I have been with Apple since 2007 and I am also seriously considering a Pixel. Whether the a series or a pro.
I have so many apple products but I am sure I can break free a little.
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Google's New $499 Pixel 9a Tops the iPhone 16e in Four Ways
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I have so many apple products but I am sure I can break free a little.
exactly. it is about the profit margin's.
Google is competing with Samsung and Pixel 9a is competing against Samsung mid-range A series.
They could be making a profit just not the 40% margin that Apple typically makes on its hardware.
This wipes the floor with the 16e. The flat camera is an instant winner. Looks very clean and has two interesting colours unlike th boring black and white on the "base" iPhone.
Google today introduced the Pixel 9a, its latest lower-priced smartphone. The device is launching in April, and it will compete with Apple's new iPhone 16e.
In terms of specs and pricing, the Pixel 9a tops the iPhone 16e in at least four ways.
First, the Pixel 9a's 6.3-inch OLED display is larger than the iPhone 16e's 6.1-inch screen.
Second, the Pixel 9a's display supports up to a 120Hz refresh rate for smoother scrolling and content, while the iPhone 16e is limited to 60Hz.
Third, while both the Pixel 9a and the iPhone 16e are equipped with a 48-megapixel main rear camera, the Pixel 9a also has an Ultra Wide camera.
Fourth, the Pixel 9a starts at $499 in the U.S., while the iPhone 16e starts at $599.
Of course, the Pixel 9a runs Android, which is simply a dealbreaker for many iPhone users who prefer the Apple ecosystem or feel too locked in to bother switching platforms. But, increased competition is always good to see.
To learn more about the Pixel 9a, read Google's blog post.
Article Link: Google's New $499 Pixel 9a Tops the iPhone 16e in Four Ways
I'm holding off for now. (That said, I do have a Pixel 9 XL that I use just for beta testing, but it has no SIM card.) The fact that Google needs to sell off Chrome is one reason that gives me pause about switching. The other thing keeping me on the fence is waiting to see what becomes of their digital assistant mess. Google Assistant is going away, but Gemini isn't the new assistant, it's Pixie (Pixel Sense)? We shall see what becomes of it all, but it's very in flux right now and reminds me of the days when your Android chat and video calling apps changed every year. (And yes, Siri is also a mess of a digital assistant and it has been delayed, but I see what they are trying to do and think they can get there. Google seems to have a bit less direction right now with this aspect, IMHO.) I will definitely be watching the Pixel 10 keynote, but they need a good vision to win me over.
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People realized they could add a MagSafe sticker or a MagSafe case and it's more or less the same.
By giving you more than you need, there not making as much profit as Apple 🍎 is.
Apple 🍎 became the first trillion dollar company in the world 🌍
Depends on what you mean by "buy in." You only need to do what makes sense to you.
You don't even need to go All Google. I have Microsoft Office, OneNote, and OneDrive and don't use Google Docs or Keep or Drive. I use PocketCasts and my own local music rather than the discontinued Google Podcasts and YouTube Music. A lot of iPhone users are already using Gmail and Google Maps daily. Not much more effort to make Google your reminders, contacts, calendar, etc. But it's not all-or-nothing.
As a long time Apple user, this is definitely a really good deal! I’m an iPhone 16 Pro user so I’d rather not switch, but this is definitely a good option for those who want a true budget phone.
I sincerely hope Apple isn’t thinking they have no competition and people won’t leave. The way they rushed Apple Intelligence indicates they’re not thinking that way. But hardware margins is a different story and Apple isn’t going to budge on that.
I wish Apple would make more of an effort to compete with Microsoft Office. I would happily switch if iWork provided a much better alternative.
Exactly, people don‘t want AI genmojis to calm investors („hi we use AI“ wow) or app icon coloring to be „innovative“.
They want a smart genius assistant for hands free tasks (since 14 years), they want smart photo editing, they want nice smart innovations.
They don‘t want design restrictions such as 9 minute snooze, or copy text with formatting as default, or many more pointless constraints
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You don’t really thinks the average consumer thinks about switching ecosystems unless they are unhappy with the current phone they have? Apple has rarely competed on specs especially in the budget end of their lines. The American market is mostly IPhone and Samsung.
Right. Of course none of us are in a position to say what Apple’s iPhone hardware margins should be but if they slowly start losing share to Google/Samsung they might start thinking about it. From a hardware standpoint, outside of Apple Silicon what is Apple’s biggest differentiator? Other brands have displays that are just as good. Their cameras are just as good. They get as good if not better battery life. The fit and finish is just as nice. It’s hard to argue anymore that Apple’s hardware is more premium.
Hey, look at this in today's Guardian online (there should be no firewall):
"The commission told Apple it must make its operating systems available to devices made by competitors, such as smartphones and wireless headphones, or else face the prospect of investigations and fines."
EU accuses Google and Apple of breaking its rules, risking Trump clash
Tech companies could be fined billions if EU finds they have breached the Digital Markets Act
I think it’s pretty s—ty if Apple is overpricing their hardware because they’re confident people won’t switch.
Not only the hardware is better and cheaper, you also get a good working assistant.
Gone are the days “you’ll only see this coming from Apple” unless they mean the steep prices.
Android already leapfrogged iOS and is at least two years ahead of iOS. Available in 45 languages!
Android, especially on a Pixel phone, is tightly connected to multiple Google services, so you do have to be close to "all in" anyway. I still wish the Pixel 9a included a 512 GB version, though.
I don’t think the ecosystem argument applies to everyone. Most kids these days are using Chromebooks in school. That means they are not tied into Apple’s ecosystem. Doesn’t make any difference if they use an iPhone or a Google phone or a Samsung phone. The apps they need are available on iOS and Android. The only people tied to Apple’s ecosystem are people like us who use Macs and iPhones.
While they are both very high and near 30% net margins, Goog actually beats APPL by around 2%.
All in all a no brainer! If im ready for a new mobile phone, I’ll definitely switch.
60hz screen in 2025 🤮
Even Android is years ahead of iOS and offer a great assistant.
I’m curious when people are noticing Apple is ripping them off. But once people switch to an Android phone, I’ve never heard anyone regretting it. Could also be that there are far more Android as iOS users over here. Apple’s closed ecosystem is becoming more and more a handicap than a blessing for me.
A lot of kids hate the experience they have on chrombooks. They also use tend to been using iPads since they where toddlers and still use them as media consumption devices. Young people at least in the United States vastly prefer iPhones
I've been a Mac user for many years but have used Android phones for past 10 years. The Pixel phones are excellent if you want an o/s that while not 'stock' Android anymore is fairly clean, and has a monthly update, and they are very good value, good build quality devices often at big discounts for the previous gen models. The downside is giving money to Alphabet/Google and presumably having your data/usage tapped by them.