Well, it’s easy to say you’re disappointed, but these days, what would impress?
4 cores? Nah, the speeds would be similar. High Def? We already have that. Screen size? Pretty much a personal preference as 4.5 is too big. Induction charging? maybe. NFC? I’m a little concerned at the privacy/security implications. More wireless speed? maybe.
I think folks were expecting a different shape…in the meantime, I suspect we’ll be disappointed in 36 months when the iPhone 5s is released and it’s the same old case as the 5, and only 2 times faster (17 times faster than the iPhone 4s and 68 times faster than my iPhone 3gs)
And Infinity Blade 4 will have a pet mode that responds to the new fur sensor they’ve added to the back.
even if you ignore that Apple is making more money with your constrained metric, it doesn’t make sense to compare Google’s entire open source (?) Android market share with just a portion of Apple’s ios on the iphone. what about the ios on ipods, ipads and all their variants?
iOS 5 is coming out in 7 days. That’s the operating system. I think that might be where you are getting the “iPhone 5 comes out in 7 days” So, the new OS comes out in 7 days. We don’t know for sure when the iPhone 5 will come out, but a year is a pretty good guess.
I have an iPhone 4 and Siri, while ridiculously cool (I always thought the Android phones that could dictate text messages were really neat) is not enough to drive me to get a new phone. My contract isn’t up yet; I don’t think I could even get a discounted phone until December. The faster processor and graphics chip are inviting, but not inviting enough. I’ll probably wait until 5 and weigh my options of switching cell phone companies at that point.
I am eagerly anticipating iOS 5. The messaging overhaul is much needed. I look forward to this new reminders system. Having a phone beep at me to remind me of things when I get to a specific location is Jetsons stuff.
A lot of the complaints I have read about 4s sound similar to what people were saying about the 3Gs and that ended up selling pretty well.
The software itself is open source, but Android is a trademark owned by Google. Only phones certified by Google can be sold as an Android phone, and have access to Google’s app market. I’m not sure if that means they pay a licensing fee though; perhaps Google makes money off of Android phone in other ways (web searches, app store, MP3 sales, etc). I’ve never seen or heard of a phone that runs an unlicensed version of Android, though some tablet computers do (e.g. Nook Color and Amazon Kindle Fire).
Google receives nothing in return for licensing Android to handset makers. Further, it receives nothing from the Android Marketplace. As has been mentioned Microsoft makes more from each Android handset than Google. Google makes money in advertising. What’s awesome for them is they make money when people use iPhones, they make money when people use Android devices, and they make money when people use Windows Phone 7. I don’t know if AdMob (Google’s mobile advertising wing) has a presence on Blackberry.
Android will remain number one in market share. There’s more to choose from, and they are available everywhere at numerous price points. You can even pick one up at a reasonable price without a contract. Apple might be able to pick up a little ground with the addition of Sprint and, for the first time, availability of a free iPhone (on contract with AT&T), but it’s doubtful they will be able to catch up. Having said that, while they are the number 2 OS Apple is the number 1 smart phone maker and that is a meaningful distinction. Regarding the deal Sprint made to sell the iPhone the CEO said the the lack of an iPhone is the number 1 reason customers leave or switch. According to reports Sprint agreed to buy 30 million iPhones between now and 2014. I can’t imagine a carrier agreeing to such a deal with any of the other handset makers.
My Blackberry is dying and I don’t want to replace it with another. I looked at Android phones and really wasn’t impressed, although I’m hard-pressed to say what about it, exactly, I didn’t like. I do have an iPad, so there shouldn’t be much of a learning curve, and I’ve already got iTunes. Some of the features, like Siri, appeal to me at least as a nifty toy, and I like the camera and FaceTime. So I’m getting a 4S.
What gets me is the tendency to turn it into an us-vs-them, my team is better than your team, kind of thing.
Who freekin cares, it’s JUST a phone? Pick what you like, it’s not like picking Android makes you a pederast.* Both platforms are very successful, and by now, the choice is unimportant…you know…unless it bugs you that I’m not on your team.
Keep in mind, we’re the 1/10th of 1 percent for which this kinda armchair quarterbacking is entertaining. The other 99% are just going to go buy what is either ‘cheap’, or what their friends are buying…again, in an us-vs-them sports team kinda way.
ETA:MsWhatsit if you’re referring to Steve’s passing, I think they had plans in place for whenever he shuffled off, I don’t think it had any bearing in what they were going to release this month in the 4s. They’re obviously going into a Tick-Tock cycle of ‘incremental upgrade’/‘big change in design’ type of release schedule.
Really, look at their laptops. It’s VERY difficult to determine if I’m carrying a brand new Mac Book Pro or one that’s 3 years old. They’re identical except for a little lightning bolt next to the Video/Thunderbolt port.
I’m getting a 4S as well. Although, I decided months ago that I was probably getting whatever the next iPhone was (or just getting a cheaper 4 when the price dropped). Personally, I think the design of the iPhone 4 is pretty awesome, and while I don’t care that much about the new features on the 4S, the extra processing power and better camera are worth the $100 difference to me.
To answer my own question, the Apple website says that the unlocked GSM-only iPhone 4S will be available starting in November. Without a contract, the 16GB version will cost $649, the 32GB version will cost $749 and the 64GB version will cost $849. The same phones are $199, $299 or $399 with a two-year contract.
Doesn’t the GSM-only phone still support only ATT, Verizon, and the other one?
The penalty is $225/year for unlocked, so wonder what the savings would be compared to a contract.
As Verizon and “the other one” (by which I assume you mean Sprint) are not GSM, no, the unlocked phone will not work with them. Apple’s website even specifically says, “The unlocked iPhone includes all the features of iPhone but without a contract commitment. You can activate and use it on the supported GSM wireless network of your choice, such as AT&T in the United States.* The unlocked iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S will not work with CDMA-based carriers such as Verizon Wireless or Sprint.”
I’ll tell you this much - I just dumped my 3GS for a Samsung Galaxy S2. Not that I’m saying you shouldn’t get an iPhone, but the GS2 and iPhone 4S are arguably equal, so from that perspective, man what a difference. The 3GS and 4S are worlds apart if web speed/app speed or such is of any importance to you. Also the camera!
I loved my 3GS while I had it, but I am wowed now and feel like I’ve come out of the dark.
Hmm… I have until March on my current contract, with the grandfathered unlimited-data feature, on a 3GS. As of now I have yet to feel a need to upgrade the hardware, that may change by next month if iOS5 overburdens the 3GS (because, sure, Apple promises the 3GS can still run iOS5 fine minus some 4S-only features, but I tend to be skeptical even of Apple on that); in any case like with iOS4 I’ll wait for a couple of weeks of street feedback (and perhaps one or two 5.0.x fixes if things go rough) before doing the OS upgrade (plus, I’m traveling on business most of the month-long period starting 10/14 itself and I’d rather not disturb the system just before hitting the road).
My normal inclination would be to hold out until iPhone 5 finally does show up with real 4G on this blasted isle’s networks, but I’ll probably care even more about whether letting my current contract sunset would put me at a disadvantage when re-upping vis-a-vis what it includes (since in any case I’d probably be anteing up for whichever is the $299 model at the given time).
Well you could, but you could just as easily spin it as a bunch of sheeple buying a bauble with a proprietary connector and irreplaceable battery. :rolleyes:
I’m hoping the supply chain is still going strong for Xmas, I’ll get one then.