Samsung May Follow Apple by Launching Smartphone Leasing Program

[zakarhino]

I'm sorry - I don't believe you used the Note 5 remotely long enough to determine it was "horrible."

More or less the same software as the S6 which I used for 2-3 weeks.

Before my 6 Plus I was a heavy android user and hadn't used an iPhone as my daily for over 2 years. I was fully dependent on google products. I'm not here with 20 minutes of android experience. I've developed small android apps in the past.

Once you get used to the simplicity and streamline experience of iOS products, you can't go back. At least that was my experience... I was never claiming my experience with the Note 5 represents every users experience.

As for it being "top rated," I'm glad many android users enjoy their device. Personally, I think it sucks -- I'm judging based on my experience alone with the device and with other devices similar to it. Opinions are subjective, one size doesn't fit all which explains why there's hundreds of android device variations out there.

Enjoy your Note 5.

EDIT; I was actually going to order a note 5 but told myself I should wait for the 6s announcement first. Last year I ordered a nexus 6 but canceled it so that I could get a little more used to iOS first and dive deeper into the app ecosystem. One year on I'm happy I did and all of my family are now on iOS too (father has been an android user since 2011, he's waiting for his 6s plus now). So I'm not an iOS user 'checking out android;' I'm an ex android user checking it out after my experience with iOS. Huge plus is that it's easier for me to not be spied on by Google in the future

 

[Taz Mangus]

Based on the OP's wording, he's not an Android user. Anyone coming from iOS to "try" Android is going to not like the way it works without taking the time to understand the differences. I sincerely doubt using a Note 5 in the store gave someone with an open mind, let alone one with a bias, enough time to make an informed decision.

I've used Notes in the past and slowly grew tired of them. I bought my Note 5 thinking I would just flip it in a month or two for the new Moto X, Nexus 6P or 1+2. But after using it for a week, I had no interest in any of those devices; the software and hardware are top notch, and has been a fantastic user experience for me. Something I would have not predicted just using a demo unit in a store.

But really, you know all this...

What I know is that the OP expressed there opinion about a device they tried. But hey you try to explain it away. And again, the OP did say they liked the screen.

 

[ppdix]

Samsung will follow Apple... That is the problem...
They always have and always will.
Soon, they will probably have their own version of live photos and 3d touch with different names.
Can't wait for Friday! My 6s+ is already on it's way!

 

[unplugme71]

I wonder how much cash is needed for this type of program. Essentially Apple is floating the cost of the iPhone for everyone on the lease program, right? I wonder if Samsung can actually afford this.

Just think of the steady cash flow Apple will get from me:

iPhone 6S Plus ($45~/mo)
iTunes Match ($25/yr)
iCloud Storage ($1/mo)
iTunes Music ($10/mo)
iTunes Apps ($5-20/mo)
iTunes Store ($30-50/mo)

 

[unplugme71]

The difference is: Apple takes time to refine what's out there, while Samsung just rushes everything to the market.
Apple has been done that for years.

1) iPod (wasn't the first MP3 player, but made it the most popular MP3 player)
2) Multi-touch (wasn't the first device that has multi touch, but the only company that made it "right")
3) "Smartphone" (wasn't the first company to make a "smartphone", but the only company that kick started the real smartphone industry)
4) "stylus" for iPad pro (many stylus out there, but one that made the stylus right)

the list goes on and on and on.

I know and Steve even said this. Apple was not always first to market, but they made it easier and fun to use.

 

[unplugme71]

Well, it shouldn't surprise anyone, but not for the reason many are thinking.

We were predicting well over a year ago that, with subsidies going away, any maker of a higher priced phone will have to implement its own programs to help users afford them.



Exactly.



Myth. In fact, that UI comparison document explicitly said to avoid closely copying the iPhone.

Most of it was along the lines of: "iOS has easier-to-access menus and fun animations. We should have those too".

No doubt Apple had a similar document which they used to gather ideas for all their soft/hardware updates over the past year or two, which has made their phone features more on par with Samsung Note phablets.

It's not a myth. It was fact. I read the papers on it.

Closely copying and copying are pretty much the same.

If you made green ford mustangs and I made a blue ford mustang, I didn't closely copy, but I still copied.

 

[kdarling]

Samsung will follow Apple... That is the problem...
They always have and always will.

And Apple followed Samsung with smaller tablets, larger phones, and active pens. Who cares.

It's like with car makers. One puts in Bluetooth, everyone does. One puts in delay wipers, they all do. One starts using theater style dimming interior lights, now it's common as dirt. As consumers, we benefit.

It's not a myth. It was fact.

It was a myth that it was a document about copying Apple. It was a UI audit, something that any professional UI/UX person has seen or created many times. It mostly pointed out obvious UI deficiencies that did not even require an iPhone to see.

I guarantee you that Apple has done the same thing. For instance, no doubt they took note that people really liked the ability on Android to go back through a chain of linked apps... and then implemented a version of that in iOS 9.

I read the papers on it.

Since this is one of my technical fields, I read the entire document and then spent several hours comparing each suggestion with what Samsung actually used on the S2, and documenting it. Out of 126 items, only a handful of iPhone-ish items were used... and most of those Apple didn't even invent. E.g. using an image of a microphone instead of a reel-to-reel for the voice recorder, something HTC had done before Apple.

Closely copying and copying are pretty much the same. If you made green ford mustangs and I made a blue ford mustang, I didn't closely copy, but I still copied.

iPhones and Galaxies are nowhere near that close. More like if you made a blue Ford and I made a blue Chevy.

Here's the main thing: Samsung could've held back that document, but like anyone with experience in the UI field, they obviously didn't think it had much meaning. So they voluntarily included it in Apple's lawyers' request for documents. People forget this important fact.

On the reverse side, Apple fought hard to keep prior art and evidence of Samsung R&D out of the trials, knowing that it would prove that they were not the first to come up with many ideas. Blocking evidence is not an indication of wanting the truth to be known, but it's understandable because in other trials around the world where the prior art was allowed, Apple lost.

 

[unplugme71]

And Apple followed Samsung with smaller tablets, larger phones, and active pens. Who cares.

It's like with car makers. One puts in Bluetooth, everyone does. One puts in delay wipers, they all do. One starts using theater style dimming interior lights, now it's common as dirt. As consumers, we benefit.



It was a myth that it was a document about copying Apple. It was a UI audit, something that any professional UI/UX person has seen or created many times. It mostly pointed out obvious UI deficiencies that did not even require an iPhone to see.

I guarantee you that Apple has done the same thing. For instance, no doubt they took note that people really liked the ability on Android to go back through a chain of linked apps... and then implemented a version of that in iOS 9.



Since this is one of my technical fields, I read the entire document and then spent several hours comparing each suggestion with what Samsung actually used on the S2, and documenting it. Out of 126 items, only a handful of iPhone-ish items were used... and most of those Apple didn't even invent. E.g. using an image of a microphone instead of a reel-to-reel for the voice recorder, something HTC had done before Apple.



iPhones and Galaxies are nowhere near that close. More like if you made a blue Ford and I made a blue Chevy.

Here's the main thing: Samsung could've held back that document, but like anyone with experience in the UI field, they obviously didn't think it had much meaning. So they voluntarily included it in Apple's lawyers' request for documents. People forget this important fact.

On the reverse side, Apple fought hard to keep prior art and evidence of Samsung R&D out of the trials, knowing that it would prove that they were not the first to come up with many ideas. Blocking evidence is not an indication of wanting the truth to be known, but it's understandable because in other trials around the world where the prior art was allowed, Apple lost.

You are arguing it's a myth yet you are even stating facts.