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Samsung Announces New Flagship Galaxy S 4 Competitor to Apple's iPhone
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Personally, I like how my iPhone doesn't say Apple, or anything for that matter, on the front of my phone and only on the back. Too much distraction
Did it? Everyone here is going on about the phone and presentation. I'd say it got people's attention. You can debate the positives and negatives all you want.
I don't see how the phone failed though any more or any less that iPhone's model to model updating. As I wrote earlier in this thread - too many people (at least on forums) have a warped sense of expectations. If you own a Galaxy SII or Skyrocket - or NO Android phone (or an older models from another manufacturer) this phone is a great option. I can see why S3 owners have little reason to upgrade. But it's hyperbole to suggest that this new phone either on its own isn't a good phone and/or isn't feature rich compared to earlier models or other competitors phones.
How is the # of cores relevant? iPhone 5's dual core is still more powerful than SGSIII's quad!
It failed for the S3 users as you say. The presentation, black outfits and all was poor. Didn't hear many applause at the end or during. Talk about awkward.
The phone is okay, but not much of an upgrade from S3. And the last thing I want is a photo of my face three inches from the camera to send to grandma
. Better to ask a stranger to take the family photo. Maybe the guy will steal your S4 and then you can buy an iPhone with the insurance money.
Are you really saying that Samsung tried to copy Apple presentations?
Are you really saying that Samsung tried to copy the iPhone with the SGS S4?
Presentation was so comic, you have to admit that !! What tf was that all about? I have to be honest, I was laughing my head off.
Anyway, you are right about peoples expectations.
I don't see what's so special about the Galaxy S4. The features are not that impressive (The ONLY two I see that are useful and innovative are the SmartPause and Barcode System. Those are actually useful). All other features are just gimmicks so they can make a chart of useless things (Remember when they advertised flipping your phone over to mute it? Yeah I've had 4 different phones from 3 different manufacturers that did the same thing, you're not special Samsung). Nearly every feature they're advertising can be accomplished on Android and iOS phones very easily. Not to mention, Samsung phones are just not well made phones.
If I was going to buy an Android phone I would pick an HTC One or a Google Nexus. Much better build qualities and much better designs too.
If I was going to buy an Android phone I would pick an HTC One or a Google Nexus. Much better build qualities and much better designs too.
I think you are right as far as the "phone" is concerned. But if you want to anticipate the future, consider that functionality will continue to evolve independently of the form factor. The "phone" has become a nexus of "smart" functionality over the past 5+ years, simply because there was already a cell phone sitting in everyone's pockets, waiting to be filled up. But there's nothing ideal about a phone form factor for delivery of much of this functionality. That's why experiments in alternate delivery, such as smart watches, augmented eyewear, etc. are so important.
What was poorly done was the audio engineering. You didn't hear applause or laughter during because the audience wasn't mic'd and the stage mics have noise cancellation so you don't hear anything (much) aside from the speaker/presenters.
I wasn't there - I can only offer anecdotal evidence from a few that were and they said there was plenty of applause, laughter, etc.
Go turn your volume up WAY high and you'll be able to hear reactions.
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I wrote earlier that one of the biggest complaints about advertising and keynotes in the past for Android products is they never show what the product can do - they always do some futuristic crap or highlight specs and other nonsensical garbage.
The presentation was on the cheesy side. But you got real use case scenarios. I think that's a HUGE step forward and was actually effective. Was it over the top - yeah. Consider the venue though.
At least the entire presentation had a theme AND it was carried out throughout. It wasn't feature by feature in a dry or non-linear "story"
And people complained so much that the iPhone 5 looked like the 4 .
By the way the hardware specs of the s4 are cool, but the 5" screen is pushing it into phablet territory. Way too large for a device that will spend more time in the pocket than in the hand (for typical phone users).
.By the way the hardware specs of the s4 are cool, but the 5" screen is pushing it into phablet territory. Way too large for a device that will spend more time in the pocket than in the hand (for typical phone users).
Okay, the only thing I'm going to give you here is convenient toggles. That is a setback, but not a platform seller.
Define what you mean my opening up notification bar to other apps? I get my CNN updates in the NC, I get my Facebook Messages, so I really don't understand what you're talking about, and how is it gimped? It does the exact same thing that Android's Notification Bar does too. You pull it down, see quick notifications, and then you can tap it to go to that app. I don't see how that's gimped in any way. Also, Apple didn't get the Notification Bar from Android, they actually took a jailbreak tweak and integrated it into the system (as they do with many "new" features).
There's a reason you can't change the default browser. The point of iOS is to have the same experience across all devices. The point of iOS is that you should be able to pick up an iPhone, go to an iPod touch, then jump on a Macbook, then jump onto your iPad, and have the same seamless experience across all devices. It's about having the same integration across all services. Not to mention, even if you were to change the browser, you're still going to be using something WebKit based, and unless you're jailbroken and download Nitrous (which I recommend, because it boosts the speed of EVERYTHING that loads HTML), it's not going to be as fast. Not only that, Windows Phone doesn't change the browser, BB10 doesn't change the browser. I don't see how changing the browser even effects the advancement of a phone OS. That's not a quality of an advanced innovative OS.
Sure, the iPhone may be a toy when you compare the raw specs, but when you come down to user experience through the apps, which is the whole point of iOS, the S4 becomes a toy. Have you used any Android apps lately? It just doesn't work as well as iOS apps do. Why do you think everyone makes iOS apps first before Android, despite Android having a much larger mobile market share? Because when you're developing on a system designed around <i>APPS</i>, you want your app to work on every device. With iOS, you're guaranteed that. With Android, it's hit-or-miss. You can shove all the octa-cores you want in a phone, if you have a system with bad app support, all you have is a octal-core toy, while the competitor becomes more practical.
Speaking of Octa-cores, what is up with Samsung and shoving specs into everything? Surely they understand that high specs ≠ good by now? I wish people would stop focusing on specs and start focusing on experience, which thankfully Apple and HTC actually care about first, which is why I'll always buy their phones.
You are technological obsolete, im afraid.
You add nothing of value to this discussion - but rather want to flame like a fanboy.
It's technologically.
I'm honest and technologically astute. And it's my opinion. There was nothing there to cause me to jump ship from Apple. If I was a Samsung fanboy I'd probably go from the S3 to S4, but it was more of an S3S, IMO.
It just bowls me over. This thing has twice the memory of the high powered workstation I bought in 2005, and probably twice the processing power too.
It has twice the pixels (display pixels, probably 4 times the physical pixels, what with the retina display) and undoubtedly twice the battery life of the smallest MacBook Air, plus as much hard drive space, and as much memory as was stock in last years model.
We're only a couple years away from phones catching up to laptops in capabilities. Imagine a world where most people don't have computers or even tablets any more... You just authorize a wireless keyboard and monitor (and maybe mouse ) to work with your phone and run all the software you need that way. If you want to sit on the couch while you work, you have a folding dock with a keyboard and smaller display, that you plug your phone into.
Of course, it's going to suck for professionals who need major computing power (and they'll continue to exist - software still needs to be written, and it'll still take as much juice as you can get to compile it in a reasonable amount of time, plus we're still a ways away from real time performance with high res professional video editing and 3D rendering, even in a desktop form factor), because the market for laptops and workstations will shrink to almost zero, so manufacturers will cut back on their offerings and increase prices. But that seems inevitable.
It has twice the pixels (display pixels, probably 4 times the physical pixels, what with the retina display) and undoubtedly twice the battery life of the smallest MacBook Air, plus as much hard drive space, and as much memory as was stock in last years model.
We're only a couple years away from phones catching up to laptops in capabilities. Imagine a world where most people don't have computers or even tablets any more... You just authorize a wireless keyboard and monitor (and maybe mouse ) to work with your phone and run all the software you need that way. If you want to sit on the couch while you work, you have a folding dock with a keyboard and smaller display, that you plug your phone into.
Of course, it's going to suck for professionals who need major computing power (and they'll continue to exist - software still needs to be written, and it'll still take as much juice as you can get to compile it in a reasonable amount of time, plus we're still a ways away from real time performance with high res professional video editing and 3D rendering, even in a desktop form factor), because the market for laptops and workstations will shrink to almost zero, so manufacturers will cut back on their offerings and increase prices. But that seems inevitable.
I thought the same thing, but owning a Note II quad core is really enough power and the 8-Core will just chew up more battery, then again you can always wait and buy an international version full price from Amazon when they get them.
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Really? I have an IP5 and Note II and the Note II blows the IP5 away with most tasks? Just curious if you saw a cpu comparison somewhere and I missed it?
I don't really understand your comment here. Offering a choice doesn't prohibit the above from still occurring. It's not one or the other. Apple can ship their iDevices with their apps and if the user wanted to - they can change their default apps. People that want the same experience can have it. Those that want other apps to be their defaults could have theirs too.
The browser is a terrible example though because of Apple's forced webkit execution.
How about Maps? How about Email?
There a two kind of people. The first ones know what OSX and iOS is all about, and what is the philospohy for the designing an apple product. And then there are some new apple users who still dont understand it and sell themself for inches and megapixels.
Its like the art, some people see the beaty of it, and some people dont. Some people think that bigger is better, more powerful is better but at the end is all about you and the product, the feel, the emotion, the passion about holding it and using it. And when I went to to apple store to take a look at the iPhone 4 and then the iPhone 5 for the first time. Ohh man, I knew I was holding more then megapixels and inches, I was holding a masterpiece.
Its like the art, some people see the beaty of it, and some people dont. Some people think that bigger is better, more powerful is better but at the end is all about you and the product, the feel, the emotion, the passion about holding it and using it. And when I went to to apple store to take a look at the iPhone 4 and then the iPhone 5 for the first time. Ohh man, I knew I was holding more then megapixels and inches, I was holding a masterpiece.
I think I'll wait for benchmarks. People are often wrong when it comes to opinions about what will and won't eat up the battery. For one thing - you have no idea if ALL 8 cores are being used ALL the time or if they are dormant except for things like video processing/playback, etc.
And I can understand there are plenty of people who need LONG hours of usage. But I also imagine there are plenty who prefer it - but ultimately can easily swap out a battery and/or plug their phone into their laptop/computer or wall charger to juice up.
With both my iPhone and Skyrocket I wish the battery would last longer - but then I also realize that it's easy enough to top up AND the fact that these are really no PHONES any more. They are small personal computers. And if we're excited that an iPad and/or laptop can get 6-8 hours of usage - why are we so surprised when a phone only gets that much (numbers are being thrown out here randomly).
It's not like you're getting 6-8 hours on a dumb phone that only makes calls or can text.
No great feature ... just a spec update. Apple will have a hard time
Hardly. Clearly you weren't paying attention.
Maps and Email is better example to use, but the point is that by not letting you change you aren't advancing the OS, but that's not true at all
I don't think android fans have taken over. I think many people have switched because apple truly is falling behind in the phone market. I love both operating systems, but as far as phones go it is no brainer to go with samsung imo. I think apple will eventually release a larger iphone. They were against a smaller ipad at first, but everyone started buying kindle fires and they decided to make a 7 inch model. A way over priced 7 inch model, but a 7 inch none the less.
Only 4 cores are used in any given moment. In fact is more like a phone with two independent 4 cores processors, one low processing and low energy and the other when it is needed more processing power
I think in many ways, what hurt Apple outside the USA was the fact that when Apple finally changed form factors with the iPhone 5, it was NOT the big leap forward many anticipated--it was essentially an iPhone 4S with a slightly bigger screen, non-glass back and faster internals, not to mention that unique Lightning connector. If Apple had incorporated an NFC radio/antenna system, that phone would have been a hot seller in Japan and South Korea, where NFC is widely used for mobile payment systems.
Meanwhile, the Galaxy S 4 didn't need a huge leap forward technically when it replaced by the Galaxy S III, which is in several ways technically superior to the iPhone 5 even now. And Samsung wisely avoided taking too drastic a leap forward like what HTC did with the HTC One, which has an interface that is quite different than the interface you see on most Android phones.
In short, Samsung and HTC have set the bar quite high for what to expect from a higher-end smartphone. It will be quite interesting to see how Apple responds with the new iPhone model(s) coming out later this year and what changes Apple will make in iOS 7.0 (also due later this year) to fight back against these top-of-the-line Android models.
Meanwhile, the Galaxy S 4 didn't need a huge leap forward technically when it replaced by the Galaxy S III, which is in several ways technically superior to the iPhone 5 even now. And Samsung wisely avoided taking too drastic a leap forward like what HTC did with the HTC One, which has an interface that is quite different than the interface you see on most Android phones.
In short, Samsung and HTC have set the bar quite high for what to expect from a higher-end smartphone. It will be quite interesting to see how Apple responds with the new iPhone model(s) coming out later this year and what changes Apple will make in iOS 7.0 (also due later this year) to fight back against these top-of-the-line Android models.