When the original iPhone appeared January 2007, it took mobile phones to a whole new level.
With today's introduction of the iPhone 4S, Apple has moved into mature maintenance mode. In many ways the iPhone remains the most refined mobile platform available. It is stable and runs smoothly almost all the time and probably has the best battery management of any phone.
But it's no longer particularly innovative. The screen is on the small end of contemporary smartphones. Dual-core processors are rapidly becoming common place. Most of the new features in iOS5 are lifted straight from other platforms including both WebOS and Android. The new notification system is straight out of the Google platform. The new voice control technology was developed outside of Apple by Siri (a company bought by Apple two years ago) and similar capabilities have existed on Android for the past year and a half. Even the find my friends capability is a knockoff of Foursquare and Latitude.
The iPhone 4S is a very nice device, but there is nothing there that would compel me to switch from Android.
Google+: View post on Google+
Post imported by Google+Blog. Created By Daniel Treadwell.
And in Googles defense… What new innovations have Google created lately? Just wondering…
And in Googles defense… What new innovations have Google created lately? Just wondering…
Google Wallet
Google Wallet
Google incorporated NFC support into Android 2.3 and has Wallet although its currently only available on the Nexus S. As a technophile, I've always appreciated the freedom to personalize my Droids.
Also stay tuned for next week when Ice Cream Sandwich (aka Android 4) is expected to be rolled out at CTIA.
Google incorporated NFC support into Android 2.3 and has Wallet although its currently only available on the Nexus S. As a technophile, I've always appreciated the freedom to personalize my Droids.
Also stay tuned for next week when Ice Cream Sandwich (aka Android 4) is expected to be rolled out at CTIA.
I agree that it is becoming harder to innovate on the hardware side, and even the OS. The key for future development will be by emphasizing the ecosystem – hardware, OS, apps, cloud, services. Apple has all of these. Google is moving close to being the same. Other manufacturers and service providers will have to match up the same or else they will be left behind.
I agree that it is becoming harder to innovate on the hardware side, and even the OS. The key for future development will be by emphasizing the ecosystem – hardware, OS, apps, cloud, services. Apple has all of these. Google is moving close to being the same. Other manufacturers and service providers will have to match up the same or else they will be left behind.
On the cloud side, Android has had a lot of support since at least 2.0 with the OG Droid. Ever since I got my original, calendars, contacts, mail, photos, apps have been synced. I've never been required to sync for a backup (although I have manually done local backups when experimenting with different roms). When I do reset, I just have to enter my gmail credentials and everything automatically re-downloads including apps.
Now with google+, my photos are automatically synced and can be easily shared although, I've always been able to share to picasa, twitter or FB directly from the gallery on the phone with just a long press and select share.
On the cloud side, Android has had a lot of support since at least 2.0 with the OG Droid. Ever since I got my original, calendars, contacts, mail, photos, apps have been synced. I've never been required to sync for a backup (although I have manually done local backups when experimenting with different roms). When I do reset, I just have to enter my gmail credentials and everything automatically re-downloads including apps.
Now with google+, my photos are automatically synced and can be easily shared although, I've always been able to share to picasa, twitter or FB directly from the gallery on the phone with just a long press and select share.
+Sam Abuelsamid Very good, but imagine what would happen if Google flagged your name for some reason. Since everything is synced to your gmail address/Google Profile you would lose access to your phone, your purchased apps, your data, etc. I don't think users are aware of how easy it is for the phone they purchase and use to become useless even though they paid for it. All the more reason to worry about the name policy. WIthout a more liberal name policy, I'd be very reluctant to entrust everything from phone to data to Google. Their ecosystem is great, they just need to make users feel comfortable entrusting everything to them.
+Sam Abuelsamid Very good, but imagine what would happen if Google flagged your name for some reason. Since everything is synced to your gmail address/Google Profile you would lose access to your phone, your purchased apps, your data, etc. I don't think users are aware of how easy it is for the phone they purchase and use to become useless even though they paid for it. All the more reason to worry about the name policy. WIthout a more liberal name policy, I'd be very reluctant to entrust everything from phone to data to Google. Their ecosystem is great, they just need to make users feel comfortable entrusting everything to them.
Most innovations today are just results of copy, combine and transform. Nothing else.
Most innovations today are just results of copy, combine and transform. Nothing else.
I've always thought that the old chestnut that Android was open and iOS was closed was more complicated than it seemed; both have central marketplaces, and though Android's is much more laissez-faire, it can and has pulled applications before; both limit the average user to a restricted environment, iOS by its' sandboxing and Android by not allowing the average user root; iOS was found to have a "bug" that made tracking a iOS device owner's location easy, but a few weeks later Android was found to have a similar "bug"; and, in both cases, the average user is limited to what versions of the OS they can run and what applications by phone and by carrier. From a developer's perspective, Apple's release process is more complex, but their documentation and tools more mature.
In the end, it always seemed to me a matter of personal preference.
I've always thought that the old chestnut that Android was open and iOS was closed was more complicated than it seemed; both have central marketplaces, and though Android's is much more laissez-faire, it can and has pulled applications before; both limit the average user to a restricted environment, iOS by its' sandboxing and Android by not allowing the average user root; iOS was found to have a "bug" that made tracking a iOS device owner's location easy, but a few weeks later Android was found to have a similar "bug"; and, in both cases, the average user is limited to what versions of the OS they can run and what applications by phone and by carrier. From a developer's perspective, Apple's release process is more complex, but their documentation and tools more mature.
In the end, it always seemed to me a matter of personal preference.