The real key is how long is the Pixel useful. I can easily get three very useful years from an iPhone. Most of my friends who purchase Android devices struggle after a year and even more after two years of use. Apple's hardware is quite good. And Apple's ecosystem is far less fragmented than Google's Android.
I don't think very highly of HTC hardware. Samsung and LG make better devices. As a matter of fact, both of them manufactured phones for Google previously and no longer do. It's no secret that they parted from Google on less than friendly terms. Now Google has partnered with HTC. I wonder who they'll partner with next. Probably won't be Sony. Maybe Xiaomi or Huawei. Actually Huawei probable won't as they are looking to put Alexa on their phones. And if I were looking for a non iOS phone, Alexa would be quite enticing.
I would imagine that Samsung's difficulties would benefit Pixel sales amongst Android loyalists.
The Pixel is just another in a long line of iPhone “killers” to come along. So-called Android loyalists are looking for the next White Knight in Shining Armor to slay the Apple dragon now that Samsung’s brand is tarnished. A lot of Fandroids have been unhappy with Samsung’s relentless chase to be more like Apple, that is, in terms of sealed batteries, ports, SD slots, etc. There is no reason to believe that the Pixel will fare any better than the Nexus did in terms of market share but the hype is there nonetheless.
Most people aren't hard fans of any particular platform. They simply want a smartphone in a size they like. with a display that looks the way they think it should, with features they think they'll use and a a price that meets their budget.. Most are not worthy of being tagged with an insulting name simply because they didn't make the same choice you or someone else made.
You're missing the only part that matters and makes them "fans". It's all about the OS. All of those features are part of the OS which locks customers into it. So you can call me a fan or don't but if Apple's iPhone 8 was a dud, I would still buy it - not because I blindly support Apple but because the idea of changing to any other OS from my current one is much worse the the worst phone.
For all the crap that Apple fans get from the Android crowd, the Pixel seems like it is attracting buyers who simply want a Google product, regardless of the fact that it looks like the iPhone and is lacking many of the features of the iPhone and many other Android competitors.
....and that fingerprint sensor on the back? I really can't see myself ever using something like Apple Pay if the sensor was on the back.
Having the sensor on the back isn't a bad idea. If you've never used it, it may seem a bit odd in description. In reality, you can keep a better grip on your phone and rest your finger on the sensor on the back than resting your thumb on the lower portion of an iPhone.
Google is FAR better at answering questions than SIRI is. SIRI can do some very basic stuff, but if you try to ask her any questions, the results provided are generally useless. Opening Safari and asking the exact same question to Google gets you a useful response.
Apple excels in having multiple devices communicate together. If you have a Mac, a phone, and an iPad, it doesn't matter which one you pick up, all of your stuff is there and available for you with very little initial configuration on your part. That doesn't exist in the Windows/Android world without a lot of custom effort to make it happen.
When iHaters call this "a BEAUTIFUL phone" it gets to be like nothing else. I have a big pet peeve for ignorant people.
If this iKnockoff steals scraps from other droids, why don't they give up and start developing technologies for Apple? At least they'll make some sort of profit.
Then again, Apple probably doesn't want them because really, what do they offer?
Do you mean Google should develop for Apple? Or the other android manufacturers? They do already - Youtube, Maps and Gmail are some of the biggest apps on iOS. Sony, Samsung, LG, and TCL all make components for Apple.
If Pixel was such a great phone Google would stop releasing its apps and services for the iPhone.
My mistake on the above post. Huawei already manufactured a Nexus phone for Google. Perhaps Google's next choice will be Xiaomi. There aren't many left to take advantage of, aka "screw over."
I ask Siri how heavy iPhone 7 Plus is. It refers me to Apple.com. I asked again what is the weight of iPhone 7 Plus. It refers me to Apple.com again. Apparently Siri can only do keyword search but it can not understand a sentence. This is really primitive R&D engineering using grep. No artificial intelligence.
Eric, is that you. Buy a pixel then and google can tell you how heavy their phone is. I would not really call voice assistance technology primitive since the technology is only a few years old.
I ask Siri how heavy iPhone 7 Plus is. It refers me to Apple.com. I asked again what is the weight of iPhone 7 Plus. It refers me to Apple.com again. Apparently Siri can only do keyword search but it can not understand a sentence. This is really primitive R&D engineering using grep. No artificial intelligence.
Siri is the one significant dent in Apple's armor. Even using it in the car for basics like making a phone call are a challenge. Especially if you are not in a great coverage zone as it has no local processing capability. AI is all about data gathering. There is a trade-off between having the best (Google) which uses your data extensively and having something OK (Siri) which tries to respect user privacy. Time will tell which wins out. If i was a kid out of college and wanted to do AI, Apple would not be at the top of my list of companies to work for given the restrictions on openness and general industry collaboration.
When iHaters call this "a BEAUTIFUL phone" it gets to be like nothing else. I have a big pet peeve for ignorant people.
If this iKnockoff steals scraps from other droids, why don't they give up and start developing technologies for Apple? At least they'll make some sort of profit.
Then again, Apple probably doesn't want them because really, what do they offer?
Do you mean Google should develop for Apple? Or the other android manufacturers? They do already - Youtube, Maps and Gmail are some of the biggest apps on iOS. Sony, Samsung, LG, and TCL all make components for Apple.
*it gets to me like nothing else.
What I meant is they should create technologies and compete for Apple components. I imagine Sony makes way more money selling parts to Apple than selling cheap knockoffs that lose money per device.
When iHaters call this "a BEAUTIFUL phone" it gets to be like nothing else. I have a big pet peeve for ignorant people.
If this iKnockoff steals scraps from other droids, why don't they give up and start developing technologies for Apple? At least they'll make some sort of profit.
Then again, Apple probably doesn't want them because really, what do they offer?
Do you mean Google should develop for Apple? Or the other android manufacturers? They do already - Youtube, Maps and Gmail are some of the biggest apps on iOS. Sony, Samsung, LG, and TCL all make components for Apple.
If Pixel was such a great phone Google would stop releasing its apps and services for the iPhone.
Why would they cut their potential audience for products that are platform neutral? Their apps are available on iOS, Android, Windows, in cars, on TVs. Pixel isn't meant to replace that but gives them another avenue to show off their services.
When iHaters call this "a BEAUTIFUL phone" it gets to be like nothing else. I have a big pet peeve for ignorant people.
If this iKnockoff steals scraps from other droids, why don't they give up and start developing technologies for Apple? At least they'll make some sort of profit.
Then again, Apple probably doesn't want them because really, what do they offer?
Do you mean Google should develop for Apple? Or the other android manufacturers? They do already - Youtube, Maps and Gmail are some of the biggest apps on iOS. Sony, Samsung, LG, and TCL all make components for Apple.
*it gets to me like nothing else.
What I meant is they should create technologies and compete for Apple components. I imagine Sony makes way more money selling parts to Apple than selling cheap knockoffs that lose money per device.
Samsung makes money on their phones. My guess is that Sony and LG stay in the business either to dilute the R&D costs of their components or to experience integration to improve their parts. I'm not sure why they'd stay in the handset business otherwise. I have no idea how the other manufacturers make money but some of the Chinese ones might be quietly subsidised by the Chinese government or making a long-term play for something else, e.g. Lenovo
That is because Google is using most of the same suppliers as every other cellphone company including Apple and they are on the bottom of the priority list to get parts during constrain supply situation like exist right now. Plus apple has invested in manufacturing capacities at their suppliers so they get first priority on parts. This is what happens when you have Software/Ad company trying to get into the hardware business and does not understand the challenges of the supply chains.
Sold out is code with they do not have supply it does not mean people are actually buying it like crazy.
This is true.
Though I don't believe they are deliberately constraining supply, being sold out could mean your popular, or it could mean you can't make enough for the very few who want to buy it.
In in the end, sales is what counts.
People around here would do well to remember this when it comes to the reports about the iPhone.
I'm quite surprised that it's selling somewhat well for a first release, particularly one that wasn't what Google had actually planned to do and at a relatively high iPhone-like price for all versions. A similar story at another site showed the Pixel making up 8% of Verizon's new smartphone activations.
You're falling into the same trap, which surprises me about you. Just because the phone sells out doesn't necessarily mean it's selling well. Just like the iPhone. Higher activations, could mean lower activations overall. You'd need data across all providers to know if this is a consistent sales pattern, or just a promotion at Verizon, while higher end customers are chasing other carriers, for instance.
Yes except in the iPhone's case it actually does mean it's selling well at launch. Very well.
I ask Siri how heavy iPhone 7 Plus is. It refers me to Apple.com. I asked again what is the weight of iPhone 7 Plus. It refers me to Apple.com again. Apparently Siri can only do keyword search but it can not understand a sentence. This is really primitive R&D engineering using grep. No artificial intelligence.
Mmmm. Not so sure.
🤔
I think Siri understands the question just fine, but rather than parse and give you a single answer, Apple would much rather you go to the website and get the whole story.
You are joking, right? I know to go to Apple.com to get the answer. I ask Siri because I don't want to waste time to do so.
They haven't programmed the Siri databases with the answers to anything and everything. Perhaps specs on the iPhone should be something they have, but since that's likely not a popular request they haven't.
I ask Siri how heavy iPhone 7 Plus is. It refers me to Apple.com. I asked again what is the weight of iPhone 7 Plus. It refers me to Apple.com again. Apparently Siri can only do keyword search but it can not understand a sentence. This is really primitive R&D engineering using grep. No artificial intelligence.
Mmmm. Not so sure.
🤔
I think Siri understands the question just fine, but rather than parse and give you a single answer, Apple would much rather you go to the website and get the whole story.
You are joking, right? I know to go to Apple.com to get the answer. I ask Siri because I don't want to waste time to do so.
They haven't programmed the Siri databases with the answers to anything and everything. Perhaps specs on the iPhone should be something they have, but since that's likely not a popular request they haven't.
I asked Siri how heavy a car model is. It gives me an answer.
For all the crap that Apple fans get from the Android crowd, the Pixel seems like it is attracting buyers who simply want a Google product, regardless of the fact that it looks like the iPhone and is lacking many of the features of the iPhone and many other Android competitors.
....and that fingerprint sensor on the back? I really can't see myself ever using something like Apple Pay if the sensor was on the back.
So Google makes what is basically a iPhone CLONE. Prices it like a iPhone. They want to actually make a profit, something they couldn't do with their so called NEXUS phones, which this is still really a NEXUS phone, but slap on a Pixel Name and charge more money.
I had though Google didn't want to get involved in hardware. They could have kept Motorola Mobility for that, yet they sold it off. These Pixel (Really NEXUS Phones made by LG, so same old, same old) give Google a unfair advantage over everyone else. They're trying to be Microsoft now. MS making Surface Computers, so here's Google with the Pixel. All the while Android has been basically marketed as the CHEAP phones!!! It's been a race to the bottom and Android for the most part has become a Commodity. Most Android phones sold are low end to mid range. With very slim profit margins. Keep in mind Apple is making around 95% of the Smartphone profits with Samesung making most of the rest, which leaves slim pickings for everyone else, which is better then those that are losing money.
I really don't see how Google could be selling all that many. They can't keep supplies in stock and it's only in the Verizon Stores? I don't see how they could really be selling all that many just because of the price of these so called first generation Google Phones as Google is trying to make them out to be, even though it's just a new Nexus Phone made by LG. Call it whatever you want Google, doesn't change anything. The flat out copying of the iPhone. Move the touch sensor from the dumb back to the bottom front and it couldn't be any more of a clone. No button there but still large bezel like the iPhone. DUMB!!!
If Android is your thing and you want to see updates in a reasonable amount of time, what choice do you have?
gatorguy said: Most people aren't hard fans of any particular platform. They simply want a smartphone in a size they like. with a display that looks the way they think it should, with features they think they'll use and a a price that meets their budget.. Most are not worthy of being tagged with an insulting name simply because they didn't make the same choice you or someone else made.
Completely disagree. Apple fans are extremely loyal. Reputation means something. Brand loyalty is a real thing.
I agree many Apple fans are extremely loyal and dedicated... but you aren't describing "most people". As popular and rich as Apple is MOST people are not what would be called Apple fans. Nor are MOST of them Samsung fans. Nor LG fans. Nor loyal fans of any other brand of phones. They want something they can afford, that looks like they want it to, and does what they want it to. THAT'S most people.
The Pixel is a clean looking design, so of course it is going to look like an iPhone. If this is the look they are going for, it is inevitable--so too bad for them .
But I have to say, the Pixel looks and feels to me a lot thicker in real life than the iPhone. I don't care a huge amount about having the thinnest of the thin device (iPhone 6 here), but I guess I'm spoiled now. Now that phones are as big as they are, every fraction of an inch in thickness seems to matter more.
Comments
I don't think very highly of HTC hardware. Samsung and LG make better devices. As a matter of fact, both of them manufactured phones for Google previously and no longer do. It's no secret that they parted from Google on less than friendly terms. Now Google has partnered with HTC. I wonder who they'll partner with next. Probably won't be Sony. Maybe Xiaomi or Huawei. Actually Huawei probable won't as they are looking to put Alexa on their phones. And if I were looking for a non iOS phone, Alexa would be quite enticing.
Google is FAR better at answering questions than SIRI is. SIRI can do some very basic stuff, but if you try to ask her any questions, the results provided are generally useless. Opening Safari and asking the exact same question to Google gets you a useful response.
Apple excels in having multiple devices communicate together. If you have a Mac, a phone, and an iPad, it doesn't matter which one you pick up, all of your stuff is there and available for you with very little initial configuration on your part. That doesn't exist in the Windows/Android world without a lot of custom effort to make it happen.
Eric, is that you. Buy a pixel then and google can tell you how heavy their phone is. I would not really call voice assistance technology primitive since the technology is only a few years old.
What I meant is they should create technologies and compete for Apple components. I imagine Sony makes way more money selling parts to Apple than selling cheap knockoffs that lose money per device.
Samsung makes money on their phones. My guess is that Sony and LG stay in the business either to dilute the R&D costs of their components or to experience integration to improve their parts. I'm not sure why they'd stay in the handset business otherwise. I have no idea how the other manufacturers make money but some of the Chinese ones might be quietly subsidised by the Chinese government or making a long-term play for something else, e.g. Lenovo
They haven't programmed the Siri databases with the answers to anything and everything. Perhaps specs on the iPhone should be something they have, but since that's likely not a popular request they haven't.
But I have to say, the Pixel looks and feels to me a lot thicker in real life than the iPhone. I don't care a huge amount about having the thinnest of the thin device (iPhone 6 here), but I guess I'm spoiled now. Now that phones are as big as they are, every fraction of an inch in thickness seems to matter more.