MacRumors Irony

[TheyCallMeSaint]

Ok, so I've found yet another evidence of the querulousness of MacRumors :

Time and time again, we get all these naysayers who advocate the latest Android device based on its improved specs. The better specs make it a better phone, right?

Yet the ironic part is that we consistently see posts that the 3GS was a "minor" upgrade from the 3G. Yet, when viewed from the same perspective as the Android devices, it was probably equivalent to the iPhone 4 update. It received: Twice the RAM, much faster processor, better camera, etc.

So it can't be both ways. Either specs aren't everything, or the iPhone 3GS was a veritably huge upgrade.

 

[Applejuiced]

Just cause it looked the same people thought it's the same thing and not worth upgrading. To me it was a big improvement from the previous 2 models.

 

[jplusc]

Ok, so I've found yet another evidence of the querulousness of MacRumors :

1) Time and Time again, we get all these naysayers who advocate the latest Android device based on its improved specs. The better specs make it a better phone, right?

2) Yet the ironic part is that we consistently see posts that the 3GS was a "minor" upgrade from the 3G. Yet, when viewed from the same perspective as the Android devices, it was probably equivalent to the iPhone 4 update. It received: Twice the RAM, much faster processor, better camera, etc.

So it can't be both ways. Either specs aren't everything, or the iPhone 3GS was a veritably huge upgrade.

To me this really boils down to marketing and a matter of opinion. Some people feel that specs and hardware are the top priority some feel it is all about software and there are tons of people in between. MacRumors is a large forum so for every topic you are going to get a variety of opinions. While I am the first to say it can be annoying sometimes, I will also say that my opinion is not the 'right' opinion to have, it is exactly what it is, my opinion.

As for the 3GS being a 'minor' upgrade, while this is also an opinion this also has a lot to do with marketing. Android handsets have to differentiate themselves based on hardware due to so many devices being sold and companies competing against one another. So frequently they point out the hardware specs to show how great there new device is. Apple does not flaunt hardware specs as much, they like to use a catchy marketing phrases such as 'twice as fast' or something of that nature. So naturally, people are going to brag about the hardware of Android devices because that is what they are often informed of, while not always knowing the hardware changes from model to model of the iPhone, just knowing that it is supposed to be 'faster'.

There goes another opinion, lol.

 

[iUser4Lyfe]

To me this really boils down to marketing and a matter of opinion. Some people feel that specs and hardware are the top priority some feel it is all about software and there are tons of people in between. MacRumors is a large forum so for every topic you are going to get a variety of opinions. While I am the first to say it can be annoying sometimes, I will also say that my opinion is not the 'right' opinion to have, it is exactly what it is, my opinion.

As for the 3GS being a 'minor' upgrade, while this is also an opinion this also has a lot to do with marketing. Android handsets have to differentiate themselves based on hardware due to so many devices being sold and companies competing against one another. So frequently they point out the hardware specs to show how great there new device is. Apple does not flaunt hardware specs as much, they like to use a catchy marketing phrases such as 'twice as fast' or something of that nature. So naturally, people are going to brag about the hardware of Android devices because that is what they are often informed of, while not always knowing the hardware changes from model to model of the iPhone, just knowing that it is supposed to be 'faster'.

There goes another opinion, lol.

Great post.

Id like to add that you can't compare hardware specs across platforms. I am a hardware junkie. I love tech specs and usually I fall into the "Give me the one with the best specs please" group. However, since iOS is so integrated and software is designed to work with the hardware the synergy of the device is just superior to what most others are offering. I bet the Atrix 4G with its dual core will be laggier then the iPhone 4 with its single core CPU under similar loads.

 

[kre62]

I personally think its ludicrous to call the 3GS a "minor" upgrade. I hated the 3G, its unbearably slow. I couldn't wait to get my hands on the 3GS, it's a completely different experience compared to the 3G. Especially now since it has the muscle to run all the features of iOS4. But even on launch day, I knew I was finally getting the whole iPhone experience. The 3GS is as fast over 3G while surfing the web as the 3G is over WIFI. Thats a big difference.

 

[TheyCallMeSaint]

I personally think its ludicrous to call the 3GS a "minor" upgrade. I hated the 3G, its unbearably slow. I couldn't wait to get my hands on the 3GS, it's a completely different experience compared to the 3G. Especially now since it has the muscle to run all the features of iOS4. But even on launch day, I knew I was finally getting the whole iPhone experience. The 3GS is as fast over 3G while surfing the web as the 3G is over WIFI. Thats a big difference.

Exactly. The funny thing is that the iPhone 4 isn't much faster per say than the iPhone 3GS. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that iPhone 3GS can also handle many of the iOS 5 features.

 

[macsmurray]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8C148 Safari/6533.18.5)

It's about public perception. The 3G and the 3GS look the same and have the same name albeit with the addition of an "S" Therefore it is viewed by the greater majority of the public as a minor rework of the 3G.

 

[kre62]

Exactly. The funny thing is that the iPhone 4 isn't much faster per say than the iPhone 3GS. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that iPhone 3GS can also handle many of the iOS 5 features.

I would say they are nearly identical in speed. We now know the iPhone4 runs at 800mhz. The 3GS runs at 600mhz. But the extra 200mhz on the 4 is mostly used to power that display. So they run about the same. Glad Im waiting for the 5.

 

[wingsabr]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8C148 Safari/6533.18.5)

Nevermind

 

[mltaylor]

I agree with most of you in saying that the 3gs was a major upgrade. It made the iPhone more enjoyable with the speed of everything. For some reason I liked it more than my iPhone 4...except for the screen

 

[kdarling]

Ok, so I've found yet another evidence of the querulousness of MacRumors :

Time and time again, we get all these naysayers who advocate the latest Android device based on its improved specs. The better specs make it a better phone, right?

Heh. Everyone knows that:

• Specs don't matter unless your favorite thing has better ones.
• Sales don't matter unless your favorite thing is sold more.
• App X doesn't matter unless your favorite thing has it.
• Feature Y doesn't matter unless your favorite thing has it.
• Price doesn't matter unless your favorite thing costs less.
• Popularity doesn't matter unless your favorite thing is popular.

I'm sure there's more.