Android Gaining Momentum Among Future Smartphone Buyers

[MacRumors]

http://www.macrumors.com/images/macrumorsthreadlogo.gif (http://www.macrumors.com/2010/01/04/android-gaining-momentum-among-future-smartphone-buyers/)

New survey data (http://www.changewaveresearch.com/articles/2010/01/smart_phone_20100104.html) released today by ChangeWave Research indicates that Google's Android smartphone operating system has been rapidly gaining momentum over the past few months as the release of the Motorola Droid and the hype around the Google Nexus One have brought Android considerable publicity. In particular, the survey found that 21% of customers planning to purchase a new smartphone in the next 90 days would prefer Android, up from just 6% only three months ago. That performance puts Android within striking distance of Apple, which is reportedly preferred by 28% of future purchasers, down from 32% in the earlier survey.


http://images.macrumors.com/article/2010/01/04/163557-dec_09_mobile_os_future.gif

Customer satisfaction ratings have also shown Android approaching Apple's typically strong performance, finding 72% of Android users "very satisfied" with their phone, while the iPhone checks in at 77% according to the same metric.


http://images.macrumors.com/article/2010/01/04/163557-dec_09_mobile_os_satisfaction.gif

When breaking Android's performance down by handset manufacturers, the report sees the strength of the Droid line, which boosted Motorola's share of planned purchases over the next 90 days from 1% to 13% between the September and December surveys. On the other hand, market leaders Apple and Research in Motion saw slight declines, while interest in Palm's offerings plunged by 50%.


http://images.macrumors.com/article/2010/01/04/163557-dec_09_handset_future.gif

While some degradation of Apple's "mindshare" could be expected at the midpoint of its release cycle with the iPhone 3GS having been available for six months now and anticipation of the next-generation iPhone not yet ramping up, Android is certainly showing itself to be a growing force to be reckoned with in the smartphone market.

Article Link: Android Gaining Momentum Among Future Smartphone Buyers (http://www.macrumors.com/2010/01/04/android-gaining-momentum-among-future-smartphone-buyers/)

[flopticalcube]

Time for Apple to up the game.

[ChazUK]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android Eclair; en-gb Build/ECLAIR) AppleWebKit/530.17 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile Safari/530.17)

I thought Android was a failure, just like Windows mobile tho. Choice being a bad thing and all.

Oh well........

[Decrepit]

Good more competition means more innovation to be released.

I look at the Prius. You know darn well that Toyota has a 100mpg car waiting in the wings for a serious competitor. As soon as Ford releases a 50mpg car, I'll bet Toyota shows off the 100 mpg.

No reason to show your hand early when you can get people to buy the current model, and then the next one later.

I'm hoping that I'm right and that we see some wild updates in stock for the iPhones to wow people again.

[Small White Car]

It's also important to remember that the market itself is growing.

So even if Apple goes from selling 30% of smartphones to 20% of smartphones, they'll still be selling more phones than they did the year before.

I mean, obviously they want to have the top number here too, but I think a lot of people forget that everyone is gaining...this is just a measure of how fast they're doing it.

[DrJason]

Competition is always a good thing! And as someone else said, the iPhone is mid-cycle while the Droid is the "hot" thing right now

[theheadguy]

It's also important to remember that the market itself is growing.
So even if Apple goes from selling 30% of smartphones to 20% of smartphones, they'll still be selling more phones than they did the year before.
I mean, obviously they want to have the top number here too, but I think a lot of people forget that everyone is gaining...this is just a measure of how fast they're doing it.
I guess this is a good example of viewing data in a light most favorable to Apple. It's obvious there isn't market saturation when it comes to smart phones, especially worldwide. As such, the fact that more phones are being sold doesn't change the fact that Apple may be losing momentum. After all, the iPhone is starting to appear boring.

[*LTD*]

Well we've seen this before, hopefully this time it's for real.

http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/14/palm-pre-iphone-3gs-owners-satisfaction-polled-compared-in-ne/

http://forums.appleinsider.com/showthread.php?t=105925

Sales of the Motorola Droid haven't yet flavored the smartphone satisfaction rankings yet, but Android users overall (the vast majority of whom were early adopters of HTC models) ranked their platform highly, with 72% saying they were "very satisfied" with their current phone. That's nearly as high as those "very satisfied" with the iPhone (77%) and well ahead of those assigning the same ranking to the Palm Pre (58%), RIM Blackberry (41%), classic Palm OS (29%), and Windows Mobile (25%).

I wonder which segment of the market bought those Android phones and if that segment is enough to maintain momentum against the iPhone. If it's mostly male tech-heads it doesn't look too promising. There are plenty of WinMo users who are "very satsifed" as well, but thank God the smartphone market isn't up to them.

[DTphonehome]

Alright Apple, time to wow us with the next big iPhone update! I'm thinking higher res OLED screen, more capacity, better battery life, faster proc, and (please oh please) Verizon availability! If the iPhone is released on Verizon, they will sell several million more in the first year... there are plenty of business people who would love the iPhone but need a more reliable network than AT&T.

[ericinboston]

Sadly...my dad wants a smartphone (until now was Blackberry or iPhone) asap...has been waiting for months as the talks about iPhone going to Verizon seem to come and go in both mainstream media and sites like MR. So he's grabbing an Android this month because the latest "word" is that iPhone may go to Verizon in June 2010.

I've been telling him to try and hold out but I see where he's coming from...he's waited long enough and 6+ months from now is too much more time to hold his breath.

Too bad...I bet a lot of people (like my dad) just won't go to ATT.

-Eric

[Small White Car]

I guess this is a good example of viewing data in a light most favorable to Apple.

It's not about what's "favorable." It's about what's important. And what matters is profit. For example, Apple makes more money from their small share of Macs than most other PC makers earn even though "Windows" has a larger market share. (Remember, Dell does not care how many Windows machines HP is selling.)

Likewise, things like "Windows Mobile" and "Android" are actually split across multiple hardware developers. By making and selling both the software and hardware themselves, Apple can do far better than other companies even though it may appear that their numbers are smaller. They have a smaller pie but they own the entire pie.

[ChazUK]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 1.6; en-us; Archos5 Build/Donut) AppleWebKit/528.5+ (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.1.2 Mobile Safari/525.20.1)

Competition is always a good thing! And as someone else said, the iPhone is mid-cycle while the Droid is the "hot" thing right now

The issue apple may end up with is like this. At the end of 09, the hero was the Android thing to have (in the eu at least), now its all about the Droid/Milestone and upcoming is the Nexus one. HTC have a slew of Android handsets due in 2010 and Apple seem to work off of a yearly refresh cycle.

The potential is that a yearly refresh my make the iphone look old 6 months in, giving Android based handsets the edge. If Apple move to a more regular update cycle to compete, it may put people off waiting for the next big iPhone (but that philosophy also works with regular android releases).

It's good to see both the iphone and android in good positions imo. They are the freshest platforms from an ocean od stale smartphone platforms.

[Mjmar]

The iPhone on Verizon should change these numbers... Think about all the people that want an iPhone but can't switch to or can't stand AT&T. Android is just the next best thing behind iPhone so people that are stuck go for that.

[zombitronic]

It's interesting how seemingly effortlessly the new kids (Apple and Google) are surpassing the "established" players, at least in mindshare, in their own game.

[Mactagonist]

The mobile OS wars are a replay of the desktop OS wars. OSX mobile is playing the role of OSX and capturing the high end of the market and those that prefer a walled garden approach to hardware and service providers.

android is playing the role of windows. Customizable. Easy to license and it will be absolutely everywhere in a few years.

[iphones4evry1]

Looks like Apple better hurry up and announce the next iPhone is coming this summer. :) :apple:

side note: I'm glad to see Android is eating market share from blackberry.

[CQd44]

It's interesting how seemingly effortlessly the new kids (Apple and Google) are surpassing the "established" players, at least in mindshare, in their own game.

Maybe it's BECAUSE they're new players and are bringing in new ideas.

[bug67]

Yes. I am planning the move to Android from iPhone ASAP.

[OllyW]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 1.6; en-us; Archos5 Build/Donut) AppleWebKit/528.5+ (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.1.2 Mobile Safari/525.20.1)



The issue apple may end up with is like this. At the end of 09, the hero was the Android thing to have (in the eu at least), now its all about the Droid/Milestone and upcoming is the Nexus one. HTC have a slew of Android handsets due in 2010 and Apple seem to work off of a yearly refresh cycle.

The potential is that a yearly refresh my make the iphone look old 6 months in, giving Android based handsets the edge. If Apple move to a more regular update cycle to compete, it may put people off waiting for the next big iPhone (but that philosophy also works with regular android releases).

It's good to see both the iphone and android in good positions imo. They are the freshest platforms from an ocean od stale smartphone platforms.

A very good point. The current single model / 12 month refresh cycle could end up hurting Apple.

The 18 month contract on my 3G has just finished along with the contracts of 4 of my friends (and another couple in the next few weeks). None of us have bothered to upgrade to the 3GS, we've all gone onto 30 day contracts and are going to wait to see what the next update brings. If someone brings out a genuine competitor to the iPhone in the meantime, or the next iPhone update is a disappointment, there's nothing to stop us jumping ship.

[DTphonehome]

The worst news in this survey is for WinMo and Palm. For MS, it represents the complete failure they had to maintain their early lead in mobile OS supremacy. For Palm, it represents the failure to sustain the momentum of the Palm rebirth with WebOS. I think that Palm is a ripe takeover target for Nokia, who is really lagging in the smartphone space and needs something big NOW if they hope to have any real presence in this market.

[CFreymarc]

This is expected. Most of the cell phone manufacturers consider the firmware just another part on the BOM and don't give a crap about user experience; they just want to ship product. The Droid falls right into this category.

Adoption by manufacturer is one things, return rate and most importantly, retention to an OS after a customer service contract is up is something else. Windows Mobile lost it big time when they had a high rejection rate of users switching to a smart phone of a different OS when the contract was up. Android is too new to see if this happens. One thing that concerns me is that I have seen way too many people complaining about the build quality of the Droid phones with them breaking from regular use in just a month.

The iPhone is showing a huge retention rate and very good user experience as per Apple's very good industrial design considerations. I expect an iPhone / Verizon deal by the end of the year and perhaps in time for WWDC this summer. The "Verizon does iPhone" development party should be a lot of fun!

RIM / Blackberry is such a victim of their own success, they are not changing keeping their Canadian and out of US jurisdiction email server empire going. If anyone is going to get hit hard from Android, it will be RIM when those two year agreements start to expire this year and Android matures and has the same carrier.

As for Palm, they were the King of the Artist Colony when Jeff and company literally invented the smart-phone market. Now with competition since their patent filings failed due to prior artwork going back to the 80s, they are surrounded by giants trying to make it. Their WebOS is an interesting device but I keep on thinking is the Pre and Pixi the iPhone concepts that Apple didn't want to do and Rubenstein moved over to have his vision happen? Then there is their script language only development environment and a hokey app store. My guess is Palm gets bought out before the end of the year. Probably by Nokia for a swag.

[lex750]

Droid Trumps iPhone for TIME's Gadget of the Year (2009)

R.I.P iPhone

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1945379_1944278_1944280,00.html

[ChazUK]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 1.6; en-us; Archos5 Build/Donut) AppleWebKit/528.5+ (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.1.2 Mobile Safari/525.20.1)

This is expected. Most of the cell phone manufacturers consider the firmware just another part on the BOM and don't give a crap about user experience; they just want to ship product. The Droid falls right into this category.

Adoption by manufacturer is one things, return rate and most importantly, retention to an OS after a customer service contract is up is something else. Windows Mobile lost it big time when they had a high rejection rate of users switching to a smart phone of a different OS when the contract was up. Android is too new to see if this happens. One thing that concerns me is that I have seen way too many people complaining about the build quality of the Droid phones with them breaking from regular use in just a month.

The iPhone is showing a huge retention rate and very good user experience as per Apple's very good industrial design considerations. I expect an iPhone / Verizon deal by the end of the year and perhaps in time for WWDC this summer. The "Verizon does iPhone" development party should be a lot of fun!

RIM / Blackberry is such a victim of their own success, they are not changing keeping their Canadian and out of US jurisdiction email server empire going. If anyone is going to get hit hard from Android, it will be RIM when those two year agreements start to expire this year and Android matures and has the same carrier.

As for Palm, they were the King of the Artist Colony when Jeff and company literally invented the smart-phone market. Now with competition since their patent filings failed due to prior artwork going back to the 80s, they are surrounded by giants trying to make it. Their WebOS is an interesting device but I keep on thinking is the Pre and Pixi the iPhone concepts that Apple didn't want to do and Rubenstein moved over to have his vision happen? Then there is their script language only development environment and a hokey app store. My guess is Palm gets bought out before the end of the year. Probably by Nokia for a swag.

I take it the 72% customer satisfaction rating doesn't mean anything? Also, Android os is more than just the Motorola Droid. T-Mobile G1 & G2, HTC Magic hero, tattoo & Droid eris, samsung galaxy, Motorola Droid/Milestone are a few I can think of off the top of my head.... Why does all this boil down to the Droid?

[3N16MA]

Not surprising, my cousin was planning on getting an iPhone and is now hesitating because of the Nexus One.

[HyperX]

It's exciting times we live in.

If the Android OS ever gets to the point that d Handset makers are willing to keep the OS Up To Date and get apps working more consistently. Plus maybe a bit of refining to the Android Market. Then it can become the Iphone killer.

If Apple resolves issues with App Approval, opens up the platform a bit more, allows for optional backgrounding, and maybe offers a handset with a keyboard. Look out Android.

The sad news is... palm didn't keep running when it hit the ground and is QUICKLY lagging. Certain problems chocking the platform that could easily be fixed. I really wish a company like Nokia would snatch up Palm. IMAGINE! The OS is nice, but the management of Palm... GOD whats wrong with them?

The BEST NEWS... Microsoft is becoming irrelevant. Everything I see about Windows Mobile 7 says too little WAY too late. I am just wondering how long before Microsoft casually bows out of the Market... I know it's not gonna happen but I can dream. Looking forward to you 5-10% niche Market Share ;P

[fjose1929]

Here goes WS again. Surveys to show android catching up. BS I say.

Only retards would choose JAVA over native OSX. Well Barnum did say a sucker is born every minute.

Anyway I don't believe in the survey. Just look at the number of actual sales of Androids vs the iphone. Look at the growth of the apps download.

this are contrived news for purposes of WS stock manipulations nothing more.

[LagunaSol]

I am just wondering how long before Microsoft casually bows out of the Market... I know it's not gonna happen but I can dream. Looking forward to you 5-10% niche Market Share ;P

Microsoft bows out of no market. They want their dirty fingers in every pie - and they have enough cash to buy your love...eventually.

Billions lost and countless dead Xbox 360s and they're still pumping money into that hole. Not to mention Zune.

[carmenodie]

Someone said Apple needs to up it game. NOT!
Android is a 3rd party OS being adopted by almost every cell phone vendors out there while the iphone OS is Apple's exclusive, built from the ground up OS not used by anyone else. Also, keep in mind that there are many phones competing against each other using Android.And they will fight to the finish for that market share. Meanwhile Google will tout the idea along with wall street that all them Android phones represent just ONE phone competing against iphone.
THAT IS A BIG FAT LIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Google doesn't pay for Nokie,LG, Sony E etc hardware.
Putting out a 3rd party OS is easy and watching it get adopted is awesome.
But Apple pays for their OS and the hardware. A riskier endeavor,IMHO, that should be rewarded far more than Google's business of digitally pimping out an OS to cell phone vendors.

[joshwithachance]

of course android is gaining momentum, they are the current smartphone WHORE!

on multiple handsets on multiple carriers, YAWN.

the iPhone is apple phones/AT&T exclusive and that's better.

Android never did and still doesn't feel "finished" and I doubt it ever will.

[JAT]

Well, I guess "gaining momentum among future smartphone buyers" is an appropriate topic for a rumor site.

In other news, I'm in the market for a rocket ship. No doubt NASA is going under.

[3N16MA]

I agree that a lot of the interest in Android can be attributed to it being on multiple phones and multiple carriers. The iPhone is doing very well considering it's on only one carrier in the US. I do think the Nexus One is going to take some potential iPhone customers but this summer Apple will shut down the mobile phone world again with the next iPhone. The Nexus one could have been so much better with a nice UI to make it look more complete. However competition is always good.

[KnightWRX]

Here goes WS again. Surveys to show android catching up. BS I say.

Only retards would choose JAVA over native OSX. Well Barnum did say a sucker is born every minute.

How does Java compete with Native OS X ? Or do you mean Dalvik vs UIKit ? Or do you mean Java the language vs Objective-C ?

Java the language, combined with the Dalvik VM and the Android frameworks is a very good platform.

Don't confuse this with J2ME, J2EE or J2SE, Sun's VM and frameworks. Android doesn't use those. But you do know all of this since you are criticizing it. You wouldn't talk about things you have no clue about on a tech forum where you would be instantly corrected for such a glaring oversight right ? :rolleyes:

[FightTheFuture]

did you hear that? that's the sound of engadget readers foaming at the mouth of that graph.

[Joey2250]

Did anyone else notice that the Current Survey and Previous survey number do not add up to 100% in any of the cases? They are adding up to 70-79%. Im curious as to the close to 30% of the people unrepresented in these graphs. Are they just "Other" or "Don't Care"? I think its pertinent since in the first graph Apple's share went down 4% but Andriod's went up 15%. Even if all 4% decided they wanted an android phone that leaves 11% coming from elsewhere. Even with every listed decline accounted for, 6% is still coming from somewhere else. Where or what category are they coming from?

[sysiphus]

Always healthy for the consumer when there's good competition :)

Still waiting for an ATT-3G compatible Android phone to be released here...

[GSMiller]

The contract on my Moto Slvr ends later this month and I will be replacing it with a HTC Android phone.

Maybe by the time that contract expires there will be a CDMA iPhone. If not, well, ask me in 2012 :p

[DakotaGuy]

Always healthy for the consumer when there's good competition :)

Still waiting for an ATT-3G compatible Android phone to be released here...

Rumor has it Motorola has one coming for AT&T and it will make an appearance at CES 2010. I am not sure if it will be entry level or if it will be something closer to the Droid. Some rumors say it will be a Google Experience phone like the Droid or N1 and others say it will be running the Motoblur IU over the top of Android. I guess we should find out in a few days.

of course android is gaining momentum, they are the current smartphone WHORE!

on multiple handsets on multiple carriers, YAWN.

the iPhone is apple phones/AT&T exclusive and that's better.

Android never did and still doesn't feel "finished" and I doubt it ever will.

Could you please explain why the iPhone being AT&T exclusive is better? I would think having a choice of multiple carriers is better. You can argue a good point on having Apple control the hardware and software, but I don't see any good argument for only AT&T being allowed to carry the iPhone.

Is any software ever really finished? Doesn't new improved versions come out all the time? Android 2.0.1 is very stable and solid on my phone and when 2.1 comes it will only get better. Apple improves their software and adds features as well. All software is a work in progress.

[Rot'nApple]

Droid Trumps iPhone for TIME's Gadget of the Year (2009)

R.I.P iPhone

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1945379_1944278_1944280,00.html

Like Time's coronation is supposed to mean anything? For Droid or iPhone for that matter! What did you expect, iPhone Time's Gadget of the Year, 2007... 2008... 2009... 2010... 2011... 2012... 2013... 2014... 2015... (get the picture). Sure something new has come along. Time has to keep it's rag fresh... Heck, even Hitler made the front cover as Time's Man of the 1938 way back when...

To be on Time's list is nice, but is about as useful as being on the cover of the "Rolling Stone" magazine or Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize... MEANINGLESS! :cool:

[iMaggot]

Competition is good, so i can't wait to see what the next iPhone brings to the table.

[ChazUK]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 1.6; en-us; Archos5 Build/Donut) AppleWebKit/528.5+ (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.1.2 Mobile Safari/525.20.1)

Here goes WS again. Surveys to show android catching up. BS I say.

Only retards would choose JAVA over native OSX. Well Barnum did say a sucker is born every minute.

How does Java compete with Native OS X ? Or do you mean Dalvik vs UIKit ? Or do you mean Java the language vs Objective-C ?

Java the language, combined with the Dalvik VM and the Android frameworks is a very good platform.

Don't confuse this with J2ME, J2EE or J2SE, Sun's VM and frameworks. Android doesn't use those. But you do know all of this since you are criticizing it. You wouldn't talk about things you have no clue about on a tech forum where you would be instantly corrected for such a glaring oversight right ? :rolleyes:

Great post, especially as their arguement had no basis apart from people being simply "retards".....

What an eloquent way to get your point across.

[kk7sm]

I own an iPhone. It's either sitting on top of a bookshelf next to my computer desk at home or it's in a drawer. Frankly, I can't remember. I really hated it as a phone. I even hated it more as an attachment to my corporate mail, especially when it started going into loops where it would mail the exact same mail out 40 times.

Windows mobile left me cold. Didn't care for it either.

I've since switched to Android. Previously, I was using the HTC G1 and now I'm using the Motorola CLIQ. Both have tactile keyboards, which to my calloused hands are very preferable to soft keyboards on a touchscreen. If I want to use a touchscreen keyboard, there is one of those as well.

I can load music and video to the phone via any number of methods. I can either mount the SD media (no SD media on iPhone) as a hard disk and just copy the files in, or whatever. I'm not tied to iTunes in order to manage my cellphone.

It's also nice to be able to do over-the-air upgrades to the primary OS. I wake up in the morning and it asks me if I want to upgrade the phone and take the 5-10 minute outage while it does its thing. I'll let it upgrade while I shower. I don't have to boot my laptop, hook up with iTunes, download a bunch of stuff over whatever crappy internet connection I have (I travel 75-80% for work), and then load it to my phone.

And ultimately, my Android phone has never sent the same e-mail to anyone at work 40 times. Maybe I'm the only person who ever had that happen with an iPhone, but once was far more than embarassing enough. :-)

So, Android is not for everyone, but then iPhone is not for everyone either. I love my MacBook Pro - it's perfect for working with network equipment, but I'm not going to love the iPhone just because it's an Apple product. ;-)

[Tiffy]

The mobile OS wars are a replay of the desktop OS wars. OSX mobile is playing the role of OSX and capturing the high end of the market and those that prefer a walled garden approach to hardware and service providers.

android is playing the role of windows. Customizable. Easy to license and it will be absolutely everywhere in a few years.

Agreed. At the end of the war there will be only 2 or 3 mobile OSs on the market, as it is for desktops (Windows/OSX/Linux). Which ones ? The smartphone market is still quickly expanding, so maybe it is too early to know. Don't underestimate the power of Microsoft. If they think it is a strategic market, they can put a lot of money in the development of a new OS.

[peperoni]

I guess this is a good example of viewing data in a light most favorable to Apple. It's obvious there isn't market saturation when it comes to smart phones, especially worldwide. As such, the fact that more phones are being sold doesn't change the fact that Apple may be losing momentum. After all, the iPhone is starting to appear boring.

I agree with this. For example Nokia has sold quarter after quarter more smartphones than it has ever before and still gets all doom and gloom even with little less than 40% worldwide marketshare. Why? Because the competition grows faster... Why the same doesn't apply to Apple? Switching between the most favourable metric ATM seems like way to go for some.

[fjose1929]

Say what you will. A VM is still a VM and is still a memory hog. Dalvik or not only a retard would choose this platform over OSX.

[KnightWRX]

Say what you will. A VM is still a VM and is still a memory hog. Dalvik or not only a retard would choose this platform over OSX.

Except Dalvik is not a memory hog and compiles the java bytecode to machine code before execution.

Not to mention Google has a NDK out (Native code) that uses C++ to write application that require more direct machine access.

Please stop now.

[jimmyjoemccrow]

Someone said Apple needs to up it game. NOT!
Android is a 3rd party OS being adopted by almost every cell phone vendors out there while the iphone OS is Apple's exclusive, built from the ground up OS not used by anyone else. Also, keep in mind that there are many phones competing against each other using Android.And they will fight to the finish for that market share. Meanwhile Google will tout the idea along with wall street that all them Android phones represent just ONE phone competing against iphone.
THAT IS A BIG FAT LIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Google doesn't pay for Nokie,LG, Sony E etc hardware.
Putting out a 3rd party OS is easy and watching it get adopted is awesome.
But Apple pays for their OS and the hardware. A riskier endeavor,IMHO, that should be rewarded far more than Google's business of digitally pimping out an OS to cell phone vendors.

Look at the fanboi squeal. I doubt that he has anything to do with Wall Street and yet he talks as if his speculation is a fact.

Likewise the comment about paying for their OS and hardware. The iPhone strategy is similar to the Mac strategy in that it appeals to the high end. Its much less risky to charge high markups from those with cash to burn than it is to support a wide variety of phones and make money from advertising. That is why Apple were able to turn a profit and announce their best sales ever in the midst of a recession.

[Mactagonist]

Agreed. At the end of the war there will be only 2 or 3 mobile OSs on the market, as it is for desktops (Windows/OSX/Linux). Which ones ? The smartphone market is still quickly expanding, so maybe it is too early to know. Don't underestimate the power of Microsoft. If they think it is a strategic market, they can put a lot of money in the development of a new OS.

I left MS out of my post, but they are Linux if we are comparing the current mobile OS wars to the old desktop OS wars. :)

If money were enough to make a great mobile OS they would have done it already. You need vision, leadership and the right talent. MS has none of these. Palm does and they managed to make a whole new OS in a few years with a tiny fraction of the resources MS has. Unfortunately for Palm, they are a small fish in this game and wont last.

[ssteve]

Sadly...my dad wants a smartphone (until now was Blackberry or iPhone) asap...has been waiting for months as the talks about iPhone going to Verizon seem to come and go in both mainstream media and sites like MR. So he's grabbing an Android this month because the latest "word" is that iPhone may go to Verizon in June 2010.

I've been telling him to try and hold out but I see where he's coming from...he's waited long enough and 6+ months from now is too much more time to hold his breath.

Too bad...I bet a lot of people (like my dad) just won't go to ATT.

-Eric

I am one that won't go to them either. I want an iPhone. I am waiting to see if it comes to Verizon this year. If not, I will start to seriously consider the Google phone. Just how many more iPhones could Apple sell if they had multiple carriers...? I know I would like to know just from a curiosity standpoint.

[ssteve]

[QUOTE=kk7sm;9040576] I own an iPhone. It's either sitting on top of a bookshelf next to my computer desk at home or it's in a drawer. Frankly, I can't remember. I really hated it as a phone. I even hated it more as an attachment to my corporate mail, especially when it started going into loops where it would mail the exact same mail out 40 times.

.........

And ultimately, my Android phone has never sent the same e-mail to anyone at work 40 times. Maybe I'm the only person who ever had that happen with an iPhone, but once was far more than embarassing enough. :-)
...........QUOTE]

I have never heard of this. It does not mean that it has not happened to other people. Are you sure this was due to the phone itself. Could it have been something with your work e-mail servers...? Is your phone jail broken...?

[lllll]

Google Android is the 2nd best smartphone.

In order of the greatest smartphone:

1. iPhone
2. Android
3. Blackberry
4. HTC
5. LG

[polaris20]

If Apple just fixed the issues with the App Store and opened the iPhone up to more carriers, they would have even more gains than they already do. Wake up iPhone fanboys: not everyone likes AT&T, and I personally hate it. No phone no matter how impressive is worth dealing with their horrible service.

The Droid is an excellent phone, and I find myself using it far more than my iPod Touch, even for that sort of functionality (music, video, PDA-type stuff). Anyone who says it's not competitive hasn't used it for more than 5 minutes.

The apps are gaining ground, and in my experience while there aren't as many apps, the apps that do exist are actually useful.

Sadly, I do not have my choice of 25 different fart apps. But I've managed to carry on.

[LagunaSol]

If Apple just fixed the issues with the App Store and opened the iPhone up to more carriers, they would have even more gains than they already do.

Obviously.

Wake up iPhone fanboys: not everyone likes AT&T

No kidding? (And you played the "fanboy" card - nice move!)

The Droid is an excellent phone, and I find myself using it far more than my iPod Touch, even for that sort of functionality (music, video, PDA-type stuff). Anyone who says it's not competitive hasn't used it for more than 5 minutes.

I admit I only used it for 5 minutes, but that was enough time to realize the pitiful hardware keyboard offered zero advantages over the virtual one (I liked the screen though).

And the lack of iTunes (you know, the place where untold millions of people have invested untold billions of dollars in digital media) integration does make the Droid "uncompetitive" for said untold millions of people.

The apps are gaining ground, and in my experience while there aren't as many apps, the apps that do exist are actually useful.

Newsflash: there are lots of "actually useful" apps on the iPhone as well. A lot more than on Android. It's true!

And your implication is that there are no useless apps on Android. Really?

Sadly, I do not have my choice of 25 different fart apps. But I've managed to carry on.

When are we going to retire the tired fart app argument? Seriously, it's reaching "Macs are gay!" levels of ridiculousness.

I have many, many apps on my iPhone. I don't have a single fart app.

[polaris20]

Obviously.

No kidding? (And you played the "fanboy" card - nice move!)

Illogical allegiance to a device or company while dismissing the competitors cannot be labeled as anything else. I didn't reference you personally as that, mind you. But some of the posts in this thread are downright comical.

I admit I only used it for 5 minutes, but that was enough time to realize the pitiful hardware keyboard offered zero advantages over the virtual one (I liked the screen though).

I do not disagree. The physical keyboard sucks.

And the lack of iTunes (you know, the place where untold millions of people have invested untold billions of dollars in digital media) integration does make the Droid "uncompetitive" for said untold millions of people.

Actually, the ability to NOT have to use iTunes is also a plus for many people, Mac and Windows users.


Newsflash: there are lots of "actually useful" apps on the iPhone as well. A lot more than on Android. It's true!

I know. I use many on my iPod touch. I never said they're all useless.

And your implication is that there are no useless apps on Android. Really?


You're good at drawing false conclusions. I said no such thing, nor did I allude to that.

When are we going to retire the tired fart app argument? Seriously, it's reaching "Macs are gay!" levels of ridiculousness.


Perhaps I chose the wrong example, but it's a great example of the number of useless apps in the App Store, and in my opinion and experience, the noise ratio is much higher in the App Store than it is in the Android Market.

I have many, many apps on my iPhone. I don't have a single fart app.

Neither do I, on either device.

[LagunaSol]

You're good at drawing false conclusions. I said no such thing, nor did I allude to that.

Actually, you said:

"The apps are gaining ground, and in my experience while there aren't as many apps, the apps that do exist are actually useful."

Yes, I'm being technical here, but you did imply, in that sentence, that all Android apps are useful. No false conclusion necessary. ;)

Perhaps I chose the wrong example, but it's a great example of the number of useless apps in the App Store, and in my opinion and experience, the noise ratio is much higher in the App Store than it is in the Android Market.

I don't have any experience with the Android Market and I don't disagree that there is a lot of garbage in the App Store. But I'm fairly secure in my assumption that there is a lot of crap in the Android Market too, even if the noise ratio is lower. And for apps where there are versions for both Android and iPhone, reviewers generally state that the iPhone versions tend to be more robust and polished than their Android equivalents.

As for all the "noise" in the App Store, the free market system will eventually take care of that. Mostly. :)

There's also a lot of garbage software on the Windows platform, but that doesn't seem to have hurt its success much. ;)

[Reed Rothchild]

The thing with smartphones is - they are very faddish. What was hot last year can look pretty limp this year. My experience is that hi-tech phone users can be very fickle indeed. The iPhone has the advantage of being built and designed by a company that is perceived by some as "cool", but even I (an Apple fan) am getting just a wee bit bored with the device.

Not sure that the Google contraption will be the one to fill my geekhole, but certainly there will be another great new thing waiting just around the corner, and it isn't necessarily going to have an apple logo on it.

[Ammo]

The Droid has a lot to do with this.

Make no mistake...Verizon users who won't switch to at&t have been dying for a true iPhone substitute. This is it.

The only solution? Bring the iPhone to Verizon, Apple!

[ChazUK]

10:58AM HTC's Chou and Rubin are on the stage for Q&A. Motorola's Sanjay Jha is on the way but stuck in traffic.

10:59AM Q: "Why only 512MB for app storage?" In a future software release, we'll enable encryption for storage on SD card.

Full apps officially on the SD card? This should keep the "not enough app storage" crowd quiet.

[Reed Rothchild]

Full apps officially on the SD card? This should keep the "not enough app storage" crowd quiet.

I agree. Just watched the live blog on gizmodo and this nexus looks very sweet. Lots of power, lots of storage, and a really simple purchase model for unlocked devices - including for Brits like myself. Almost tempted to click "buy it now", but will wait until I've sold on my G3 iPhone first :).

[polaris20]

Actually, you said:

"The apps are gaining ground, and in my experience while there aren't as many apps, the apps that do exist are actually useful."

Yes, I'm being technical here, but you did imply, in that sentence, that all Android apps are useful. No false conclusion necessary. ;)

Oh, okay. Thanks for letting me know what I meant by my statement. ;) I'll check with you in the future so that you can clarify what I mean, before I post it. :)

I don't have any experience with the Android Market and I don't disagree that there is a lot of garbage in the App Store. But I'm fairly secure in my assumption that there is a lot of crap in the Android Market too, even if the noise ratio is lower.

Wow, you gathered all that in 5 minutes? Impressive!

And for apps where there are versions for both Android and iPhone, reviewers generally state that the iPhone versions tend to be more robust and polished than their Android equivalents.


While that was initially true, that's quickly changing.


As for all the "noise" in the App Store, the free market system will eventually take care of that. Mostly. :)

That would be nice, but I'm not holding my breath. Meanwhile, truly useful apps are being denied by Apple.

There's also a lot of garbage software on the Windows platform, but that doesn't seem to have hurt its success much. ;)

Bad analogy, since Microsoft doesn't tell you what you can put on your computer, and doesn't have an approval process.

[polaris20]

Full apps officially on the SD card? This should keep the "not enough app storage" crowd quiet.

No it won't. Because people don't understand how apps are installed now, why would they bother with this minor detail?

[BigHonkingDeal]

I'm generally happy with my iPhone..... That said, if the next iPhone does not

Multi Task, allow tethering, stream Sling Box over 3G without Jail Breaking; the 3GS will be my third and last iPhone.... :)

[LagunaSol]

The thing with smartphones is - they are very faddish.

Dumbphones are very faddish. Smartphones, doubtful. Entire mobile computing platforms (iPhone, RIM, Android, etc.) aren't going to be dropped and picked up by consumers on a whim, not when they have a lot invested in that platform (i.e. iTunes purchases).

Apple has a very good head start against Android (and, of course, the eventual Windows Mobile 7) because a lot of consumers are now heavily invested in iTunes.

Oh, okay. Thanks for letting me know what I meant by my statement.

The logical understanding is you meant exactly what you wrote.

Wow, you gathered all that in 5 minutes? Impressive!

I gathered that the Droid keyboard sucks in 5 minutes, a point with which you agreed.

Are you going to argue that there is, in fact, not a lot of crap in the Android Marketplace?

While that was initially true, that's quickly changing.

Let us know when they get there.

That would be nice, but I'm not holding my breath. Meanwhile, truly useful apps are being denied by Apple.

Now that Google has its own official app store (as of today's announcement), I think you'll be surprised (disappointed) to learn over time that Google will not be selling/distributing any and all apps that are submitted/uploaded to its marketplace. One must protect its corporate image, you know. Not to mention the legal implications.

Bad analogy, since Microsoft doesn't tell you what you can put on your computer, and doesn't have an approval process.

Not really. I'm talking about volume of apps, not whether they have to be approved or not (or how they're sold or distributed). As volume increases, signal to noise ratio will decrease. That's a given. And my point is that even though Windows has far more software than Mac, I find most Mac software to be of higher quality than what I find on Windows (being a user of both platforms). Yet Windows still maintains 95% market share.

So "fewer apps but better quality" isn't necessarily a winning argument with consumers. In fact, "better quality" period isn't necessarily a winning argument with consumers, as Microsoft has so aptly proven over these many years.

And watch for some seriously craptastic apps to flood Google's new app store, what with the proclaimed free-for-all mentality. "I don't know jack about software design, so why bother with Apple's approval process - I'll just develop my garbage app for Android!"

Oh yes, you know where this is going.

[polaris20]

Dumbphones are very faddish. Smartphones, doubtful. Entire mobile computing platforms (iPhone, RIM, Android, etc.) aren't going to be dropped and picked up by consumers on a whim, not when they have a lot invested in that platform (i.e. iTunes purchases).

Apple has a very good head start against Android (and, of course, the eventual Windows Mobile 7) because a lot of consumers are now heavily invested in iTunes.

The logical understanding is you meant exactly what you wrote.

Again, you're telling me what I meant, which is absurd. Please do no such thing in the future. Thanks!


I gathered that the Droid keyboard sucks in 5 minutes, a point with which you agreed.


That was in response to this:


But I'm fairly secure in my assumption that there is a lot of crap in the Android Market too, even if the noise ratio is lower.

Are you going to argue that there is, in fact, not a lot of crap in the Android Marketplace?


Not nearly as much as the Apple App Store, in my experience. I've yet to install a dud.


Let us know when they get there.


Already arriving.


Not really. I'm talking about volume of apps, not whether they have to be approved or not (or how they're sold or distributed). As volume increases, signal to noise ratio will decrease. That's a given. And my point is that even though Windows has far more software than Mac, I find most Mac software to be of higher quality than what I find on Windows (being a user of both platforms). Yet Windows still maintains 95% market share.


And I find that while Android's app selection is smaller than Apple's App Store, the number of useful apps to crappy/useless/redundant apps is more in Android's favor at the present time.


So "fewer apps but better quality" isn't necessarily a winning argument with consumers. In fact, "better quality" period isn't necessarily a winning argument with consumers, as Microsoft has so aptly proven over these many years.

True, but that's how I feel the Android Market stands at the present time.

And watch for some seriously craptastic apps to flood Google's new app store, what with the proclaimed free-for-all mentality. "I don't know jack about software design, so why bother with Apple's approval process - I'll just develop my garbage app for Android!"

Oh yes, you know where this is going.

That's what was said about the Android Market when the G1 came out, and yet here we are.

[LagunaSol]

Again, you're telling me what I meant, which is absurd. Please do no such thing in the future. Thanks!

Not to beat a dead horse, but when you say "while there aren't as many apps, the apps that do exist are actually useful" you might want to clarify that with "some/many/most of the apps that do exist" by, you know, saying that to begin with if that is what you really mean.

I'm not putting words in your mouth, I'm quoting exactly what you said. And what you said is pretty hard to take out of context.

Oh, you're welcome.

I would be interested to hear your estimation of good/garbage ratio of Android apps, since you obviously didn't imply that there aren't garbage apps on Android. Or did you imply that? Who's to know, I can only read what you type. :rolleyes:

And I find that while Android's app selection is smaller than Apple's App Store, the number of useful apps to crappy/useless/redundant apps is more in Android's favor at the present time.

Of course. As volume rises, so does noise. It's science.

That's what was said about the Android Market when the G1 came out, and yet here we are.

Too bad those G1 owners are still screaming to get Android v 2.0.

I guess this is Google's version of Animal Farm, where under Android, all devices are equal - but some devices are more equal than others.

As for garbage apps, the Nexus One/Droid will be the first devices to get Android any real traction in the marketplace. The amount of garbage for Android has been minimized the the general indifference (thus far) to Android by the developer community.

I hear Google has some pretty sweet apps of their own for Android though. :rolleyes:

[polaris20]

Not to beat a dead horse, but when you say "while there aren't as many apps, the apps that do exist are actually useful" you might want to clarify that with "some/many/most of the apps that do exist" by, you know, saying that to begin with if that is what you really mean.

I'm not putting words in your mouth, I'm quoting exactly what you said. And what you said is pretty hard to take out of context.

Oh, you're welcome.

I would be interested to hear your estimation of good/garbage ratio of Android apps, since you obviously didn't imply that there aren't garbage apps on Android. Or did you imply that? Who's to know, I can only read what you type. :rolleyes:

I did not imply there are no garbage apps. I did not say that there weren't. Let's move beyond your assumptions for what I mean, shall we?

Too bad those G1 owners are still screaming to get Android v 2.0.

I guess this is Google's version of Animal Farm, where under Android, all devices are equal - but some devices are more equal than others.

As for garbage apps, the Nexus One/Droid will be the first devices to get Android any real traction in the marketplace. The amount of garbage for Android has been minimized the the general indifference (thus far) to Android by the developer community.

I hear Google has some pretty sweet apps of their own for Android though. :rolleyes:

Way to change the subject. We're not talking about what version of the OS is available to what phone, we're talking about the quality of the apps available.

[AidenShaw]

Not to beat a dead horse....

Keep going with your strengths! ;)

[LagunaSol]

Way to change the subject. We're not talking about what version of the OS is available to what phone, we're talking about the quality of the apps available.

I changed the subject for two sentences and then returned to the primary subject for my final two paragraphs. Did that throw you off?

Keep going with your strengths! ;)

There are a lot of dead horses around here that need beating. :D

Don't underestimate the power of Microsoft. If they think it is a strategic market, they can put a lot of money in the development of a new OS.

Microsoft has proven (Zune, Xbox, Bing) that throwing money at something doesn't necessarily make it good. Or lead it to dominate a market.

As for their power - without the Windows + Office lock in (The One Ring as it were, the only real source of power they've had), this power is greatly diminished. See Zune/Xbox/Bing example above.

[polaris20]

I changed the subject for two sentences and then returned to the primary subject for my final two paragraphs. Did that throw you off?


Not at all. It's just that the comment was completely irrelevant to the subject at hand.

Microsoft has proven (Zune, Xbox, Bing) that throwing money at something doesn't necessarily make it good. Or lead it to dominate a market.

As for their power - without the Windows + Office lock in (The One Ring as it were, the only real source of power they've had), this power is greatly diminished. See Zune/Xbox/Bing example above.

Agreed, and I think their time will eventually come to an end as the web-based stuff gets stronger and stronger. LA just switched to Google Apps (http://www.informationweek.com/news/software/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=222001955), apparently, and other goverments around the world are switching to OpenOffice.

While I still think MS has a nice server platform, their licensing is retarded, and many people are sick of dealing with their growing complexity.

[burro]

Global Keyboard Entry

[burro]

Verizon -- great reception -- lousy policies.

Verizon vies YOUR phone as a peripheral of THEIR network, *not* as a peripheral of YOUR computer.

You have to go through their network to transfer all kinds of data that their network should have nothing to do with.

That is a nuisance and creates LOTS of limitations.

At least with ATT you can quit the expensive "data package" the day after you buy your iPhone, and still have a fully functional device.

[ChazUK]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 1.6; en-us; Archos5 Build/Donut) AppleWebKit/528.5+ (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.1.2 Mobile Safari/525.20.1)

Let's add some Microsoft fail to this thread.

Nexus One will struggle: Microsoft Robbie Bach says Google's bid to make software and"superphone" hardware will alienate handset manufacturers
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/google/6951330/Nexus-One-will-struggle-Microsoft.html

Nice to see Robbie Bach miss the HTC logo on the back of the Nexus One. He is probably pissed that HTC have embraced Android the way they have. :D

[megadon]

It's not about what's "favorable." It's about what's important. And what matters is profit. For example, Apple makes more money from their small share of Macs than most other PC makers earn even though "Windows" has a larger market share. (Remember, Dell does not care how many Windows machines HP is selling.)

Likewise, things like "Windows Mobile" and "Android" are actually split across multiple hardware developers. By making and selling both the software and hardware themselves, Apple can do far better than other companies even though it may appear that their numbers are smaller. They have a smaller pie but they own the entire pie.

ya, but apple's gross profit is around $13.6 billion, with revenue of $30 billion, while Google's gross profit is $13.4 billion, with revenue of $20 billion..

this means to make an extra $200 million, apple actually needs to make $10 billion more..
nothing to brag about.

[DakotaGuy]

Dumbphones are very faddish. Smartphones, doubtful. Entire mobile computing platforms (iPhone, RIM, Android, etc.) aren't going to be dropped and picked up by consumers on a whim, not when they have a lot invested in that platform (i.e. iTunes purchases).

Apple has a very good head start against Android (and, of course, the eventual Windows Mobile 7) because a lot of consumers are now heavily invested in iTunes.


You do realize that all of your iTunes purchases will transfer and play on Android unless you still have iTunes songs and videos with DRM. Everyone on the iTunes store now is DRM free and you can upgrade your DRM songs and videos with DRM free if you want.

You make it sound like iTunes songs won't play and that is not true.

[carlgo]

Alright Apple, time to wow us with the next big iPhone update! I'm thinking higher res OLED screen, more capacity, better battery life, faster proc, and (please oh please) Verizon availability! If the iPhone is released on Verizon, they will sell several million more in the first year... there are plenty of business people who would love the iPhone but need a more reliable network than AT&T.

Yup, we know the tech stuff will be cool if Apple even tries at all, but the network is the big thing. Clearly, AT&T just chases off too many potential customers and all these devices are going to require the resources of all of the networks together.

[twoodcc]

apple will have to step it up now

[polonius]

this survey, like so much else I see in the press about "smart phones" is so ridiculous. Somehow, the press has decided that this is a three-way race between the iPhone, Android and Palm Pre, and they totally ignore the fact that Symbian OS smart phones sell more than all the other three combined. And I've yet to actually seen an Android phone in use, and haven't seen a Palm since last spotting a Treo almost 10 years ago.

Having now used my iPhone for several months, I'm increasingly inclined to go back to my Nokia N97. A lot of other people never switched -- the press needs to report on what people are actually using, not reflect their own preferences/prejudices.

[spydr]

From that data, Google's prospective share of the pie seems to be comprised of:
1/10 of Apple's share
1/3 of MS's share and
2/3 of Palm's share

Looks like it is going to hurt MS and Palm a lot more than it will Apple.

[kdarling]

For that matter, none of these surveys matter once you're talking about your own group of friends and family. For example:

One of my sons got an iPhone for himself and an iPhone for his wife.
Another son also got an iPhone.
My son-in-law got a Palm Pre for himself and a Pixi for his wife.
One of my brothers got a Droid for himself and an Eris for his wife.
One of my brothers got a WM phone for himself and a dumb phone for his wife.
One of my brothers got a Blackberry for himself and a BB for his wife.
One of my brothers could care less and he and his wife have dumb phones.
My friends have a mixture like above as well.

The main theme I see is that husband and wife tend to get the same type, at least around me.

[lilo777]

For that matter, none of these surveys matter once you're talking about your own group of friends and family. For example:

One of my sons got an iPhone for himself and an iPhone for his wife.
Another son also got an iPhone.
My son-in-law got a Palm Pre for himself and a Pixi for his wife.
One of my brothers got a Droid for himself and an Eris for his wife.
One of my brothers got a WM phone for himself and a dumb phone for his wife.
One of my brothers got a Blackberry for himself and a BB for his wife.
One of my brothers could care less and he and his wife have dumb phones.
My friends have a mixture like above as well.

The main theme I see is that husband and wife tend to get the same type, at least around me.

In my observation, husbands are usually the ones who choose the phones for themselves and the wifes and they tend to use a single brand (it's easy to maintain them this way :D )

[lilo777]

From that data, Google's prospective share of the pie seems to be comprised of:
1/10 of Apple's share
1/3 of MS's share and
2/3 of Palm's share

Looks like it is going to hurt MS and Palm a lot more than it will Apple.

It depends on how oyu look at this. One may say that the latter two do not have much to lose anyway ;)

[MrSEC]

Just my opinion,but I would say the huge spike in sells is people like me dumping the BB Storm and going with the Android. I'm not an iphone user because AT&T is horrible in my area,but if they ever come to Verizon watch out the ball game is over!

[D4F]

One thing I am sure of... I would go with my G1 over any iPhone and that thing is already old. N1 should be here any minute and I just can't wait.
On my G1 I can tether my MBP while listening to streaming audio and go and check any other app/thing I want to while all other processes are working.
I remember on my iPhone 3G when I had to restart every app just because I needed to switch back to my notepad for a fraction of a second.

iPhone just sucks. Seriously. It's a nice iPod with phone options but it ain't smart for sure.

"...one thing at a time my young padawan or you will get confused..."

[ChazUK]

iPhone just sucks. Seriously. It's a nice iPod with phone options but it ain't smart for sure.

"...one thing at a time my young padawan or you will get confused..."

I agree that Multitasking is a great feature (the reason I switched from the iPhone) but I bet the common man or woman wouldn't care for it.

I'm waiting for Google to ship my Nexus one. Can't wait! :D

[D4F]

I agree that Multitasking is a great feature (the reason I switched from the iPhone) but I bet the common man or woman wouldn't care for it.

I'm waiting for Google to ship my Nexus one. Can't wait! :D

Common people don't care till they find out that all this annoying routines they need to go through using their "smartphone" can vanish in an instance if they switch to a different manufacturer.
Also ATT plans. They are raving the $69 unlimited (you have to add data + text). Well I go for $85 (tax included) all unlimited (voice, data and text) on T-mobile.

Seriously I can not find any other explanation besides "I love apple and I could care less if their product sucks" to get that phone. When the hype settles, a normal, conscious human being should understand that overpaying for a literally crappier product isn't something you want to do and yet they go for it and defend it like a mother defends a child lol. That is the fanboi phenomenon and man apple are kings in making that work.

[ChazUK]

Common people don't care till they find out that all this annoying routines they need to go through using their "smartphone" can vanish in an instance if they switch to a different manufacturer.
Also ATT plans. They are raving the $69 unlimited (you have to add data + text). Well I go for $85 all unlimited (voice, data and text) on T-mobile.

Seriously I can not find any other explanation besides "I love apple and I could care less if their product sucks" to get that phone. When the hype settles, a normal, conscious human being should understand that overpaying for a literally crappier product isn't something you want to do and yet they go for it and defend it like a mother defends a child lol. That is the fanboi phenomenon and man apple are kings in making that work.

Don't under estimate some of the people out there!

When the app store first opened we had one guy at work running around showing us some virtual stapler app... :confused: He showed me as he tapped the screen and I think every 10 presses it made a different sound. Then he pulled out the virtual bubble wrap app where you had to tap the bubble wrap to pop it and he was as pleased as a pig in ***** and thought it was the best thing ever. :(

Me? I'm only happy when I can FTP at will to my webspace and my computers to download/upload files whilst streaming music via last.fm and browsing the web with my favourite twitter client (Seesmic) and instant messaging app running in the background and not having to shut all that down just to receive an SMS or email! :D