Google Announces Android 'M' Developer Preview, Android Pay and Free Unlimited Photo Storage

[Lictor]

It amazes me that people think Apple is this white fluffy bunny of a business that will protect its consumers privacy and data.

Apple is not. But their business models are different and as a result they're more respectful.

The business model of Apple is to sell products that are perceived as premium with a very high margin (much higher than the usual in this industry). Their secondary business model is distributing copyrighted contents from third party, again with a high margin.
So, Apple makes his money off selling stuff and being perceived as a premium brand. There is a direct customer relationship : when you use an Apple product, you give money to Apple. Apple is mostly a B2C company.

The business model of Apple is to sell its clients. When you use a Google product, you don't pay for it. So, you're not really a customer, you are a product. And you are sold to other businesses through advertisement.
The real customers of Google are businesses, it is mostly a B2B company, with free offerings whose sole purpose it's to attract the real products.

Apple can afford to respect consumers privacy and data. Not because it's a fluffy bunny, but because most of their money is not earned from consumers privacy and data. Apple would only earn a little extra money but could risk losing customers or their premium brand image. They respect privacy more than Google not because they're morally superior, but because they would not gain much if they did not.
On the other hand Google (and it's even worse for Facebook) cannot afford to respect them, because most of their income comes from using and reselling them... If Google respects your privacy and data, it goes out of business...

 

[Oletros]

When you use a Google product, you don't pay for it. So, you're not really a customer, you are a product.

No, you're not the product, the product is ad space.

 

[stewy]

Android Pay? Sounds familiar.....

and google wallet was out before Apple pay... what's your point?

 

[BroTim52]

Android Pay!

Well Android Pay! I really think its amazing where they have come from and where they picked up that that idea! Simply Amazing!

 

[dave2010]

And Google is not Facebook. They're not to bad.

I'm happy that Google is dropping the pushy Google plus stuff and just allowing photos. I've used Picasa web albums for years and held on against a barrage of "upgrade" invites to Google +.
I don't want their stinking Google +, I just want to keep my photos in my folders the way I put them there and I'm happy to pay.

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I question that the "Google Now" thing would work by pressing a button. I used a Galaxy S6 for a few days before I realised I didn't like it. Samsung had taken over the home button for their own S Voice thing.
That was one thing I couldn't get used to. On an iPhone I had been pressing the home button a whole lot to get Siri to make reminders, set timers and stuff without having to actually look at the screen.

 

[JPLC]

Unlimited photos and video's in the cloud. Thats more like it!

 

[LordVic]

[/COLOR]I question that the "Google Now" thing would work by pressing a button. I used a Galaxy S6 for a few days before I realised I didn't like it. Samsung had taken over the home button for their own S Voice thing.
That was one thing I couldn't get used to. On an iPhone I had been pressing the home button a whole lot to get Siri to make reminders, set timers and stuff without having to actually look at the screen.

likely won't be linked directly to a hardware button. Google has been pushing for the removal of navigation buttons (like the homebutton) for a few years now. Currently only Samsung really holds onto that.

What I Believe is more likely to occur is that this will take over the "home" gesture that is by default on in stock android.

if you swipe in from the bottom, it acts as a new "button" (in addition to the 3 onscreen buttons). This would seem like the most logical place to put it.

Currently, the default for this action in Android is to open "google now" cards. As this is already easily done from the homescreen (its the left most screen), mkaing this button now contextual would finally make it useful (i barely ever use this gesture as is, cause it's really not useful)

http://i.imgur.com/DAMoKJo.jpg

 

[jackson83]

You know that if you don't like an article... you can NOT read it. I know, shocking idea.

Smart ass! )

 

[dr4stic]

Apple is not. But their business models are different and as a result they're more respectful.

(SNIP...)

Apple can afford to respect consumers privacy and data. Not because it's a fluffy bunny, but because most of their money is not earned from consumers privacy and data. Apple would only earn a little extra money but could risk losing customers or their premium brand image. They respect privacy more than Google not because they're morally superior, but because they would not gain much if they did not.
On the other hand Google (and it's even worse for Facebook) cannot afford to respect them, because most of their income comes from using and reselling them... If Google respects your privacy and data, it goes out of business...

This argument is funny to me because it was Apple's recent mea culpa with the security on their photo service that caused the entire industry to buckle down on espousing their security and privacy measures. Or has everyone forgotten the fappening, where everyone's photos (including many celebrity nudes) were downloaded and distributed without anyone's consent?

Apple offers the same illusion of privacy and security that the other companies offer, they just do it more effectively. The fappening had some impact, for sure. But for some reason people didn't trust Apple less, they just decided that they weren't going to take nudes with their phone anymore and they became more selective of what got backed up.

Also, why does anyone think that the government (one of the big bads mentioned getting your data) gets your data from Apple's or Google's servers? Time and time again the evidence has shown that they're grabbing it IN TRANSIT TO the servers. They can sniff the wire and airwaves and collect your emails and photos without even bothering you about it. They can even turn your mic and camera on directly from the low level radio when the phone is off so long as it has battery.

The NSA built backdoors into the crypto libraries that Apple and Google and all the others were using. Except (and here's the rub), with Apple you have to trust them when they tell you they plugged the hole (and then it turns out they didn't actually and had to plug it again as happened last year). At least with Android you can, in theory, inspect the sources. And with Nexus and other CM/AOSP supported devices, you can even roll your own builds.

The privacy argument is moot. Apple also uses this information in the same way as other companies, as they plainly boast on their Ad sales portal. The security/respect argument: see the fappening. The eavesdropping argument: Apple has to abide by the same laws as everyone else, assuming the government even bothers to ask for what they don't already have.

So then this is all just pointless bellyaching.

 

[Michael Goff]

Smart ass! )

I am, indeed. But it gets old that people come to threads they don't like just to say they don't like the thread being there. Do you go to McDonalds just to tell them how crap they are?

 

[wowotoe]

mm..I'm getting "Item not available in U.S. store" message when attempting to download iOS app thru the link they have from photos.google.com.

 

[bushido]

How do you feel about the US Government having that information as well???

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Yup I didn't believe it as well until a friend hacked his device and showed me the amount of data that was being sent to google when using a third party app.

worse cuz at least google provides me with a service for free

 

[gotluck]

Oh, and don't forget, when they want to, the government can come and get that information about you for their permanent dossier - as Google keeps it forever. As we saw from the Snowden documents, the NSA was just stealing what they could from Google outside of the "legal" requests for information on individuals.

I really like the idea that Apple hasn't gone down this slippery slope like Google has always done and Microsoft does now - but you have to pay for storage as a result (of Apple not monetizing your data / photos).

you really dont think NSA has the same capabilities with respect to icloud & icloud backups?

 

[Oletros]

Yup I didn't believe it as well until a friend hacked his device and showed me the amount of data that was being sent to google when using a third party app.

What?

 

[hagar]

I'm disappointed that Apple presented the concept of iCloud Photo Library as an extension for your local storage. Not enough room on your iPhone? With iCloud all your images are with you all the time.

Not so much: they get downloaded locally. Even if you use the Optimise Storage option, you still need gigabytes of room on your local device. How much exactly? Nobody knows.

And guess what happens if you don't have that space? The whole thing falls apart! Thumbnails disappear, you cannot download photos to view or edit them, ... I still have 500MB available on my iPad, but iCloud says mehhh and just gives up.

Good idea, bad implementation.

Maybe Google has done it right? The cloud as unlimited storage for your mobile device?

 

[perkedel]

and google wallet was out before Apple pay... what's your point?

I had google wallet years ago. It was ****** useless.
Got apple pay when the 6 came out, I used it more often than the google wallet i had for years.

"Android Pay"... lol it looks like Samsung gave google their copy machine

 

[bozzykid]

Other than "Unlimited", it's no different than Apple. I take a photo. Photo is on Mac. I take the photo out of iCloud and store it on a hard drive or upload somewhere else. It took Google this long to finally say "Forget it. Lets just do what they did."

I think the fact that it auto organizes people in your photos even as they age and the fact that it recognizes objects (snow, basketball, baseball, etc) makes it different than Apple's version. There is very little management needed with Google's offering.

 

[jlwarlow]

It does. You can use their iOS app to upload all your photos.

I'm guessing this is only in the US for now It's not available in the UK yet.

 

[jackson83]

I am, indeed. But it gets old that people come to threads they don't like just to say they don't like the thread being there. Do you go to McDonalds just to tell them how crap they are?

I try not to eat this kind of food)) And, crap they are)) Also I think anyone can express their opinion about any article here in the manner they wish to, and not be shown "their place" right away!!!? Don't you think? )

 

[bozzykid]

I had google wallet years ago. It was ****** useless.
Got apple pay when the 6 came out, I used it more often than the google wallet i had for years.

They work at the same locations. Besides slightly different implementations, there is very little different between them. They are both adding loyalty card support. At the end of the day, both will be doing the same thing.

 

[kerrikins]

I love the unlimited storage, but Google's business has always been about data. I'll still check it out.

This was my first thought. "Do I trust this company with my photos?" Nope.

I'll stick with Apple, the .99 is worth the ease of mind about privacy concerns.

 

[thekeyring]

Copying in some areas, leading in others. Love the competition between Apple and Google right now.

What I hate is when some arrogant idiot claims that Apply only copies Google or vice versa. Right now, things are pretty good.

 

[LordVic]

I try not to eat this kind of food)) And, crap they are)) Also I think anyone can express their opinion about any article here in the manner they wish to, and not be shown "their place" right away!!!? Don't you think? )

you can openly express your opinion on why is this here,

but you're not free from the consequences of asking that question, when the answer is obvious, stated a few hundred times in every thread that doesn't focus on apple, and is outright layed out in this sites description.

so yeah.

your comment deserved a smart ass response

 

[Michael Goff]

I try not to eat this kind of food)) And, crap they are)) Also I think anyone can express their opinion about any article here in the manner they wish to, and not be shown "their place" right away!!!? Don't you think? )

No, I don't think so. Your comment provided zero value to the discussion. It isn't clever, it wasn't warranted. These are meant to be discussions about a topic, not discussions about MacRumors as a site. There's an entire forum for that.

Edit: That being said, of course you're allowed to post whatever you want. Just, you know, be ready for responses to your comment.

 

[LordVic]

Copying in some areas, leading in others. Love the competition between Apple and Google right now.

What I hate is when some arrogant idiot claims that Apply only copies Google or vice versa. Right now, things are pretty good.

its tech world. everyone has borrowed on everyone for years. we wouldn't be where we are today with tech if eacho and every tech company didn't lean on eachother and stand on eachothers shoulders to get there.

Apple borrows from Google. Google borrows from Apple and the whole world keeps on spinning. In the end, everyone has better choices for their technology.