13 ways a Nexus One is better than an iPhone
To my utter amazement, my teenage son has switched from an iPhone to a Nexus One. He can’t exactly explain why he likes it more, but this was enough for me to give it a long hard look. He also told me he switched to Chrome from Safari, and he has a good point on both counts.
I’ve compiled a list of ways that I think a Nexus One is better than an iPhone, an iPhone is better than a Nexus One, and how they equally suck. I could be wrong about shortcomings of both phones because I’m not an anal geek tester. I’m just a “normal user” albeit one with Exchange.
13 ways the Nexus One is better than the iPhone
- “Open system” so that, God forbid, if someone can create a better browser, address book, calendar, or email client, you can install it. Somebody at Apple thinks it has the monopoly on good app development. He or she is wrong.
- Actions are snappier. This is hard to quantify, but things seem to happen faster and crisper on a Nexus One than on an iPhone.
- Flash for the camera. Maybe Apple employees are always in well-lit places, but this isn’t true for me.
- The same charger for the Nexus One works with Bluetooth headsets. That’s just one less thing to carry, and one less plug in your car.
- Ability to type a period without going to another screen. I know the iPhone can do this automatically, but only at the end of sentences. I need it for email addresses and links.
- Alphabetic list of all installed apps (without having to hook up to iTunes on a computer). Sometimes don’t you want to see a nice list of everything?
- Anchored application icons on the home page—as opposed to how iPhone’s reorder themselves automatically in what can only be described as a crapshoot unless you use iTunes.
- Reasonable way to install beta versions of applications as opposed to the UDID iPhone insanity.
- Non-Facist app-store approval process. I’ve gotten so many “We submitted it to Apple. It could be a couple of weeks before it’s approved” emails that I want to puke.
- Persistent “elevator” in the vertical scroll bar. I like to know where I am in a long list (for example, email inbox). The iPhone only shows the elevator when you are scrolling. It disappears as soon as you stop scrolling.
- Better organization of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth settings. Nexus One: Settings—>Wireless & Networks has both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth settings. iPhone: Settings—>gets you to Wi-Fi but then you have to go to General to get to Bluetooth.
- Five guesses for the word that I’m typing instead of one. I’ve seen Nexus One display as many as fifteen if you horizontally scroll.
- Replaceable battery. Duh.
4 ways the iPhone is better than the Nexus One
- Name. With the infinite money that Google has, “Nexus One” is the best name it could come up with? Holy kaw!
- Syncing your Calendar with Exchange. The Nexus One’s inability to do this astounds me. It must be because Google employees only use Gmail.
- Syncing Contacts with Exchange. Google says this can be done, but I can’t get it to work completely. Specifically, I have 7,461 contacts in Exchange, Address Book (on my MacBook), and Gmail. My Nexus One shows 7,202 contacts when displaying only Gmail contacts; 60 when displaying only Exchange contacts; and 7,537 when displaying both. I assume this is my fault, but I’ve really tried to make it work. But the truth is that I can live with this disparity, but it offends my organized mind.
- More applications—only time will tell how this shakes out. Today, the essential ones that I use are there: Seesmic, Evernote, TripIt, and Fandango plus enough games for my kids. I do miss Tweetie—I hope that Loren will come to his senses.
5 ways the iPhone and Nexus One equally suck
- Dependence on AT&T. That’s all we need: another popular smartphone that uses AT&T. Yes, Nexus One can use Tmobile, but let’s be serious. God help us if Apple makes a tablet that updates automatically using AT&T. Google says that the Nexus One will be available for Verizon this spring.
- One-day battery life. I guess smartphone users just have to live with this shortcoming—but I thought Apple had the exclusive on sucky battery life.
- Why can’t Apple and Google put a “.com” button on the keyboard used for email applications? Am I the only person in the world who types “.com” many times in email?
- How about Flash? My bet is that Nexus One will have it before iPhone, though.
- How about demo versions of applications so we that can try before we buy? (Update: You have twenty-four hours to return an Android app for refund. How much can you learn in twenty-four hours, though?)
By the way, if you get a Nexus One, you should know this. When you add an application, it doesn’t automatically appear on the home page. You have to choose to display it. My prediction is that lots of people will “know” they installed something but cannot find it. Google should change this logic. Imagine if you bought songs in iTunes, but they didn’t appear in your iPod automatically.
Summary
The Nexus One is a serious challenge to the iPhone—particularly because this is version 1 of Nexus One while the iPhone has been out for years. It is the phone that Palm should have created, but that’s another story.
Right now I cannot use a Nexus One as my primary phone because it cannot sync my calendar (something my teenage son doesn’t care about), I use it all the time (without a SIM card, just as a Wi-Fi device) while my iPhone charges around the house. The day that calendar syncing works will be very interesting.
Disclosure: Google sent me two Nexus Ones.
Comments (107)
also, no native Arabic support (only htc magic from STC/Etisalat with android 1.5 have Arabic .. )
sometimes it has.. i have an htc tattoo with android 1.6 ..
Also with HTML5 growing it would circumvent the need of FLASH as well the App Store since apps can then be fully run in the browser breaking the Apple stranglehold of their phone ecosystem.
,Michael Martin
http://themoneyspins.blogspot.com/
11) is rather lazy, but understandable.
for the "both suck" category, certain loads of the keyboard let u have a .com button. its weird.
You can add any bookmark and use Bettercut to change the icon.
"How about demo versions of applications so we that can try before we buy?"
You do have 24 hours to return the app for a refund if you don't like it, at least.
You forgot to mention iPod, tons of content on iTunes, 60K apps in the App Store, mobile gaming, much more--all of which favor the iPhone.
All I read here was, "I'm bored and like to play with the newest toy" and "I like blogging so I can complain".
You should be able to do this on Android. Just long-press any blank spot on the wallpaper, then add a shortcut.
I never watch video or listen to music on my iPhone. These capabilities don't matter to me.
Guy
No one is forcing you to read my blog....
Guy
Have you used it yet? If not, how do you know what its user experience is like? I've had two for two weeks.
Guy
Good point, but it's not just AT&T data that doesn't work for me. POCC (plain old cell calls) drop all the time. More AT&T customers can't be a good thing for us, right?
Guy
iPhone better than N1:
5. You can create a direct link to a bookmark in Android, dude! :)
Equally suck:
3. In Android that is Keyboard based - some keyboard replacements do this already. Also based on the type of feidl you're typing into. Stock doesn't do it though, but it does bring up the "@" symbol in email fields for sure.
5. 24 hours is plenty, and you'll find it's 24 more than you get with an iPhone fart app! Also many many devs release free demo versions of their apps.
I have an iPhone. It sucks when someone sends you a link you can't watch until you get home. I have a black macbook. I will never go back to Windows, or at least I dont think I ever will.
I dont use Safari or IE, I use Firefox.
I don't use Zune, I have ipods (nano and shuffle). I just bought my mother a Nano for Xmas. It's perfect for her.
So lets call a spade a spade. Nexus One is superior over iPhone, all day, everyday.
Nexus One > iPhone
As an end user I don't want open source bullshit on my device as well as I am not feeling like i am a beta tester for google.
When you are reviewing something better be objective not subjective Your review is very disappointing since I used to like your ideas and your enthusiasm on different subjects before.
nexus one is an imitation to capture revenue stream from low budgeted google fanatics.
How is my review not objective? I don't work for Google nor was I paid for the review.
Have you used a Nexus One or are you just condemning something sight unseen?
Guy
How do you create a direct link? I want an icon on the desktop for sites.
Guy
What i meant by being subjective is the review is not really advantages for most end users, you believe it is an advantage which i believe they are disadvantage like installing beta apps to your device and using an open source operating system on your device and not getting a professional support.
Yes I had the privilege to actually try nexus one itself.
I hope my comment didn't upset you however I was so shocked to see this from you..
So reviewers cannot have opinions in your book. All we can say is, "The Nexus One weighs 16 grams."
If, in my opinion, it's a good thing that it's easy to install beta apps, I cannot say this?
Then, by the same token, you cannot say that Open Source is a bad thing for phone software. That is your subjective belief, right?
Guy
As long as you bookmark the site in the browser, just long press on the homepage and you can select shortcuts to create a shortcut to apps, bookmarks, direct dial, etc. Or use AnyCut.
Apple products are lifestyle products just like the new Google phone, they are bought in a an attempt to raise your social status like any expensive product, messed up as that it that, that's consumerism at its peak.We are measured by what we have, not what we do or achieve or what we put back into society. As long as we get to mince about flashing a new phone that seems to keep the masses happy until the next one maybe 7 months later so that your social status drops cos you still have that old shoddy version that doesn't have version 3.0 that wipes your arse.It never stops..... can someone actually make a product that will last, is that too much to ask not only for peoples sanity but for the environemnt . Go Read Aldous Huxelys Brave New World.
I am also fed up with the constant referal to 100,000 apps!!!! this doesnt matter a bit when 90% are crud. with so many useless apps it actually makes finding them even more difficult. They way people go on about these smartphones suggest real addication. They are only phones and if you have enough time to sit playing apps and tweeting all day I suggest you have a good look at your life and realise it is impoverished. Maybe leave your phone at home and go for a walk with your girlfriend.......ah I see.
Go read the fantastic George Monbiot and you might realise that Apple and Google are just selling you stuff so you will buy more stuff in a never ending cycle of of stuff that brings no true value to this world. I bought the G1 when it came out and have also had extensive use of the Iphone at the end of the day and the main thing I've noticed is that I now check my bloody phone more often and most sensible people think your a bit of a nob.
Dont get me started on ITunes either what a frustrating piece of crap ....................................ahhhh I feel better after that rant. Must dash I'm off the fondle my smartphone.
@michael, u r too funny.. u made me ask myself if these people HAVE girlfriends? keep on rocking!
people wake up and spend time with your children, parents, in nature and leave those life suckers out of your life, they stop u from living.....
One thing I think you should add making the top list 14 ways the Nexus One is better than iphone is "Customization".
Android has home screens with the ability to hold widgets and app shortcuts (icons). Which can be placed in many different arrangements. As well as the option to have any picture you want. The possibilities are totally endless.
Widgets - they are probably one of the most time save things about Android. Being able to toggle on and off your wifi, Bluetooth, GPS, sync and screen brightness is just one of the amazingly easy to use widgets that comes stock on any Android phone 1.6 and up. There are also a lot more in the market to help you customize your phone even more.
Flash - isn't coming to the iphone because apple has some very interesting things lined up using html5. Android can use html5 as well (later models), but the entire ecosystem of html5 still has a ways to go before we see it widely used on both platforms. Flash will be nice for Android and other mobile phones though.
Apps Arrangement- The app tray (or the grid button located on the bottom of the screen that pops up the apps when you press it) is arranged in alphabetical order ( I could see how this could be a little annoying if you're used to arranging your apps wherever you want them with your computer).
Syncing- This is a touchy subject for some. Yes the syncing issues with the Android are still getting the kinks worked out. But like iphone being built around the mac ecosystem, Android is build around Googles web based ecosystem. This could take a little adjustment, but after you migrate over. The Nexus One (Android) user is now never limited to only their personal computer to access their information. Google has provided many very apps and they continues to develop their ecosystem to be compatible with every major home computer platform.
Apps - The Android market has grown at a slower pace at the start, but as we've seen as the more users come to use Android phones the demand becomes greater. The amount of apps will grow as the community grows.
Keyboards- I have to say one this subject both phones do have the option to change the stock keyboard and use a custom keyboards. So I'd actually pull it from the list.
I imagine you've had an iphone for a while and have grown used to it to where you are comfortable with it's form and functions. This is expected. Just like millions of others you took advantage of the best phone on the market at the time. I don't blame you. I on the other hand just happen to stumble in a T-mobile store to compare prices when I was introduced to the G1. I was hooked, probably because I had not had a chance to try an iphone before I saw the G1. After weighing my options, I decided to go with the G1, because I realized Android potential right away. I for saw Android getting better over time and becoming at the place that it is today. I am considered the black sheep in my family, but I don't care.
I say give the Nexus One a real month and adopt Gmail and Google calendar and all the other Google apps that go with it. I'm convinced that with enough time using the phone, you will only use your iphone for a few things. MP3 in the car ;)
http://dl.google.com/googlecalendarsync/GoogleCalendarSync_Installer.exe
I respect your view that a managed phone is right for you. It's not right for me as a software developer. It's not right for many of my customers. With my desktop products, I often make special builds for specific customers to fix a particular problem they are having immediately or test out a new feature idea. We don't need the software equivalent of Chairman Mao inserting itself into the relationship.
If you've bought into the concept of managed platform, you love it. If you see Apple's review process as meddling, you hate it. Different strokes for different folks. As a long-time Apple fan and a guy who has 2 iPhone 3GS's, I am ecstatic that Google and Verizon have chosen to accentuate this particular difference with the platforms. Guy didn't exaggerate with his "fascist" blast. I hope that somebody high up at Apple will see that, yes, this managed platform thing got them this far, but it will limit them as a niche player going forward. And I will certainly be picking up a Nexus One in the near future.
No way!
Wel btw I need just one reason to say Nexus is a good strike flash camera! lol.
http://themoneyspins.blogspot.com/2010/01/nexus-of-nexus-one-wrap-ups.html
Am not sure what your experience has been with Verizon, but there's a note out there that O2 is also having problems with the shear amount of data that the iPhone users are pushing and Verizon has never had a real world test of the ability to handle that much data as AT&T has been the only network to run with the iPhone.
Personally I think that everything will come to a head if Verizon ever gets the iPhone and when they find out that they've not upscaled anything because they figure they don't have to. Then they'll be in the same corner as AT&T trying to fight off people wanting their money back, suing for false advertising, etc.
Nexus One...sad name. You're right about that. Why wouldn't they just called it GoogleMobile or something hip. Strange.
Synching...nobody has a perfect model for this. I use Mobile Me, but I also sync all of my contacts to google and yahoo just for grins so that if my addressbook gets swallowed at least there's a copy somewhere.
Battery life...bone of contention all around. Everytime I restore my iphone the battery life gets better and better. Not sure why that is, but am keeping on with that.
I think it's comical for people to say that you can't do more than one thing on the iPhone because I do this all the time. Make calls, search for things, send emails in the calls, make appts, etc. Talking and playing games...give me a break. That's for losers that are just rude.
Icons...love the iPhone icons and the ability to move them around. What I want and have already emailed those guys about is...a secret :)
Have an amazing day.
Mike
I use a Mac.
Guy
Each time I just can't line up the hype with the device in my hand.
Sure there are nice qualities for each. The Pre's address book is really innovative. Ok great but the rest of the device was very slow, the screen is very small and the hardware felt like it was already falling apart.
The Droid has a really nice screen that is very detailed. Wonderful. It had decent build quality in general but the keyboard was total trash, unusable. I can't understand how anyone would want to tolerate that thing connected to a device you carry all the time.
The software on every Android I have used was really uncomfortable and unintuitive. I am not talking iPhone user can't adjust annoying. I am talking just bad and wrong and not clear what is happening. Maybe the iPhone is too simple but Android has too much surface area. Too many ways to access things it starts to feel like an annoying "feature" phone of 5 years ago. Buttons did not make sense to me and there is this constant question of when am I supposed to use the soft-keys at the bottom of the device. What is the roller for when I can point? I am not saying there is nothing compelling about these devices but it's just that, well, I am only going to carry one device and the iPhone is a pleasure to use.
So I will try my best to head down to a T-Mobile store with an open mind and spend some time with the nexus. I expect it to the be very thin and excellent in terms of build quality. And I will try to be open about the OS but really Android seems very cheap and linuxy to me. I don't enjoy using it, rather I find it often frustrating and annoying.
Would I rather iPhone had a higher MP camera? Sure. Would a flash for the camera be good? Yes, no question there. Would I rather devs had more flexibility with the app store so that I don't have to hear them complain anymore? Big yes. But all that aside at the end of the day I want a device I like to use - that is more important than any one spec.
Still if these devices push Apple harder - fine.
Great summary... I'm actually getting a kick out of some of the comments that appear to be defensive of the iPhone. Maybe they didn't read the part where you said the lists reflect things that matter to you personally. For many the iPhone will be a better device. I've had both and the main reason I switched is Verizon + open application market.
On calendar access, does the Nexus not have a Corporate Calendar? I have this on my Droid (Android 2.0), I would have assumed it would have been on 2.1 as well.
Bill
The Exchange sync issues at the moment will be sorted, just a question of time. The only thing that annoys me is that turn by turn navigation only works in the US.
Unlike the Apple folks here I think the Android UI is amazing. It is so easy to use and can be customized my way, not Steve Job's way. Like someone else mentioned the Widgets are priceless and save so much time and effort.
I also love the fact that you can use any memory card with the phone, and I have heard that soon apps will be available running from the SD card without having to "root" the phone.
I haven't tried the Nexus One myself, but I've been running Android for more than a year, and to me there is no other alternative. I will definitely buy the Nexus One when I'm in the UK or US.
Let me just say that I am really fatigued by the "iPhone killer" and superiority claims. I think it's fair, as you do, to compare. Let's face it, the iPhone is a very popular phone. What kills me, is the defensiveness and personal investment so many iPhone and Apple users have when another product comes along.
Honestly, I'm less interested in whether one device can "kill" the other. (I don't get this myopic obsession with there only being room for one thing to be really good.) I am more interested in if a piece of technology meets my needs -- and is aesthetically pleasing. Given what I've read so far, the Nexus One seems to fit that bill. I'm on Verizon, so I'll have to wait a while before the N1 is available. Hopefully in the time, there will be more real-world, objective reviews.
I don't quite get the knocks about multi-touch. If one has never used a device with multi-touch, do you even notice or care that it's not there? Is a tap or double-tap to enlarge or shrink a screen really that much of an inconvenience? That sounds more like iPhone/Apple users griping because they want everything to be like what they have.
I don't use iTunes (I have a Zune), so the gripe about not having iTunes integration seems, again, like iPhone user gripes. However, the prospect of carrying one less device around with me is appealing, so I will have to look at the music app ability more closely.
I am also pretty fascinated by Nexus and in my opinion, Google's move to sell the phone Unlocked directly to the user is a brilliant move. Now people could freely buy the phone without any irritating contract attachments. I read somewhere that with a $529 price tag for the unlocked phone chances are even AT&T folks would buy the phone and use it, which would still be cheaper than the Iphone (when you account for the plan price).
I totally agree with your problem with syncing the calender, I hope Mario Queiroz is following your blog!! As for the Apps, with the commence and hype of the Nexus one, I'm sure developers would flock with applications on the Android market space. But this only time can tell!!
Thanks for this great post.
Regards
Hari
The media player on the "Google" phone is also very dated and doesn't stack up to the iPhone in the least.
The HTC phone also lacks the seamless syncing with your desktop that no one has matched yet.
Not a very objective review by the way.
Definitely enjoyed & appreciated this review. You're right... Flash will almost definitely hit the N1 before the iPhone... that alone would sell me, mostly because of the development opportunities.
Being as that Palm announced the new Pre Plus today w/Flash (via TechCrunch from CES http://ow.ly/TPBH), I wouldn't be surprised if Flash based apps / mobile AIR apps become more popular.
Plus, with all the new tablets launching with Android as OS (also via TechCrunch from CES http://ow.ly/TPE8 )... That platform / the Android market, IMHO, will overtake the existing iTunes Store. Even though Apple currently has the advantage on number of apps... the openness of Android, and the ubiquitous nature of Flash & Android across devices will prove to make it a VERY viable competitor.
I felt you gave a very balanced, and insightful review.
Cheers!
- Brandon
The iPhone integrates elegantly with MobileMe, the Android phones with Google apps, Blackberries are still as strong as they are in the market because of their vast functionality in Exchange based enterprises. My Tilt running WinMo would be vastly more seamless as a mobile were I using Outlook on my desktop. All of these devices WILL work with other communication platforms, but not nearly at their potential. They'll need various forms of workarounds, conduits, third-party apps etc to make things work, and that will always be a compromise- no push email, extra steps to sync properly, multiple address books, whatever. Seems like there's always something.
Personally, I'm heavily dependent on Google apps, at home and work. I made the decision not to dive into the iPhone, even as everyone around me did, based on this belief that the you should pick the device to match the platform (or in the case of my Tilt, to match the cheapest device you can find to ride out your AT&T contract). I've been waiting for the right Android phone for a long time, and finally pulled the trigger on this one. I'm looking forward to seeing what this device can do in my Google-centric environment, and if the functionality really is better than the iPhones I currently support.
Guy, as an Android toting, Exchange-bound Mac user, I think you just like taking the harder road...
I am not sure what you are talking about here.
You can move icons around all you like on the iPhone.
Of course it's always easier if you are on iTunes.
How can anyone truly make a valid comparison here with a new product that just came out against one that is already halfway (6 months) through its lifecycle. Apple will surely come out with a new phone next summer that will certainly leapfrog over Google's existing offerings. And Google will do the same thing 6 months later.
Guy, you're supposedly a master of selling tech stuff, yet I read this lame list you put out. Do you honestly think one would be swayed to buy a Nexus One based on much of what is on your list? Certainly, important features such battery replacement are legit, but I don't think #2,5,6,7,8,9,10,11 are worth mentioning because no one in their right mind would be persuaded to buy the Nexus One based solely on any of these.
I believe HTC's version of Android phones have fixed some of these restrictions. Which is also a reason why I'm probably waiting for the rumoured HTC Bravo, the HTC branded version of Nexus One (or better).
How much does watching video drain the batteries (CPU intensive)?
Google could have an edge here if they are able to close acquisition of ON2 and leverage VP8 (40% average bandwidth improvement over H.264) and Hantro chipsets. This week Google increased their per share offer for ON2 (symbol ONT) from .60 to .75.
Also look at ON2's Hantro chipsets with 10X lower power consumption for decoding. That could extend battery hours immensely for moderate to heavy video usage.
I can't believe nobody else (Apple, Cisco, IBM, Oracle, ???? ) has looked at snapping up ON2 out from under Google. Google's offer of .75 per share is incredibly low given that ON2's efficient codecs can make an impact on bandwidth, storage, and end devices. It is reported that Googles YouTube bandwidth charges per year measure $340M (and this is largely still pre-HD content). By 2012, with video, a 20% reduction in bandwidth saves US$5 Billion? And Google is attempting to buy ON2 for $132M?
Google engineers must have looked closely at ON2 Intellectual Property to make this offer. It must be pretty tight and impressive. If it were not, Google would simply hire some of the world's best codec engineers and build their own.
more here (with supporting links) http://c1c.me/on2
I'm not trying to convince you to buy a Nexus One.
Guy
When you're moving iPhone icons around, can you exactly where they will end up? Because I can't.
Guy
Nexus One is a fine phone but it is but a Trojan Horse to secure another unhealthy hold on personal information and too many links to parties who want to gather that data. In the long term, the only way for Google to grow is by leveraging the value of its client's personal information. Legislative controls and too slow and lawmakers to clueless to keep pace with privacy issues.
When a poacher befriends the gamekeeper, watch out. Your arse will be theirs.
A second bite at this if I may? I will try to do it some justice here, time permitting. Hopefully a few pearls might find their way in too! You.Never.Know.
---------------
Firstly, it's obvious to me that, while we may all want to do it on occasion, it is a largely purposeless exercise to compare the Google N1 to the iPhone. The conclusions we reach may be interesting, but only for a day and usually much less - and therefore not significant. It's not the 'car' that matters it's the driver, the engine and the infrastructure. It is about the splintering versions of Android meeting the unified but growing, device-specific iterations of OSX. I have admired and then ignored many sexy products because they offered too much, did too little and would not advance me in my uses of technology nor in my learning anything new of value.
The iPhone is an Apple-only platform running OSX and it lives within the only capable, patrician feature-rich 'family' of inter-operable devices that I know of. And the degree of product-family integration evident now, at Apple, is strong but still in its early stages.
Apple is on a roll as an American might say and so we have to keep watching closely. This is where the real evolution is happening. Here there be vibrant, original, stay-hungry DNA me hearties. Real IP treasure that is highly coveted and envied by Apple's peers.
Nexus One otoh, is the finest example so far of, but only one of many, Android phones. They are all out there jostling foe consumers in any number of flavours/shapes/sizes etc, from any number of phone-makers, and in any number of Android versions that are in circulation. N1 is not a Google Phone at all, but rather it is a temporary (albeit 'signature') Android Phone specced by Google.
In this context, the hardware hardly matters Guy. Each model is such a transient phenomenon one has to be pretty sad to get worked up about any particular model flowing past us. We are 3 years into the post-iPhone era - the last evolutionary-leap landmark event in phones. Spec-lists are just snapshots, minor milestones really, on the longer journey towards a mature, functionally complete device.
But we also know that, at some point, everything, whether hardware or software, will evolve to reach the stage of feature-bloat. Apple, in its typical, less-is-more, style, will likely be the last to reach the end of that dead-end road....and by considered choice too. Sadly, it may well be the only major player to make it there unbloodied or not at all imo. As an example MS Office is a clearly bloated software suite. Is there any place further that it can go to add value? Hmmm. iWork may be the newbie in the room but the fullness of its maturity may have been planned to coincide, perhaps, with the pivotal moment when the corporati are ready to embrace Apple. Apple is not driven by software sales. At the moment, for their target customer, less is often more. I don't know. Just how far into the future does Apple look? Pretty far I think. Post-1996, they have hardly put a foot wrong. Let us see.
For now, we can safely say that competing phones will play leapfrog as far as feature sets are concerned, from one generation to the next. If another game-chaging development, I will sit up salivate because a significant event deserves attention. Most likely this DNA disruption will come from Apple.
--------------
Secondly, three years post-iPhone, we have a world market that is highly tech-savvy and fast-becoming thoughtful, and savvy too, about their wants and needs in the static/mobile computing divide that is taking place. I mean the usage pattern divides and differences between the home, the office and the 'everywhere else' while on the move. Give it time and allow for people's innate and growing taste for high quality, integrated, personal computing solutions, to mature. They will then demand a solution that bridges any foreseeable usage pattern differences and divides seamlessly. Their expectation will include implicit, cross-device ease of use. And, as you well know Guy, ease of use, promotes use. It could easily be a mantra at Apple. 3 billion app downloads anyone? Now, which companies are already equipped to provide such a solution and reap such a bounteous harvest? Which is the pedigree brand of choice in this space? Are buyers wanting the Mercedes they recognise and esteem, or do they covet one of the others in the burgeoning sea of wannabe Mercs? Duh!
I'm long AAPL, modestly. As an investor I look at the visible trend evidence all around me as I travel the world and what I see is a fast-growing tidal shift towards Apple products and it is gathering momentum, Guy. From Starbucks coffee bars in Kuala Lumpur to park benches in Paris, I see more and more Mac laptops. Warren Buffett-style market-watcher trends in open view. I like to see that. I look for that. I see it more and more and the trend is accelerating.
--------------
Thirdly, you made no mention of the Apple and third-party ecospheres surrounding the iPhone, as well as other Apple products. Does anyone really have a handle on just how large, how diverse, and how numerous/ubiquitous these forces and products are becoming - within Apple and without? I saw iTunes vouchers on sale in a tiny newsagents shop in a London backwater. I've seen kids in an Indian factory making hand-stitched sleeves for iPhones. I've seen a hundred variations of iPod Nano knock-offs in China. This only tells me that people know who makes the real thing, that it sells and that it's worth copying or at least worth servicing, as an after-marketeer. A nephew bought a Chinese Nano, in Sri Lanka, because of the low low price. It glowed so bright for a week and then died. Finito Permanente (FP). He immediately wanted the real thing as a replacement and started saving in earnest for that. Talk about the unintended consequences of piracy!
Why are there so many Apple products being copied? Does anyone copy the Zune? Or the BlackBerry? Or the WalkmanPodThingys? Will anyone copy the Nexus One? I doubt it, as it won't be around long enough before 'Two' and 'Three' appear. Even the Pirates are part of the iPhone ecosystem! They are highly canny businessfolk. They only care to copy what sells, which is obviously what the market has the 'hots' for. Imagine all those Chinese folk with Finito Permanente (FP) iPhone knock-offs. What might they do next iyo? And this ecosystem goes beyond piracy in a thousand different ways I believe. Consider just one important example coming next....
--------------
Fourthly, when companies around the world are acting, and being urged to act quickly, to create promo/store apps for the iPhone, what is the urgent imperative that is driving them to do so? I mean, where's the fire and what's the hurry? Why aren't their (often) superb websites enough as a global storefront and information dissemination point? This is another stampede/tsunami in the making imo. And what happens when this particular corporate stampede is over and the dust settles? Wouldn't it be interesting to discover then that, while Google may still be growing its control of the online ad space; Apple has come to garner all the major MAJOR Advertisers - not the Agencies Guy, but their clients....on the iPhone?! Companies from CNN to Bosch, and maybe from the local Mom and Pop stores to Macy's, from Schwab to Amazon-Kindle, from __________ to ________ ? etc etc etc x 10^6 (you want to fill in the potential entries for these blanks? Trust me, life is too short to even think about it). This is the only reason for Google's rush to establish Android.
But wait! There's more! There is a free Ferrari-branded racer game on the iPhone/iTouch. Why would Ferrari bother to do that? Will they do it for Android phones too as they gather market share? Have they done it for any other platform so far? I don't think so. Why is that? I mean the iPhone is still a bit-player in this market, isn't it? Where is the mileage in putting the game there? And here's another question to put out there in the ether.
Given the Bosch/CNN/Macy's/Schwab etc example above, when do you think we will have 100,000+ 'CorporApps' on the iPhone solely to serve the many market-hungry corporations around the world? Just as with establishing an Internet presence, there will be a 'me-too' rush with the iPhone, I believe. When will the iPhone-based brochure farms appear? And ticket dispensers to the Super Bowl? And for local cinema tickets? And so on ad infinitum. Don't you think that there may be more than one way for advertisers to reach their targets directly, other than via Google? I can see a few and I'm no visionary - I started wearing glasses a decade ago! This isn't actually feasible or desirable but a way will be found to create corporate presences on the iPhone.
What's happening is a controlled explosion. You know who set the match to it, and when. You know whose mind is guiding the blast pattern too. I believe in this scenario and I think it is a masterly object lesson in strategy and execution. Things can always go wrong of course, as this is a crazy unpredictable space to operate in. We have other game-changing plays in gestation like the Mistry/MIT Sixth Sense UI UX revolution, for example. Goodbye to all current hardware formats perhaps?
But when you ride in to take over a theatre of battle, the more legs your horse has got to support you in your efforts, the surer you can be of the outcome. I put my money on the rider of the three-legged horse in this scenario. All the other mounts have one leg ..... or less!! It's true Guy. I mean some of these players have no legs at all. And btw, do I hear that our winner's mount is growing another important appendage as we 'speak', if not a full-blown leg? Something coming real soon now perhaps?
For me, these are the kinds of pulse measurements and life signs indicators that matter. We have to ignore the trees except for occasional brief glances. It is what is happening to the woods overall that is key to our understanding and to the outcome.They speak volumes about the market's view of how they want to be seen in the global perception. To me, this is a perfect storm of polarisation in the making. Thrilling to witness it really. The disgraceful GM/Chrysler debacle is no comparison. They were run by complacent, unimaginative, lazy and deeply-ingrained losers. Here, in this space, we have a battleground populated by mostly highly competitive, imaginative, intelligent predators.
There is a classic single-combat scene in the movie 'The Seven Samurai' by Akira Kurosawa. Two kendōka face up to each other in a garden. On the surface, it looks as if each one is a solid contender. But then, as you watch in growing tension and the horror of intuitive anticipation, it becomes clear that the stronger, goading, noisy, posturing, arrogant challenger doesn't have a chance. Even before the Master moves, you know what the outcome will be. And it is swift, graceful, silent and fatal when it comes. No posturing. No arrogance. No sound. Just beautiful, ballet-like, focused, certain-sure, efficient, malice-free elegant almost a resigned and regretful execution (pun intended, over-egged adjectives chosen with care, I hope). Any resonances there?
Evolution, like Nature, is ruthless. No malice involved. Survival of the fittest.
Lambs to the slaughter, I say. Awww. Now where's the fun in that?
--------------
Fifthly (?) And what about Apple's Trojan horse, it's underestimated wolf in sheep's clothing - the phoneless iPod Touch? Has anyone grasped the full significance of this device as the low cost, telco-free MID and the definitive pocketable computer? I leave it to you to ponder the several hundreds of threads of opportunity and usefulness that fan out from this amazing device.
--------------
Sixthly (errr ?) etc etc. - Well I could go on because there are so many threads to this subject, but you will have seen where I am going with this, I'm sure. But, in truth, someone should do a paper on this planned engagement, battle of the Titans thingy, because it is a classic case study in marketing, strategy, tactics, planning, execution and survival in what is, after all a frantic, manically turbulent, wildly unpredictable, frenziedly innovative space etc etc .... and I'm choosing my adjectives carefully here Guy, believe me. You know far better than I just how much work goes into this level of competitive innovation and scale of execution.
FP
I said in the earlier post that I thought your article was a fail. I think very highly of you Guy and that goes back to your Apple days. You are engaging, frank, funny, honest and insightful and the depth of your understanding is profound in my view and not just in a single field of knowledge either. And yet I feel that in this instance you are merely comparing some trees but ignoring the woods they stand in.
This is a very highly disruptive era that we are living in. There are seismic changes taking place in convergence and most established, blue-chip, top pedigree players here are almost wholly ill-equipped to make the transition. Legless in fact. Sony? Dell? For example, I believe that many of the major exhibitors at CES will face life-threatening challenges to some or most of their business franchises in this new decade. Why? They make fine products but they just don't get it as far as where we (the market, the great unwashed mass of the public) are going. Many of today's players are like Tsunami victims. They see the the sea receding and the beachline growing and so they wander in, seawards, eager to exploit the forming opportunity, but far from their actual comfort zones. Apple and a few companies like it are the gathering wave that is building up in readiness to come crashing in. Clear and present danger. Ill-prepared, legless and vulnerable, they still venture in, clueless as to the threat to them. Arrogant even. Optimistic.
There is a charming character, a Blackbird or Jackdaw called Jeremy, in a kids cartoon called 'The Secret of NIMH'. I love this guy but he is totally clueless. He hankers after every shiny new thing that he comes across but he has no direction and he doesn't ever see the mean and hungry cat that is usually around just waiting to pounce on him. The heroine of the movie is a mouse and she has a vitally important, life or death mission that she is never distracted away from. She is aware, focused and determined. So many bloggers in this space are like Jeremy, I despair at the future of online journalism. These sycophants 'ooh' and 'aahh' about each new feature set that unfolds but they never lift their view high enough to see where all this might be going.
btw I'm not taking you to task here. I know that you not only look. You see and you work to understand too. But there are far too few like you. Too many Enderles and Diazs etc, the list of bozos and professional misinformers is endless. What is a fellow to think?
Ah well. C'est la vie. C'est la guerre.
Ouch! It's 5am. I have written far more than I intended to but it was good thinking time too and so well worth the effort.
Best.
(Mr) Chandra Coomaraswamy
Kuala Lumpur Malaysia (when not in London UK)
Nexus One started with the latest iPhone OS and looked at its weak points and tried to avoid them.
Knowing now what the iPad is using for a CPU/GPU I can only imagine that the next iPhone (4.0) will have a faster CPU/GPU, equal or better screen compared to whatever is the best at the time it launches. When the iPhone 4.0 comes out it will be a new time slice and the Nexus One will look old and stale. If the Nexus One has not really taken off by then.....then it never will.
Lastly I work in corporate IT, have done Exchange Server support for way to long. When Hero/Android hit it finally woke up some consumers. Sadly these devices don't fully support Exchange features like enforced password policies or remote wipe features or dont with out IT purchasing and deploying extra software. We had to tell more than a few new Android owning employees....that we would NOT allow them to sync with Exchange. They returned their phones promptly.
What would happen if someone like Apple , Cisco, or Oracle jumped in at the 11th hour with a better offer for ON2? The carbon futures trading value of the VP8 codec is likely worth many times the per share price Google is offering !
just look at some of the figure on video in Cisco's report titled "Cisco Visual Networking Index: Forecast and Methodology, 2008-2013" http://bit.ly/9wuMxj
...more at http://c1c.me/on2 "Could a codec be "the golden egg" that impacts bandwidth, storage, and end devices?"
With all respect, I feel your analysis is far fetched, primarily because the switch of a teenager from one device to another could not be a solid reason for one to "give it a hard look"...
Still, for the reason of good argument, when it comes to the 13 points for the NEXUS being better than the iPHONE, I can give you credit for points #4, 10 and 13.
Fully agree on them (only).
Regards. George
Funny, even my seven year old's Nintendo DSi browser has a .com button. A lot to learn from Mario.
Although, there are two points I'd like to contest. The first would be the "one-day battery life." I only charge my iPhone maybe once every 5-6 days. It was only one day of life when I first got it, but running it through proper charge cycles has bought me quite a bit more time. Here's hoping the Nexus One is the same story.
The second point is over the iPhone's having a better name (facetiously, of course). Personally, I find "iPhone" to be the least creative name Apple could possibly have come up with.
"What is it?"
"It's a phone."
"Then let's call it the Phone!"
"No, stupid. How will people know it's an Apple product?"
"Should we slap an 'i' on it? That usually works"
"Genius!"
As an enterprise systems developer I can protest that Apple's system isn't really that bad. It's for your safety and to protect the goodwill in the iPhone. I understand that if you want to install dodgy betas and untested applications that would be your risk, but Apple aren't going to sacrifice the reputation for stability on the whim of a few developers.
For me any company that creates a priorietary system (be it Apple or MS) has no obligation to make it free for anyone to do with it as they wish. After all it wasn't the open source community that spend millions in R&D creating these devices did they.
Leave a comment...