You're missing the point of the article, which is about eco systems, not individual products or services by themselves.
My original statement was, 'never become entrenched' which led to further discussion. Buying into an ecosystem carries inherent risk, the kind that large organizations take steps to avoid. Consumers are rarely in a position to secure their investment and are at the mercy of the vendor. The more you buy in, the worse your position is, the better the 'elegant solutions' look.
I admit apple offers elegant solutions, but what drives me away is the all-or-nothing approach with inflated cost. It's the little things, like not being able to have a legitimate google voice experience on the iphone and inability to buy media/apps on the open market. It drives their bottom line, which is great for them, but not for me. So yes, it's elegant, but not that elegant. Not being entrenched, I can see that, but can still buy in at any time.
It's common to hear that Apple serves the masses rather than the techie minority, yet only 1 in 4 smartphone buyers are choosing iphones, according to the last quarterly report. Their strong ecosystem is doing well, while the 'weaker ecosystem' is luring three times as many smartphone buyers. Tablets are a different story of course, but by this time next year... I'll venture a guess that iPads will account for 1 in 4 sales at that time as well.
I agree, the apple ecosystem helps them attract and retain buyers, but doesn't explain why Android has lured so many more in the last year. In the end, I think Apple will be happy with 20% of the pc, tablet and phone markets earning record profit from hardware, apps and subscriptions. Doing so with minimal churn will be even better.
My original statement was, 'never become entrenched' which led to further discussion. Buying into an ecosystem carries inherent risk, the kind that large organizations take steps to avoid. Consumers are rarely in a position to secure their investment and are at the mercy of the vendor. The more you buy in, the worse your position is, the better the 'elegant solutions' look.
I admit apple offers elegant solutions, but what drives me away is the all-or-nothing approach with inflated cost. It's the little things, like not being able to have a legitimate google voice experience on the iphone and inability to buy media/apps on the open market. It drives their bottom line, which is great for them, but not for me. So yes, it's elegant, but not that elegant. Not being entrenched, I can see that, but can still buy in at any time.
I got to your "inability to buy media/apps on the open market" and realised you don't have a clue what you talk of. An an example, 80% of my music comes from non-iTMS sources, and 100% of my video. I do note that you included"apps" in the statement but suggests your contribution to this discussion is dishonest. Not being entrenched suggests to me that you have not entered this market and are here to "pump your bilges". I trust your sense of personal complacency was suitably propitiated.
It's common to hear that Apple serves the masses rather than the techie minority, yet only 1 in 4 smartphone buyers are choosing iphones, according to the last quarterly report................Tablets are a different story of course, but by this time next year... I'll venture a guess that iPads will account for 1 in 4 sales at that time as well.
I agree, the apple ecosystem helps them attract and retain buyers, but doesn't explain why Android has lured so many more in the last year. In the end, I think Apple will be happy with 20% of the pc, tablet and phone markets earning record profit from hardware, apps and subscriptions. Doing so with minimal churn will be even better.
There are a number of reasons why the iPhone's market share has not grown as quickly as Android's
1) Android has been available from just about every carrier in the world, whereas iPhones have been available from only a fraction of the world's carriers. One of the reasons for this is that Apple has imposed its own terms which many carriers have tried to resist, including that carriers may not add their "bloatware" on top of the iPhone's UI. The result is beneficial for the user because it gives a much cleaner, easier to use and far more consistent user experience, whereas Android is much more fragmented. Sooner or later carriers have to cave in to Apple's terms because Apple users are much more affluent, browse the internet far and are much more profitable for carriers even though they have to subsidise iPhones.
This Android advantage of greater number of carriers is being rapidly eroded as more and more carriers sell iPhones. Apple will continue to grow its market share of carriers, which Android cannot do. For example last year only one US carrier offered iPhones, now three of the top carriers do, after Verison capitulated and begged to be allowed to sell iPhones on Apple's terms and Sprint agreed to find $20 billion to subsidise iPhones.
The iPad has not suffered the disadvantage of the fewer number of sales points than Android. This is one of the reasons that on a level playing field the iPad has over 70% overall market share and the iPad has a 6:1 sales advantage over all the combined Android tablets.
2) Another advantage Android has had is that there are a great number of Android OEMs, offering a huge range of smartphones at different price points, whereas the iPhone has been a premium product earning the widest margins in the industry. Apple earns over half the total profits of the entire mobile industry even though according to Gartner the iPhone only has less than 4% market shares of mobile phone unit sales. Another problem Apple has had has been that they were unable to keep up with demand.
However, Android's cheaper phone advantage has been eradicated at a stroke by Apple's carriers offering the 3GS for free or 99 cents deposit and the iPhone 4 at less than $100. The big advantage that Apple has is that the latest versions of iOS are backward compatible, something which Android cannot do.
This means that iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 buyers can now have a premium product with the same iOS 5 software as the top of the line iPhone 4S except they cannot have Siri. So users can now buy a Premium Apple brand and Premium user experience with best content eco-system at the same price or far cheaper than even the lower bargain range of Androids.
This is a brilliant marketing move by Apple and the carriers are reporting a surge in sales of the 3GS and 4 as well as record sales of the 4S. One US carrier has reported that 55% of all smartphones that they are selling are now iPhones.
Was going to get a Nokia Lumia 800 buuuut... yeah. Apple email, Apple calendar, iOS apps, iTunes full of crap on both my macs. I'm pretty well locked in :b
Though if windows phone 7 supports CalDAV I'll be in like a shot.
I've been experimenting using Siri to find and play music from iTunes Match on iCloud.
After a few false starts, it works quite well (though, in the US, Siri seems to understand Castillian Spanish better than Mexican Spanish).
Long story, short!
I predict that Apple will make Siri available on every device that can support it ASAP!
Why?
Let me illustrate:
"Siri play something by 'Sheena Melwani"
Siri: "Looking for 'Sheena Melwani'..."
Siri: "You don't have anything by 'Sheena Melwani' in your music.
----> This is where the dialog ends ... In the present beta.
Here's the obvious continuation of the above conversation:
Siri: "I found 2 Albums and 21 songs by 'Sheena Melwani' in the iTunes Music Store. Would you like to preview them?"
...
Why? I'll tell you why... Because Siri can buy things for you!
Edit: Kinda makes you want Siri on your TV too...
haha… good one. you have good imagination… now imagine just by saying "Siri order me a 12inch tuna pizza from Papa John's and ask them to deliver it to my home/office"…
haha? good one. you have good imagination? now imagine just by saying "Siri order me a 12inch tuna pizza from Papa John's and ask them to deliver it to my home/office"?
If Apple can get the right APIs for apps in iOS then that might not be too far off.
You're missing the point of the article, which is about eco systems, not individual products or services by themselves. Some Apple products may not be better at what another competitor does with their product in it's class, but working together with other Apple made devices and services makes it that much more and for many loyal Apple customers, wins over the competition. Just consider the Mac, iOS, and Apple TV and how well all the hardware communicates with one another through services like iCloud and iTunes, and technologies like AirPlay and thats what gives a brand name like Apple such strong weight. It's just a blast to sit down in the living room and simply load up a video on your iPhone and with a couple of taps, have it stream to your home theater setup. No one else offers simplicity and elegance to that degree.
That's true- Apple TV sucks compared to any other set top box. But if you have a Mac and/or lots of iTunes music/movies/shows, photostream, and an airplay iOS device, theres no debate.
Ahh... The ecosystem... I'm so locked in, apple better keep it up.
I got to your "inability to buy media/apps on the open market" and realised you don't have a clue what you talk of. An an example, 80% of my music comes from non-iTMS sources, and 100% of my video.
Maybe I'm too far out of the loop, but didn't think there were alternatives to the app store for buying media from the device. I realize you can shoehorn music and movies, that's true.
Almost three quarters (72%) of smartphone owners feel that it is important to access to their digital libraries across multiple platforms, with the figure jumping to 80% for users who also own tablets and PCs. In this case, Apple's walled-in iTunes system becomes a negative aspect to the overall Apple environment as all apps and much of the media purchased through the service can only be used on iOS devices.
China, seen by many as the most important developing mobile market for Apple, places the greatest importance on cross-platform access with 92% of respondents emphasizing the need for media to be compatible across all devices.
Despite Apple's "walled garden," an AppleInsider report suggests there is high demand for the iPhone in China, with the newest iPhone 4S reportedly set to go on sale within two weeks after recently being approved for sale.
Garner notes the sum of the findings, from user experience to cross-platform media access, points to success for the manufacturer or OS developer that can most quickly attract users with an innovative and easy to use mobile platform.
Personally my media and content work across everything I have, from my iMac to my iPad and iPhone right over to my AppleTV. I can come home find a movie on my iPad, walk upstairs and hit one button to have it jump to my 70" TV, or hit that same button and walk down stairs and lay in bed and do the same to the TV there. I take photos that appear on my TV or my computer or iPad, I work on documents and they are updated across all my devices. I turn a page in a book and that same page is waiting on any device I would read it on. Now that is seamless. Could always wish for more but viruses and Trojans are not going to be a part of that list.
There are a number of reasons why the iPhone's market share has not grown as quickly as Android's
1) Android has been available from just about every carrier in the world, whereas iPhones have been available from only a fraction of the world's carriers.
2) Another advantage Android has had is that there are a great number of Android OEMs,
However, Android's cheaper phone advantage has been eradicated at a stroke by Apple's carriers offering the 3GS for free or 99 cents deposit and the iPhone 4 at less than $100. The big advantage that Apple has is that the latest versions of iOS are backward compatible, something which Android cannot do.
This means that iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 buyers can now have a premium product with the same iOS 5 software as the top of the line iPhone 4S except they cannot have Siri. So users can now buy a Premium Apple brand and Premium user experience with best content eco-system at the same price or far cheaper than even the lower bargain range of Androids.
This is a brilliant marketing move by Apple and the carriers are reporting a surge in sales of the 3GS and 4 as well as record sales of the 4S. One US carrier has reported that 55% of all smartphones that they are selling are now iPhones.
Same old song and dance. iPhone is going to catch up now, sure. I remember when Android had minimal market share and iOS was king. I didn't see anyone predicting android would grow so fast, to the point of outselling iphone 3 to 1. All I saw were predictions, one after another, that android growth would stall and iPhone would surge ahead with its new release. That didn't happen last year and surely will not happen this year. Could happen next year though!
Google's strategy is different, to capture the market with less profit on the front end, while offering the greatest choice to the widest possible market. There are high end devices that cost as much as iphones and also very low end devices, sliders, qwerty keys, etc. It turns out, not everyone likes the same design. Apple has the resources to create other offerings, just like their macbook line, but they don't and it costs them market share. So they must not care.
Like I said, apple will be happy with their 20% market share where profit margins are the highest. The entrenched user base is glad to pay a premium when they are already of the mindset that they pay more to have the best. In fact, apple could easily raise prices 50% across the board and enjoy even higher profits. Few would leave.
Could always wish for more but viruses and Trojans are not going to be a part of that list.
The best way to avoid OS-specific malware is to keep a small market share and so far it's working, but is showing signs of vulnerability. As for non-OS specific attacks, everyone is fair game and this is the area showing the most growth.
Maybe I'm too far out of the loop, but didn't think there were alternatives to the app store for buying media from the device. I realize you can shoehorn music and movies, that's true.
You can buy books, music and movies from any source, including hard copies on CD or DVD. They can then be transferred over to an ios device using itunes. Apps, however, have to be purchased through Apple's app store. The only way to install 3rd party apps from other sources is to jailbreak the device, which isn't something I recommend doing.
The books, music and movies you buy from itunes can also be moved to other devices. They're all stored in the itunes media folder and can be moved by dragging it over.
There are a lot of things on ios that people don't know or assume it can or can't do based on blog and tech articles they read online. And usually from people who've never actually used an ios device. If someone really wants to know, the best way to find out is to try one out for themselves. If they're not interested, then they're just posting on apple sites for other reasons or motives.
My best advice to friends is, "never become entrenched". Once you start choosing products and services based solely on the brand name, you are done. Always judge each individually on its own merit. The more expensive option will always appear simple, but by no means does that make it the best.
My best question to iPhone owners, advised by friends or relatives that iOS is closed or some other rubbish, is:-
"Do you want to plug your new phone into iTunes and have everything the same or start all over again, learning a new phone, all your Apps, messages, call lists, nearly everything comes across."
It takes 2 seconds for most to select iPhone.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bstring
Really? You think they have that kind of brand recognition? Hmm. maybe
I have an iPad2, but didn't choose it because of who made it or for the ecosystem. It was simply the best there was. My other gadgets (phone, internet TV box, laptop) aren't made by Apple, but for me they are the best or were at the time I bought them. It's not inconvenient to have products made by different companies even though most would have us believe otherwise. It would be very hard for one company to be the best in every product category. Apple is very good at what they do and that's why I bought their tablet.
...and almost every App you have on that iPad can be installed on an iPhone for free, as it's already in your iTunes library linked to your iTunes account.
You can buy books, music and movies from any source, including hard copies on CD or DVD. They can then be transferred over to an ios device using itunes. Apps, however, have to be purchased through Apple's app store. The only way to install 3rd party apps from other sources is to jailbreak the device, which isn't something I recommend doing.
The books, music and movies you buy from itunes can also be moved to other devices. They're all stored in the itunes media folder and can be moved by dragging it over.
This is 'shoehorning' and it's not elegant. Yes, it's easy, but truly inelegant. It can be done just as simply within or between any two platforms. The ecosystem advantage goes out the window.
Quote:
Originally Posted by neosum
There are a lot of things on ios that people don't know or assume it can or can't do based on blog and tech articles they read online. And usually from people who've never actually used an ios device. If someone really wants to know, the best way to find out is to try one out for themselves. If they're not interested, then they're just posting on apple sites for other reasons or motives.
I've had plenty of powermacs, mac pros, imacs, ipods, ipod touches and an iPad. I've been the apple evangelist. The whole thing started to smell a few years ago though and my perspective changed. It was a lot of little things that piled up, but the infamous straw was the itunes/ios walls going up, the so called ecosystem. Yes, I know it works for some people, but I wasn't willing to support it any more.
"Do you want to plug your new phone into iTunes and have everything the same or start all over again, learning a new phone, all your Apps, messages, call lists, nearly everything comes across."
...and almost every App you have on that iPad can be installed on an iPhone for free, as it's already in your iTunes library linked to your iTunes account.
If you ever feel like you can't switch to something new because it will be inconvenient, you are suffering from 'lock-in'. All mobile platforms have varying degrees of it, but Apple is notoriously bad and they are not ashamed.
The expression "starting all over" can be used to dissuade people, but getting your contacts, mail and social media apps setup on a different mobile platform is a 15 minute process. Can you export an iphone call log? probably not so that will take a week or so to get back. The same simplicity of upgrading phones applies to other platforms as well, not a big deal. And, no plugging it in, which I think we all now enjoy.
If you ever feel like you can't switch to something new because it will be inconvenient, you are suffering from 'lock-in'. All mobile platforms have varying degrees of it, but Apple is notoriously bad and they are not ashamed.
The expression "starting all over" can be used to dissuade people, but getting your contacts, mail and social media apps setup on a different mobile platform is a 15 minute process. Can you export an iphone call log? probably not so that will take a week or so to get back. The same simplicity of upgrading phones applies to other platforms as well, not a big deal. And, no plugging it in, which I think we all now enjoy.
Which lock in is this? You mean apps for a particular OS? How is Apple any different than anyone else?
You mean music? Steve Jobs is the CEO that called for the end of DRM while the RIAA and music CDs tried to make illegal and impossible to copy your music between formats.
I guess if you think Apple not licensing their OS to other vendors is some egregious lock-in then you'd have a point, but that's a pretty silly argument to make.
Which lock in is this? You mean apps for a particular OS? How is Apple any different than anyone else?
Yes, all mobile platforms have inherent forms of lock in, primarily the apps. My point is, users shouldn't feel compelled to buy other Apple products simply because they may own one. Buy whatever is best based upon your independent research. If the advantage of 'the ecosystem' proves worthy rather than a detriment, go for it. Personally, I enjoy several mobile and desktop platforms and like the diversity. Limiting myself to one would be very..... limiting.
Comments
You're missing the point of the article, which is about eco systems, not individual products or services by themselves.
My original statement was, 'never become entrenched' which led to further discussion. Buying into an ecosystem carries inherent risk, the kind that large organizations take steps to avoid. Consumers are rarely in a position to secure their investment and are at the mercy of the vendor. The more you buy in, the worse your position is, the better the 'elegant solutions' look.
I admit apple offers elegant solutions, but what drives me away is the all-or-nothing approach with inflated cost. It's the little things, like not being able to have a legitimate google voice experience on the iphone and inability to buy media/apps on the open market. It drives their bottom line, which is great for them, but not for me. So yes, it's elegant, but not that elegant. Not being entrenched, I can see that, but can still buy in at any time.
It's common to hear that Apple serves the masses rather than the techie minority, yet only 1 in 4 smartphone buyers are choosing iphones, according to the last quarterly report. Their strong ecosystem is doing well, while the 'weaker ecosystem' is luring three times as many smartphone buyers. Tablets are a different story of course, but by this time next year... I'll venture a guess that iPads will account for 1 in 4 sales at that time as well.
I agree, the apple ecosystem helps them attract and retain buyers, but doesn't explain why Android has lured so many more in the last year. In the end, I think Apple will be happy with 20% of the pc, tablet and phone markets earning record profit from hardware, apps and subscriptions. Doing so with minimal churn will be even better.
i don't know and i want to ask can't you just sync iCloud bookmarks between Mac's & PC's?
I guess you can but at work I am not allowed to install anything. Firefox is supplied by default because 50% of the people like it better than IE.
My original statement was, 'never become entrenched' which led to further discussion. Buying into an ecosystem carries inherent risk, the kind that large organizations take steps to avoid. Consumers are rarely in a position to secure their investment and are at the mercy of the vendor. The more you buy in, the worse your position is, the better the 'elegant solutions' look.
I admit apple offers elegant solutions, but what drives me away is the all-or-nothing approach with inflated cost. It's the little things, like not being able to have a legitimate google voice experience on the iphone and inability to buy media/apps on the open market. It drives their bottom line, which is great for them, but not for me. So yes, it's elegant, but not that elegant. Not being entrenched, I can see that, but can still buy in at any time.
I got to your "inability to buy media/apps on the open market" and realised you don't have a clue what you talk of. An an example, 80% of my music comes from non-iTMS sources, and 100% of my video. I do note that you included"apps" in the statement but suggests your contribution to this discussion is dishonest. Not being entrenched suggests to me that you have not entered this market and are here to "pump your bilges". I trust your sense of personal complacency was suitably propitiated.
Cheers
.
It's common to hear that Apple serves the masses rather than the techie minority, yet only 1 in 4 smartphone buyers are choosing iphones, according to the last quarterly report................Tablets are a different story of course, but by this time next year... I'll venture a guess that iPads will account for 1 in 4 sales at that time as well.
I agree, the apple ecosystem helps them attract and retain buyers, but doesn't explain why Android has lured so many more in the last year. In the end, I think Apple will be happy with 20% of the pc, tablet and phone markets earning record profit from hardware, apps and subscriptions. Doing so with minimal churn will be even better.
There are a number of reasons why the iPhone's market share has not grown as quickly as Android's
1) Android has been available from just about every carrier in the world, whereas iPhones have been available from only a fraction of the world's carriers. One of the reasons for this is that Apple has imposed its own terms which many carriers have tried to resist, including that carriers may not add their "bloatware" on top of the iPhone's UI. The result is beneficial for the user because it gives a much cleaner, easier to use and far more consistent user experience, whereas Android is much more fragmented. Sooner or later carriers have to cave in to Apple's terms because Apple users are much more affluent, browse the internet far and are much more profitable for carriers even though they have to subsidise iPhones.
This Android advantage of greater number of carriers is being rapidly eroded as more and more carriers sell iPhones. Apple will continue to grow its market share of carriers, which Android cannot do. For example last year only one US carrier offered iPhones, now three of the top carriers do, after Verison capitulated and begged to be allowed to sell iPhones on Apple's terms and Sprint agreed to find $20 billion to subsidise iPhones.
The iPad has not suffered the disadvantage of the fewer number of sales points than Android. This is one of the reasons that on a level playing field the iPad has over 70% overall market share and the iPad has a 6:1 sales advantage over all the combined Android tablets.
2) Another advantage Android has had is that there are a great number of Android OEMs, offering a huge range of smartphones at different price points, whereas the iPhone has been a premium product earning the widest margins in the industry. Apple earns over half the total profits of the entire mobile industry even though according to Gartner the iPhone only has less than 4% market shares of mobile phone unit sales. Another problem Apple has had has been that they were unable to keep up with demand.
However, Android's cheaper phone advantage has been eradicated at a stroke by Apple's carriers offering the 3GS for free or 99 cents deposit and the iPhone 4 at less than $100. The big advantage that Apple has is that the latest versions of iOS are backward compatible, something which Android cannot do.
This means that iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 buyers can now have a premium product with the same iOS 5 software as the top of the line iPhone 4S except they cannot have Siri. So users can now buy a Premium Apple brand and Premium user experience with best content eco-system at the same price or far cheaper than even the lower bargain range of Androids.
This is a brilliant marketing move by Apple and the carriers are reporting a surge in sales of the 3GS and 4 as well as record sales of the 4S. One US carrier has reported that 55% of all smartphones that they are selling are now iPhones.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-1...tml?cmpid=yhoo
Was going to get a Nokia Lumia 800 buuuut... yeah. Apple email, Apple calendar, iOS apps, iTunes full of crap on both my macs. I'm pretty well locked in :b
Though if windows phone 7 supports CalDAV I'll be in like a shot.
After a few false starts, it works quite well (though, in the US, Siri seems to understand Castillian Spanish better than Mexican Spanish).
Long story, short!
I predict that Apple will make Siri available on every device that can support it ASAP!
Why?
Let me illustrate:
"Siri play something by 'Sheena Melwani"
Siri: "Looking for 'Sheena Melwani'..."
Siri: "You don't have anything by 'Sheena Melwani' in your music.
----> This is where the dialog ends ... In the present beta.
Here's the obvious continuation of the above conversation:
Siri: "I found 2 Albums and 21 songs by 'Sheena Melwani' in the iTunes Music Store. Would you like to preview them?"
...
Why? I'll tell you why... Because Siri can buy things for you!
Edit: Kinda makes you want Siri on your TV too...
I've been experimenting using Siri to find and play music from iTunes Match on iCloud.
After a few false starts, it works quite well (though, in the US, Siri seems to understand Castillian Spanish better than Mexican Spanish).
Long story, short!
I predict that Apple will make Siri available on every device that can support it ASAP!
Why?
Let me illustrate:
"Siri play something by 'Sheena Melwani"
Siri: "Looking for 'Sheena Melwani'..."
Siri: "You don't have anything by 'Sheena Melwani' in your music.
----> This is where the dialog ends ... In the present beta.
Here's the obvious continuation of the above conversation:
Siri: "I found 2 Albums and 21 songs by 'Sheena Melwani' in the iTunes Music Store. Would you like to preview them?"
...
Why? I'll tell you why... Because Siri can buy things for you!
Edit: Kinda makes you want Siri on your TV too...
haha… good one. you have good imagination… now imagine just by saying "Siri order me a 12inch tuna pizza from Papa John's and ask them to deliver it to my home/office"…
haha? good one. you have good imagination? now imagine just by saying "Siri order me a 12inch tuna pizza from Papa John's and ask them to deliver it to my home/office"?
If Apple can get the right APIs for apps in iOS then that might not be too far off.
You're missing the point of the article, which is about eco systems, not individual products or services by themselves. Some Apple products may not be better at what another competitor does with their product in it's class, but working together with other Apple made devices and services makes it that much more and for many loyal Apple customers, wins over the competition. Just consider the Mac, iOS, and Apple TV and how well all the hardware communicates with one another through services like iCloud and iTunes, and technologies like AirPlay and thats what gives a brand name like Apple such strong weight. It's just a blast to sit down in the living room and simply load up a video on your iPhone and with a couple of taps, have it stream to your home theater setup. No one else offers simplicity and elegance to that degree.
That's true- Apple TV sucks compared to any other set top box. But if you have a Mac and/or lots of iTunes music/movies/shows, photostream, and an airplay iOS device, theres no debate.
Ahh... The ecosystem... I'm so locked in, apple better keep it up.
I got to your "inability to buy media/apps on the open market" and realised you don't have a clue what you talk of. An an example, 80% of my music comes from non-iTMS sources, and 100% of my video.
Maybe I'm too far out of the loop, but didn't think there were alternatives to the app store for buying media from the device. I realize you can shoehorn music and movies, that's true.
Almost three quarters (72%) of smartphone owners feel that it is important to access to their digital libraries across multiple platforms, with the figure jumping to 80% for users who also own tablets and PCs. In this case, Apple's walled-in iTunes system becomes a negative aspect to the overall Apple environment as all apps and much of the media purchased through the service can only be used on iOS devices.
China, seen by many as the most important developing mobile market for Apple, places the greatest importance on cross-platform access with 92% of respondents emphasizing the need for media to be compatible across all devices.
Despite Apple's "walled garden," an AppleInsider report suggests there is high demand for the iPhone in China, with the newest iPhone 4S reportedly set to go on sale within two weeks after recently being approved for sale.
Garner notes the sum of the findings, from user experience to cross-platform media access, points to success for the manufacturer or OS developer that can most quickly attract users with an innovative and easy to use mobile platform.
Personally my media and content work across everything I have, from my iMac to my iPad and iPhone right over to my AppleTV. I can come home find a movie on my iPad, walk upstairs and hit one button to have it jump to my 70" TV, or hit that same button and walk down stairs and lay in bed and do the same to the TV there. I take photos that appear on my TV or my computer or iPad, I work on documents and they are updated across all my devices. I turn a page in a book and that same page is waiting on any device I would read it on. Now that is seamless. Could always wish for more but viruses and Trojans are not going to be a part of that list.
There are a number of reasons why the iPhone's market share has not grown as quickly as Android's
1) Android has been available from just about every carrier in the world, whereas iPhones have been available from only a fraction of the world's carriers.
2) Another advantage Android has had is that there are a great number of Android OEMs,
However, Android's cheaper phone advantage has been eradicated at a stroke by Apple's carriers offering the 3GS for free or 99 cents deposit and the iPhone 4 at less than $100. The big advantage that Apple has is that the latest versions of iOS are backward compatible, something which Android cannot do.
This means that iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 buyers can now have a premium product with the same iOS 5 software as the top of the line iPhone 4S except they cannot have Siri. So users can now buy a Premium Apple brand and Premium user experience with best content eco-system at the same price or far cheaper than even the lower bargain range of Androids.
This is a brilliant marketing move by Apple and the carriers are reporting a surge in sales of the 3GS and 4 as well as record sales of the 4S. One US carrier has reported that 55% of all smartphones that they are selling are now iPhones.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-1...tml?cmpid=yhoo
Same old song and dance. iPhone is going to catch up now, sure. I remember when Android had minimal market share and iOS was king. I didn't see anyone predicting android would grow so fast, to the point of outselling iphone 3 to 1. All I saw were predictions, one after another, that android growth would stall and iPhone would surge ahead with its new release. That didn't happen last year and surely will not happen this year. Could happen next year though!
Google's strategy is different, to capture the market with less profit on the front end, while offering the greatest choice to the widest possible market. There are high end devices that cost as much as iphones and also very low end devices, sliders, qwerty keys, etc. It turns out, not everyone likes the same design. Apple has the resources to create other offerings, just like their macbook line, but they don't and it costs them market share. So they must not care.
Like I said, apple will be happy with their 20% market share where profit margins are the highest. The entrenched user base is glad to pay a premium when they are already of the mindset that they pay more to have the best. In fact, apple could easily raise prices 50% across the board and enjoy even higher profits. Few would leave.
Could always wish for more but viruses and Trojans are not going to be a part of that list.
The best way to avoid OS-specific malware is to keep a small market share and so far it's working, but is showing signs of vulnerability. As for non-OS specific attacks, everyone is fair game and this is the area showing the most growth.
Maybe I'm too far out of the loop, but didn't think there were alternatives to the app store for buying media from the device. I realize you can shoehorn music and movies, that's true.
You can buy books, music and movies from any source, including hard copies on CD or DVD. They can then be transferred over to an ios device using itunes. Apps, however, have to be purchased through Apple's app store. The only way to install 3rd party apps from other sources is to jailbreak the device, which isn't something I recommend doing.
The books, music and movies you buy from itunes can also be moved to other devices. They're all stored in the itunes media folder and can be moved by dragging it over.
There are a lot of things on ios that people don't know or assume it can or can't do based on blog and tech articles they read online. And usually from people who've never actually used an ios device. If someone really wants to know, the best way to find out is to try one out for themselves. If they're not interested, then they're just posting on apple sites for other reasons or motives.
My best advice to friends is, "never become entrenched". Once you start choosing products and services based solely on the brand name, you are done. Always judge each individually on its own merit. The more expensive option will always appear simple, but by no means does that make it the best.
My best question to iPhone owners, advised by friends or relatives that iOS is closed or some other rubbish, is:-
"Do you want to plug your new phone into iTunes and have everything the same or start all over again, learning a new phone, all your Apps, messages, call lists, nearly everything comes across."
It takes 2 seconds for most to select iPhone.
Really? You think they have that kind of brand recognition? Hmm. maybe
I have an iPad2, but didn't choose it because of who made it or for the ecosystem. It was simply the best there was. My other gadgets (phone, internet TV box, laptop) aren't made by Apple, but for me they are the best or were at the time I bought them. It's not inconvenient to have products made by different companies even though most would have us believe otherwise. It would be very hard for one company to be the best in every product category. Apple is very good at what they do and that's why I bought their tablet.
...and almost every App you have on that iPad can be installed on an iPhone for free, as it's already in your iTunes library linked to your iTunes account.
You can buy books, music and movies from any source, including hard copies on CD or DVD. They can then be transferred over to an ios device using itunes. Apps, however, have to be purchased through Apple's app store. The only way to install 3rd party apps from other sources is to jailbreak the device, which isn't something I recommend doing.
The books, music and movies you buy from itunes can also be moved to other devices. They're all stored in the itunes media folder and can be moved by dragging it over.
This is 'shoehorning' and it's not elegant. Yes, it's easy, but truly inelegant. It can be done just as simply within or between any two platforms. The ecosystem advantage goes out the window.
There are a lot of things on ios that people don't know or assume it can or can't do based on blog and tech articles they read online. And usually from people who've never actually used an ios device. If someone really wants to know, the best way to find out is to try one out for themselves. If they're not interested, then they're just posting on apple sites for other reasons or motives.
I've had plenty of powermacs, mac pros, imacs, ipods, ipod touches and an iPad. I've been the apple evangelist. The whole thing started to smell a few years ago though and my perspective changed. It was a lot of little things that piled up, but the infamous straw was the itunes/ios walls going up, the so called ecosystem. Yes, I know it works for some people, but I wasn't willing to support it any more.
"Do you want to plug your new phone into iTunes and have everything the same or start all over again, learning a new phone, all your Apps, messages, call lists, nearly everything comes across."
...and almost every App you have on that iPad can be installed on an iPhone for free, as it's already in your iTunes library linked to your iTunes account.
If you ever feel like you can't switch to something new because it will be inconvenient, you are suffering from 'lock-in'. All mobile platforms have varying degrees of it, but Apple is notoriously bad and they are not ashamed.
The expression "starting all over" can be used to dissuade people, but getting your contacts, mail and social media apps setup on a different mobile platform is a 15 minute process. Can you export an iphone call log? probably not so that will take a week or so to get back. The same simplicity of upgrading phones applies to other platforms as well, not a big deal. And, no plugging it in, which I think we all now enjoy.
If you ever feel like you can't switch to something new because it will be inconvenient, you are suffering from 'lock-in'. All mobile platforms have varying degrees of it, but Apple is notoriously bad and they are not ashamed.
The expression "starting all over" can be used to dissuade people, but getting your contacts, mail and social media apps setup on a different mobile platform is a 15 minute process. Can you export an iphone call log? probably not so that will take a week or so to get back. The same simplicity of upgrading phones applies to other platforms as well, not a big deal. And, no plugging it in, which I think we all now enjoy.
Which lock in is this? You mean apps for a particular OS? How is Apple any different than anyone else?
You mean music? Steve Jobs is the CEO that called for the end of DRM while the RIAA and music CDs tried to make illegal and impossible to copy your music between formats.
I guess if you think Apple not licensing their OS to other vendors is some egregious lock-in then you'd have a point, but that's a pretty silly argument to make.
Which lock in is this? You mean apps for a particular OS? How is Apple any different than anyone else?
Yes, all mobile platforms have inherent forms of lock in, primarily the apps. My point is, users shouldn't feel compelled to buy other Apple products simply because they may own one. Buy whatever is best based upon your independent research. If the advantage of 'the ecosystem' proves worthy rather than a detriment, go for it. Personally, I enjoy several mobile and desktop platforms and like the diversity. Limiting myself to one would be very..... limiting.