Samsung on Thursday took the wraps off its highly anticipated Galaxy S III smartphone, featuring a 1.4-gigahertz quad-core processor, 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED screen, and Google's Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system.
Apple now earning 73% of global mobile profits with just 8.8% unit share
Now, let's see if Apple can match the components and features of Samsung smartphones or if it will be forced to give up its HUGE profit margins. Because, in the end, the market is always right.
And right now, the stock market is saying "I'm not sure if I want to continue to hold on to Apple shares". And, if one is going to follow what Apple executives are doing with their own holdings, it's time to sell. Maybe the party is coming to an end.
So I'm supposed to like this phone so I can have a big 'ol Flipboard widget covering up a third of my home screen. Geez, I put apps in folders to try and unclutter my home screen as much as possible. And how's the battery life when you have widgets enabled?
So I'm supposed to like this phone so I can have a big 'ol Flipboard widget covering up a third of my home screen. Geez, I put apps in folders to try and unclutter my home screen as much as possible. And how's the battery life when you have widgets enabled?
As far as I can tell from Android commenters NO ONE likes this phone...
It could be speedy...could be flawless software wise (hah) but the design is sooo dated...it looks like a cheap BOGO phone...all of HTC's One series look better than this...even the one V which is designed to be a budget phone.
I'm very curious to see if four cores is useful in a phone. I'm a little skeptical, but I don't know for sure.
I have a HTC One X, which has 4 cores, and a iPhone 4S but I can't say one feels faster than the other. Maybe it just needs to have software to optimised for four cores before you can notice a difference.
So I'm supposed to like this phone so I can have a big 'ol Flipboard widget covering up a third of my home screen. Geez, I put apps in folders to try and unclutter my home screen as much as possible. And how's the battery life when you have widgets enabled?
It depends on how many widgets you have and how often the widget updates it's info, I set mine for once every three hours.
It's really ugly. It looks like 90% of the design choices were informed by the need to get the 4.8-inch screen within a body which is acceptably small.
I hope that the next iPhone has a ~4-inch screen, but 4.8 inches is just too big. There's no way the average person can use a screen of that size comfortably with one hand. It might be borderline acceptable on a phone like the GS3, which is principally designed for geeks, but it's too big for the mainstream. In particular, it's too big for women to use with one hand.
I'm a women and If I can use the Note with one hand I'm sure nobody will have a problem with this one.
It's a four-core spec-whore wet dream. Maybe now they'll have smooth scrolling. Of course, it's made for humans. Smartphones have sold poorly to other species.
The current screen size is perfect. Apple tried every different screen size and picked 3.5 as the best.
That was when it was introduced almost 5 years ago, times change so do peoples expectations on technology. Apple is going to have a larger screen on their next generation iPhone's so get used to it.
As far as I can tell from Android commenters NO ONE likes this phone...
It could be speedy...could be flawless software wise (hah) but the design is sooo dated...it looks like a cheap BOGO phone...all of HTC's One series look better than this...even the one V which is designed to be a budget phone.
Wasn't that the same initial reaction when the 4S came out as there was so much buzz about a new design? Didn't stop Apple from selling millions of them just like Samsung probably will with this phone.
I think the biggest news here is not the derivative and meh hardware but the derivative and meh software.
This is BIG. If more signs were needed, Samsung is out to destroy Android as an open platform. Quite rightly in their quest to be a successful company via their strategy to copy and then try to out-Apple Apple, they obviously feel that they can hold up Android on their own as a Samsung driven ecosystem. The way the competitors are going they are probably right. They are methodically copying everything Apple is doing since it is obviously the way to get growth AND profits in creating a Samsung-only ecosystem around content, Samsung specific apps (mostly aping Apple e.g. S-Cloud, S-Beam and S Voice) and even Samsung proprietary (pop-up) retail. They are the only Android OEM with the resources (and now profits) to invest in this kind of real differentiation (beyond a stupid skin).
How soon can it be before Samsung properly forks its OS from Google. Apart from the Play store, Samsung is almost autonomous already. I think nerds like us would be surprised at how little most Google Apps tie people to the ecosystem. G Apps, G Voice, G Drive, etc. are weak magnets for most mainstream users, as is any Google content platform (except the Play App Store). G Mail is ubiquitous but most users are fine with access from a built in or 3rd party app rather than super tight integration.
This is the beginning of the end for Google's even now tenuous control of its own platform. Not that it should negatively impact them too much. Look how much they make from iOS. At least it isn't MS that is doing this to them.
Will Google decide to be more aggressive with the Moto purchase (sign already!) and not sell it off to Huawei and go to war with Samsung? For nice potential hardware profits, taking them from Samsung and denying them access to the new wizz-bang features of JB or KillerKracknel or whatever, maybe?
Yes, in theory, the UI could be updated. But given that only a tiny percentage of Android users are ever able to update the software in their phones, that's only a theoretical possibility.
The UI is easily updated by using a home replacement or launcher. The phone does not have to be rooted and most are free.
Wasn't that the same initial reaction when the 4S came out as there was so much buzz about a new design? Didn't stop Apple from selling millions of them just like Samsung probably will with this phone.
I agree. As Horace Dediu once notably said "when bloggers shed tears, cash registers ring".
I think that most of the nerd complaints will have no impact on the high-end of the mainstream of consumers which is the target for Samsung. The compromises keep this mainstream (a minor update on the GNex) but enough to keep them winning until the iP5. The point of this phone is not to please fanboys but sell millions upon millions of devices (not a few mil like the GNex or Note) and make a healthy profit on each one. It will do this and will further fragment Android to the point that Samsung forks entirely when they can manage and populate their own App Store.
Comments
Go HTC...
Samsung is run by idiots...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Euphonious
I hope that the next iPhone has a ~4-inch screen
The current screen size is perfect. Apple tried every different screen size and picked 3.5 as the best.
Quote:
Originally Posted by AppleInsider
Samsung on Thursday took the wraps off its highly anticipated Galaxy S III smartphone, featuring a 1.4-gigahertz quad-core processor, 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED screen, and Google's Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system.
Apple now earning 73% of global mobile profits with just 8.8% unit share
Now, let's see if Apple can match the components and features of Samsung smartphones or if it will be forced to give up its HUGE profit margins. Because, in the end, the market is always right.
And right now, the stock market is saying "I'm not sure if I want to continue to hold on to Apple shares". And, if one is going to follow what Apple executives are doing with their own holdings, it's time to sell. Maybe the party is coming to an end.
So I'm supposed to like this phone so I can have a big 'ol Flipboard widget covering up a third of my home screen. Geez, I put apps in folders to try and unclutter my home screen as much as possible. And how's the battery life when you have widgets enabled?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rogifan
So I'm supposed to like this phone so I can have a big 'ol Flipboard widget covering up a third of my home screen. Geez, I put apps in folders to try and unclutter my home screen as much as possible. And how's the battery life when you have widgets enabled?
As far as I can tell from Android commenters NO ONE likes this phone...
It could be speedy...could be flawless software wise (hah) but the design is sooo dated...it looks like a cheap BOGO phone...all of HTC's One series look better than this...even the one V which is designed to be a budget phone.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ljocampo
Hugh is an understatement. Hugh as in we no longer will know if owners have a boner or the phone in their pants pocket.
Phones get 'boners'? That news would be huge.
/
/
/
It's lighter and thinner then the iPhone, I don't think it will be a problem.
Quote:
Originally Posted by quinney
(R.I.P. Andre)
Also: RIP Muhammad (or Cassius...)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Blastdoor
I'm very curious to see if four cores is useful in a phone. I'm a little skeptical, but I don't know for sure.
I have a HTC One X, which has 4 cores, and a iPhone 4S but I can't say one feels faster than the other. Maybe it just needs to have software to optimised for four cores before you can notice a difference.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rogifan
So I'm supposed to like this phone so I can have a big 'ol Flipboard widget covering up a third of my home screen. Geez, I put apps in folders to try and unclutter my home screen as much as possible. And how's the battery life when you have widgets enabled?
It depends on how many widgets you have and how often the widget updates it's info, I set mine for once every three hours.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Negafox
I like the specs but the display is too large. 4.8" display? I doubt I could comfortably fit that in my pocket.
The One X is almost the exact same size and it fits in your pocket fine. Probably because it's so thin I guess.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Euphonious
It's really ugly. It looks like 90% of the design choices were informed by the need to get the 4.8-inch screen within a body which is acceptably small.
I hope that the next iPhone has a ~4-inch screen, but 4.8 inches is just too big. There's no way the average person can use a screen of that size comfortably with one hand. It might be borderline acceptable on a phone like the GS3, which is principally designed for geeks, but it's too big for the mainstream. In particular, it's too big for women to use with one hand.
I'm a women and If I can use the Note with one hand I'm sure nobody will have a problem with this one.
Of course, it's made for humans. Smartphones have sold poorly to other species.
Quote:
Originally Posted by I am a Zither Zather Zuzz
The current screen size is perfect. Apple tried every different screen size and picked 3.5 as the best.
Perfect for everyone or just you? I personally found it too small for my liking.
Quote:
Originally Posted by I am a Zither Zather Zuzz
The current screen size is perfect. Apple tried every different screen size and picked 3.5 as the best.
That was when it was introduced almost 5 years ago, times change so do peoples expectations on technology. Apple is going to have a larger screen on their next generation iPhone's so get used to it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by AbsoluteDesignz
As far as I can tell from Android commenters NO ONE likes this phone...
It could be speedy...could be flawless software wise (hah) but the design is sooo dated...it looks like a cheap BOGO phone...all of HTC's One series look better than this...even the one V which is designed to be a budget phone.
Wasn't that the same initial reaction when the 4S came out as there was so much buzz about a new design? Didn't stop Apple from selling millions of them just like Samsung probably will with this phone.
I think the biggest news here is not the derivative and meh hardware but the derivative and meh software.
This is BIG. If more signs were needed, Samsung is out to destroy Android as an open platform. Quite rightly in their quest to be a successful company via their strategy to copy and then try to out-Apple Apple, they obviously feel that they can hold up Android on their own as a Samsung driven ecosystem. The way the competitors are going they are probably right. They are methodically copying everything Apple is doing since it is obviously the way to get growth AND profits in creating a Samsung-only ecosystem around content, Samsung specific apps (mostly aping Apple e.g. S-Cloud, S-Beam and S Voice) and even Samsung proprietary (pop-up) retail. They are the only Android OEM with the resources (and now profits) to invest in this kind of real differentiation (beyond a stupid skin).
How soon can it be before Samsung properly forks its OS from Google. Apart from the Play store, Samsung is almost autonomous already. I think nerds like us would be surprised at how little most Google Apps tie people to the ecosystem. G Apps, G Voice, G Drive, etc. are weak magnets for most mainstream users, as is any Google content platform (except the Play App Store). G Mail is ubiquitous but most users are fine with access from a built in or 3rd party app rather than super tight integration.
This is the beginning of the end for Google's even now tenuous control of its own platform. Not that it should negatively impact them too much. Look how much they make from iOS. At least it isn't MS that is doing this to them.
Will Google decide to be more aggressive with the Moto purchase (sign already!) and not sell it off to Huawei and go to war with Samsung? For nice potential hardware profits, taking them from Samsung and denying them access to the new wizz-bang features of JB or KillerKracknel or whatever, maybe?
The UI is easily updated by using a home replacement or launcher. The phone does not have to be rooted and most are free.
Quote:
Originally Posted by fredaroony
Wasn't that the same initial reaction when the 4S came out as there was so much buzz about a new design? Didn't stop Apple from selling millions of them just like Samsung probably will with this phone.
I agree. As Horace Dediu once notably said "when bloggers shed tears, cash registers ring".
I think that most of the nerd complaints will have no impact on the high-end of the mainstream of consumers which is the target for Samsung. The compromises keep this mainstream (a minor update on the GNex) but enough to keep them winning until the iP5. The point of this phone is not to please fanboys but sell millions upon millions of devices (not a few mil like the GNex or Note) and make a healthy profit on each one. It will do this and will further fragment Android to the point that Samsung forks entirely when they can manage and populate their own App Store.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Capnbob
Also: RIP Muhammad (or Cassius...)
Ummm...he's not dead...