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What if the android had came first...

A

Apple-NoEscape

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Mar 25, 2010
467
0
United Kingdom
Like the title.
What if way back (few years ago) when apple decided to take the smartphone world by storm, what if it had not been Apple but google with their nexus one or something similiar.
Do you feel it would now be Apple 'struggling' (I use the term loosely) to take lead of the smartphone Market?
 
What if the phone came before the iPhone?

What if an online music store came before iTunes?

What if an mp3 player came before the iPod?

See where I'm going with this?

;)
 
lorenwade said:
What if the phone came before the iPhone?

What if an online music store came before iTunes?

What if an mp3 player came before the iPod?

See where I'm going with this?

;)
Click to expand...

Going to have to disagree with you on them two. Dumb phones still well outsell smartphones and most people download music illegally these days.

I reckon if google had named their operationg sytem 'google' or something that connected it to them, then it would sell so many more. People know and trust google.
 
Apple-NoEscape said:
Going to have to disagree with you on them two. Dumb phones still well outsell smartphones and most people download music illegally these days.
Click to expand...

Okay, whether "dumb" phones outsell smartphones or not is irrelevant. I'm simply saying the iPhone is a huge moneymaker and owns the market. In fact, the iPhone actually is the most popular mobile phone in the US (yes, even for "dumb" phones). So technically, I could revise my statement by saying "What if a mobile phone came before the iPhone" or "What if a smartphone came before the iPhone" but it doesn't matter.

Secondly, of course people download illegally. Since we can't calculate that number, why don't we compare iTunes music store with other music stores. I never said anything about downloading illegally, I am comparing music stores with music stores. In that regard, a few years ago Jobs announced iTunes as the most popular music store, also making it the largest online video store.

My points still stand. Apple made hits out of all of those things even though they previously existed. That is to say, if Android came before the iPhone, it still wouldn't matter. People would be lining up for the next iPhone all the same.
 
Google apparently stated they has the Android OS way before Apple.

However what their "prototype" Android OS they showed to Apple way back in 2004/2005 was completely different than what they revealed to the world in late 2007.

Apple was quite surprised Google had changed their prototype Mobile OS to closely mimic Apple's iPhone
OS.

This is article about Google states Steve Jobs is rewriting history
http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2010/07/09/larry-page-jobs-is-rewriting-history/

It will be always a debate. Since google claims they started Android 2 years before Aplle introduced it's iPhone in 2007. And Apple will fire back that the iPhone concept dates way back to the early 2000s.

Now Apple is claiming the original iPhone OS was originally designed for the iPad. Who knows what to believe.
 
Sheesh-
Guess people don't understand the point of a hypothetical question;

My guess is no; Apple's entire approach is what put them so far ahead of the curve, they design around the USER not the FEATURES. The smartphone market, just like the personal computer, television, camcorder and... hell- ALL consumer electronics markets has been completely ignoring general consumers.

They've been catering to the enterprise, business and tech savvy markets, considering the smartphone market to be a fringe community of gadget-geeks and tech-addicts. What Apple did was take existing tech and ideas, and engineered them into a beautifully simple and streamlined package that appealed to a far wider demographic... thus they essentially CREATED their own market out of thin air.

Even today, Android, Blackberry (and the rest of them) keep injecting sensational features and headline grabbing benchmarks into their devices expecting that the nerds will come in droves with their friends and families in tow... yet Apple is dominating by making products that seem so simple, stylish and un-intimidating, the the 'regular' people are realizing that true functionality comes from accessibility... not features.

Just look at Apple's commercials- 30 seconds of video and you already know how to use an iPhone and all of it's features! The Android OS just doesn't give that impression.

The other day a friend demoed his Incredible for me- while it I was quite impressed with the technology, the UI just felt so overbearing and unnecessarily complicated compared to doing similar tasks in iOS.
 
People would still line up yes, buts it does seem all about the logo, people know apples name so it's the 'cool' thing too own. Would apple be as popular without that little apple? I'm not really sure.

As I say if google had came out first and actually connected their phone with them it most likely would of taken off as dratically as iPhone did. Ask someone what search engine they use and 99% of the time it will be google.

Don't get me wrong I like Apple, I have a MacBook and a iPhone, I'm not some Apple hater that sits here all day dreaming of Apples demise.
 
Apple-NoEscape said:
People would still line up yes, buts it does seem all about the logo, people know apples name so it's the 'cool' thing too own. Would apple be as popular without that little apple? I'm not really sure.

As I say if google had came out first and actually connected their phone with them it most likely would of taken off as dratically as iPhone did. Ask someone what search engine they use and 99% of the time it will be google.

Don't get me wrong I like Apple, I have a MacBook and a iPhone, I'm not some Apple hater that sits here all day dreaming of Apples demise.
Click to expand...

The point is kind of moot though as there were two revolutionary things about the iPhone.

The part you are alluding to, software, interface, etc. is something that Google could have possibly come up with before Apple and came to market.

The second revolutionary aspect is how iPhone was first sold. As far as we can tell, there was a quid pro quo between Apple and ATT that ATT got exclusivity on the phone as long as Apple retained control over branding, software, etc. Given what phones looked like, i have doubts a Google/Motorola/Verizon partnership would have broken the model of crippled phones by carriers and really expensive value added features.
 
appleguy123 said:
The point is that Androids would be completely different if it were not for iPhone. It's like asking why can't a unicorn have two horns.
Click to expand...

It's replies like this that demonstrate the blind worship of the Apple followers. No matter how reasonable or intelligent the question is, if you're not putting Apple on a pedestal, the fanboys will respond with insults, name calling, & other inappropriate behavior. Apples culture is a know it all paradise. Reality is what Steve Jobs tells them it is. In the Apple Ecosystem, there is no room for anything but blind faith. Reality is metered out, thereby saving the followers from having to think for themselves.
 
wirelessmacuser said:
It's replies like this that demonstrate the blind worship of the Apple followers. No matter how reasonable or intelligent the question is, if you're not putting Apple on a pedestal, the fanboys will respond with insults, name calling, & other inappropriate behavior. Apples culture is a know it all paradise. Reality is what Steve Jobs tells them it is. In the Apple Ecosystem, there is no room for anything but blind faith. Reality is metered out, thereby saving the followers from having to think for themselves.
Click to expand...

What he says is true though. The original inception of the Android was a Blackberry style phone device. You can even see it here: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/Android_mobile_phone_platform_early_device.jpg

Had it not been for such a close relationships between Apple and Google at the time, the touch-style iteration of the Android Platform would not have been ready until many years later.
 
it does not matter who came out with what first, its a matter of how well it works. you can see it when most vendor starts to copy it
 
Apple-NoEscape said:
Don't get me wrong I like Apple, I have a MacBook and a iPhone, I'm not some Apple hater that sits here all day dreaming of Apples demise.
Click to expand...

I have been an Apple customer & enthusiast for a long time. I've used their laptops before there was such a thing as an iPhone. My personal laptop is a new Core i7 MacBook Pro.*

There is only one aspect of Apple that I find distasteful. The arrogant culture. There is plenty of business for everyone. Success can be achieved without arrogance. Success is the result of good teamwork. The result of listening as well as speaking. I'm outspoken in my posts simply because if not for customer feedback, little progress would be made. I report my real world experience with a variety of products, in different forums. The only place where my posts are attacked is in an Apple forum. Why? Simple, I am not afraid to point out problems with the product. In other forums we are respected for sharing. In an Apple forum one is attacked.*
 
while I like hypothetical mind games, ther is a tendency to take hypothetical outcomes too seriously. There is also a tendency to think we would eventually get to something that resembles current reality.

Most likey, had someone else come up with an iPhone-like device, they would be market leader, but unless they kept innovating, they would be surpassed. The OP chose an example that is derivative of the iPhone, an hence the misunderstanding of the replies.

Apple has taken the lead in revolutionizing the way we interface with technology. Apple didn't invent these technologies, the GUI, the MP3 player, the iTunes/App Store concept, the smart phone, but refined them in imaginative, ergonomic ways that click with people. Had any other company done these things, it would be an apple of a different name.
 
There's far too much hype, marketing and trendsetting that goes on. The android market is largely a reactionary market to the success of the iPhone... The rebound behavior is largely manufactured via marketing which encourages the rebellion by emphasizing "individuality" .. for every Brittany Spears there's an Averil Lavigne (sp?) waiting to be marketed to the fringe... That's not to say Android is a bad product... Just that if it weren't for the iPhone "squares" there wouldn't be a demand for something more "uncomformist" :D
 
Its so competitive right now, but id still stay with the iphone, even though theres really no flash except with cloud browse lol.
 
wirelessmacuser said:
I have been an Apple customer & enthusiast for a long time. I've used their laptops before there was such a thing as an iPhone. My personal laptop is a new Core i7 MacBook Pro.*

There is only one aspect of Apple that I find distasteful. The arrogant culture. There is plenty of business for everyone. Success can be achieved without arrogance. Success is the result of good teamwork. The result of listening as well as speaking. I'm outspoken in my posts simply because if not for customer feedback, little progress would be made. I report my real world experience with a variety of products, in different forums. The only place where my posts are attacked is in an Apple forum. Why? Simple, I am not afraid to point out problems with the product. In other forums we are respected for sharing. In an Apple forum one is attacked.*
Click to expand...

What a sensible and very true reply......every technological product on the market today has its pros and cons....and most forums are great for discussions about these....except on this one!!!...far to many people thinking that apple products are the best in every way..they are not of course .....very good yes but not the best by a mile...i use a macbook pro lap top..brilliant machine...but use a very high spec windows 7 home computer....and for the price the imac does not come close...maybe a macpro would..but for a considerable more amount of money...and the iphone4...great phone when they sort the teething problems out,but personally i use android...tends to br more work base then the iphone which is a great leisure phone...both brands apple or android(google) are great at what they do,and on a site like this you cant really expect anybody to agree,as cetain users on this form think that if apple made a car it would be the best out there...as we all know they wouldnt be....
 
Apple-NoEscape said:
Going to have to disagree with you on them two. Dumb phones still well outsell smartphones and most people download music illegally these days.

I reckon if google had named their operationg sytem 'google' or something that connected it to them, then it would sell so many more. People know and trust google.
Click to expand...
I'm offended. A thing is 'downloading illigal music' does not exist over here, in The Netherlands. (By law we are allowed to download as much music as we want, we are just not allowed to upload any music).
 
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