if price is an issue that you can easily run google voice on.
Edit: actually I take that back – both parties don’t need google voice – but the guy who doesn’t have it better have an unlimited texting plan.
Creature_NYC
@superking:
Superking, where are you located? I’m looking to switch from AT&T to Sprint for my iPhone 4S purchase and I’m wondering how Sprint’s network runs.
This question can go to all as well. I’m in NYC, I really need a network that works, and have no interest in going to Verizon.
TheMightyTrowel
Thanks! So much new information – last night i managed to get confused over which was more infuriating: that I would have to buy a smartphone or that private health care in australia appears not to ever cover contraceptives.
Angelos
“another Android phone that turns into a laggy, buggy piece of crap in my pocket after a few months, the way my original Droid has.”
“I too, am an original Droid owner, and like you I have experienced a startling loss in basic usability over the past few years”
The phone is not even two years old…
Sloegin
Incremental updates in iPhone are nice and all, I suspect other bits of the presentation yesterday set a lot of money folks on edge.
You’re gonna give those people jitters when you spend prime presentation time talking about an app that lets you print a greeting card, and updates to the iPods (the touch)… you can get a white one now! And (nano) … we give you some watch faces! Woo.
I’m just surprised they didn’t roll out the product-line kiss of death while they were at it; a translucent case.
Can't Be Bothered
Why anyone would lock themselves in to Apple for devices that are about media consumption is beyond me. A history of DRM, overpriced everything, gatekeeping and charging for every “upgrade.” Apple is absolutely terrible for portable media consumption. So with iCloud, I pay for music that’s in a bullshit format, costs at least twice as much to buy as Amazon, and instead of Amazon Prime (free for students) which gives unlimited data, free shipping and access to tons of video, I get a 5gb cap? Hell, just buy some MP3s and you get 20gb/unlimited Amazon Mp3 storage. It’s not even fucking close, and that’s just Amazon.
Then we have google recognition which has always been stellar for me. As well as seamless integration of all the google apps, which is basically the stuff that I use 95% of the time (I mean Google Navigation and integration with Maps is worth everything else ALONE). I can also view fucking Flash, which whatever you may think about it compared to HTML5, is still used a lot and pretty goddamn egregious and heavyhanded by Apple from the start. And all the best games ARE available for droid. But why anyone would be choosing phones based on games is also crazy to me. Do you play them that often? Are you fucking 12? Are these people buying PCS (which actually ARE inferior to macbooks) b/c there actually IS a huge gaming discrepancy on those platforms?
So basically, you have a media consumption device with a closed ecosystem that will therefore positively punish you for ever leaving in loss of usability, where the media costs twice as much. Or you have open ecosystem with drastically cheaper media and the comfort in knowing that you’re not locked in, in perpetuity, seamlessly running the apps everyone uses the most. Also, there’s the bonus of knowing that you don’t have to own the device linked to the most obnoxious, snobby, sanctimonious commercials ever created by man. No, I’ll keep my little LG Optimus on $25/month no contract/ unlimited data Virgin Mobile plan, thanks.
burnspbesq
I’m probably in the 95th percentile of Apple fanbois. I’ve jumped on every iteration of iPods, iPhones, and iPads, and I run my law practice on a MacBook Air. I will upgrade to the 4S because the value proposition is solid and because I’ll be able to expense it on my Schedule C, but for the first time, it’s not an emotional, “OMG I gotta have that right the fuck now or I will DIE” decision.
Is Apple without magic still Apple?
rptrcub
@Can’t Be Bothered: For the most part we were having a relatively civil discussion about iPhone and Android, unlike flame wars that erupt all over the place. Thanks for striking the match, dude.
RobNYNY1957
I got the iPhone about two months ago after having had the Palm Pre’ for four years. Now, the Pre’ was good at everything that a mobile telephone should do, except being mobile and a telephone. Battery life was about 18 hours, so it wasn’t so much a mobile phone as it was call forwarding to the nearest battery charger. And you had to hold the phone a few inches from your head so your earlobe wouldn’t hit the touch screen and hang up the call. And it randomly decided whether it was going to headset, speaker or regluar speaker when a phone call came in.
Now, the iPhone 4 is a much better phone in terms of battery life and functionality as a telephone. But in almost every other respect, the Pre’ was better. The iPhone freezes about as often as the Pre’ did(a minute or two several times a week), and I have had to reset the factory settings (wiping out all of my information) once so far.
Every app seems to have a different interface. When some apps close, they go back to the opening page, but other stay on the same page and there is no way to go back to the opening page except by reverse navigation. Some pages can be moved with a finger flick, others not, even though they jump when you flick them. The voice command preferences are buried in the security settings and you have to create a password before you can turn off voice dialing. Voice dialing itself was infuriating — the phone interpreted any random sound as a command to dial someone.
The iPhone can’t simply be plugged in to a PC and used as a portable hard drive as my Pre’ could. You need three programs on the PC and one on the phone, a preprietary USB cable, and then it has a non-standard interface for managing files. You can’t add more memory on your own or carry around an extra battery. If I want 32 gigs of memory instead of 16 gigs, you have to decide when you buy the phone, and it costs $100. For other phones, it can be added at any time, and costs about $15-$30.
FlipYrWhig
OK, I’m old. I still have a dumbphone, a 4- or 5-year-old clamshell-style thing that I basically use to… call people. But I have been having some iPhone lust. What will I be able to do that makes it worthwhile to sink money into this kind of device? I have no interest in playing games or watching movies on that tiny little screen. What will I like best about becoming “smart”?
Can't Be Bothered
@rptrcub:
Indubitably, it was a discussion of how awesome Apple was. There was basically no discussion of other alternatives or the ways in which Iphones, Ipads etc. blow. But back to tea and crumpets good chap. Wouldn’t want to offend your delicate sensibilities.
burnspbesq
@Can’t Be Bothered:
Fine. Do what you think is best for you. But spare us the sanctimony, and respect our ability to decide whats best for us.
P.S. Friends don’t let friends listen to mp3. Can your device handle hi-res FLAC files? If not, get back to me when it can. I will be happily grooving to 48/24 AIFF files that sound like actual music. On my iPhone.
Can't Be Bothered
@FlipYrWhig:
Unless you already bought everything through iTunes and own multiple other Apple devices don’t buy an iphone. They have just as many hardware issues as other phones, cost more, and don’t really do more than any other phone. I can play music, watch youtube, visit EVERY website (not possible on iphones), and get turn by turn, GPS voice guided navigation integrated with google maps (for free), on a two year old “low power” droid. Also, I can upgrade the amount of memory on my phone easily and cheaply at any time and use it as a portable hard drive as per RobNY above. Tech marketing is all about lust and selling you on shit you don’t need or use rather than focusing on the 99% that matters. Keep your clamshell or buy a droid that’s got good reviews and is free.
Li
I wish iOS had FLAC support. That is one thing in Android’s favor, but even there I had to use a third party audio app for the functionality (Meridian, it’s good).
burnspbesq
@RobNYNY1957:
“The iPhone can’t simply be plugged in to a PC and used as a portable hard drive as my Pre’ could.”
Why would anyone do that when you can get an encrypted 8 Gb USB stick for $50 and keep it on your keyring?
Lurker
As pointed out above, Google offers a “Nexus” series of phones that ship only with Android installed and nothing else. The Nexus phones are eligible for Android software upgrades as soon as the base operating system gets released.
Only two things holding me back from an iPhone right now:
1) I cannot install the latest version of iTunes on my main machine at home, because Apple does not support Windows XP 64bit for iTunes. I hope iOS5 addresses this by making iTunes unnecessary to run an iPhone.
2) I’m still not sure if AT&T will permit me to use a factory-unlocked, no-contract iPhone on AT&T’s Pay-as-you-Go service. Right now I fill up my phone with $$$ every once in a while and pay $5/month for data, $0.10/minute for phone calls and $0.20/text message. I pay less than $200/year for phone service.
I’d love to upgrade my not-so-smart smartphone to an iPhone 4S, but if AT&T won’t let me run a factory-unlocked iPhone on their Pay-as-you-Go network without jailbreaking I’ll get a Google Nexus S.
Can't Be Bothered
@burnspbesq:
ummmm, yes. But I’d rather have more than 20 songs in my library, so I don’t use formats that my ears can’t detect anyway. But if I decided I did want to eat all my memory for no reason I could go upgrade to more cheaply and easily. Could you?
burnspbesq
@Li:
Got Max? Freeware that transcodes audio files. I use it to transcode hi-res downloads from FLAC to AIFF. it goes both ways. Is teh awesome.
mistermix
@Can’t Be Bothered:
Google fan here, as I said above. I’ll agree with you on iCloud. I don’t think it’s compelling for anyone but those who have a major investment in Apple stuff (music, apps, etc), but it is compelling for Apple folks. Can’t really fault Apple for that, it was an overdue move on their part.
Somewhat disagree on Amazon. First, 20 GB storage is for one year only, IIRC. I buy most of my music from Amazon, btw, and I have a Kindle, but Kindle is about as closed an ecosystem as has ever been invented. They have plenty of apps, but what happens when they decide not to support a platform? Your books are useless.
Having just experienced a mandated push of a couple of apps from Google (wtf are “kickback” and “soundback” – I have no clue, but Google put them on my phone this morning and I can’t uninstall them), there are ecosystem issues with Android phones, too.
haenck
Much like voting- choosing a mobile phone involves selecting the lesser evil. Due to the necessary interplay between hardware and carrier, you are going to get boned. The trick is choosing which manner of boning is best for you.
Apple folks are upset (perhaps understandably, because they often pay top dollar) because this latest hardware rollout has emphasized that when you go with iPhones, you give up being on the bleeding edge. But in return for this you get support and stability. iPhones will not suck at the end of a two year contract.
Android gives you bleeding edge goodies. Phones the size of pie plates, 3D cameras, etc. But phone support is uneven, the experience varies widely and your provider may or may not provide any updates. Plus, you gotta pay a lot more attention to what you install on your phone.
Me, I’ve decided that I want a phone that is more supported, in exchange for wishing it had a bigger screen.
burnspbesq
@Can’t Be Bothered:
Sorry to hear about your profound hearing loss, but your question doesn’t really apply to me. My music library is about 1.8 terabytes, so carrying the whole thing around isn’t an option. I can carry about 75 albums worth of CD or 48/24 files on my iPhone, and when I want different music, I just take 10 minutes to re-sync. If you can only carry 20 songs, you clearly have a device with insufficient memory for your needs, and should consider upgrading.
Li
@burnspbesq: Yes, I do! Max is great software! But AIFF is so huuuuuuge compared to FLAC at the same audio quality, it’s kind of a poor alternative.
Can't Be Bothered
@mistermix:
Right, but the ecosystem issues are largely.. “WTF is this crap”, rather than “oh shit I better keep buying multiple iterations of Apple devices and media until the day I die or I’m screwed.” On Amazon, I don’t remember the amount that’s free no matter what, but I know it’s comparable to 5gb (in both cases those amounts are pretty useless as most people have at LEAST ipod amounts of media anyway.) My basic thing, is that my old low power droid doesn’t lock me in to anything (and has NEVER burned me the way Apple/iTunes did), has media that is half the cost, and does the things I actually care about (GPS navigation) better than new iphones, all on a no contract phone plan, that costs LESS than a crappy data plan for an iphone.
A media consumption device that tries to control how I use media and charges twice as much for it, is a complete nonstarter for me. I don’t care if voice recognition on it is 7.7895% better than what Google will upgrade in a few months.
cackalacka
@beergoggles:
This. I ask all the Jobs’ fanbois what the latest iPhone can do that my original Moto Droid cannot. Facetime?
Seriously, I want to know where this whole Apple products are easier and more intuitive than PC/Google products. File management? Integration with non-Apple products (like cars or PCs)? Effin pain in the ass.
And don’t get me started on iTunes and the daily updates/malware begs. No, Mr. Jobs, I do not want, or need, Safari. Quit fucking asking me already.
Bill E Pilgrim
@FlipYrWhig: Maps.
I was living in NYC when the 3G came out and since the store was right around the corner I ended up playing around with it once the crowds died down a little. I can’t say I was bowled over, but then in the following weeks as I walked around the city I kept thinking “Oh, I see, if I had one of those phones right now, I wouldn’t be going home to check XYZ on the computer to get an address or directions or check the address or the menu or hours they’re open or etc etc etc.”
The way I describe it is: You know that feeling once you’ve had some new tech thing for a while and then can’t imagine how you got along without it? I had that feeling about the iPhone for about three weeks before I got one.
Then of course there was e-mail, which oddly isn’t something I even thought would be that useful. That’s also because it’s a mixed blessing of course, but that’s a long topic.
I could call and text with the old style phone and probably even get e-mail if I had wanted to, but there was no way it could show me a map or directions.
Can't Be Bothered
@burnspbesq:
It’s called sarcastic hyperbole. I spent like 20 bucks on a 16gb microSD card. I may upgrade to 32 at some point, but as it is I don’t really NEED it, especially considering that the rest is in the cloud. I like a lot more variety than 75 albums, but to each his own I guess. That would be about 20 or 30 artists for me.
FlipYrWhig
@Bill E Pilgrim: Thx. Yeah, maps for a strange city seemed like the best feature I’ve yet seen — but I’m only in strange cities once or twice a year, and I haven’t convinced myself that the awesome convenience during those few days would be worth the mounting monthly charges the rest of the time.
burnspbesq
@Li:
Apple Lossless is pretty close to lossless. At CD resolution, I can almost never hear any difference between AIFF and Apple Lossless, and that’s on my home system which is pretty spiffy (on an airplane with 60 dB of background noise, they are indistinguishable as a practical matter). At 96/24, yeah, there is occasionally a noticeable loss of top-end air. But now we’re deep into audiophile quibbling.
RobNYNY1957
burnspbesq:
You pose a real brain teaser. Hmmm. To transfer music files so I can listen to them on the phone? To load photos from the phone camera onto the PC? Because I happen to have the phone with me and need to copy some files? Because I downloaded some files while I was on the bus that I now want to print? I did it all the time with the Pre’.
burnspbesq
@Can’t Be Bothered:
No, it’s called fanboi stoopidity, but that’s OK. You managed to neatly dodge my two major points, but that’s also OK. We’re done here.
Rorgg
I’m all for open source. Yay. I use (and administer as a job) Linux and I’m all for freedom yada yada.
But I frickin’ love my iPhone. Maybe it’s because when I got it, I didn’t have a smartphone, didn’t have an MP3 player, didn’t have a GPS, didn’t have a PDA, didn’t have a portable game system, etc. etc., and the iPhone filled all those niches pretty well at once, in a convenient package.
Bought a 3GS originally, which decided to think its home button was always being pressed just after warranty ran out about a year back, so I shelled out for a 4. Dunno if I need a 4S or not, but iOS 5 sure loooks shiny and fun….
cackalacka
@Can’t Be Bothered:
This, too. Apple products work FANTASTIC… if’n your willing to give Apple they keys to the castle.
Integrating a single non-Apple product is problematic. A year ago I purchased a new car with a USB and Apple iPod integration into the stereo, as well as bluetooth and SD integration.
At the end of the day, the iPod was outclassed by a USB thumbdrive, SD card, the Moto Droid, and a external hard drive (iPod took 30+ seconds to resolve to the menu screen after each selection, very unsafe when in motion, everything else? Seemless.)
It should be pointed out that the four peripherals I benchmarked the iPod were bred for multiple purposes (whereas the iPod was developed principally for the one it was getting beaten down on), and when purchased iPod cost more than all four combined.
Get back to me when Apple products are a value proposition that play nice with other technology.
In the mean time I’ll take Astro with the ads and a USB cable, thankyouverymuch.
Can't Be Bothered
@FlipYrWhig:
I have a no contract droid on Virgin Mobile. You can get a plan with unlimited data, texts and plenty of minutes for like a third of the price of a MANDATED iphone plan. Mine is $25/month (flat no fees) but I didn’t want many minutes and went with 300. (I just get on my macbook and use google voice for free for my sunday calls to parents–and sometimes using video chat is nice). With google voice you can also sign up for a free number that forwards directly to your cellphone in real time, which is pretty neat. They also have multiple voicemail options that also send an email of the voicemail to your gmail account. It’s amazingly badass free software. And the maps I have has automatically updated, turn by turn voice directions (same as a GPS) which is waaaay better than an iphone anyway. You don’t have to pay through the nose for a good functional smartphone with a good functional plan. $25/month has worked just fine for me.
Steeplejack
@FlipYrWhig:
I agree with Bill E. Pilgrim about the maps. I don’t travel out of town much, and I don’t even have a car right now, but the Google navigation on my Droid Incredible is still very useful. Quite often I’ll be riding with someone and we need to find something–a Mexican restaurant, the nearest Target or CVS, etc.–and I can just speak the destination into the phone, get a short list of possibilities and then get navigation instructions.
And the Google navigation has a “walking” mode (as opposed to driving), which I use a lot when I go into D.C. I come up out of the Metro, get a route to where I’m going and then have that overlaid over a real-time map of my surroundings. And I can walk around while listening to music files on the Droid.
Finally, having a smart phone with e-mail access and a Web browser is very useful for those little bits of dead time during the day–waiting in a doctor’s office, on the bus, meal break at work, etc. I can check my mail, catch up on Balloon Juice, etc.
And on the plan I have (with Verizon) I get unlimited text messages and Web access, and there is no charge for the Google navigation. Verizon has its own navigation app, for which there is a monthly charge, but since I got the Droid I have never used it. (It was free on my previous phone, a semi-smart LG clamshell.)
Bill E Pilgrim
@FlipYrWhig: Good point. By the way however: When I was looking into this just as you are now, I had only ever had pay-as-you-go plans, in Europe in my case and then a SIM for NYC I could pop in. I was balking at the idea of a monthly plan instead, but when I actually counted up what I had spent recently, I realized that it was only slightly less than the monthly iPhone plan.
I also know both cities I live in pretty damn well, but there are enough nooks and crannies I haven’t committed to memory still that I found myself always with a map book shoved in my back pocket just in case. Kind of a shame because I wore out four or five of them and the little notations with certain addresses circled and so on make for fun reading, thumbing through the old ones, but ah well. I could create a Google map to do that I guess, but somehow it wouldn’t be the same. Or would it?
It’s more than maps, though, it’s the Web access. Addresses, hours, products, phone numbers.
Can't Be Bothered
@burnspbesq:
Holy shit that’s funny. You do realize that upthread you talked about how you are in the 95% of apple fanboi that slavishly buys every device without thinking, right? I own a mac laptop dipshit. I just care about things like value, control of media etc. and so have chosen to pay muuuuuchh less for more in NOT buying an iphone.
You had a point? Was it that the stick up your tightly wound ass clearly extends to every facet of your life including the file formatting of your music files? because that came through loud and clear.
Matt in HB
I’m feeling crazy here, but lack of 4G kills it for me. If the iPhone were available at Verizon 2 years ago I’d have bought one. Instead, I have a 2 year old Droid that I find adequate. I want to upgrade, but I don’t want to buy a new phone that I’ll have for 2+ years if it doesn’t have 4G.
So, I’ll wait a bit and see what is available around Christmas and decide. If a 4G iPhone5 is lurking in the shadows at that point, I may wait, but the 4S is really a non-starter for me.
Sentient Puddle
I sort of feel like I’m the only one here that didn’t have a terrible experience with the original Droid. The OS has been reasonably stable, and crashes and bugs have been rare enough that I can’t complain about them. And the platform itself is a worthy competitor to iOS.
But yeah, the big problem I ended up having was the market fragmentation. Not getting Android updates immediately was a little frustrating, and after the Droid X came out, it became pretty clear that Motorola wasn’t terribly interested in supporting the original for much longer. The “bleeding edge” was nice to be on for the first few months, but I’m not sure how you can count that as much of a plus for Android when you’re locked into a two-year contract. You’re not any better off than going Apple in this regard.
But as much respect as I have for Android, I’m probably jumping to a 4S come December. I got an iPod Touch with iOS 4 last year, and given an apples-to-pears comparison, I think I just like iOS better.
Can't Be Bothered
@Sentient Puddle:
I haven’t checked what version of Android my phone is running in forever. It works great and runs everything I care about without problems. Tech marketing seems to breed this weird notion that we need whatever is new and shiny no matter whether we even have a clue what it does or if it’s necessary. You started by saying it was stable and useful software. That is one thing about Apple that I think they’ve gotten very right. All the specs shit is secondary to stability and usability. It’s why I switched to mac laptops.
My droid has been 100% stable, easy to use, and integrated with the software that I use like crazy (Google, Google, Google) at a fraction of the cost. The rest is completely superfluous to me. If you just like iOS better, though, that’s a pretty good reason to jump ship.
burnspbesq
@RobNYNY1957:
All easily do-able on iPhone or iPad. As long as you don’t forget your cable. Printing can be done wirelessly if you have access to the right printer (which generally means a relatively recent HP with wireless networking built-in, and those are increasingly ubiquitous). iOS5 is co-opting Instapaper, which was one of the must-have apps. And didn’t I hear yesterday that wireless sync was coming in iOS5?
tBone
After supporting end users of a variety of Android devices from various manufacturers, my recommendation to anyone looking for a smartphone is to either a) buy an iPhone or b) get one of the Nexus phones running pure Android. The way carriers and manufacturers have managed to shit up a pretty good smartphone OS with presinstalled crapware and custom skins is astounding and depressing.
No worries. Set up your Google accounts as Exchange ActiveSync – works great and you get push on everything.
@Can’t Be Bothered:
The iCloud 5GB cap is for documents & backup – music, books, & apps purchased from Apple don’t count against it. And if you have a bunch of music from other sources, you can pay $25/year for iTunes Match and get high quality AAC files available for download or streaming to replace those nasty 96kb tracks you got in 1999 from Napster (er, I mean ripped yourself from a CD). If you look at it as pirate amnesty it’s a pretty damn good deal.
Re: Apple lockin, that’s pretty much horseshit. I have several hundred movies, several hundred ebooks, and around 10,000 songs in my iTunes library. None of the movies, one or two of the books, and maybe 500 of the songs were purchased from Apple (and the songs weren’t purchased until after they went DRM-free). Everything else I ripped from physical media or bought from other vendors, and I could pick it all up tomorrow and move to Android and it would all still work fine. The only way I’d consider myself “locked in” is in regard to apps, and the situation there is exactly the same on Android or any other smartphone platform.
singfoom
I’ve been rocking a jailbroken original iPhone on Tmobile for multiple years. Now that the iPhone 4 is just $100 for with a contract, I think the wife and I’ll be switching to Verizon and get iPhone 4s on the cheap.
Having been rocking edge for the last couple of years, I don’t think I’ll have a problem with the lack of 4G or LTE….
tBone
@burnspbesq:
Yes, you did. With OTA updates & activation, wireless iTunes sync, and iCloud, you can run iOS devices completely untethered. (OK, you have to plug in once to activate wifi sync, but after that you’re good to go.)
Can't Be Bothered
@tBone:
caveat, caveat, caveat.
Well that’s the crucial point, isn’t it? Especially considering that iTunes costs at least twice as much as Amazon.
And that music is available to me precisely as long as I keep paying a subscription fee for the privilege of listening to music I already fucking purchased. No thanks.
Well they DID fuck me on DRM. Apple makes sharing across devices absurdly more difficult or breathlessly easy, depending on whether the other device is Apple or not. Jesus, the move to a complete wireless cloud of closed off Apple devices is abundantly clear to anyone paying attention. For example, I tried to buy the family version of iWork at an Apple store and they don’t fucking sell it! Their flagship productivity suite is now only available for individual download on the App Store, unless going to a third party vendor) It is not exactly the same for all devices. Saying it does not make it so.
RobNYNY1957
burnspbesq:
I think you’re making my point for me. I’m not saying that there are no workarounds, I’m saying that I did not need workarounds before.
As long as I have the cable. As long as I have the right software installed on the PC. As long as I buy a new printer. As long as I have access to a wireless connection. As long as I change my operating system.
All I had to do with the Pre’ was connect it with a standard cable.
Matt in HB
Not surprisingly, Hitler is disappointed:
http://youtu.be/Lxn6Ag0mmhs
Brachiator
@mistermix: Great review. It gets to the meat of Apple’s announcement, and fairly compares Apple and Android products. I particularly liked this part.
Apple appears to be pretty adept here at going around some of the restrictions imposed by carriers and instead focusing on their own priorities in deciding on what features to add to the iPhone.
I also think that battery life is a big deal. Yeah, there are add-ons and battery paks, etc., but this is, to me, a crappy solution.
I only wish that they had said “screw ATT’s acquisition games” and given the iPhone to TMobile.
J.W. Hamner
@Sentient Puddle:
My experience with the Droid has been fine, though I’ve had many more problems with apps crashing and slowness in the last few months as I approach the end of my contract. My girlfriend’s iPhone crashes too, so I don’t know how much I buy this behavior is Verizon abandoning the Droid. The camera does suck, but as a (very) amateur photographer I pretty much think all cell phone pictures suck.
As many have mentioned, even if I had a worse experience with Droid I won’t abandon Android simply because of the free Google Maps/Navigation integration. I use it all the time and find it invaluable on long trips to Maine or the beach.
Sentient Puddle
@Can’t Be Bothered: I think part of my problem in this regard was that I was following the development of Android fairly closely. So life was like “Oooh, Froyo is out! I want these features! Now…when can I get it?” Because of course, the carriers and manufacturers had to run through a bunch of their own hoops to deploy. Then later, it became “Ooh, Gingerbread is out! When can I get it?” After months of drooling, I discovered that the correct answer to that is never. We’re still running 2.2.2.
I really think there’s a lot of room for improvement in how these updates are handled, though I’m not really sure where to point fingers. Maybe Google for rolling out updates relatively fast, maybe the manufacturers for being too diffuse, maybe the carriers because they’re the root of all evil…
Joel
This is one of the things that I absolutely hated about owning a PC (for most of my existence). Lately, I avoid that problem by building my own (PC) or buying a mac.
These manufacturers need to understand that very few people want their crappity crap crap on their computers. It’s bad enough that they partner with Symantec et al. to put their crap on the platform, but at least they get money in exchange for that. Putting your own branded useless shit just convinces people that your shit is useless.
Comrade Kevin
I think you’ll find that Apple’s stock always goes up in the days before one of these announcements, then drops back down again when people realize they won’t be getting a phone that has a teleportation device in it.
virag
i have the ip4…the thing i don’t get is how stupid big all the droid phones are getting. they’re huge. too big. why?
when i got the iphone, at&t had just gotten a bunch of their version of the galaxy phone, but that thing looked and felt like a cheap toy compared the apple widget. the iphone4 really is a neat looking little piece of design work.
Brachiator
@Comrade Kevin:
Yep. It may be more interesting to see how the market reacts to Apple’s earning call on, I believe, October 18.
Rumor is Tim Cook will be singing, “Money, money, money, mon-ey!”
superking
@Creature_NYC:
I’m in DC.
tBone
@Can’t Be Bothered:
Amazon comes with the exact same caveats – or do you think they’re going to keep giving you 20GB after the first year out of the goodness of their hearts if you don’t buy anything from them?
Also, they’re cheaper on a lot of music, yeah – I buy quite a bit of stuff from them. But half as cheap? No.
Nope, you’re completely wrong here. It’s DRM free. Download it and keep it, no continuing subscription required.
Well, good news for you then. They recently added a “Purchased” section to iTunes, so you can go in and download any music or TV shows you previously purchased. The music is 256 kbps and DRM free, even if you bought it back when they were still selling it DRMed.
Oh noes, they won’t let me purchase the old iWork family pack for $99 – instead I have to pay $40 less and have the ability to install it on any and all Macs that I own or control. The horror!
Also, you’re wrong again.
Three-nineteen
Um, I use the free Google Maps app on my iPhone all the time. I think you need to upgrade for the voice directions, but everything else people have been talking about is on the free app. You can toggle between the text directions (“go 2.3 miles and turn left on Main Street”) and the street map where the way to go is colored in, and you follow it with your GPS updated flashing blue dot. It has driving, walking, and bus directions, and tells me where the traffic is bad. Is the Google Maps thing on Android different?
tBone
@Three-nineteen:
Google Maps on Android does actual turn-by-turn navigation with spoken directions. It’s a really cool feature and one you have to pay for on iOS – Android has a definite leg up there.
Don
Anyone seen a straight answer on whether it’s going to continue to be no-surf-while-talk on Verizon/CDMA?
Personally I couldn’t give less of a shit about actually using the data while I’m talking, but having data operations just fail when my phone rings is unappealing.