Of course the analogy completely breaks down if you think about it for a second. IBM made the computers the IT guys liked; consumers were obliged to follow suit. "Liking" PCs never entered into the equation.
Apple made the tablet consumers like, full stop. I guess you want to suggest that the reason the iPad is so popular is some kind of group think, but of course consumers are pretty smart, en mass, about voting with their wallets (when given the freedom to choose, outside of corporate dictates). If they buy the iPad in large numbers, it's probably because they like it and they like how it works. If they continue to buy the iPad in large numbers, choosing it over rivals, it's probably because they like it more and think it works better than those rivals. The idea that consumers fear they'll be ridiculed if they start toting around a Xoom and will therefore continue to buy iPads even if they are the inferior choice is stupid beyond saying.
We've managed to get from "Apple's customers are a small cadre of hipsters, posers and the terminally style-consious" to "Apple's customers are a legion of fearful conformists." Somehow "Apple's customers are people who like Apple's products, for entirely logical reasons" never seems to enter into it.
Exactly. Apple stuff is bought by people who want it to buy it. Often, it is worth pointing out, because of another Apple product they already have that has convinced them Apple make great products. It is the opposite of mindlessness.
The same is applicable to andriod also, anything that is popular will be most common and then there will be people who want that as it's popular.
That's a wrong choice I would say people should choose what is more usable for them.
These are good points.
It's especially funny that someone argues that Apple has lost its luster because of ubiquity and then argues that Android will be the ubiquitous platform - meaning Apple will have the aspirational products.
There are two primary form factors: one that should fit comfortably in any pocket and another that should be large enough to comfortably read a book, watch a movie, take meeting notes, etc.
The iPhone is a perfect match for the first and the iPad a perfect match for the second.
Those Android phones with big screens are too large to fit in most pockets and uncomfortable to operate with one hand, making them a suboptimal choice for a primary smartphone device.
The 7 inch "tablets" are both too large to fit in a pocket and too small to provide a significant viewing advantage over more pocketable devices. Moreover, the 16:9 aspect ratio is a misguided choice given that movie watching is hardly the primary use of these devices.
I still think there is a market for a 7-8" 4:3 iPad that fits in lab coat pockets. Of course, maybe we will just start seeing larger pockets on lab coats (which will suck for smaller people)
Did you even read the AI article? If you did, then you would know that in terms of hardware specs, the Xoom is streets ahead of the iPad. Better screen, MUCH faster GPU/GPU, 4x the RAM, front and rear cameras with 720p video recording... the works.
Blows the iPad away, at least in it's current form. Plus Honeycomb looks amazing, and again, streets ahead of the current OS the iPad runs.
The problem is a consumer can not currently get his hands on a Xoom so it is no competition to the iPad. And then there is the fact that Apple will release the iPad 2 which will be the real competition for the Xoom. It will be hard to make a comparison of specs until the iPad 2 is finalized.
The 16:9 aspect won't work as well. We can even thank Netflix for shedding light on that: they're finding people are streaming to AppleTV more that iPads. I know I'm stretching here but that could show some indication that these companies are betting on the wrong size thinking it'll be a major movie viewer... when it won't.
My parents only used their iPad to watch movies when their LCD TV broke and were waiting for their new one to be delivered.
Is this new Android made for 16:9? Does every company using it have the same size? And who decides that? Google or the tablet manufacturers? Curious if anyone has any insight
Just looking at desktop monitors (well, laptops as well), 16:9 seems to be dominant form factor at present... thought 1280x800 is 16:10, I believe. 16:9 would be more like 1360x768 or 1280x720.
Anyway... my 2 year old HP 6730b laptop had 15.6" 1280x800 screen and it was HP business line laptop. I think it is decent resolution for both work and multimedia. 16:9 video will leave thin black strips above and below screen, or, alternatively, video player will be able to use that extra space for controls without overlapping them on video.
This is FAIL on so many levels. It?s like their only goal is to beat the Galaxy Tab on buyer?s remorse and returns. Arstechnica points out that just a few weeks ago at CES there were no demo units to use, just demos running on units. That doesn?t seem like a device that is stable and ready to ship.
PS: Does it at least have an IPS display? I know all the Asus tablets coming out this year do.
Asus tablets are also much more reasonably priced, Transformer floating between $399 and $699 depending on SSD size and (hopefully) keyboard dock being bundled or not. Specs wise Transformer looks pretty much sale as Xoom.
But as with the most non-Apple gadgets, Xoom might be so much more affordable 3 to 6 months down the path
There is a certain irony that they copy an Apple ad concept to advertise a copied Apple product. Are there truly no original concepts or innovations coming from anyone but Apple these days? It is amazing.
but they never posted...they never post my comments..
but I basically said, does anyone else see the irony in parodying a commercial from over 25 years ago while producing a product that is a parody of the real thing.
So you're quoting an article that was based on misinformation? You do know that the "16%" return rate was totally FUD right?
And if you read AI's other article's, you'd see that the Xoom is approaching the idea of a tablet differently.
Honeycomb is a totally different take on tablets, and doubly so on android.
Check AppleInsider's article. Do a google search. It is what it is. Accept it.
The eXoom is definitely different. It is a netbook without a keyboard. It has nano battery life time. It is a redesign of a computer nix the keboard. Who wants another lesser version of a lap top? Think about it, Menno. If you are just a troll Apple hater there is no need for further discussion. But if you are honestly keen on the future from whence ever it comes, cool.
I don't particularly want an iPad or any tablet at the moment. I write from my knee. I would find the MacBook Air perfect and it is rumoured it will evolve into a hybrid lap-Pad and run apps. Nice intermediary, don't you think. I write and communicate a lot so a kb is Necessity's child.
But if it is a netbook you want, the Air might be your device. An Android OS is going to take a lot of work before it can run a business day without further recharges.
I like to think I have an open mind but what I have seen from M$ and Google have not been promising. Time will tell and Apple has invented the future time and time again. The iPhone basically invented the smart phone. It is the iPhone being copied, not RiM phones. When M$ or Google does this once, I will be impressed.
Let's not forget that Motorola designed and manufactured the 68000 CPU that powered the original Macs. So does that make them complicit in some evil mysterious plot that is depicted in the ad?
Apple and Motorola used to go out together. They even had a baby, the Motorola SLVR L7, a feature phone capable of syncing with iTunes. It was, for all intents and purposes, an iPod (with limited storage) + Mobile Phone. It was available from Cingular Wireless, which became AT&T. That was in 2006. The following year, everything changed.
The troll ran away hiding already? Um I guess he is speechless after making up a lot of BS. These immature kids need to stick with engadget and not pollute appleinsider.
I found the ad really dumb and weak. Teenagers' reactions were WTF? Buy xoom to get laid?
Those ads didn't mock users. They mocked Windows. Only the tiny minority of people (i.e., MCSEs and Paul Thurrott) whose identity is tied to Windows were offended. Hating Windows and hating your PC has long been a part of popular culture. Those ads were no more mocking than jokes about airplane food are to the millions of people who fly in airplanes.
No those ads mocked windows users, pretty much in the same way that Motorola's ads mocked Apple users. They're built on stereotypes, writ large. I didn't very much care for the Xoom ads and I'm an Android user, I didn't much care for the Apple ads and I'm a Macbook user. I suspect both ads will work in their own way.
No those ads mocked windows users, pretty much in the same way that Motorola's ads mocked Apple users. They're built on stereotypes, writ large. I didn't very much care for the Xoom ads and I'm an Android user, I didn't much care for the Apple ads and I'm a Macbook user. I suspect both ads will work in their own way.
Well, no. Just saying it doesn't make it so. Whereas the Apple/PC ads explicitly used a guy declaring himself to be a PC, whose woes entirely centered around the perceptions and shortcomings of PCs, and which foibles were presented in a light hearted way that encouraged sympathy for the poor beleaguered PC, the Motorola ad explicitly and only depicts Apple's customers, whose only apparent attribute is docile servitude to their iPods and a penchant for white.
As far as "working in its own way", no doubt, but that may not be the way that Motorola had in mind. The Apple/PC ads sought to highlight the differences between the two platforms in things like ease of use, access to certain apps, customer support, etc. The Motorola ads seeks to.... what, exactly? Highlight the difference being a drone and being free? Based on what? Art direction?
Again, the people running Motorola may be under the impression that Apple's customers and potential customers represent this nascent movement of Apple disgust, but that's a delusion of internet tech punditry. No normal person regards iPod use as a mark of slavery, or imagines that buying a competitor's tablet device is the road to freedom.
Just looking at desktop monitors (well, laptops as well), 16:9 seems to be dominant form factor at present... thought 1280x800 is 16:10, I believe. 16:9 would be more like 1360x768 or 1280x720.
Anyway... my 2 year old HP 6730b laptop had 15.6" 1280x800 screen and it was HP business line laptop. I think it is decent resolution for both work and multimedia. 16:9 video will leave thin black strips above and below screen, or, alternatively, video player will be able to use that extra space for controls without overlapping them on video.
It might work for displaying videos, but what about the UI when you rotate the display and what about Apps?
Is an eventual Android app store going to feature applications built with every aspect ratio and pixel dimension in mind, or will there be device specific Apps?
Comments
At the risk of being considered a sexist rather than an etymologist -- I wonder about the meaning of the word Ba-Xooms.
Sorry!
I'm not touching that one with a 10' pole
Of course the analogy completely breaks down if you think about it for a second. IBM made the computers the IT guys liked; consumers were obliged to follow suit. "Liking" PCs never entered into the equation.
Apple made the tablet consumers like, full stop. I guess you want to suggest that the reason the iPad is so popular is some kind of group think, but of course consumers are pretty smart, en mass, about voting with their wallets (when given the freedom to choose, outside of corporate dictates). If they buy the iPad in large numbers, it's probably because they like it and they like how it works. If they continue to buy the iPad in large numbers, choosing it over rivals, it's probably because they like it more and think it works better than those rivals. The idea that consumers fear they'll be ridiculed if they start toting around a Xoom and will therefore continue to buy iPads even if they are the inferior choice is stupid beyond saying.
We've managed to get from "Apple's customers are a small cadre of hipsters, posers and the terminally style-consious" to "Apple's customers are a legion of fearful conformists." Somehow "Apple's customers are people who like Apple's products, for entirely logical reasons" never seems to enter into it.
Exactly. Apple stuff is bought by people who want it to buy it. Often, it is worth pointing out, because of another Apple product they already have that has convinced them Apple make great products. It is the opposite of mindlessness.
iPad sales estimates (to end users, including enterprise) for calendar year 2011....
Any takers?
I'll start the bidding at 60 million units!
.
The same is applicable to andriod also, anything that is popular will be most common and then there will be people who want that as it's popular.
That's a wrong choice I would say people should choose what is more usable for them.
These are good points.
It's especially funny that someone argues that Apple has lost its luster because of ubiquity and then argues that Android will be the ubiquitous platform - meaning Apple will have the aspirational products.
There are two primary form factors: one that should fit comfortably in any pocket and another that should be large enough to comfortably read a book, watch a movie, take meeting notes, etc.
The iPhone is a perfect match for the first and the iPad a perfect match for the second.
Those Android phones with big screens are too large to fit in most pockets and uncomfortable to operate with one hand, making them a suboptimal choice for a primary smartphone device.
The 7 inch "tablets" are both too large to fit in a pocket and too small to provide a significant viewing advantage over more pocketable devices. Moreover, the 16:9 aspect ratio is a misguided choice given that movie watching is hardly the primary use of these devices.
I still think there is a market for a 7-8" 4:3 iPad that fits in lab coat pockets. Of course, maybe we will just start seeing larger pockets on lab coats (which will suck for smaller people)
Did you even read the AI article? If you did, then you would know that in terms of hardware specs, the Xoom is streets ahead of the iPad. Better screen, MUCH faster GPU/GPU, 4x the RAM, front and rear cameras with 720p video recording... the works.
Blows the iPad away, at least in it's current form. Plus Honeycomb looks amazing, and again, streets ahead of the current OS the iPad runs.
The problem is a consumer can not currently get his hands on a Xoom so it is no competition to the iPad. And then there is the fact that Apple will release the iPad 2 which will be the real competition for the Xoom. It will be hard to make a comparison of specs until the iPad 2 is finalized.
YEP!
AND
The 16:9 aspect won't work as well. We can even thank Netflix for shedding light on that: they're finding people are streaming to AppleTV more that iPads. I know I'm stretching here but that could show some indication that these companies are betting on the wrong size thinking it'll be a major movie viewer... when it won't.
My parents only used their iPad to watch movies when their LCD TV broke and were waiting for their new one to be delivered.
Is this new Android made for 16:9? Does every company using it have the same size? And who decides that? Google or the tablet manufacturers? Curious if anyone has any insight
Just looking at desktop monitors (well, laptops as well), 16:9 seems to be dominant form factor at present... thought 1280x800 is 16:10, I believe. 16:9 would be more like 1360x768 or 1280x720.
Anyway... my 2 year old HP 6730b laptop had 15.6" 1280x800 screen and it was HP business line laptop. I think it is decent resolution for both work and multimedia. 16:9 video will leave thin black strips above and below screen, or, alternatively, video player will be able to use that extra space for controls without overlapping them on video.
This is FAIL on so many levels. It?s like their only goal is to beat the Galaxy Tab on buyer?s remorse and returns. Arstechnica points out that just a few weeks ago at CES there were no demo units to use, just demos running on units. That doesn?t seem like a device that is stable and ready to ship.
PS: Does it at least have an IPS display? I know all the Asus tablets coming out this year do.
Asus tablets are also much more reasonably priced, Transformer floating between $399 and $699 depending on SSD size and (hopefully) keyboard dock being bundled or not. Specs wise Transformer looks pretty much sale as Xoom.
But as with the most non-Apple gadgets, Xoom might be so much more affordable 3 to 6 months down the path
There is a certain irony that they copy an Apple ad concept to advertise a copied Apple product. Are there truly no original concepts or innovations coming from anyone but Apple these days? It is amazing.
but they never posted...they never post my comments..
but I basically said, does anyone else see the irony in parodying a commercial from over 25 years ago while producing a product that is a parody of the real thing.
So you're quoting an article that was based on misinformation? You do know that the "16%" return rate was totally FUD right?
And if you read AI's other article's, you'd see that the Xoom is approaching the idea of a tablet differently.
Honeycomb is a totally different take on tablets, and doubly so on android.
Check AppleInsider's article. Do a google search. It is what it is. Accept it.
The eXoom is definitely different. It is a netbook without a keyboard. It has nano battery life time. It is a redesign of a computer nix the keboard. Who wants another lesser version of a lap top? Think about it, Menno. If you are just a troll Apple hater there is no need for further discussion. But if you are honestly keen on the future from whence ever it comes, cool.
I don't particularly want an iPad or any tablet at the moment. I write from my knee. I would find the MacBook Air perfect and it is rumoured it will evolve into a hybrid lap-Pad and run apps. Nice intermediary, don't you think. I write and communicate a lot so a kb is Necessity's child.
But if it is a netbook you want, the Air might be your device. An Android OS is going to take a lot of work before it can run a business day without further recharges.
I like to think I have an open mind but what I have seen from M$ and Google have not been promising. Time will tell and Apple has invented the future time and time again. The iPhone basically invented the smart phone. It is the iPhone being copied, not RiM phones. When M$ or Google does this once, I will be impressed.
Namaste,
mhikl
Let's not forget that Motorola designed and manufactured the 68000 CPU that powered the original Macs. So does that make them complicit in some evil mysterious plot that is depicted in the ad?
Apple and Motorola used to go out together. They even had a baby, the Motorola SLVR L7, a feature phone capable of syncing with iTunes. It was, for all intents and purposes, an iPod (with limited storage) + Mobile Phone. It was available from Cingular Wireless, which became AT&T. That was in 2006. The following year, everything changed.
- Copy the Apple iPad
- Copy an Apple TV commercial
What else is Motorola copying from Apple? Can no company except for Apple innovate?Will Motorola be challenged for infringing on the copyright of the Orwell family/Marvin Rosenblum?
You know, like Apple and Chiat/Day got following the adverts public introduction?
Innovation indeed...
I found the ad really dumb and weak. Teenagers' reactions were WTF? Buy xoom to get laid?
Those ads didn't mock users. They mocked Windows. Only the tiny minority of people (i.e., MCSEs and Paul Thurrott) whose identity is tied to Windows were offended. Hating Windows and hating your PC has long been a part of popular culture. Those ads were no more mocking than jokes about airplane food are to the millions of people who fly in airplanes.
No those ads mocked windows users, pretty much in the same way that Motorola's ads mocked Apple users. They're built on stereotypes, writ large. I didn't very much care for the Xoom ads and I'm an Android user, I didn't much care for the Apple ads and I'm a Macbook user. I suspect both ads will work in their own way.
The troll ran away hiding already?
Probably, Steveafb. Too bad. But a true troll has an agenda and little mind.
No those ads mocked windows users, pretty much in the same way that Motorola's ads mocked Apple users. They're built on stereotypes, writ large. I didn't very much care for the Xoom ads and I'm an Android user, I didn't much care for the Apple ads and I'm a Macbook user. I suspect both ads will work in their own way.
Well, no. Just saying it doesn't make it so. Whereas the Apple/PC ads explicitly used a guy declaring himself to be a PC, whose woes entirely centered around the perceptions and shortcomings of PCs, and which foibles were presented in a light hearted way that encouraged sympathy for the poor beleaguered PC, the Motorola ad explicitly and only depicts Apple's customers, whose only apparent attribute is docile servitude to their iPods and a penchant for white.
As far as "working in its own way", no doubt, but that may not be the way that Motorola had in mind. The Apple/PC ads sought to highlight the differences between the two platforms in things like ease of use, access to certain apps, customer support, etc. The Motorola ads seeks to.... what, exactly? Highlight the difference being a drone and being free? Based on what? Art direction?
Again, the people running Motorola may be under the impression that Apple's customers and potential customers represent this nascent movement of Apple disgust, but that's a delusion of internet tech punditry. No normal person regards iPod use as a mark of slavery, or imagines that buying a competitor's tablet device is the road to freedom.
Just looking at desktop monitors (well, laptops as well), 16:9 seems to be dominant form factor at present... thought 1280x800 is 16:10, I believe. 16:9 would be more like 1360x768 or 1280x720.
Anyway... my 2 year old HP 6730b laptop had 15.6" 1280x800 screen and it was HP business line laptop. I think it is decent resolution for both work and multimedia. 16:9 video will leave thin black strips above and below screen, or, alternatively, video player will be able to use that extra space for controls without overlapping them on video.
It might work for displaying videos, but what about the UI when you rotate the display and what about Apps?
Is an eventual Android app store going to feature applications built with every aspect ratio and pixel dimension in mind, or will there be device specific Apps?
Sounds like an unmanaged mess to me.
But as with the most non-Apple gadgets, Xoom might be so much more affordable 3 to 6 months down the path
What seems to be a WiFi only Xoom just appeared at the FCC. Rumor is that it's supposed to be for an April release.
Just saying it doesn't make it so.
quoted for addabox to read his own words.
quoted for addabox to read his own words.
Fun. And then I went on to explain exactly what I thought the differences.