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All these devices with "notches" makes me sick, yet I have a feeling in the very near future I may not have an option. There is a solution to this, however Cook & Co. don't seem to consider thinking logically. Who cares how many devices you sold with the "notch" it is in very poor design, Jobs is rolling in his grave.

I absolutely agree that Jobs is rolling in his grave. Jobs was very form over function in some ways, but the notch would be an affront to him. He would have never allowed the X to see the light of day. I know that is speculation, but I truly believe it based on his track record. They are making money because of consumer trust and brand recognition. I’m not saying the X or iOS are bad products, but rehashing the iPhone 6 design in the 8 and that notch in the X just don’t sync up with the previous products. I’m not telling them how to run their business from the cheap seats, but it does look like they are getting a bit lazy.
 
It’s not noticeable after awhile. I forget it’s there most of the time. Just contains the clock and status items that used take up a full horizontal stripe (more screen real estate) on the older models.

I'm not a fan of the notch - sometimes it disappears, sometimes it is in plain sight and bugs me (I've only had the phone less than a week though). However, I am a huge fan of the near bezel-less chin. Baffles me that no one else is copying Apple in this area, but that's what makes Apple's design work! Having a chin and a notch is the worst of both worlds.

Otherwise, the Galaxy S9 does it right - minimal bezels both top and bottom.
 
code-m, overall I found your post very informative. But in regards to the above portion, doesn’t the fact that most Chinese companies are either government owned or heavily financed/subsidized by the Chinese government play a factor in this. China is still a communist country after all.

From what I gather, the primary function of businesses in China is to keep as many people employed as possible so they don’t starve or worse start a revolution. Making a profit is an afterthought.

I’m not saying there is any thing no wrong with that model. Considering where China was say 50 years ago it seems to be working.

Many countries government support companies that may hold promise as it provides economic growth for employment and general well-being of a Nation. I am not dismissing the way certain Nations are run (i.e. communism, etc). Government on every level owns a share of certain services and corporations, this is the reason when there is a takeover/merger/acquisition of corporations either local or foreign the various government bodies are involved, due in part for security purposes or economic well-being. The government in China backs these companies with public funded money for growth of the country for personal and public wealth, other countries do this as well. However the extent of involvement and investment varies.

I concur with your second statement as it applies to all Nations. Profit equals sustainability, in China its twofold.

1. Profits are low due to government involvement;
2. Profits are used for the company growth and sustainability;
3. Losses can be overcome by government involvement to an extent; and
4. Losses on a mass scale allows the Chinese people and government to learn from and not make the same folly.

China views profit differently than USA, since the shareholder gains or looses. USA companies are primarily run by private or public investment and interests. China shares some of this however the ratio of interest is geared towards the government to act as a public investor on behalf of the people (many poor or lack education). Is there abuse and corruption, sure there is. It exists in every government, the extent is another matter.

China’s flaw is human rights, the communism system is a more liberal version from the past as there have been revolt and revolution that keeps governments in check. It all depends on the people, if they see the government is working for the whole then no mass action. If not, there will be riots. Propaganda is another can of worms that I prefer not opening.
 
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All companies making smartphones should pay attention to the number of phones sold so they can make improvements and not rest on their laurels and take things for granted. This is good for us consumers.
 
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Um no.
Without profit, what’s the point?
BlackBerry, Nokia, Motorola, and HTC what do they have in common?

Lack of profits killed them. Without profits there are no products.

Why is that so hard to understand.

You can have a high turnover, and very tiny profit and do a good job.
 
Looks like Huawei, Xiaomi and OPPO will be top three in few years.
And Samsung/Apple should share next spots respectively!
Regardless Apple will still lead the profits by quite a margin. Quantity doesn't matter!
The way these stats are reported would be like judging a pitcher on pitches thrown rather than strikes.
 
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It doesn't matter. They're still the ones making all of the money.

It does matter to Apple which is why they opened a factory in India for the Indian market and a factory in Brazil for the Brazilian market etc - They always want to sell more.
 
Numbers mean nothing. I can prove Apple is far superior by comparing the two companies' total revenue.

Apple 2017 total iPhone: 216,760,000 sold.
Huawei 2017 total phone: 153,000,000 sold.

2017 Apple Revenue from iPhone Net: $141,319,000,000
2017 Huawei Revenue from Phone Net: $43,813,458.99
Difference: 3225x more revenue from iPhone than Huawei.
Difference as a fraction: Huawei's revenue is 0.003% of Apple's total iPhone revenue.

So, Huawei may be shipping more phones, but Apple makes 3225 times more revenue. That means that every dollar Huawei makes from an Android phone, Apple makes $3,225 from iPhone.

Anybody can shovel out a cheap phone, look at HTC or BlackBerry or Nokia. It takes ability, design, and marketing to be selling just about a similar amount of highly expensive phones.

So, Huawei can have their second place in the inexpensive market.
Apple made $141 BILLION US off of iPhone ALONE.
Huawei made $43 MILLION US off of their Android line.

They're not even in the same Solar System in terms of net revenue.
 
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Why are people so surprised by this? Huawei is clearly taking more market share in emerging markets - but Apple’s shipments also went up, albeit just by a little.

The only real loser in this is SAMSUNG. They’re going to suffer in the smartphone market. There really is no incentive to get a Samsung phone anymore given how good Huawei phones are getting. Especially in China, why would I get a Samsung phone when I can support equally good local products and get a Huawei instead? Same for OPPO, Xiaomi.
 
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Sure, it's the classic recipe for success... diligently copy everything about Apple's products and marketing. Oh, and maaaaaybe also be willing to deeply integrate spyware on behalf of the Chinese government. Or maybe not.

I hate your hockey team, but I have to agree with you 100% here.
 
I have to admit, the Apple apologists are really going over the top here. I myself use Apple products exclusively, and I don’t feel the urgency to try and defend Apple’s profits etc. etc.

Apple can look after itself, it doesn’t need fanboys to defend it.
 
Why are people so surprised by this? Huawei is clearly taking more market share in emerging markets - but Apple’s shipments also went up, albeit just by a little.

The only real loser in this is SAMSUNG. They’re going to suffer in the smartphone market. There really is no incentive to get a Samsung phone anymore given how good Huawei phones are getting. Especially in China, why would I get a Samsung phone when I can support equally good local products and get a Huawei instead? Same for OPPO, Xiaomi.

I'd rather have a bloated OS than have a totalitarian government spying on me, but that's just me.

See what you did? You made me defend Samedung. You should be ashamed.
 
I'd rather have a bloated OS than have a totalitarian government spying on me, but that's just me.

See what you did? You made me defend Samedung. You should be ashamed.

I am completely uninterested in the political dimensions of this. I simply think it’s fine Huawei surpassed Apple in shipments, and that Samsung is the main loser as a result.

Huawei isn’t forcing anyone to buy their phones, the choice is still up to the consumer to buy whatever they prefer.
 
Why should it be allowed? They've ripped off Apple's IP for years and grant back door access to governments.

So why should Apple be allowed sell its product in China?

After all, Apple is American company. Who knows if Apple installed any back door access on their phone,
 
I am completely uninterested in the political dimensions of this. I simply think it’s fine Huawei surpassed Apple in shipments, and that Samsung is the main loser as a result.

Huawei isn’t forcing anyone to buy their phones, the choice is still up to the consumer to buy whatever they prefer.

So you're ok with the concept of china requiring backdoors in anything technology related?
 
I have to admit, the Apple apologists are really going over the top here. I myself use Apple products exclusively, and I don’t feel the urgency to try and defend Apple’s profits etc. etc.

Apple can look after itself, it doesn’t need fanboys to defend it.

Not defending Apple, but fighting the haters that always post on an Apple centric forum.
 
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So you're ok with the concept of china requiring backdoors in anything technology related?

I don’t care. Just don’t buy their products. People still do, maybe they don’t believe it, maybe they prefer Huawei, maybe they think the US does the same with Apple phones.

The politics is irrelevant. Huawei shipped more than Apple, Apple shipped more than usual, the biggest loser is Samsung. All the points I just made are politically neutral (smartphone brand loyalty aside)
 
If I were a betting man I’d bet there is not. iOS is tighter than a nun’s knickers.

You seem very sure of your bet, do you work for any of these agencies/companies and if so do you have the required clearance that you are privy to this insight. ;)

Never say never, there was a time when Mac users believed their were immune, however it was just the community being naive or some other combination. :)

If there are little black boxes available to circumvent iOS security passcode, I wonder what else we are not told. Considering Apple is so transparent with Spectre/Meltdown (industry wide went unnoticed for years) and the battery/iOS (Apple) issue.
 
Plenty of opportunity it seems when it comes to lower priced Android phones. I would imagine this worries Samsung quite a bit. Still wild to me how many people don't care about privacy though, Huawei has one of the worst privacy policies I have seen - everything on their phones, financial info, personal contacts, employment info, is all available to them.
 
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I have to admit, the Apple apologists are really going over the top here. I myself use Apple products exclusively, and I don’t feel the urgency to try and defend Apple’s profits etc. etc.

Apple can look after itself, it doesn’t need fanboys to defend it.

I can speak positively about Apple because I genuinely agree with what Apple is doing in general.

Apple isn’t perfect, but honestly speaking, a lot of the criticism being hurled at it is simply too ridiculous to ignore. It’s like a new flavour of “Apple is doomed” narrative rears its ugly year every other week and it just gets tiring.

It’s not about defending Apple, but about calling it as I see it. And Apple clearly has a lot going for it, contrary to what the critics and the haters would have you believe.
 
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It appears, for most in here, that the iPhone has become a fashion item -- and, probably, is their only computer.

But to me, the iPhone is just a complementary, mobile communication device -- second banana to my MBP and the iPad mini(when traveling abroad). This is why my SE is slotted perfectly as a secondary device for my mobile, use case -- as well for my wife's.

The reality outside the US is that Apple's inter-personal communication (iMessage and Mail) is superseded/obliterated by WeChat in China, and WhatsApp in the Western World. This because these apps are agnostic and allow any-to-any communications, becoming the common skin across different devices.

This is why Huawei, Xiaomi, Oppo, and others like them will present a continuous and present danger to Apple's mobile dominance.

Those devices have become the platforms for all-in-one apps, making features and nuances indistinguishable across platforms and their OSes -- except for the camera and authentication, where the competition has become fierce.

Just my view.
 
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