Really? Details? Whereabouts?
T-Mobile is "Buy any of these Samsung 4G devices and receive a Galaxy S™ II 4G, Galaxy S® Blaze™ 4G, or Galaxy Exhibit® 4G for FREE! This limited time offer is available exclusively at your local T-Mobile® store." The photo on website includes the S III.
This is NOT a buy an S III and get an S III free as original poster would lead us to believe.
Seriously?
How can you know categorically, that Apple is IN FACT (not just supply line speculation) doing any of the things you described, here let me help you - YOU DON'T.
Strike one.
Your wayback machine is busted, or you are blind. Apple had lines out the doors at most Apple retail store buying up the 1st gen iPhone. It was successful out of the gate. Each subsequent model simply expanded that success into a significant chunk of the smartphone market segment. WinMob was massively undermined by the incursion of Android, not so much the iPhone, and still to this day the idiots in Redmond target Apple for their ire in the smartphone space while Android eats their lunch, craps in their hat, and takes off with their girlfriends (unless of course Microsoft blackmails them back into bed).
Strike two.
Being and underdog does not make any company instantly innovative - Apple either has innovation genes or not. In this case it does and it stepped into a tiny little smartphone market and disrupted it. With Android hard on their heels with a look-alike interface, and sweetheart deals for the handset makers, they owned the rest of the smartphone space and significantly eroded the bread and butter feature phone segment out from under Nokia.
Strike three.
And now up steps the ump. Microsoft is in panic mode. They dismissed the whole "post-PC" idea and stuck to their insistence that the world needs PCs. The Redmond definition of PC is "runs Windows desktop/Office", which is why they are scurrying to get a tablet reference out that will allow them to use that definition for PC tablets, something they failed to accomplish anything with for over a decade. Windows is older than the the current incarnation of the MacOS, so let's talk about some aging mediocrity there, yes? And finally as you are escorted off the field - competition is not a necessity to innovate - success is. Continued success is dependent on the ability to either incrementally improve and/or continue to innovate - Apple does both without nudges from Redmond or Mountain View. You are tossed out of the game for bringing a whiffle bat to a grownup baseball game.
Come back when you are able to play the game with the right equipment.
Can you install iOS6 on iPhone 1 or 2? Can you install Icecream on G1 etc? The answer is NO! There is always a limit on upgrading, and that is true for every device or laptop etc. WTF?
No, but those phones are 4 years or older. The Lumina is Nokia's Flagship Windows 7 phone that was released just months ago and it is now obsolete and can't upgrade to Window phone 8. Why would you spend any money on this phone and be locked in for 2 years? Nokia should had left the price the same, but allowed for an upgrade in 1 year for a moderate fee, say $100 and the cost of the new phone. Of course, that's the carrier's decision, since they're doing the subsidizing.
I just feel bad for the vendors that had bought all of the phones and now can't sell them because any knowledgable buyer would know that they won't be able to upgrade the OS past 7.X
Err.
It's not precise nor is it the reason.
the reason is purely one of market and margins. The net outcome is that SW is now only worth about 40% of what it was. MS needs 'everyone' to buy Windows. It's their business plan. They also need to make about $100 per computer(pc/laptop/tablet/phone) to hit their numbers.
Android has undercut them in their old business plan (selling oses to OEMs), and Apple has made the iPad/iPhone cost ineffective at the high end, unless you build both the OS and HW and get the 'profits' from both.
So the reason MS is building hardware is to pocket HW profits, and be able to streamline the SW so it's cheaper/easier to make (the reason why MS software sucks is that they had to build it to support 100's of different components... thus it's generic, and it's buggy). Quite simply, to compete now in a market that is evolving to be a $400 average price (phone, 7/8" tablet, 10" tablet), you need need to be able to build it for $300. You can't be a HW Vendor and do that if your SW costs $100.
MS sees that if the market continues... they will be double cut out of the market... fewer devices running Windows/Office, and the value of windows/office is dropping. They need to start selling hardware to improve the Windows market stickiness, and to get the profit stream from HW sales to bolster the loss of revenue due to the 'software value' approaching zero.
Actually Metro is pretty nice.
Microsoft just sucks at roadmaps and partnerships. Name me one partnership (outside of Intel) that has 'thrived.' Nokia is just the most recent of many that have been burned by Microsoft's inability to deliver. I would never buy a device with a MS OS on it until it's confirmed it will be upgradable to the next OS.
As for iOS... that argument went in reverse for a long time (people would love Apple HW if it only ran windows). People love their interface... new ones are roadblocks for people to adapt...
I also really like Metro.
But only on a phone.
The problems:
-lack of basic software features
-lack of superior hardware with things like a high quality screen
-no apps
-forced windows features like the xbox crap
Windows 8 is a step in the right direction. But it doesn't matter because this phone isn't getting that anyway.
Retina Macbook Pro - 2.6ghz
Galaxy Nexus - Jelly Bean!
Retina Macbook Pro - 2.6ghz
Galaxy Nexus - Jelly Bean!
Can you install iOS6 on iPhone 1 or 2? Can you install Icecream on G1 etc? The answer is NO! There is always a limit on upgrading, and that is true for every device or laptop etc. WTF?
Actually HTC G1 can run ics very badly. As bad as ios 4 on iphone 3G
http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/24/htc-g1-gets-a-taste-of-ice-cream-sandwich-video/
Horace Dedieu's estimate on the number of phones sold by Nokia/MSFT
http://www.asymco.com/2012/07/13/how-many-lumia/
His number is 330K. Even if this number is low as some in the comments section have mentioned, this is the reason for the price drop. Not surprising since the phone was obsoleted just after being announced and cut off from much of the new upgrades coming in a couple of months. And being MSFTs partner, Nokia had to know about this. They wanted to get a cheaper phone to market as soon as possible. They could have put a better processor in the Lumia and allowed for it to get the full upgrade. If the numbers are really as bad as HD mentions in his piece, I would not be surprised for these phones to be given away for free soon or as a BOGO soon.
Err.
It's not precise nor is it the reason.
the reason is purely one of market and margins. The net outcome is that SW is now only worth about 40% of what it was. MS needs 'everyone' to buy Windows. It's their business plan. They also need to make about $100 per computer(pc/laptop/tablet/phone) to hit their numbers.
Android has undercut them in their old business plan (selling oses to OEMs), and Apple has made the iPad/iPhone cost ineffective at the high end, unless you build both the OS and HW and get the 'profits' from both.
So the reason MS is building hardware is to pocket HW profits, and be able to streamline the SW so it's cheaper/easier to make (the reason why MS software sucks is that they had to build it to support 100's of different components... thus it's generic, and it's buggy). Quite simply, to compete now in a market that is evolving to be a $400 average price (phone, 7/8" tablet, 10" tablet), you need need to be able to build it for $300. You can't be a HW Vendor and do that if your SW costs $100.
MS sees that if the market continues... they will be double cut out of the market... fewer devices running Windows/Office, and the value of windows/office is dropping. They need to start selling hardware to improve the Windows market stickiness, and to get the profit stream from HW sales to bolster the loss of revenue due to the 'software value' approaching zero.
The reasoning (I hesitate to use the word "strategy") behind Apple's competitors decisions remind me those desperate decisions a management games player takes, when, threatened to be pushed out of the game , has this brilliant idea "Ok, I will lower my price, and kill my competitors"...
Gentlemen, just meditate Steve's recipe : “A lot of companies have chosen to downsize, and maybe that was the right thing for them. We chose a different path. Our belief was that if we kept putting great products in front of customers, they would continue to open their wallets.”
This proves to me that Nokia would have been better off fully committing to MeeGo. If they had their own modern OS they could have set their own destiny. Microsoft has really shafted them with this Win8 business. Another possible advantage of MeeGo, since the UI layer is built on Qt, they could have introduced cross platforms tools to allow MeeGo apps to port easily to iOS and Android. That would be a very attractive proposition to developers, and could have gotten their application portfolio off the ground quickly.
However, from all reports I've read about Nokia, they simply were not a software company. Everything was driven from the hardware side. So, in reality they probably couldn't have made MeeGo work for them. So then, if Windows Phone fails, maybe their best hope is to suck it up and become a generic Android hardware manufacturer like all the other companies.
Horace Dedieu's estimate on the number of phones sold by Nokia/MSFT
http://www.asymco.com/2012/07/13/how-many-lumia/
His number is 330K. Even if this number is low as some in the comments section have mentioned, this is the reason for the price drop. Not surprising since the phone was obsoleted just after being announced and cut off from much of the new upgrades coming in a couple of months. And being MSFTs partner, Nokia had to know about this. They wanted to get a cheaper phone to market as soon as possible. They could have put a better processor in the Lumia and allowed for it to get the full upgrade. If the numbers are really as bad as HD mentions in his piece, I would not be surprised for these phones to be given away for free soon or as a BOGO soon.
the double whammy... low initial sales, and then the WP8 announcement where everyone hoped to see the operating system they would be migrating to in 6 months... BAM, the terminal illness diagnosis slaps the Lumia in the face. At this point, full shelves, and no future... It's like a HP TouchPad or RIM PlayBook fire sale.
I think you give MS too much credit.
the mac tower is different animal, in that it's able to be component upgraded (memory, disk, video, even CPUs).
Historically, Phones have rarely been upgraded. Prior to the iPhone, getting a new OS (not just a 'firmware' upgrade) was a rare event. OS is 'married' to the HW build (partly because too much change requires recertification cycle by the FCC). This is why your classic 'WinPhone OEM's' who now do Android, build their phones with the current OS (not the next one), tweak it to work, then sell it to a Carrier. Neither the Carrier or the OEM care to upgrade... they'd rather get a new phone with the new OS and sell that one.
And, 'we,' is a big term. MOST PEOPLE WHO BUY PHONES COULD CARE LESS about upgrades, unless they are sold a phone in the store with the 'promise' feature X will be on the phone 'the next upgrade'. My son (4th Year med school student, after working Wall Street as a Quant, so somewhat intelligent) calls me to ask 'what's in the New OS... should I upgrade?' every year. Most people just want their Apps and their Facetime... and they are happy.
The people who chat on AI, the cognizant few (at least some of us), do like new things....
the mac tower is different animal, in that it's able to be component upgraded (memory, disk, video, even CPUs).
Historically, Phones have rarely been upgraded. Prior to the iPhone, getting a new OS (not just a 'firmware' upgrade) was a rare event. OS is 'married' to the HW build (partly because too much change requires recertification cycle by the FCC). This is why your classic 'WinPhone OEM's' who now do Android, build their phones with the current OS (not the next one), tweak it to work, then sell it to a Carrier. Neither the Carrier or the OEM care to upgrade... they'd rather get a new phone with the new OS and sell that one.
And, 'we,' is a big term. MOST PEOPLE WHO BUY PHONES COULD CARE LESS about upgrades, unless they are sold a phone in the store with the 'promise' feature X will be on the phone 'the next upgrade'. My son (4th Year med school student, after working Wall Street as a Quant, so somewhat intelligent) calls me to ask 'what's in the New OS... should I upgrade?' every year. Most people just want their Apps and their Facetime... and they are happy.
The people who chat on AI, the cognizant few (at least some of us), do like new things....
I wouldnt call it rare event. Window smart phones were able to update their OS to the next version. I was able to update one of my windows smart phones at the time to the next windows smart phone via CD from microsoft
I also really like Metro.
But only on a phone.
The problems:
-lack of basic software features
-lack of superior hardware with things like a high quality screen
-no apps
-forced windows features like the xbox crap
Windows 8 is a step in the right direction. But it doesn't matter because this phone isn't getting that anyway.
lack of basic software features- what features would those be?
lack of superior hardware with things like a high quality screen- agreed
no apps- 100,000 thats hardly no apps
forced windows features like the xbox crap- no one is forcing you to play games on the phone
Windows 8 is a step in the right direction. But it doesn't matter because this phone isn't getting that anyway. True but it will get WP7.8 which will be the parts of WP8 that are supported by the hardware
the mac tower is different animal, in that it's able to be component upgraded (memory, disk, video, even CPUs).
Historically, Phones have rarely been upgraded. Prior to the iPhone, getting a new OS (not just a 'firmware' upgrade) was a rare event. OS is 'married' to the HW build (partly because too much change requires recertification cycle by the FCC). This is why your classic 'WinPhone OEM's' who now do Android, build their phones with the current OS (not the next one), tweak it to work, then sell it to a Carrier. Neither the Carrier or the OEM care to upgrade... they'd rather get a new phone with the new OS and sell that one.
And, 'we,' is a big term. MOST PEOPLE WHO BUY PHONES COULD CARE LESS about upgrades, unless they are sold a phone in the store with the 'promise' feature X will be on the phone 'the next upgrade'. My son (4th Year med school student, after working Wall Street as a Quant, so somewhat intelligent) calls me to ask 'what's in the New OS... should I upgrade?' every year. Most people just want their Apps and their Facetime... and they are happy.
The people who chat on AI, the cognizant few (at least some of us), do like new things....
???
Prior to the iPhone anyone that could be bothered/was inclined could easilly upgrade their Windows Mobile. I was able to reflash my WM2003 BlueAngel with every single Windows Mobile OS upgrade. MS were very open with WinCE and didn't mind owners/communities cooking their own roms. Nor did firms such as HTC mind, so long as their own features (eg truFlo) weren't being ported to different brands.
Perhaps most people can't be "bothered" because their first experience of a smartphone wasn't until after 2007 and they were presented with a phone that pretty much worked out of the box.
"Blank! BLANK! You're not looking at the big picture!"
"Blank! BLANK! You're not looking at the big picture!"
In the past, Windows mobile phones were business phones. But today, it's the consumer friendly phones like the iPhones and Androids (aka Samsung) that are selling. The WP7 phones are a bit like your corporate boss wearing skinny jeans trying to be cool. And people aren't buying it, literally. The Metro interface has some nice features, but needs some toning down of the tile colors. Looks juvenile. Or maybe have themes that can be changed according to taste. (this may already be a feature). It appears that WP7 and Nokia phones are trying too hard to be cool and it's a turn off for the consumers and the enterprise. Microsoft should concentrate on enterprise phones and take over where Blackberry is falling behind. They should stop trying to be cool and become more focus on the business side.
Hop in the wayback machine to 2007 when the iPhone came out. It hardly made a dent in the mobile sphere and it wasn't until the 3G that it took off. Here we are 5 years later. And Success! Agreed!
But if I put an iPhone in your hands in 2006 what would your reaction be? :\
Back then Motorola ruled the world, and it's phones sever pretty awesome. Remember the RAZR?
My point is, the Nokia Lumia 900 isn't even 6 months old... and fighting it's way up into the market.
Simply dimissing it as stupid, as dying, as Microsoft sucks - is moronic. There's A LOT of ex-iPhone users using the Nokia Lumia - including me... because it's literally a better OS. No crashes, buttery smooth. And per Steve Wozniak - it's like Steve Job got reincarnated at Microsoft.
And why the hell would Steve Wozniak say that? Because it's that good of a phone/OS.
Step away from the punch gentlemen. Apple NEEDS competition. Apple only makes a great iPad/iPhone NOW because 10 years ago, APPLE was the underdog.
Why is Apple making a 4" phone? Why is Apple making a 7" tablet? Why is Apple making an HDTV?
Because COMPETITION is making them offer it. Sure Amazon maybe sold 6 Million Kindles, but that's 6 million less iPads. Sure Samsung may suck with their 4" phones, but they sell as many phones as Apple does.
Don't root for companies who are innovating and hungry to die gentlemen.
If they succeed and compete, it allows Apple to give you better products.
Or are you guys really that much into mediocrity with your 5 year-old OS?
Oh, please. The iPhone made a huge splash when it first came out. Stop the troll train.
"Blank! BLANK! You're not looking at the big picture!"
"Blank! BLANK! You're not looking at the big picture!"
Wow, so many bullshit in one comment section.
Apple's iPhone division is stagnating. iOS 6 has one remarkable feature - Maps - and that's catch-up with Android Google Maps and Nokia Maps.
The Springboard UI is stale, and while they are trying some cosmetic changes from what I've seen in the iOS 6 beta, they are at best minor changes, and at worst come close to being worse than the elements replacing them (case in point: http://modmyi.com/attachments/forums/iphone-4-new-skins-themes-launches/591928d1340024304-new-z-ui-ui-alternative-sometimes-less-more-free-imageuploadedbymodmyi1340024302.975839.jpg). The Podcasts app is a frickin mess: both cosmetically (a tape recorder? Seriously, Apple?) and functionally.
As for iPhone hardware, what new can they do? A bigger screen? Thinner? Different design? I don't care that much for thinness since that usually means less battery life, bigger screens aren't news, and among other things, I prefer the Lumia 800 design because it's much more durable than a phone made of glass.
iOS 6 has no other big surprises, no cards up its sleeve. The wallet app? Android has it, and WP8's is better than both. Speaking of WP8, all of this laziness on part of Google and Apple is leaving the door open for Microsoft to not only catch up with them, but to surpass them completely. Laugh if you must, but I'll be buying a Nokia Lumia 801 (or whatever it will be called) as soon as it's out. And sell my 4S to buy it.
iPhone 4S 64GB, Black, soon to be sold in favor of a Nokia Lumia 920
Early 2010 MacBook Pro 2.4GHz, soon to be replaced with a Retina MacBook Pro, or an Asus U500
iPhone 4S 64GB, Black, soon to be sold in favor of a Nokia Lumia 920
Early 2010 MacBook Pro 2.4GHz, soon to be replaced with a Retina MacBook Pro, or an Asus U500
Exactly. Microsoft doesn't have a marketing problem. Microsoft has a product problem. Amazing marketing won't fix the fact that there isn't a compelling reason to choose a Windows phone over Andriod or an iPhone.
Well we will have to wait until win8. Business and individuals are still addicted to Office, unfortunately. The best mobile Office will be on Windows phones, tablets and laptops. If Office remains as important as it currently is I would be worried were I Google and perhaps even Apple. The real danger is Office and the shackles that come with it. Until people wean themselves off that addiction nobody is safe. Don't forget how Netscape lost to IE, how the Mac lost to MS-DOS of all things, ...
philip
Certainly older than you, it would seem.
I am old enough to remember that fully featured smartphones existed before the iphone was released and that whilst the iPone went on to obliterate the sales of those smartphones/platforms, they were, by definition, competing devices.
If the poster is indeed older than me then I can only conclude that they are significantly older and now suffering from age related memory loss. The fact that, by association, you seem to agree with them would lead me to assume that you are either very young or equally decrepit.
Alternatively you are just being argumentative as a result of some character flaw that prevents you from being willing to witness someone making corrective statements, if those statements do not polish the image of a firm that you are partial to.
so which is it?
Some things I'd like to add:
Firstly, This article is only focusing on America, has an increadibly misleading title and, to an extent, misleading content. As you rightly said, on a contract its only $50 off. In the UK right now, the Lumia 900 is still selling for £460 PAYG and the 800 has had £40 cut off its price and is now £360 (again, PAYG).
Secondly, this article states that Windows Phone is struggling. That is clearly false and a quick Internet Search is all its takes to show otherwise. In markets such as France and Italy, Windows phone has hit 4% as of Q2. In Germany its 6%! In the UK, the Market share doubled from 2% to 4% in Q1 2012, and that was before the release of the 900. The 900 has seen a decent amount of sucess and, if the market share continues as it currently is in many markets, including America, Windows phone could see as high as 10% share.
Lastly is the upgradability. Older Windows Phone devices will get Windows Phone 7.8 rather than Windows Phone 8 - the difference? Windows Phone 7.8 wont have the hardware support. Thats it. All the features and APIs will be there and Applications will run on both systems. Why Microsoft chose to give them different names is beyond me. The reason why WP8 isn't coming to older devices is because WP8 is built for Multi-Core processors, NFC, high resolution screens and so forth; older phones simply do not have these features.
The only Apps that will not run on 7.8 will be those requiring a specific bit of hardware. Since 99.9% of Apps, regardless of platform, will require GPS at most, it doesn't look like it'll be a problem. Plus, both systems look identical so everyone can enjoy the buggest new feature: the redesigned home screen. Even I, as an Apple aficionado, can't wait to see and use that new home screen. It makes iOS and Android look dated.
... at night.
... at night.
Some things I'd like to add:
Firstly, This article is only focusing on America, has an incredibly misleading title and, to an extent, misleading content. As you rightly said, on a contract its only $50 off. In the UK right now, the Lumia 900 is still selling for £460 PAYG and the 800 has had £40 cut off its price and is now £360 (again, PAYG).
Secondly, this article states that Windows Phone is struggling. That is clearly false and a quick Internet Search is all its takes to show otherwise. In markets such as France and Italy, Windows phone has hit 4% as of Q2. In Germany its 6%! In the UK, the Market share doubled from 2% to 4% in Q1 2012, and that was before the release of the 900. The 900 has seen a decent amount of success and, if the market share continues as it currently is in many markets, including America, Windows phone could see as high as 10% share.
Lastly is the upgradability. Older Windows Phone devices will get Windows Phone 7.8 rather than Windows Phone 8 - the difference? Windows Phone 7.8 wont have the hardware support. Thats it. All the features and APIs will be there and Applications will run on both systems. Why Microsoft chose to give them different names is beyond me. The reason why WP8 isn't coming to older devices is because WP8 is built for Multi-Core processors, NFC, high resolution screens and so forth; older phones simply do not have these features.
The only Apps that will not run on 7.8 will be those requiring a specific bit of hardware. Since 99.9% of Apps, regardless of platform, will require GPS at most, it doesn't look like it'll be a problem. Plus, both systems look identical so everyone can enjoy the buggest new feature: the redesigned home screen. Even I, as an Apple aficionado, can't wait to see and use that new home screen. It makes iOS and Android look dated.
I can't disagree with anything that you have said but add that IMO it has been handled rather badly with no assurances from either MS or Nokia, by that I mean that they should be stressing that the overall experience wont be massively different.
If the next iphone has, for example, NFC, I doubt that owners of the 4s and older would be crying foul. I guess that the difference is that Apple would unify the iOS version and point out that not all new features of iOS or new apps would be available on older handsets (as is already the case).
Perhaps MS are guilty of being too honest and wanting to prevent confusion between wp7.8 and W8 compatibility
No.
Windows Mobile/Windows Phone is built on top of Windows CE. Windows Phone 8, however, will be built on Windows NT, like desktop Windows has been since Windows 2000.
Windows CE isn't going away anytime soon; it's a hugely successful embedded OS. It just won't be the underpinnings of Windows Phone anymore.
.tsooJ
