wigby

iPhone's HDR highlight protection really blows away Samsung but it appears that Samsung's low light capabilities slightly edge out iPhone in all of the other examples. Contrast appears to be slightly higher on Samsung while Apple's color saturation is slightly higher but since those two things are different sides of the same coin, it's a bit of a wash if not altogether entirely subjective. Also, Apple's skin softening is too aggressive and reminds me of Samsung's past skin softening treatments. Other than that, both great cameras so no need to compare cameras ad nauseum. Will this be the last smartphone camera shootout? I wish but no, not by a long shot.

EdmontonGuy said:

The shape and rigidity hurt my ears and like the standard set included with the iPhone, i threw them out.  My hope is that new earbuds from Apple will see the introduction of soft silicon type in-ear buds like some of the competition. I am using a competitors now - and happy, but wish Apple would produce something for people who don’t like the fit, feel or rigidity of the the current Apple products.

So we’re supposed to believe that your little ears felt pain and you threw out your $160 AirPods? I wish I could simply toss out everything in my life that brought me the slightest bit of discomfort.

mjtomlin said:

adm1 said:

so...
iPhone > 3G > 4 > 4S > 5 > 5S > 6 > 6S & SE > 7 > 8  & 10 > 9 & 10S.

Since the 8 & the 10/X had the same internals, are they really going to release an "iPhone 9" that's more powerful than the "iPhone 10"?!

Possibly, but so what? Has nothing to do with how powerful it is. Marketing looks at things from a visual (external) POV. iPhone X was a fairly huge jump from the classic design of the iPhone 7. The iPhone 8 was mainly a change in materials, moving to a glass back. The iPhone 9 design will be more transitional. Something between the 8 and X; No Home button, but no notch either. Shorter bezels - just big enough for the top bezel to contain True Depth camera.

Just visual? Really? Tell that to the megapixel and MHz marketers. I wish it wasn't the case but name seems to mean a lot to some people. If they pull out the brand new iPhone 9 and their friend pulls out a one year old iPhone X, they will not be a happy customer. Let's face it, half of the value in owning the latest iPhone is whipping it out and showing it off to everyone that you want to feel subhuman to you. That affect is ruined when the naming scheme puts an older phone above a newer phone. That is marketing 101.

supadav03 said:

Same story we been hearing. It’s not surprising anymore. If anything, it’s expected now. 

This is an old narrative and yet every time someone claims that iOS customers are more valuable than Android customers because they are willing to spend more, they are shouted down as elitists or liars with no data to cite. This (and many other studies) seem to be an apples to apples comparison for app purchasing but I'm sure someone will object because China is not part of Google's strategy.

nunzy said:

What would happen if Apple banned Spotify from all of its devices?

They might lose a couple of device sales, but probably not many. Apple has the ability. But do they have the nerve?

Why would they bother? This article proves they are already winning in the US without banning Spotify. They make more money and more happy customers by offering competing services. Unlike MS or Google, Apple has never been about dominating marketshare for any of their products. The closest they've ever come to any monopoly was the iPod but they only tripped into that monopoly because the competition was so bad.