Android struggling to mimic iPhone's pay-to-own marketplace?

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  • Reply 61 of 130
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by str1f3 View Post


    I haven't used a Windows machine a few years but it seems to me that Apple's quality have gone down slightly since the move to Intel. I really don't know who's to blame on that issue.



    It's certainly possible, but anecdotally I've had less issues with Intel Macs over PPC Macs. In what way has the quality gone down?



    They are selling more Macs in a quarter than they sold in an entire year back in the PPC days, so xould it be a perception of reduced quality despite it only being more internet-based complaints combined with Apple as a higher-profile and rapid growth that makes issues seem more extensive than they really are?
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  • Reply 62 of 130
    chopperchopper Posts: 246member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ihxo View Post


    I am not pro Android for the simple fact that I don't like things on my phone (or anywhere) being remotely killed by someone.

    And quite frankly I don't want a copycat iPhone.



    If you're serious, then you probably shouldn't be using an iPhone then since Apple has the ability to remotely kill apps as well, and had it before Android.



    Perhaps you meant that you're happy that Apple has this capability, but you're not happy that Android also has it?



    Or perhaps you meant something else entirely and I just haven't understood your point.
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  • Reply 63 of 130
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Beauty of Bath View Post


    But products would typically be 10%- 15% cheaper if they didn't spend money on advertising, that's the typical expenditure, some products spend over 60% of their revenue on advertising (software products with virtually zero replication cost). Advertisers reckon a 2% response rate is very good, that's very high so in excess of 98% of advertising is wasted. Your time, do the math.



    Advertising in its current virtually unregulated form is a scourge, a tax on everyone's time and money.



    No argument here, but tech companies seem to do pretty good.
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  • Reply 64 of 130
    chopperchopper Posts: 246member
    While there is apparently a significantly higher proportion of free Android apps vs Apple (and others), I believe that the vast majority of downloads from Apple's app store are the free variety. (Apple's last financial reporting, if memory serves).



    I know, what relevance does that have? About as much as the news 'article' I guess, which seems to be apropos of nothing really.



    Actually, I'm surprised that people can find anything interesting enough in that piece to argue about. Must be a slow news day.
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  • Reply 65 of 130
    newbeenewbee Posts: 2,055member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by TheShepherd View Post


    Their junk is made in the same Chinese sweat shops as the Dell junk, HP junk, etc. with the same parts that they all use. If Apple would let you open their units without voiding their warranty, you would find the same HD, memory chips and such. The reason they are not cheap is because you will pay more.



    When the first "all in one" iMac first came out, you would find the same in the PC world .... NOT



    When the first Flat Panel iMac came out, you would find the same ... in the PC world .... NOT



    When the first magnetic power cord came out, you would find the same .. in the PC world

    ...NOT



    When a laptop was created out of 1 piece of aluminum, you would find the same in

    the PC world ... NOT



    When one computer was designed so it was capable of running Mac OS or Windows you would find the same in the PC world ....NOT



    When consumer surveys continue to rate Apple Product at or near the top, you would find the same in the PC world ... NOT



    Need more? .... cause theirs lots more to give.
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  • Reply 66 of 130
    str1f3str1f3 Posts: 573member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    It's certainly possible, but anecdotally I've had less issues with Intel Macs over PPC Macs. In what way has the quality gone down?



    They are selling more Macs in a quarter than they sold in an entire year back in the PPC days, so xould it be a perception of reduced quality despite it only being more internet-based complaints combined with Apple as a higher-profile and rapid growth that makes issues seem more extensive than they really are?



    You could be right considering the volume of units but I've had fan and a hard drive that needed to replaced on my iMac which, oddly enough, I've never had on my Cube. There has been issues though dealing with the Nvidia 8600 cards, iMac screen issues, etc.. I also wonder why they moved away from titanium to aluminum in the PowerBook.



    In terms of hardware quality, the only comparable PC were Thinkpads when IBM were still making them even though they didn't seem to offer as much as Macs.
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  • Reply 67 of 130
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ruel24 View Post


    I have been using Apple products since the days of the Apple II. I have owned Macs, PC's, and even build my own gaming rigs. I can tell you that Apple uses quality parts (and always has) and makes a quality product. People constantly try to compare their products to run of the mill garbage at Best Buy, but it's not in the same league. I build my own gaming rigs with Windows and they cost quite a bit to build. My current gaming rig is more expensive than a loaded up iMac, and my screen is only an S-PVA Dell monitor. I've got over $3000 in this machine. It's got advantages over an iMac in some areas, yet the iMac has some advantages in real estate, screen, and definitely the OS.



    Good quality parts cost good money. People that buy $1200 PC's have garbage low res TN screens, junk parts, and got what they paid for.



    Most everyone is familiar with how chips are graded, they are taken from a wafer and graded so a 2.3 GHz chip can have been sat next to a 2.6Mhz chip in manufacturing just because of minute variables one performed better than the next. All components are batch tested, there are standard batches, there are above standard batches, there are below standard but acceptable batches. A friend was near the top of Seagate a few years ago, the best hard drives were 17¢ per unit more than standard, I don't know what the difference with 'acceptable' was.



    Apple buys the best parts, bulk preorders, pays in advance, whatever they have to do to get the best parts. Dell shops around for the lowest price, no doubt other companies get the real dregs for pennies, buying the scrap and not scrapping.



    No way is Apple kit made from the same components as the bulk of the market, from the bottom up, cables, plastics, switches. So much third party kit, even good brand names like Lacie, is let down by power supplies, generic power supplies with a logo stuck on, You don't get those from Apple.



    Enough of this Apples are made from the same components shit already!



    .
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  • Reply 68 of 130
    robin huberrobin huber Posts: 4,082member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by JeffDM View Post


    Besides, there isn't a sticker that says "warranty void if opened". The suggestion that the warranty is voided if you open a Mac is false, the warranty is voided on the parts you broke if you broke them while you were in the device.



    Thanks for clarifying this Jeff. I failed to catch it. There are so many false statements and assumptions flying around these days it's hard to catch them all.
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  • Reply 69 of 130
    onhkaonhka Posts: 1,025member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by TheShepherd View Post


    Their junk is made in the same Chinese sweat shops as the Dell junk, HP junk, etc. with the same parts that they all use. If Apple would let you open their units without voiding their warranty, you would find the same HD, memory chips and such. The reason they are not cheap is because you will pay more.



    Apple is not about parts. Never has been.



    Apple is about the whole experience. Always will be.



    So take your parts and shove it up your hole, while we enjoy the experience.
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  • Reply 70 of 130
    onhkaonhka Posts: 1,025member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Crowley View Post


    This is poorly worded and may be misleading. Android does not have the "largest share of free applications by far". Free Android apps makes up a greater proportion of total Android apps when compared to other app stores. I have no doubt that the absolute number of free apps for iOS makes Android look puny, even with their greater proportion.



    They never said that.
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  • Reply 71 of 130
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by TheShepherd View Post


    Their junk is made in the same Chinese sweat shops as the Dell junk, HP junk, etc. with the same parts that they all use. If Apple would let you open their units without voiding their warranty, you would find the same HD, memory chips and such. The reason they are not cheap is because you will pay more.



    Wrong. Apple might be in China, but they have factories that are audited and well cared for. HP and Dell don't give a damn what factory is making there stuff.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by lewchenko View Post


    Nobody is complaining about that part. They are complaining about Apple's response since the issue was discovered.



    ie. Hold it Different. Its all your fault.

    ie. Poor engineering (lets not admit we should have put a sealant over the antenna bridge)

    ie. Releasing a fix which isnt a fix at all... just reports the bars differently. You will still lose calls.

    ie. Telling their reps not to give complaining customers rubber bumpers, but ripping them off to the tune of $30 for a $1 piece of rubber.

    ie. They would rather you returned your faulty handset than give you a cheap piece of rubber.



    I love their innovation too, but this time Apple have shown to all that they treat their customers with contempt.



    ie. They ADVISED you to hold it this way!

    ie. It's only an issue on crappy ATT (this does not happen in the UK).

    ie. Making ATT look better.

    ie. How do you know it's $1? You just assume. It might have cost $20 to make or something.

    ie. The rubbers prop not cheap for the resellers and Apple who payed for it.



    Apple is the evil empire, unfair business practises... yada, yada.
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  • Reply 72 of 130
    akhomerunakhomerun Posts: 386member
    I think this data is a waste of time, I don't think any of it is significant. Android is an open source OS, and Google wants to make their marketplace very open and welcoming to developers. It makes sense that Android has more free application use, since many Android users essentially want an open source alternative to Apple.



    Google uses an App approval process like Apple, but do they even charge developers to produce applications? When you are charged $100 just to post an develop, you aren't going to make one just for fun, you are going to be in it for the money.
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  • Reply 73 of 130
    akhomerunakhomerun Posts: 386member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by fuwafuwa View Post


    Actually Android Store is 100% free. Buy an app, backup, and cancel before 24 hours. VoilÃ*, free app.



    Thanks for the tip I think this fact might make me buy an Android phone in the future
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  • Reply 74 of 130
    jragostajragosta Posts: 10,473member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ruel24 View Post


    I'm pro Android for several reasons: First, competition. Competition breeds better products.



    Well, you could choose a theoretical position (that if you buy Android apps that you might eventually have quality apps) or you could buy quality apps on the Apple store NOW.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SinisterJoe View Post


    Isn't it strange how the tech media covers App Store rejections like it's the end of the world as we know it yet they give a total free pass to Google denying developers the ability to sell apps in so many countries? The double standard extends to Google blocking wifi tethering applications in the market, over clocking tools, etc. If you have to jailbreak your Android device to install those apps it's the exact same situation as jailbreaking an iPhone to get exotic apps. Companies like HTC are starting to make it very difficult to root some Android devices. The current rooting procedure on my HTC Eris is something like a 20+ step process to work around the lock-ins HTC has put in place. Such a gigantic double standard here.



    Yes, the media likes to bash Apple.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Jerseymac View Post


    The original post said it was a mistake on Apple's part to lock into AT&T "for so long" and I agree.



    I love the way people can reach conclusions like this without facts. Do you know what options Apple had? Do you know what the deal is that Apple signed? Do you know the terms of the agreement? Now, since you obviously don't know any of the facts, how can you reach a conclusion that Apple made the wrong decision?



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by a_greer View Post


    This artical doesn't take into account that Apple has had huge inutria for three years now and Google's phone just broke out of uber nerd circles in a big way with 2.1 not but maybe 8 months ago.



    The first Android phone came out in Sept, 2008. That's nearly 2 years ago. The first iPhone came out 3 years ago, but the App Store was opened in mid-2008. So there isn't that much of a difference. Yes, Android took a while to catch on, but so did the iPhone. Plus, most apps have been sold recently - when there were both Apple and Android apps.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by str1f3 View Post


    I haven't used a Windows machine a few years but it seems to me that Apple's quality have gone down slightly since the move to Intel. I really don't know who's to blame on that issue. .



    Your evidence? I wonder how people think that their biases are facts.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by TheShepherd View Post


    Their junk is made in the same Chinese sweat shops as the Dell junk, HP junk, etc. with the same parts that they all use.



    Really? So which Chinese sweat shops and Dell and HP factories use the same case as the Mac Mini? Or the power supply from the Mac Pro? Or the motherboard from the MacBook Pro?



    The fact is that some of the components in Apple's products are proprietary - which accounts for at least some of the fact that Apple's reliability is the best in the industry.
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  • Reply 75 of 130
    qualiaqualia Posts: 73member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by akhomerun View Post


    I think this data is a waste of time, I don't think any of it is significant. Android is an open source OS, and Google wants to make their marketplace very open and welcoming to developers. It makes sense that Android has more free application use, since many Android users essentially want an open source alternative to Apple.



    Google uses an App approval process like Apple, but do they even charge developers to produce applications? When you are charged $100 just to post an develop, you aren't going to make one just for fun, you are going to be in it for the money.



    I have a feeling that apps made for fun are not usually of the highest caliber. If that's why the Android Market exists, for fun, then I don't think it'll ever attract developers the same way as Apple did with the App Store.
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  • Reply 76 of 130
    fuwafuwafuwafuwa Posts: 163member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by a_greer View Post


    To digitally steal something is not only petty theft, but if I am not mistaken, a strong case could be made for wire fraud...and you stupidly brag about it in a forum as widely read as this one? are you fucking nuts? Perhaps you are just a lowlife scoundrel, you steal from the hardworking independent app developers who make android, iphone and the like really great while your only contribution appears to be crime how-to's...



    FUCK YOU



    If I were an Android Developer, I would say, FUCK GOOGLE. Or actually they'd already said that implicitly. I just happened to read a complain from a developer in official Android forum, saying that 30% of his app sales were canceled, and several of them are canceled in seconds! 30% is enough to be said as common practice.



    Also google only allow to sell apps only in 9 countries. Whether this is to promote free software or just incapability to handle the payment, in the developers' point of view that sucks to the bone. I'm happy that I develop iPhone apps.
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  • Reply 77 of 130
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    No argument here, but tech companies seem to do pretty good.



    Yes but, advertising is a very fungible expenditure, not all appears as advertising in the accounts, Microsoft is well known for partner deals for advertising, they give discounts and their customer promotes Windows, Office etc. Advertising expenditure disappears in to R&D budgets too, surveys and even research in to advertising!



    Ever wondered why Microsoft keyboards and mice are so good yet so reasonably priced? Getting the MS brand between the user and the screen is high value advertising.



    Apple's storefronts are massive billboards in prominent locations, leases, rent and fitting out don't appear in the marketing budget. I don't criticize Apple for that approach to marketing, putting their products in to customers' hands for them to try, it's the most legitimate advertising that there is. Showing their wares not some fantasy reconstruction pitched at known trigger points in the psyche (check out Edward Bernays).



    The chart shows a small selection of tech companies, arguably Microsoft, Google, eBay and to a lesser extent Amazon hold monopoly or near monopoly positions in their relative markets. Saying Google doesn't spend on advertising is disingenuous, they are an advertising company, they give almost everything away for free, they spend money on giving stuff away, that's an advertising cost.



    AOL doesn't spend much on advertising, how times have changed :-)



    Yahoo similarly on its death bed, hopes for recovery are slight, advertising expenditures have increased since that chart.



    As it happens one of the 60%+ advertising expenditure products I came across was Toast from Roxio.



    But yes even so tech is lower on advertising expenditure than the king of the hill junk food. 2¢ of junk flour, a bit of oil, some salt, spices, artificial flavoring, coloring and odor, 12¢ making the package (mostly marketing), 15¢ other marketing, 5¢ distribution, 15¢ for the store = 49¢ healthy snack :-)



    And then there's sugar water.....



    .
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  • Reply 78 of 130
    fuwafuwafuwafuwa Posts: 163member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by cgrisar View Post


    Where are the assumptions? These are facts. Just check the press releases. And shouldn't this top notch, state of the art company correct there errors right away? I don't think the dust will settle before they got a right. Which should be straight away for a device costing over 700 USD.



    When you see the back of Apple product, it is said, "Designed by Apple California, Assembled in China". Only assembled in China, not manufactured. May be you often heard that Apple use high quality display, memory, processor, etc from Samsung, LG, and other good companies.
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  • Reply 79 of 130
    lewchenkolewchenko Posts: 139member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by newbee View Post


    Excuse me, but your True Colors are showing ...(with apologies to Cyndi Lauper))





    16 posts ... almost all Apple bashing and/or praising PC ....





    And yet I own an iMac and an iPad currently, and have spent 000's on apple hardware over the years. It doesnt make Apple Godlike you know. They are not above criticism.
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  • Reply 80 of 130
    jerseymacjerseymac Posts: 408member
    And another thread has descended into madness. Perhaps the good people at Apple Insider could have worked through the holiday weekend and gave us more stories to fight about. The two day drought seems to have given some here a lot of pent up frustrations.
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