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Specs don't matter? I don't get it.

Timzer said:
I'm not quite sure why so many here go by the mantra, specs don't matter. But then at the same time, so many have upgraded to the iPhone 4S. And what exactly is the difference between the two? Specs would be the difference. Of course specs matter. Specs refers to hardware, and if you don't update hardware, you can't update software. It's quite simple, if specs didn't matter, why would so many reviews say the 4S feels a bit snappier than the 4 running the same OS. Of course specs matter. If your enjoying a better camera on the 4S, that's specs. If your enjoying your snappier 4S, that's specs. In fact the 4S is described as just a 4 with a spec bump. Maybe I'm missing something, but it seems more than obvious that specs matter.
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That's a little too much logic in one paragraph for the fanboys to comprehend. It's extremely clear to Apple that specs matter, otherwise the 4S would not exist.
And your absolutely 100% correct that software cannot move forward if hardware does not allow it. Hardware = Specs. Notice how nobody explained to you why the 4S feels snappier than the 4. It's because of the new and better processor. That would be better specs. Proving specs matter.
 
It's all about the OS first. And iOS obviously has much less problems on lower specs than Android on the latest specs. This is why many Apple users are not focus in the spec race.

And yes you do have those Apple fanatics that upgrade just for the sake of upgrading, but most average people upgrade for a legitimate reason.

2G > 3G = 3G, GPS & 16GB option ..... also slightly differ design.

3G > 3GS = Twice as fast, much better battery life, Video Recording and 32GB option.

3GS > 4 = Complete differ design, twice as fast, Front camera, Retina display, 720p vid record, available on Verizon(CDMA version), etc:

4 > 4S = Twice as fast, 1080p vid record, Siri exclusive, 64GB option, fastest GPU, CDMA & GSM compatible, available on Sprint, etc:


Now given the fact iPhones are a year apart(with the exception of 4S which was longer), I think these upgrades are more than justified. ;)

Especially since iPhone holds value and you can sell and spend almost next to nothing for an upgrade.



Now look at all these Android phones that come out every time you blink your eyes. Most of them are only upgraded in small increments compared to the last big Android phone release. Yet many upgrade anyways. You should ask them why?
 
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Specs. smecks, it's what the gizmo does and how it works that matter. Specs can be a guide to what to expect, but too many times its just marketing sizzle designed to be the proverbial bell that gets us dogs salivating.

Go drive it, listen to it, use it, talk to other users, or just buy the thing and be happy. There is no perfect in life...
 
Of all the people that go to buy iPhones, I wonder what the % of people actually look at the specs before buying/upgrading it.

I have a hunch most avg consumers will go into an apple store and be shamwow into buying new sparkly toys. They will know nothing of the underlying technology but just using it feels natural, easy and beautiful. Cha ching. That or its the cool thing to have to keep up with the Jones.
 
Specs matter depending upon how well they are used. Something can have the greatest specs in the world but not be used or optimized as well as they could be and something with "lesser" specs could easily outshine it. Apple happens to be masterful at taking what they need and making the most of the hardware. Lots of others tend to promote their specs simply as their selling point, when what matters is how effectively those specs are used. That's why specs "don't matter" in that sense.

Its similar to having a football team full of talent that lacks chemistry and cohesiveness. If you don't get the most of your team and it's talent then you won't be fooling anyone.
 
ShionoyaTamaki said:
My mom asked me to buy a computer for her. She wanted 27" screen, 12Gb ram and quad core at the least. Gave me cash here.

I asked her. "So... what are you planning to use this computer for?"

She replied "My co-worker got a new computer. I want new one too to check my email and facebook"


....Evil looks in my eyes. Trots off, comes back with my old machine swapped with new 27" screen, but 2GB ram and single core lol. She never knew the difference. Woot i got new Quad core is smoking fast for meeh selfish *_^
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What kind of son scams his own mother? You should be ashamed of yourself.
 
I would say in the difference of the 4 VS the 4S the specs don't matter to me. Sure it feels snappier but its not to the point where my iPhone 4 is just crawling when accessing apps and such.

It's a matter of which OS you use mainly too. Android users seem to be more obsessed with Specs more so than iOS users. I'm guessing its because there is such a crappy Ecosystem for android that all they have is specs to market.
 
Specs do not matter, performance does.

I hear the same question in the world of car/motorcycle racing, neophytes believe that only horse power or top speed counts. Experts understand the finer points such handling, suspension, braking power, frame stability, etc.

To me all these arguments about iPhones/Macs are similar; Apple products are the Ferrari's and the other brands are just old souped up Camaro's (no offense to muscle car lovers, they do have their charm).
 
openendstraight said:
What kind of son scams his own mother? You should be ashamed of yourself.
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Lol. i feel no shame because i know my mom well.

She only wants new toys to hold the right to brag and get the physiological feel of having the best. In the past she wanted the best camera and insisted on a dSLR, i bought it, but has only taken fewer than a dozen pictures in the past 1.5yrs. Didn't even un-box it for the first 7months.

It is a win-win for both parties. She gets the physiological sensation without noticing anything under the hood. I get to reap the benefit of actually utilizing it. No $$$ wasted. Infact, doctors use this practice a lot, they will just prescribe something that shouldn't really do much, but the patient magically feels better.
 
openendstraight said:
What kind of son scams his own mother? You should be ashamed of yourself.
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He prevented that the mother got ripped off by the computer store - how kind of him to rip her off himself instead.

----------

ShionoyaTamaki said:
It is a win-win for both parties. She gets the physiological sensation without noticing anything under the hood. I get to reap the benefit of actually utilizing it. No $$$ wasted. Infact, doctors use this practice a lot, they will just prescribe something that shouldn't really do much, but the patient magically feels better.
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Your mother has nonetheless wasted $$$, and the only difference is that it was you who took the extra money instead of the computer store making it through the sale.

Don't compare this with a doctor who prescribes a weaker drug to avoid unnecessary complications - the doctor has no personal interest in doing so, unlike the way you take advantage of your mother's ignorance and her trust in you.
 
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anonymous guy said:
Specs don't matter until the execs at Apple conferences tell you they do.
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Very well said.

Apple models hypocrisy to it's flock. The impressionable ones take the bait hook, line & sinker. If Apple makes a claim the flock regurgitate the same verbage over, and over for years.

Even if no longer relevant the slogans live on as truth within the walled garden of safety & security. Saving the masses from having to think for themselves.

"specs don't matter"
If challenged by a device with better specs, the worshipers have two standard responses.

1) "specs don't matter
OR
2) "you're a spec whore" as they bash users of other devices.

Here's another:
" It just works" duh? Isn't it supposed to work ?

The inference is that Apple works better.
The problem arrises when Apple doesn't work like Antennagate.

Then they use massive denial .. Always a double standard in Apples favor.

They are immune to responsibility.
 
vitzr said:
Very well said.

Apple models hypocrisy to it's flock. The impressionable ones take the bait hook, line & sinker. If Apple makes a claim the flock regurgitate the same verbage over, and over for years.

Even if no longer relevant the slogans live on as truth within the walled garden of safety & security. Saving the masses from having to think for themselves.

"specs don't matter"
If challenged by a device with better specs, the worshipers have two standard responses.

1) "specs don't matter
OR
2) "you're a spec whore" as they bash users of other devices.

Here's another:
" It just works" duh? Isn't it supposed to work ?

The inference is that Apple works better.
The problem arrises when Apple doesn't work like Antennagate.

Then they use massive denial .. Always a double standard in Apples favor.

They are immune to responsibility.
Click to expand...

"they" are immune to responsibility? Who is they? Because if you're referring to fans, since when do fans have the responsibility of desigining things like antennas properly?

You're pretty bad at this debate thing if you like to lump all fans together like this. And when challenged with a device with better specs, congratulations, the device has better specs. You win the best specs contest. Does that mean you have the better product? Not necessarily, and not by a mile. Does it work better? I'd like to see if it does, because thats what matters. You act as if apple messing up the antenna is the first time a company has had a design flaw. If you want to get more into it, why do others always use specs as their counter to apple products? It's more than likely because that spec sheet it all they have.

You sound very bitter.
 
ABernardoJr said:
"they" are immune to responsibility? Who is they? Because if you're referring to fans, since when do fans have the responsibility of desigining things like antennas properly?

You're pretty bad at this debate thing if you like to lump all fans together like this. And when challenged with a device with better specs, congratulations, the device has better specs. You win the best specs contest. Does that mean you have the better product? Not necessarily, and not by a mile. Does it work better? I'd like to see if it does, because thats what matters. You act as if apple messing up the antenna is the first time a company has had a design flaw. If you want to get more into it, why do others always use specs as their counter to apple products? It's more than likely because that spec sheet it all they have.

You sound very bitter.
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Oops the truth must have hit a nerve.

Just reporting the facts, doesn't bother me.

To the contrary it's hilarious to witness.
 
It's very simple.

I don't care whether a phone, tablet or computer has a single, dual or quad core processor. I just care about how quickly it does the things I want it to do. Note that just because a computer has better specs doesn't always mean it does things more quickly.

Same with cameras. I want the best picture quality I can get. 5mp, 8mp or 13mp? Again - doesn't matter to me. I'll take whichever looks best.

That's why specs don't matter. Output does.
 
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1278467/

Timzer said:
I'm not quite sure why so many here go by the mantra, specs don't matter. But then at the same time, so many have upgraded to the iPhone 4S. And what exactly is the difference between the two? Specs would be the difference. Of course specs matter. Specs refers to hardware, and if you don't update hardware, you can't update software. It's quite simple, if specs didn't matter, why would so many reviews say the 4S feels a bit snappier than the 4 running the same OS. Of course specs matter. If your enjoying a better camera on the 4S, that's specs. If your enjoying your snappier 4S, that's specs. In fact the 4S is described as just a 4 with a spec bump. Maybe I'm missing something, but it seems more than obvious that specs matter.
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Why do you care? You have buyers remorse anyway...... the 4s doesn't interest you so you should move on to another phone and another forum.

-Garry- said:
It's very simple.

I don't care whether a phone, tablet or computer has a single, dual or quad core processor. I just care about how quickly it does the things I want it to do......
That's why specs don't matter. Output does.
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This.
hayesk said:
Specs matter in the production of a product, but user experience is the most important aspect to the customer.
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and this
 
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There really ought to be a Godwin's Law for the word fanboy. If you can't make an argument without calling someone a fanboy, then you don't have an argument.

Specs matter in the development of the device. Specs don't matter to non-geek (i.e. the vast majority) of customers, because, well, they don't understand them, nor should they.

When I buy a toaster, I don't check to see the BTU rating of the heating elements inside. I read reviews to see if it toasts evenly. That's not a spec. People view phones that way too. Does it make phone calls? Is it nice to browse the web on? Does it have lots of apps? When most people upgrade, it's because something isn't running as well as they'd like. Sure they want to know it's faster, but they don't care about the actual Ghz rating, because they don't need to know. They just want to know that it's faster and the new stuff will run well.

Do you buy a car based solely on the horsepower spec? No need to take it for a test drive right?
How about a sofa? Do you just get the measurements and not consider how it looks or how comfortable it is?
What about clothes? Aren't comfort and style important too, or do you just compare the size and material?

Specs matter in the production of a product, but user experience is the most important aspect to the customer.
 
I have an idea - take specs out of the equation. Tell me what you can do with your phone. Then maybe we can have real discussions and debates.

I'll show you people who have banded together to make songs with nothing but their phones: iPhone Music Creation


And then I'll show you websites devoted to nothing but iPhone photography


And then I'll show you a film festival thats all about making movies on the iPhone: iPhone film festival


Look, specs are important, I don't debate that - but this 4" screen widget blah blah blah argument is getting old. We went through this with the Mac vs Windows BS. Let's be a little more creative and tell us some exciting things that you can do with your phone other than look at it's big screen.
 
Specs don't matter when the experience is great. iOS devices are pushed in this way.

End-users don't buy i-devices as piece-parts, they're not built themselves. Therefore, most ios users care less about processor speeds, GPU bandwidth, and ram clocks. If their experience is smooth, and performs what they want, that's what matters to them.

Better hardware does not = better experience. Poor software, patchy integration, cumbersome UIs can make the best hardware useless. In addition - not everyone wants to game, not everyone wants to take 1080p video.

Some people just want a smooth experience, and this is the spec that they're paying a premium for.
 
When asked if Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) on the Galaxy Nexus was the "first Android phone to equal, if not surpass the iPhone in terms of OS quality (e.g. in fluidity, usability, ux)" Joshua Topolsky, reviewer for the verge and fan of the iPhone, said "yes".

Given that benchmarks (i.e. hardware/specs tests) indicate that the Galaxy Nexus is faster than the iPhone 4s for most things, I wonder how many people here would agree that the Galaxy Nexus is equal, if not superior, to the iPhone 4S...:eek:
 
Of course specs matter who thinks otherwise is in denial. Doesn't the iPhone specs keep getting better on each release?

We are talking about electronics, computers, technology, how can the specs not matter? if they didn't we would all still be rocking Pentium 2 machines and Nokia Flip phones.

Specs like bigger screen, 4G LTE, memory, processor, etc etc matter. If they didn't smartphones wouldn't keep getting better and better. It would be like someone saying a 1989 Mustang GT can take a 2007 Corvette. Look under the hood and get a clue. If you're stuck with the Mustang great, but don't discredit the Corvette because you don't have one.
 
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