Google's Android is eating Apple's lunch

There we go again. Apple users bashing android and android users saying that apple is so 2011!!! But there is one aspect that is still not touched here in most articles or comments: it is the resale value. This is what has made me keep on buying iphones for the last 3 generations of iphones. Since I expect to only use phone for one year it is good to know the cost of buying, keeping and selling the old one. I can't sell anything, that is something I am really bad at, but people will just ask you "what did you do with that old Ipad, do you wanna sell?" I think the price for the used item says more about the product than anything else, same goes for cars and houses... Just my humble opinion...

Saulo AkazawaNov. 19, 2012 - 07:47AM JST : There we go again. Apple users bashing android and android users saying that apple is so 2011!!!

Your comment was the first. Nobody has yet bash apple users or android users.

Will not update the iphone 4 to the ios 6 which will get rid of Youtube and Google Maps.

The good news is that there are different makers of smartphones for different people and what they can afford.

Skipbeat: that not a good reason. It took me one week to get used to the apple maps. I like the old maps better, but after a a few weeks of use i don't even notice the differnce. You believe too much of what you hear on the Internet! The maps app may have some errors, but I have never ever come across a single one. YouTube gone........ Um where did you hear this. Just go to YouTube on safari. Or search bar. YouTube launches from safari. Just as easy if not easier!! And you forgot to mention all the benifts that iOS6 has. You can attach pics and vids from inside an email now. That is something far more convienent.

I am glad to hear android is doing so well. Been a support of google from the start. I just wish android was not so fragmented! And devs hate android! Easy to program for, but 90% of android users have never paid for an app. Not a good market to try and make any money if no one buys anything!

I like Android. However I do not wish to buy Samsung due to copy cat image. I wish Google manufacture as Google smart phone like Windows 8 phone from Microsoft.

My current phone is Nokia with Windows 7. Although it is very good, I can not upgrade to Windows 8. Nokia may have to say Good Bye to smart phone market in the future. Samsung is conquering the world wide market share.

There is an youtube app now... for about a month now.

Robert DykesNov. 19, 2012 - 09:17AM JST : Skipbeat: that not a good reason. It took me one week to get used to the apple maps. I like the old maps better, but after a a few weeks of use i don't even notice the differnce. You believe too much of what you hear on the Internet!

It's a good enough reason for me. Everytime there is an upgrade it seems to mess up more. The upgrade to ios 6.0.1 requires at least 2.5 GB of available storage which I don't have. That means I would have to delete a lot of iTunes songs and videos. Maybe Apple should give the customers 5GB to 10GB free if they want us to update the ios.

Saulo AkazawaNov. 19, 2012 - 07:47AM JST

There we go again. Apple users bashing android and android users saying that apple is so 2011!!! But there is one aspect that is still not touched here in most articles or comments: it is the resale value. This is what has made me keep on buying iphones for the last 3 generations of iphones

That is the biggest load of hypocrisy i've seen in a while. Nobody bashed anything until you tried bashing android.

And NEVER try selling your phone unless there is nothing but public information. While new phones support hardware encryption, the reset function only erases the security key. If it's ever plugged into a computer that was authorized, or if they manage to undelete the key, all your personal information is up for grabs. Modern phones shouldn't be sold unless they support secure wipe procedures that actually erase the information and overwrite the data two or three times.

Robert DykesNov. 19, 2012 - 09:17AM JST

It took me one week to get used to the apple maps. I like the old maps better, but after a a few weeks of use i don't even notice the differnce.

Guess you don't mind seeing ice and penguins where berlin 'is'. The issue isn't UI changes or bridges falling down, it's simple usability in things like directory listings and free navigation. Simply put, if you have to go somewhere or search for a restaurant or shop, you are much better off with android, and people know it. Even Apple suggest nokia powered sites (same service in Windows Phone 7/8) or even google maps (same service in android phones).

Easy to program for, but 90% of android users have never paid for an app.

I've already told you to stop spouting this lie. Just about 7% of android users have no paid apps ("never paid for an app"), compared to 6% on iphone (http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/47102/android-users-finally-buying-paid-apps). Even a year ago the number wasn't anywhere near 90%, it was actually just 12%. Please stop trying to intentionally misinform people to further your cause.

I am happy to update! Sure I don't like the new maps and the podcast won't play on my car stereo but weighing the good and the bad. Still happy to update! One thing I am usually anoyed about is the app updates that show up on your home screen avery other hour... You update a handfull of apps and two hours later there is one more app to update... Maybe apple should think of a better way to have them updated or maybe there is an app for that too!!!! LOL

Samsung’s Galaxy S3 overtook Apple’s iPhone 4S in the third quarter to give the South Korean firm the world’s best-selling smartphone model for the first time ever, according to research firm Strategy Analytics.

It's funny that we never had any stories about iPhone 4S being the top selling phone in Q4 2011, Q1 & Q2 2012. Only when iPhone 4S dips due to imminent release of the iPhone 5 do we see S GIII sell more in the quarter. That the didn't sell more in Q2 when the SIII was released is telling...

I've decided to retire from gadget bashing sessions. It's just not worth it. I dislike apple, go ANDROID

basroilNov. 19, 2012 - 10:07AM JST "And NEVER try selling your phone unless there is nothing but public information." Thank you for the info!

Finally an article that talks about facts rather than which phone has the better headphones.

I paid for a 32GB iPhone it did not come free with GBs folks. As the owner of the phone it is my right to update or not. Whysome people disagreed with that is beyond me.

Easy to program for, but 90% of android users have never paid for an app.

I've already told you to stop spouting this lie. Just about 7% of android users have no paid apps ("never paid for an app"), compared to 6% on iphone (http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/47102/android-users-finally-buying-paid-apps). Even a year ago the number wasn't anywhere near 90%, it was actually just 12%. Please stop trying to intentionally misinform people to further your cause.

Basroil - You have it all wrong. Robert Dykes' 90% figure is correct.

hoserfellaNov. 19, 2012 - 11:01AM JST

You have it all wrong. Robert Dykes' 90% figure is correct.

Post some pertinent and recent articles to prove your point. I have articles to back up "my" claim (not mine actually, my source's). You'll see that there is no such thing as that number and hasn't been since about 2008.

What are Google and Samsung going to do when some Chinese company comes out with an even better and cheaper system?

Basroil - again, I don't know what you're on about. The 90% figure is universally known as is the fact that customer satisfaction polls consistently have iphone at the top.

Android: 380 devices. iOS: 6. This tells all about who is who.

Plus: http://www.androidauthority.com/android-wild-uncontrolled-steve-ballmer-131561/ and http://www.examiner.com/article/fbi-warns-smartphone-users-of-malware-targeting-mobile-devices

I still say: God forbid I am seen with an Android on my hands.

SerranoNov. 19, 2012 - 11:38AM JST : What are Google and Samsung going to do when some Chinese company comes out with an even better and cheaper system?

HTC comes to mind even though HTC a Taiwanese company. HTC and Apple have settled on patents.

hoserfellaNov. 19, 2012 - 11:43AM JST

The 90% figure is universally known as is the fact that customer satisfaction polls consistently have iphone at the top.

Your posts are false, misleading, and entirely incorrect. The number is 7% and the only place you will EVER see 90% is in this thread. Go head and google it, it's up in the top 10 spots.

Last time I saw someone with an iPhone they almost got laughed out of the room when they told me they couldn't attach regular files to emails.

Am assuming this has now changed with iOS5 and 6 (I think iOS4 was where I saw that last)?

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/android-users-finally-buying-paid-apps-download-numbers-110000277.html

93% of android users BUY APPS

I really don't know how many times I have to repeat myself, but the numbers don't lie.

You want cheap, you get cheap. Sorry but ask about satisfaction of the product and you'll get Apple topping the list in most if not all respects, and Android and Galaxy users not talking about satisfaction of their products as much as complaints about others. In any case, the fact that there are options is a good thing, and I hope the companies can once again become amiable enough to offer use of their original apps (ie. the maps people are commenting on, etc.).

That's great an all, but just try going to Google / Android OEM for customer support. Not going to happen. You'll have to deal with the carriers and, let's face it, they couldn't care less about your issues. It costs them time and money.

I buy Apple almost solely for Apple Care. It's just miles ahead of anything else out there. Plus, nothing on Android feels "premium" - Jelly Bean is awesome (anything sub 4.0 is unusable), but the hardware is lacklustre for the most part.

Besides, for Apple it's all about maintaining margins. Android overtaking and owning a majority of the market was inevitable. On the flip side, Samsung is the only OEM turning a profit. Everyone is losing money. Even HTC are looking to jump ship to Windows Phone 8! Hell hath frozen over!

Having owned an iPhone and now a Galaxy S III I know which I prefer, by a very large margin.

I doubt I'd buy another iPhone again. The new one isn't as good my S III

If the Google Nexus 4 handset is as good as they say it is and priced from $300, I can't see how any of the others are going to survive, unless they aim for the same price point.

Unlocked and contract free. A boon for the consumer, or what.

JeffLeeNov. 19, 2012 - 01:57PM JST

If the Google Nexus 4 handset is as good as they say it is and priced from $300, I can't see how any of the others are going to survive, unless they aim for the same price point.

Professionals that need to replace batteries mid-day will still use other handsets. The Nexus 4 has a user replaceable battery, but not intended for quick exchanges (you need screwdrivers to pull it out). Specs wise it's an incredible phone, benchmarks are almost as fast as the Windows Phone 8 flagship models (which currently lead the pack)

Hi Zichi, unfortunately I can't be much help. Due impersonal situations I left Japan in early summer. Still keep a keen interest though.

For the apple posters:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFhjDX-DUew#!

Your posts are false, misleading, and entirely incorrect. The number is 7% and the only place you will EVER see 90% is in this thread. Go head and google it, it's up in the top 10 spots.

basroil - sorry, but even you have to admit your penchant for fudging numbers and cherry-picking statistics to make it seem Andoid is even half as good as an iPhone.

Last time I saw someone with an iPhone they almost got laughed out of the room when they told me they couldn't attach regular files to emails

.Soldave - I can only imagine the social skills (and Star Wars figurines) of the laughers if they had such a violent reaction to what is a myth.

In any case, smithinJapan has it spot on.Choosing android is like going to Wal-mart and Macdonalds. You get what you pay for...

Are you a member of one of those Mac user groups?

nishikat - If you are referring to me, I own a PC not a mac

hoserfellaNov. 19, 2012 - 03:06PM JST

but even you have to admit your penchant for fudging numbers and cherry-picking statistics to make it seem Andoid is even half as good as an iPhone.

Now you have to resort to directly insulting me?

These numbers are in no way modified from anything, and there are no other statistics available. No magical conspiracy to make iphones seem as bad as they actually are, just data compiled by researchers and industry analysts that is carried out in the most accurately way possible without the actual data from the companies.

You cannot downplay the fact that 93% of android users purchase apps, nor that android currently allows companies to build for any and every version of the OS, allowing many more people to actually use new apps. I can still install new apps on my old 1.X android phone, as well as my 2.4 phone, and I can still buy for both even though 4.0 is out.

for the android posters:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7huae767Rxg

two errors though. The guy wasn't nerdy enough and was seen having relations with a female...

Oh. You have a PC but also iPhone. I am surprised with your feeling about how much you think android sucks.

Aren't the comparisons difficult as one is a mobile operating system available on numerous models of phones by various makers and the other is a company that makes both the hardware and the OS? Just thought I'd point that out.

Choosing android is like going to Wal-mart and Macdonalds. You get what you pay for...

I guess you do. With my SIII I have a car navigation system that will take me all over the country without any hint of a problem. I'm guessing that iphone doesn't have that function and if it does, it clearly has some problems.

I bought the SIII because it was the best phone on the market at the time. If I was buying a phone today, I would buy the SIII for the same reason.

That 90% figure is ludicrous. When I was looking for a new phone I did quite a lot of research. I was coming from an iPhone and if 50% of reviews had said the iPhone was better then I'd have bought the iPhone. They didn't. And from what I can tell the new iPhone isn't as good as the 'old' SIII

I really cannot understand about this squabble between iphone and Sumsung in Japan. Neither have Osaifu-Ketai or one seg TV function which is so damn useful here. Without Osaifu-Keitai you have to carry various other cards for Suica, Edy, etc. Water proof/resistance is another virtue you cannot overlook.

My personal recommendation is Fujitsu Arrows or Sony Xperia.

I never used the Osaifu-Keitai as I simply didnt know what it was but it sounds very interesting. I agree that we are missing the TV function on the new phones. As for Apple, thats what you get if you make your apps limited to device only, this was a very smart move on android part, however the coding is still not 100% flawless unlike ios's unfortunately.

SamuraiBlue

I really cannot understand about this squabble between iphone and Sumsung in Japan. Neither have Osaifu-Ketai or one seg TV function which is so damn useful here.

Samsung Galaxy SIII doesn't have Osaifu-Keitai? I find that hard to believe considering it has NFD. Can any of the fAndroids confirm?

As for one seg - as far as I can see it only picks up Japanese TV, which is a minus in my book.

papigiulo

As for Apple, thats what you get if you make your apps limited to device only, this was a very smart move on android part,

Android apps only work on Android. iOS apps only work on iOS. They are exactly the same.

2020hindsights

Sorry my mistake it seems as if Samsung does carry Osaifu-Keitai function as for one seg TV, since the digital TV communication technology differs from the US/Europe and Japan you cannot use that function in the forementioned regions but you can use it or will be able to use it in South America and the Philippines since they adopted the Japanese technology over the US/European one.

The S3 sold in Japan supports NFC and Felica/Saifu Keitai. And they have the One-Seg tuner built in. They actually localised their phones for this market - good on them. In fact one of the only things it doesnt have which i want in my next phone is waterproofness.

Had a chuckle at some of the iPhone loyalists criticising published statistics, then failing to offer any proof of their own.

So much passion and hate, over what... A choice in phones? I picked my phone because it offers what i wanted (H/W keyboard); others choose phones for their own reasons. Watching apple users (and admittedly, some Android users) get so worked up over it is kind of funny...

Choosing android is like going to Wal-mart and Macdonalds.

At least with Andriod, you'll actually be able to quickly located and navigate to your local Wal-mart.

With an ipad^iphone, you'd be running around in circles looking for some place called "Ball Tart" located in the middle of the city reservoir.

I still say: God forbid I am seen with an Android on my hand

so for all you one eyed apple love, you have never even tried an android device?. I guess if you never try it, you wont ever know what you are missing.

In 2010 Adobe tried to make cross platform app development easy. Guess who totally killed it? yep the company that doesn't share and doesn't play nice. We could all be benefiting, yes all of us. Dev's could have created one base code and easily applied to create apps for all the platforms, but no. We all lost. Thanks Apple.

Adobe Systems Incorporated has announced significant advancements in mobile application development as part of the Adobe Creative Suite 5.5 release. These innovations include all new tooling and framework support in Flash Builder™ 4.5 software for developing, testing and deploying mobile applications on Android, BlackBerry Tablet OS and iOS platforms. Flex 4.5, an open source framework, includes new support for building mobile applications for Android, and support for BlackBerry Tablet OS and iOS platforms is expected in June 2011. This new approach in mobile development enables developers to leverage a single tool chain, programming language and code base to easily create highly expressive applications across leading mobile platforms, greatly improving performance while reducing development time and cost of delivery,... Flash Builder 4.5 and Flex 4.5 will now allow companies to standardize on a common platform capable of delivering rich and consistent application experiences that perform great across Android, BlackBerry Tablet OS and iOS devices."

http://www.screenmediadaily.com/news-adobe-creative-suite-flash-builder-flex-actionscript-mobile-tablet-apps-blackberry-ios-android-0014001194.shtml

Apple will always be a niche market. highly curated, tightly controlled with great service and beautiful products. They offer high end goods. Android by it's open nature will be a/the big player. Different strokes for different folks.

2020hindsights

One more thing, no matter how long you wait neither US or Europe will be able to provide their own one seg TV since neither broadcast technology provides one seg function(480/60 pix) therefore in order to recieve you'll require a full spec reciver which will be both bulky and power hungry.

In 2010 Adobe tried to make cross platform app development easy. Guess who totally killed it? yep the company that doesn't share and doesn't play nice. We could all be benefiting, yes all of us. Dev's could have created one base code and easily applied to create apps for all the platforms, but no. We all lost. Thanks Apple.

This is wrong, the product is out there its called phonegap, Adobe purchased the company that made it last year and it is intergrated into the latest Adobe web products already.

Regarding one-seg TV - what exactly is worth watching in real time on Japanese TV? Maybe if you are into sports but otherwise a barren wasteland. And the wallet function - sorry but I can hand my Suica to my 7 yr old to go buy something or leave the card, drop it etc and no panic. Can't see the big deal with that function.

Seldom a day goes by that I don't pat myself on the back, in self congratulation, for not wasting my hard-earned money on a cell phone, and thereby sparing myself from the silly debates over which system is better. I don't care!!!

MeguromanNov. 19, 2012 - 09:24PM JST

Regarding one-seg TV - what exactly is worth watching in real time on Japanese TV?

Emergency broadcasts actually. That was one of the major reasons for it actually: www.nhk.or.jp/strl//publica/bt/en/fe0032-2.pdf

And the wallet function - sorry but I can hand my Suica to my 7 yr old to go buy something or leave the card, drop it etc and no panic.

You do know that a flip wallet can hold at most two or four cards right? Many people in Japan are single and don't have any reason to give it to another person, so instead of having to always take out the cards from the wallet and completely doing away with the benefit of NFC/RFID, you can have all of it right in your phone. You also have much better control over card security (only on when needed, unlike normal cards that can be remotely scanned) and are less likely to lose it. If it is lost, you can easily stop others from using the card and your money.

While certainly not everyone needs these and irda (though iphone users tend to have fewer friends because of it), many people do in fact use these tools that are only available in Android, older phones, and Windows Phone 7/8 (surprising actually, japanese versions were delayed to add nfc/rfid support and irda) which were specifically designed or updated for the japanese market.

One company out there uses iOS... 10 use the Android System and the one that matters is Samsung. It should come as no surprise that there are more Android devices since more companies use it.

“The pace of innovation in Android is faster than Apple,” said Gartner vice president of mobile computing Ken Dulaney. “They are just trying harder; Apple is way behind in that area.”

I don't know where to even start with this... Does he mean Google? or the innovation of Android is greater than Apple as a company? I get it, it's not cool to say iOS so Apple has become the placeholder for this but..

All these articles always always always fail to mention that Android isn't one big happy family doing it for the good of the operating system!! Samsung is vying for business from Apple, as it is from Sony, LG, Motorola, et all.. the other android carriers and this quote nails it:

“Other than Samsung, I don’t know if other Android guys are making money,”

Do you really think Samsung cares about the total android market share? They only care what their piece of the pie is and would gladly take away Apple's share as well as all the others, Android or not.

What's helping the Galaxy S3 right now is it's gaining traction among the youth movement. Let me boil this down to a simple reason:

Given that both iPhone and S3 have now similar capabilities for what the youths generally use their smartphones for, what's the one thing youths appreciate most: bigger screens!

They want bigger screens on their TVs; they want bigger screens on their laptops, on their tablets, on their phones. They don't care as much about the weight or if it fits in their hands - these are kids who would comfortably walk playing bulkier gadgets like PSP/Vita. But they want bigger screens to play their games, to show Youtube videos to friends, to gaze their Facebook walls, etc. Just the S3 screen is almost the size of the iPhone itself; that's why the S3 is becoming the "cool phone of the cool kids" in the playgrounds. And these are the youths who would grow up using these phones.

I will only buy iPhones, even though I loathe the new Apple Maps. The reason? iTunes. I have thousands of dollars of music and apps paid for through the Apple App Store. Sure, it works with Android devices but the integration isn't there - I like to buy music when I hear it, if I like it. Being able to buy direct from my handset and having it synced with all my devices (iTunes Match) is possibly my favourite feature.

I have stayed clear of iOS6 though - I'm not quite satisfied with their level of coverage yet. Those of you saying that Apple Maps is fine - have you tried to find a specific address in Tokyo on it? Some are there but for a lot of places, the exact address (Someplace 1-1-1) is NOT given. This alone was enough for me to steer clear of Apple Maps. You can often get in the general neighborhood, but that's simply not good enough when you need to find an address on the street. And there's still a lot of incorrect addresses as well as virtually no English support in Japan. Fine, if you read every kanji and talk fluent Japanese, but for the rest of us, it's quite challenging to find places now. Even my Japanese friends have mentioned the difficulties iOS6 has!

Android is a great phone, but it's not the phone for me with my iTunes and Apple reliance. If Android in the future allowed native iTunes support I'd consider it - but I think it'd be a cold day in hell before Apple allowed that...

this is kind of dumb. iOS only operates on one phone made by one manufacturer, while Android is only literally hundreds by dozens and dozens of makers.

*Android is on

lostrune2Nov. 19, 2012 - 11:22PM JST

What's helping the Galaxy S3 right now is it's gaining traction among the youth movement. Let me boil this down to a simple reason:

Given that both iPhone and S3 have now similar capabilities for what the youths generally use their smartphones for, what's the one thing youths appreciate most: bigger screens!

It'd actually be irda (赤外線) for easily sharing addressbook information and NFC (the touch symbol) to download photobooth photos (and wallet)

The people I know who buy non-iPhone, act sad and embarrassed about it, finally admitting they wanted to buy an iPhone, but couldn't afford it. They all wanted iPhones.

Lostrune2 - you must be living in an alternate universe because all the kids, young people, etc. that I see every week, they all want the same phone. The iPhone in a landslide

I use an Android tablet. I'm not really interested in what other people use, it's their choice. I'm just interested in you. According to you the Android really sucks. It would have to if the Apple products were twice as good as you have stated. I mean you have a mad passion feeling of hatred to the point of you going out of your way to come to these boards and explain in a cult-like way that people who don't use Apple products have something wrong with them. What's going on in your head?

mitoguitarmanNov. 20, 2012 - 08:08AM JST

The people I know who buy non-iPhone, act sad and embarrassed about it, finally admitting they wanted to buy an iPhone, but couldn't afford it. They all wanted iPhones.

Japan has no such stigma. In fact, they look at iphone users and laugh, especially when they have no reception where android phones do, or when everyone's sharing mail addresses with irda and the iphone guy can't get more than two because he has to type it all in.

But yes, if you don't have friends, go ahead and use your iphone

I don't get it ! Numerous times people press that: "who can not afford Apple goes for Android... blah, blah"

As Zichi have already said it - it is cheaper to get iPhone 5 in Japan !!! 16Gb iPhone comes to 6755 yen/month but right now KDDI have 1 year wavier for the basic 980 yen plan. If you switch from other carrier you get 2 years for free.

For Androids and iPhone 32Gb you pay about 1155-1355 yen for the device itself for 24 month additionally. Also Android flat plan is a bit more expensive at 5985 yen thus totaling >8500 as Zichi said. But again - deduct 980 if you are new user for an year or 2 if coming from Softbank/Docomo !

Personally I'm in a search and comparing the 2 platforms I like the iOs's simplicity. Android is too cluttered for me but offers more freedom.

Too bad Win8 phones are still not here - I think they are worth of checking but their weakest point would be lack of support for apps (like AV receivers, etc.)

True. I wanted a galaxy smartphone but got sticker shock. So decided to keep my junky but reliable keitai and get a pocketWiFi with one year agreement and cheap nexus 7. Even with all that it is still cheaper than a single smartphone deal-iphone or android. Wait to see how MS affects the market. I will also see what next year brings when my contract finishes and go from there.

basroil

or when everyone's sharing mail addresses with irda and the iphone guy can't get more than two because he has to type it all in.

irda? That's so 1990's. iPhone users just use WiFi to share addresses...

2020hindsightsNov. 20, 2012 - 11:44AM JST

irda? That's so 1990's. iPhone users just use WiFi to share addresses...

No they don't.

They can use address sharing protocols that are proprietary, and QR codes, but nothing viable in the Japanese market because they don't offer the standard protocols Japanese people are used to. And actually, irda is now being considered for ultrafast connectivity between devices, since it can transmit up to 1gbps while polky old wifi is stuck at 50-100mbps for most people (even 802.11ac that apple won't support for years is only about 300-500mbps).

Oh, and you can actually print copies of your documents and photos using irda at any convenience store. Really great feature.

iphones are already showing their age here, not many want a novelty phone that can't even be used normally.

Basroil - only the nerdiest of nerds would claim the iPhone can't do what they want it to do.

Can't use the printers at a convenience store in tandom with a smartphone? Jeez, that'll really be a problem next time the need to do that pops up - in about 65 more years!

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/apples-internet-problem-icloud-goes-192830434.html

Ouch, sucks for the apple users who don't have a system as stable as google's play service!

2020hindsightsNov. 20, 2012 - 11:44AM JST

irda? That's so 1990's. iPhone users just use WiFi to share addresses...

No they don't.

They can use address sharing protocols that are proprietary, and QR codes, but nothing viable in the Japanese market because they don't offer the standard protocols Japanese people are used to.

Ha ha. Yeah, but I only want to share contacts with all my Apple fanboys...

But actually the iPhone can also share using standard .vcf contact files either via email or SMS. So no issues.

And actually, irda is now being considered for ultrafast connectivity between devices, since it can transmit up to 1gbps while polky old wifi is stuck at 50-100mbps for most people (even 802.11ac that apple won't support for years is only about 300-500mbps).

Yeah, I need that speed when sharing contacts.

Oh, and you can actually print copies of your documents and photos using irda at any convenience store. Really great feature.

Yeah, like I get a sudden urge to print stuff in the street. I print to my printer at home via WiFi.

Outta hereNov. 20, 2012 - 12:25PM JST

Just one question given your constant barrages against apple Because you seem to be very very anti apple

I've been anti-apple since they provided a horribly buggy OS patch in my powerpc that made it crash every 5 minutes. And again when they stiffed me on my ipod battery replacement. And when they installed crapware on my computer during an itunes "update". And when they too away my right to use my music when they disabled direct disk access to ipods. And then when all the files I uploaded to an OSX server became infected with viruses.

I have learned the hard way that Apple simply does not care about users, it only cares about customers. Google on the other hand actually cares about users, and many of the major complaints seem to get patched quickly, and if they don't patch it you can do it yourself anyway. That's the reason Android is becoming so popular, the user experience is amazing, even if the customer experience is just average. You're only a customer once, you're a user for a long time.

Basroil - apple OS is immune from viruses. I'd say you went to a few too many dodgy sites on your OC

Here in Brazil, Apple online store taken iPhone5 out of its shelves. Demand is so high in US that they decided to start selling it some point in 2013 Q1 instead of before holidays, as it was announced. The result is that Brazilians are travelling to Orlando and Miami only to buy the 5 - and other goods they love from US. The Orlando Apple store is so full of BR tourists that they have a site solely dedicated to inform where and when #5 and iPad Minis are available, with live coverage. Demand is so strong that Apple revealed this week it will open the first retail store in Rio, despite the fact that Brazilians pay more than U$2000 for an iPhone.

Zichi, i like your open-mindedness when it comes to looking at phones.

Hate to say it though, it sounds like you should be looking for a traditional keitai. Perhaps one of the Raku-raku phones with big text and simple menus :-P

As for New York, that was ridiculous. You spend more time out of service than in service.

Basroil,

Sorry but l completely disagree with everything you have said.

Lets see, viruses in the 18 months of owning a mac zero viruses to date. Same period with a Microsoft l find at least 2 a week.

Number of times my mac has crashed in 18 months again zero. PC on the other hand l have lost track. Except for the last crash which was followed by a bang as it hit the bottom of the bin when l replaced it with another apple product.

How exactly did they take away your right to your music? It is sleazy to use and share music with your apple if you know how to use it....

I'm beginning to see that maybe it's not an apple issue but rather a user issue in particular a lack of knowledge when it comes to using the product. Tend to see it a lot with people that have been brought up on Microsoft products. The ease of use of the apples throws them and they cannot get their head around it.

And you claim apple don't care about the user. That's funny when you buy an apple they set it up for you (for free) they give you a run down on how to use it. And there is regular follow up never once had that wi any Microsoft or google product in over 10 years of using their products. Will say this though, never again will l buy a Microsoft based PC

originalusernameNov. 20, 2012 - 02:02PM JST

Hate to say it though, it sounds like you should be looking for a traditional keitai. Perhaps one of the Raku-raku phones with big text and simple menus :-P

Those are quite simple, enough so that even if you don't know Japanese you can use most of the functionality.

As for New York, that was ridiculous. You spend more time out of service than in service.

I never had any issues with my android phone, at least not above ground (cell service in subways is still horrible compared to japan). It's more about the service than the phone for the most part, with ATT being horrible and verizon just marginally better. iPhone's antenna doesn't help, but just as in Japan the service company is the biggest factor.

In japan, if Au and Softbank aren't great in your service area and Docomo is, might as well go with an android model from docomo and be happy with good coverage even if you won't have a choice between android and ios.

Zichi,

Completely agree with your comment about windows crashing. It's a constant and annoying feature of the software. I have had every windows product since windows 95 and have just given up on windows 7. That was my last PC now l do not have a single windows product have changed everything to Apple and have not had a problem since. They are great for everything. Love how easy it is to set up and stream music and stuff to various locations in the house and even when your outside you can access your music at home on your iPhone. That's a great feature. But most importantly it doesn't crash..... Unlike microcrash.....

Thanks Zichi, it was a tough decision to leave but has so far proved to be a good one. If we ever make it back to Japan would love to have a pint with you - we've not always agreed on the subject but as I've often said I admire the research you put in before forming your opinion. Even if it is wrong ;-)

Zichi, not sure if you have already bought the ipad mini yet, but i would possibly wait on that. Currently they are only selling the Wifi model, so you will be restricted to open hotspots or your home/work wifi.

The number of open wifi spots in Japan is laughable. This means that the ipad will be useless for net anywhere outside of your home (or Starbucks, which now has free, but terribly slow wifi).

That is, unless you get a 4G mobile internet router (extra unit to carry around).

Windows XP to 8 are better than android and ios.

I am fine with the wifi model for the iPad mini because both my wife and I work from home so most of the time we are using them on our own wifi. When my wife is out she's also very busy so I don't think she would have much time to use but she enjoys her iPod. I might get her pocket wifi if I think she needs it because we can make a data plan were we don't pay much of a monthly charge when not used. From next month, KDDI au will sell iPad mini wifi+cellular, and probably the 16GB model will be free or little money with a two year data plan. Pocket wifi only needs a one year contract.

Looks like a winning strategy. One note is that maps won't work so well because it will only use WiFi positioning and not satellite navigation. In Tokyo or other cities that's not a problem, but in the countryside it is.

There was a story about installing wifi hotspots on vending machines.

That would be great. I have seen free WiFi in Ginza and Starbucks now have free hotspots (albeit not fast). Japan was slow to start getting hotspots, but I guess the situation will be great soon.

hoserfella, to answer your question, I help out with high school kids. High school kids only care about what's the next cool thing, not whether they're fanboys of any company. And now the Galaxy S3 is the cool thing for them, with the jocks and "cool kids" leading the way.

Here in Brazil

this is Japan and Japan today, no one cares about what Brazil are doing, but since you keep trying to bring it up....sure, the very small minority of wealthy Brazilians might care about the eliteness and cool factor of Apple, the huge majority of less wealthy Brazilians will likely be surrounding you with Androids before too long. Perish the thought!

As for windows crashing, is it windows crashing or you crashing it? XP very occasionally crashed and invariably it was my fault. Windows 7 has crashed once in a year, It was my fault again and on a computer that comes at a fraction of the price of an apple with similar specs. I will concede for luddites and those who really don't care and have lots of cash to spend and just want a computer that works, then Macs are a good choice. They are like "automatic cars". Macbooks are also a good choice for anyone who wants a top line laptop that does the 'basics' very well . For people who want to do more with their computers and prefer "manual transmissions". There are more options elsewhere, especially for the budget conscious too. Some people don't want to drive an automatic car no matter how much you convince them how and easy it is to drive and doesn't suffer from stalling

Apple it just works, Window/Linux it just does more., heck add android to that mix, even my jailbroken ipod is has a fraction of the functionality of my android device. They all have pro's and con's.

Basroil - apple OS is immune from viruses. yes sir , that's the gospel there, keep repeating a myth long enough and people will accept as the truth. Even apple themselves don't propagate that myth anymore.

I've had one virus 12 years ago on win98 when I was a new punter to the computer game. It doesn't take my commonsense at all to avoid viruses.

CarcharodonNov. 20, 2012 - 06:52PM JST

I've had one virus 12 years ago on win98 when I was a new punter to the computer game. It doesn't take my commonsense at all to avoid viruses.

Lets see.. the last "virus" i had was a trojan horse built into the DiabloII minimap hacking tool I used about 12 years ago. It did nothing because I had a firewall, and anti-virus picked it up about 2 days after first use. Since then, absolutely no infections on my computers (XP to 8) or cellphones (windows mobile 6.5 and android 2.1 to 2.4). OSX machines I used though had so many viruses that they crashed frequently from corrupted files and were unable to upload anything to google docs because of viruses in all word processor files.

Viruses are quite easy to prevent, the main issue is hacking attempts. pwn2own demonstrated iphone4's vulnerabilities, and yet apple didn't bother to clean them up for months. Hardly a secure platform if you can get hacked that easily without even using trojans or virus files.

I've had probably around 150ish viruses before. Course I was the one who decided to install them on an old 95 box to see what would happen. Outside of that, no problems. Except gpu driver flaws that would cause artifacting in some games. Pull back to an old driver, instead of using the beta ones and no issues.

interesting info

and zichi, basroil, and 2020hindsights are con

Here in Brazil

this is Japan and Japan today, no one cares about what Brazil are doing, but since you keep trying to bring it up....sure, the very small minority of wealthy Brazilians might care about the eliteness and cool factor of Apple, the huge majority of less wealthy Brazilians will likely be surrounding you with Androids before too long. Perish the thought!

Well, I couldn't agree more. But first, yes, it is Brazil. Far from Japan, but the 7th world economy. And this situation gives a good vision on how why Androids are so, well, "popular" and Apple is for the top of the pyramid. People are travelling to Orlando to get iPhones, while Androids are sold in every cheap supermarket here. In Brazil.

this is Japan and Japan today, no one cares about what Brazil are doing, but since you keep trying to bring it up

Didn't you notice that there are a lot of international news on this site?

People are travelling to Orlando to get iPhones, while Androids are sold in every cheap supermarket here. In Brazil.

I've known N. Americans travel overseas to get Galaxy S3 when they couldn't get it in N. America. It's just all about availability. Android phones are sold in many price points and quantities (the cheaper ones are obviously cheaper to make and thus easier to produce more of), so those are easier to find (and easier to buy, which actually helps their market share). I recall they did the same thing with RAZR back in the day. That's how it is with premium gadgets with limited availability.

Apple it just works, Window/Linux it just does more.,

Look who's drinking the cool aid now! What more does Windows/Linux do that Macs don't? Did you know that OS X is based on a Unix variant?

Look who's drinking the cool aid now! What more does Windows/Linux do that Macs don't? Did you know that OS X is based on a Unix variant?

Linux: can build your own kernel, customize the system as far as your imagination.

Windows: except the kernel, can do whatever I want, have the best software (Visual Studio, guess you don't know), play state-of-the-art games, superb hardware acceleration support (again, guess you have no clues whatsoever).

OS X: dumbed down Unix variance.

I readily admit that I do not know or understand much of what goes on inside a computer operating system, but when someone tells me theirs is better because they can play games on it, I find it difficult to take them seriously.

Basroil - only the nerdiest of nerds would claim the iPhone can't do what they want it to do.

Is there anything the new iPhone that can do something that either the Galaxy SIII or the HTC can't do? It seems that this 'new' model is 6 months behind the competition. Bigger screen, Car navigation system, 8MP camera etc... Nothing inventive. Which for Apple must be cause for concern.

Apple is not concerned at all. A recent survey in US shows that 4 out of 5 gifts in wish lists are iDevices, among kids aged 6 to 12 years old. Smart kids, they already know what's good and what's not. http://www.phonesreview.co.uk/2012/11/20/apple-ios-gadget-mania-on-kids-christmas-wish-lists/

I readily admit that I do not know or understand much of what goes on inside a computer operating system, but when someone tells me theirs is better because they can play games on it, I find it difficult to take them seriously.

I don't understand my point right. I emphasized on Visual Studio, please find out what it is before insulting me. And why I pointed out state-of-the-art games? Because the platform allows developers to exploit the full potential of PC hardware. Not to mention almost all devices work on Windows. That's why it has stayed mainstream for many years.

blackrock

Linux: can build your own kernel, customize the system as far as your imagination.

Yes. Great for geeks wasting their time. But what does it achieve?

Windows: except the kernel, can do whatever I want, have the best software (Visual Studio, guess you don't know)

Um, yes I do know. I used to use Visual Studio for C# programing in .NET. Which I can't do natively on my Mac because Microsoft don't make a Mac version (would be pretty pointless since the code can only run on Windows), but I can run on my Fusion enabled Windows 7 Mac.

I use X-Code now and that comes with the OS. So your 'dumbed-down' computer comes with an integrated development environment. Windows doesn't.

, play state-of-the-art games, superb hardware acceleration support (again, guess you have no clues whatsoever).

What makes you think you can't do this on a Mac...?

OS X: dumbed down Unix variance.

In what way dumbed down?

What makes you think you can't do this on a Mac...?

I didn't say you can't do it. DirectX on Windows is just far better than any HALs on any other platforms at the moment. It's a fact.

In what way dumbed down?

A system aiming at the "cool kid" in Starbucks is dumbed down. Alright, joking. You can't deny that OS X is limited in capabilities compared to other OS's. Anyways, enjoy it the way it is, if it makes you feel good.

What more does Windows/Linux do that Macs don't

You asked, I answered. Just a few points

2020hindsightsNov. 21, 2012 - 01:55PM JST

Um, yes I do know. I used to use Visual Studio for C# programing in .NET. Which I can't do natively on my Mac because Microsoft don't make a Mac version (would be pretty pointless since the code can only run on Windows), but I can run on my Fusion enabled Windows 7 Mac.

False, .NET runs on many platforms with the right crosscompiler or Mono. You have everything from arduino clones (netduino) to android and even iOS (though I'm not sure if it works with app store properly, apple always changes the rules). Programmers can easily write for windows/8/rt/phone AND android using C# and .NET, which is a great thing for them.

2020hindsightsNov. 21, 2012 - 01:55PM JST

What makes you think you can't do this on a Mac...?

All graphics cards are built with DirectX (11 now, next up will be 11.1) in mind, and openGL that unix variants (including osx and linux) use is a second rate citizen on the cards. Professional versions improve openGL quite a bit, but nobody seriously programs for it unless they program specifically for professional cards (AutoCAD, Maya, etc). In fact, the last game actually specifically developed for openGL i've played was HalfLife, the few others that supported it did so only after the fact and are actually crippled versions.

Games wise though, anything that is built for iOS can easily be ported to android since they both use opengls. Since there's no low level support for graphics in iOS though, games look cleaner and use less battery in Android, at least the graphics intensive ones like riptide (optimized for Tegra chips on Android and WinRT). As someone posted before, 50% of the market is games now, and android just does it better.

blackrock

You can't deny that OS X is limited in capabilities compared to other OS's. Anyways, enjoy it the way it is, if it makes you feel good.

Yes I do deny it is limited in capability. And you haven't come up with any examples where it is.

basroil

False, .NET runs on many platforms with the right crosscompiler or Mono.

Yes, yes theirs always some smart Alec going to bring up Mono. But you'd have to be a suicidal masochist to actually build a solution in Mono. Anyway, the main point is VS doesn't run natively on a Mac - but that's not a problem.

@basroil

FYI, id Software make games using OpenGL. They just put out Rage at the end of 2011. Course id Software games suck. Last good game I think they put out was Quake 3. Doom 3 was bad Not sure why people liked it.

@2020hindsights

OSX...how about trying to remotely administer a full network of them without leaving you chair. Can you push updates to it? Can you push software packages to it? If the computer has a completely blank hard drive, can you push a pull Operating System install to a Mac? OSX is the biggest pile, when it comes to enterprises.

Can you even setup your own OSX domain, where OSX is the active directory server, dns server, dhcp server, etc? According to Apple...no. Probably why Apple stopped making OSX Server. All they make is some admin tools that you slap onto regular OSX.

How about being able to virtualize? Windows now has Hyper-V. Windows Server runs the virtual machines and any of the server/desktop OS's can install the client to access them. You could just install a headless Hyper-V server.

In people's homes. Well, can OSX run even 50% of available software out there?

How well can a Mac be configured as an HTPC? Does it even support a decent variety of tv tuner cards?

Audio leaves a lot to be desired, but seeing as all the good audio cards aren't supported...oh well.

Graphics also leaves a lot to be desired (if you only buy from Apple). They'll always be a generation or two behind. Best part, you can get raped for it too. Apple sells the HD5770 for $250. The PC version costs $100. Course you'd have to be pretty stupid to buy the stupid card, when a GTX 560 is only $130. Which can double to triple the performance over an HD5770. Guess what also? Nvidia released driver support for OSX. Mac owners rejoice, you don't need to get raped by Apple for graphics. That's if you own a Mac Pro, which majority of OSX users don't. $2500 for the lowest end Mac Pro...can't really blame them. I wouldn't want to pay double for PC hardware, just cause it has an Apple on it either.

Now sure how much you would consider the home use portion a flaw of OSX, as a lot of it is hardware related. Seeing as OSX is tied to a small set of hardware, it's hard to segregate the two. I guess you can boil it down to OSX IS LIMITED IN CAPABILITY BY BEING LIMITED IN IT'S SUPPORT OF MAJORITY OF SOFTWARE AND HARDWARE AVAILABLE ON THE MARKET.

Apple is not concerned at all. A recent survey in US shows that 4 out of 5 gifts in wish lists are iDevices, among kids aged 6 to 12 years old. Smart kids, they already know what's good and what's not. http://www.phonesreview.co.uk/2012/11/20/apple-ios-gadget-mania-on-kids-christmas-wish-lists/

If that's the case and I was an Apple investor I would be selling my stock PDQ. Apple are famous for being innovative. They followed everyone else with their iPad mini, and there seems to be nothing innovative in the new iphone. Kids now MAY want apple stuff but unless they go back to their innovative roots then they won't want them next year.

Watch out! Here comes Microsoft with their smartphones. There was a very good review of them in today's IHT. The only issue which MS acknowledges is they lack apps. But even if you have no plans to buy one we should all be happy from all this competition. Imagine, in the consumer PC world we basically had MS and Mac all these years. Now we will have 3 major competitors going at it fiercely. So no matter which system you use this is good news for you.

Korlacan Khanthavilay

OSX...how about trying to remotely administer a full network of them without leaving you chair. Can you push updates to it? Can you push software packages to it? If the computer has a completely blank hard drive, can you push a pull Operating System install to a Mac? OSX is the biggest pile, when it comes to enterprises.

Can you even setup your own OSX domain, where OSX is the active directory server, dns server, dhcp server, etc? According to Apple...no. Probably why Apple stopped making OSX Server. All they make is some admin tools that you slap onto regular OSX.

How about being able to virtualize? Windows now has Hyper-V. Windows Server runs the virtual machines and any of the server/desktop OS's can install the client to access them. You could just install a headless Hyper-V server.

You're getting all confused. OS X isn't a server OS - it's a client OS. You are comparing Apples to Oranges. Apple in their wisdom realized that the Enterprise market wasn't theirs and abandoned the server market. In the home, I would advise getting a good NAS (like Synology which is running Linux) for all your server needs (media server, photo server, etc.).

But getting back to the topic, OS X can do anything that Windows or Linux clients can do. Server OS? Hell no.

How well can a Mac be configured as an HTPC?

It's excellent. I would advise you buy a Mac mini. Small, unobtrusive, quiet, Apple remote support and HDMI port. Couldn't think of anything better as a media PC. Just install XBMC and you're done.

Audio leaves a lot to be desired,...

Graphics also leaves a lot to be desired (if you only buy from Apple).

Irrelevant. You're talking about hardware, not the OS.

OSX IS LIMITED IN CAPABILITY BY BEING LIMITED IN IT'S SUPPORT OF MAJORITY OF SOFTWARE AND HARDWARE AVAILABLE ON THE MARKET.

Agree. But not a problem for most users. Linux is exactly the same. This, however, isn't a limitation of the OS itself, so completely irrelevant.

You are a little bit misinformed. It has been said by specialists that there are no more room for innovative devices with the technology and materials we have now. Perhaps in the future, we will see things made of holograms. Now, the real innovation will come from softwares, and at that Apple is top of the tops, even with the iPad Mini. A little late in the hardware, but people don't care about who crossed the line first. What they want is quality and efficiency. IPad Mini delivers that.

Wozniak has publicly stated MS is more innovative than apple with what is going on recently. Point is you sound a bit religious about your tech gear. How can you argue against the great Woz (look it up)? I just quoted the mighty one and you say 'specialists'. What 'specialists'?

First of all, there is always room for improvement in technology, or are you trying to say that the best we'll get in a phone is an 8MP camera? of course not.

Android phones have made massive leaps on Apple phones recently and as stated before they're bringing the products out 6 months earlier than Apple. At what point are the cool kids going to stop waiting 6 months to have the newest toys and want them straight away? You can bet your bottom dollar that it's a concern for Apple. Even if you think I'm misinformed.

Check kakaku dot com and you will see iPad mini and nexus about the same in their rankings. A good maker is a good maker. Take your choice.

Wozniak has publicly stated MS is more innovative than apple with what is going on recently.

Ha ha. And the last time the great Woz was innovative was 1977, so he can hardly talk. Don't get me wrong, Woz was my hero. I remember pouring through reams of 6502 assembler print outs of Apple DOS to see how he built a floppy disk controller in software. Pure genius - back then.

But name anything recent that Microsoft has done that was innovative. Samsung? HTC? Motorola? Innovation doesn't come often, so it's a bit in-genuine to criticize Apple for not innovating every product release.

Check kakaku dot com and you will see iPad mini and nexus about the same in their rankings. A good maker is a good maker. Take your choice.

Well, not so good for the Nexus considering it's cheaper than the iPad mini. The Nexus is a good tablet (albeit the screen is a tad too small) but it suffers from having Android, which for tablets isn't great because the apps suck in comparison with iOS.

The Nexus is expected to sell 5 million by the end of the year. I'll bet the iPad mini is more than double that.

I got mine for 900 yen. Did you compare apps on both your android and iPhone? How do they suck in comparison? Everything else about the android doesn't suck? the Sony experia was also up there recently, but a bit down? I like the dimension of the nexus since I can fit it in my pocket. But if something is too small I guess there are other models.

5 million for nexus? I didn't know. Twice as many for the mini? But there are others such as kindle fire and windows. I might have gotten the fire if I didn't have the nexus special price.

nishikat

Did you compare apps on both your android and iPhone? How do they suck in comparison?

Here's a good comparison. But I've seen other comparisons between tablet Android and iOS apps. The reason is that Android is so fragmented. Two thirds of tablets out there use Gingerbread or before and there are just too many screen sizes to support. So apps tend to look like scaled up phone apps in comparison.

http://www.zdnet.com/ipad-mini-and-nexus-7-go-head-to-head-7000007563/?s_cid=e505

Was it a problem when you were an android user? I'm OK with my machine so far-including apps. I do respect apple, especially since they are expected to have 2x sales as android.

Was it a problem when you were an android user? I'm OK with my machine so far-including apps. I do respect apple, especially since they are expected to have 2x sales as android.

Never was an Android user, but I'm considering getting an iPad mini or a Nexus 7 (ruled out Amazon Fire because it's a tightly controlled version of Android).

The Nexus being cheaper is what got me interested. So I've been scouring the reviews and checking them out in the shops. Two things pushed in the direction of the iPad mini: 1. All the apps that I have already bought (educational games etc.) will run on the iPad mini. 2. Android tablet apps tend to be scaled phone apps.

Any Qs about Nexus 7 pls ask!!! I got it with Nifty Wimax one year contract for pocket wifi. But I really needed the wifi so could not beat the 900 yen price (that's one time, NOT per month). Next year I will see what's out there when my contract finishes and go from there. So my tech can remain relatively fresh.

Good luck with the mini

nishikat

Any Qs about Nexus 7 pls ask!!!

Well the first question is how do I get one for 900 yen!! I would overlook the shortcomings for that price!

http://tinyurl.com/d8n6dyd

This deal here, one year contract needed. When you go through this offer you can select the wifi unit and nexus for 900 yen sale campaign.

I would overlook the shortcomings for that price!

That's how I felt!!

First of all, there is always room for improvement in technology, or are you trying to say that the best we'll get in a phone is an 8MP camera? of course not.

Android phones have made massive leaps on Apple phones recently and as stated before they're bringing the products out 6 months earlier than Apple. At what point are the cool kids going to stop waiting 6 months to have the newest toys and want them straight away? You can bet your bottom dollar that it's a concern for Apple. Even if you think I'm misinformed.

A camera is an important feature of a smartphone these days, but you can't judge who-is-who solely based on ONE feature. Android may be the best in one or two features. But mostly, it's iOS. You know, kids know what is good because they see their parents and friends using it. And serious people also know that. I guess the recent news that NTSB will ditch BB and opt for iPhone 5 didn't reach you. Another gov't body that looks for, and choose, the best smartphone. Uh, well, Androids didn't even make the first list of options - given its vulnerability and the constant freezing problem. Get yourself better informed, I say.

How about Microsoft? Woz had a lot of great things to say about them with their recent smarphone efforts. Are they a bunch of deadbeats too?

nishikatNov. 22, 2012 - 09:02PM JST

How about Microsoft? Woz had a lot of great things to say about them with their recent smarphone efforts.

Yup, the actual brains behind apple's golden age did praise it. Issue is that phone partners are demanding too much garbage in terms of mandatory software (which WP8 doesn't have unlike iOS and android, all apps are uninstallable without rooting), much like they do with android.

If it wasn't for the cell companies planting so much garbage in android phones, they could be 90% already.

A camera is an important feature of a smartphone these days, but you can't judge who-is-who solely based on ONE feature

You're right. But I gave ONE example to your previous claim that

You are a little bit misinformed. It has been said by specialists that there are no more room for innovative devices with the technology and materials we have now. Perhaps in the future, we will see things made of holograms.

So that would be one example, there are many, many other.

Interesting that you think that because kids see their parents and the NTSB wanting Apples then they will want them. Have kids changed? Now what their parents have is cool? What the governement has is cool? Kids want the cutting edge technology. They want it now. Not in 6 months.

I've had an Android for 4 months, never had a problem with it. I had an Apple for years before that. And had numerous problems with it. I may be unique, though I strongly doubt it.

I have apple everything.... Macbook pro, 27inch apple thunderbolt display, I check my responsive designs on my ipad, I have an iphone.

With that being said, I will love google 100x more than apple any day of the week. Google have done so much for so many different dev communities. Google is my hero and I really want one of those new samsung galaxy 3's

Until google can create a desktop based operating system that runs all my required programs. Ill be sticking to OSx for my designing / development needs.

ps. the one thing that I miss about my old PC's was that I got to build them from the ground up. Apple took away my fun lol.

Seems to me that both the iPhone and Android are too expensive for me. This is why I still stick to my keitai (which I've owned for the past four years). I pay only 1,995 yen a month for unlimited Internet access and email. Yes, I don't get the fancy touch screen functions and apps I may receive with a smartphone, but at least I can access the Internet, email friends and family, and make phone calls. Can't really see much more being needed.

I had the IPhone 3 a few years back when it came out, back then only Softbank had it. The terrible service area and inability to do anything normal with the IPhone like cut and paste or other tasks without jail breaking it led me to an Android phone from DoCoMo. I realize many of these issues have been solved. But the fact that the IPhone is still largely proprietary and still lacks many of the basic Android features leads me to wonder why people love them so much. They would have to do something very drastic and wowing to lead me back to Apple.

But the fact that the IPhone is still largely proprietary and still lacks many of the basic Android features leads me to wonder why people love them so much. They would have to do something very drastic and wowing to lead me back to Apple.

For smartphones, I think that Android phones are definitely better. 4" is still way too small for many and that won't likely change for a while. The only thing that the iPhone has an edge on, I think, is games. But I rarely play games anyway. Android apps usually have way more features than the same iPhone apps because Android is more open.

For tablets, right now iPads may be better.